Sun Valley will be cooking in June

This was not a good idea.

Inspired by a trip to Italy – where the food must be made of nicotine or crack cocaine or something, it is so irresistible – I decided to make my own pasta. I got a hand-crank pasta maker, semolina flour and a book and unwittingly went to town.

Of course I didn’t have the good sense to try something simple and flat. No, I went for ravioli.

I made a magnificent (albeit not picture-perfect) dinner, to be sure, but it cost me five hours and every clean dish in the house.

And that is the last time that happened. I fully understand the value of having someone else cook for me, and I’m not too proud to let him or her or them, as the case may be, do it.

The fine folks of San Valley, Idaho, have stepped up, volunteering to prepare me – and you and anyone else you’d like to invite along – a three-day banquet, June 8 to 10.

According to organizers, they’ve designed the Sun Valley Food and Wine Festival as a “fun and inspiring feast … in an inspired setting.”

What’s there to say, but please pass the champagne?

Should you find yourself a bit reluctant to just gorge for three days on end, fret not. The festival offers educational opportunities intended to salve your conscience and classify the whole experience under “personal growth.”

Educational item No. 1: A keynote address (sounds serious, doesn’t it?) by Jim Harrison, author of “The Raw and the Cooked: Adventures of a Roving Gourmand.” The book starts this way: “The idea is to eat well and not die from it – for the simple reason that that would be the end of your eating.”

Saveur magazine called Harrison’s collection of essays the best food memoir of all time.

Other culinary celebrities include Cat Cora, who was recently named executive chef for Bon Appetit magazine; Katie Chin, a Chinese cooking expert featured in Cooking Light magazine; and Cory Schreiber, a chef from Portland’s Wildwood Restaurant.

There are a bunch more lesser lights, who all no doubt know how to whomp up a mess of vittles, and they’ll prove it to you with cooking demonstrations and menus ranging from fusion to fine European dining.

Those surely qualify as educational items Nos. 2 through 10 or so.

Saturday wraps up with vintner dinners at your choice of six area restaurants. And on Sunday, “A Sun Valley/Ketchum Grand Tasting” serves up a sampling of deliciousness from a number of restaurants and caterers, along with regional beers, champagnes, wines and vodka.

Festival passes ring in at $250 per person, which doesn’t include the vintner dinner or grand tasting. Throw in another $100 and you’ll be the proud owner of an Epicurious Festival pass that gets you into a VIP reception with Harrison and the preferred seating area at the demonstrations.

Learn more at www.sunvalleyfoodandwinefestival.com or (866) 305-0408.

Sounds of Leavenworth

Isn’t that yodeling song about the goatherd the very best thing in “The Sound of Music”?

And can you think of a better place to yodel – outside of Switzerland, of course – than Leavenworth, Wash.?

It’s all coming together this summer, with Leavenworth Summer Theater’s interpretation of the Julie Andrews classic, starting July 6 and running through August at the Ski Hill Amphitheater.

If that particular show isn’t your cup of tea, you have options.

Tony-award winner “Will Rogers Follies” debuts July 18 at Hatchery Park Amphitheater in the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. The theater calls it “an unforgettable show about an unforgettable legend;” it closes Sept. 1.

Finally, medieval magic takes the stage when “Camelot” premieres Aug. 1 at the FestHalle in downtown Leavenworth.

This season’s tickets cost $14, $22 or $28 per person. You’ll find a complete list of show dates on the festival’s Web site, www.leavenworthsummertheater.org. Or you can call (509) 548-2000.

Brownsville stations

This Saturday, it will be 1924 all over again in Brownsville, Ore.

“Carriage Me Back” explores the good old days in the small town north of Eugene with community actors donning period costumes, adopting the personalities of historical characters and re-enacting town lore for your edification and amusement.

You’ll enjoy this look back from your perch in a horse-drawn carriage, which will ferry you from vignette to vignette in style.

To get the complete lowdown, visit www.brownsvilleoregon.org or call (541) 466-3390.

Regional events

“Montana Watercolor Society Members Show, May 1-26, Havre. If you’re looking for watercolor paintings, this is the place. ( www.visitmt.com/406-265-6752)

“Outdoor Sculpture Invitational walk/talk with the artists, May 19, Goldendale, Wash. Get a look at the creations in this year’s Maryhill Museum outdoor sculpture exhibit and hear what the artists were thinking. (http://maryhillmuseum.org/509-773-3733)