Washington’s Cherry Blossom Centennial
Centennial of springtime tradition in nation’s capital One hundred years ago, Tokyo, Japan made a glorious gift of 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C. On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, ceremonially planted the first two trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin. [...]
Anchorage in Winter
Northern lights, winter traditions & chance to see non-touristy Alaska One year ago, I was in Anchorage, rubbing elbows with locals and visitors, shopping for Native crafts at a shopping center, trying to catch glimpses of the Northern Lights, skiing at nearby Alyeska, visiting a wildlife sanctuary and enjoying various downtown activities including the annual winter [...]
Flagler Railroad Centennial
A century ago, in the days of railroad expansion, oilman and hotelier Henry Morrison Flagler built an over-water railroad from southern Florida to Key West. Today, people drive about 100 miles over a causeway to Key West. A couple of days ago, Key West — so changed and still so compelling.
Cervantes Festival in Guanajuato Now
Beguiling city hosts huge cultural festival honoring ties to Spain The annual International Cervantes Festival (Festival Cervantino Internacional) begins on October 12 in Guanajuato, a university city nestled in deep valley and, to my eyes, one of the loveliest cities in Western Hemisphere. It continues through October 24 and provides to weeks of ticketed and free [...]
Spanish Market & Rendezvous at The Fort
Denver area restaurant guards trapping, trading & Spanish Colonial heritage with weekend festival I’m a big fan of The Fort for its food, its ambiance, its second-generation family ownership (the late Sam Arnold and now his daughter, Holly Arnold Kinney) and its commitment, via the not-for-profit Tesoro Cultural Center, to the traditions, arts and culture of the [...]
Leadville Serves Up a Hometown Fourth
Nineteenth-century silver stikes made Leadville one of America’s richest cities (and Colorado’s largest city after Denver), but no more. It no longer thrives, economically, but survives as an island in sky with “the highest” everything in the country: the highest airport, the highest bowling alley, the highest golf course and so on. It also has the highest Fourth of July parade in the morning and fireworks in the evening, full of small-town pride and guileless charm. The parade proceeds down Harrison Avenue, Leadville’s wide main street lined with later 19th century buildings. Units included a color guard, both fire trucks, search-and-rescue vehicles (a boat, two snowmobiles and two ATVs on trailers), three little girls with red spangly costumes and batons, Scouts, a few antique vehicles, a local trout club, the cookie bakery, a couple of candidates for public office and kids (and a few adults) on bikes and skateboards. Just about anyone who wants to be in the parade can probably do so. And flags. Lots of flags.
Firefighters get out of the truck to hear “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The whole town turns out for the parade, so why not campaign?
Wichita Riverfest Turns 40
Nine-day festival is centered on the Arkansas River but 60 events fill the city The Arkansas River starts as a trickle just south of Leadville here in Colorado, carves such spectacular canyons as Brown’s and Royal Gorge, flows through the former steel city of Pueblo, meanders across eastern Colorado passing Bent’s Old Fort Historic Site and exits Colorado east [...]
Images Of & Insights Into the Iditarod Start in Anchorage
Iditarod, “Alaska’s Super Bowl” highlights early March in its largest city Some people head for the Sunbelt like migrating birds. They boast that they “never have to shovel snow” as if it were some personal accomplishment. Others (like me) embrace winter, a truly glorious season when snow and ice become playgrounds. Anchorage in summer is high [...]
Christmas Markets in Germany
From early December through Christmas Eve, Christmas markets in German-speaking cities sparkle In cities and towns across German-speaking parts of Europe, it’s time for a street market that is called Christkindlmarkt. These markets are not some kind of sales promotion gimmick but a tradition that goes back over the centuries. Vienna’s Dezembermarkt is documented as long ago [...]
50th Annual Georgetown Christmas Market
A holiday visit to charming and historic Georgetown is s trip down Memory Lane These days, Christmas markets abound — indoors and outdoors, with palpable European influence and all-American in ambiance and flavor. When Georgetown on the eastern flank of the Rockies started its market half-a-century ago, it was a rarity. It was a time [...]
