Choppers to Motor into Santa Rosa for Smoke Out Rally

The Smoke Out is about choppers. It is about builders; from pros to those folks who burn the midnight oil in an unheated shed to build a chopper they can call their own.

Chops of all makes and their riders – who’d drive cross-country in a rainstorm if necessary – will gather in downtown Santa Rosa on old Route 66 June 18 to 19 for the 11th Anniversary Smoke Out. Hours are 2 to 11 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday.

The party will include the usual mayhem with music, vendors, a chop-off, and bike show. The Smoke Out is also known for good music. The Ilfeld Warehouse will host the bands and many of the entertainment activities.

“The event offers visitors to look at motorcycles, listen to good music, relax, catch up with old friends or make new friends, eat good food, and generally have a good time,” said Santa Rosa’s Richard Delgado. “We welcome everyone to enjoy the best of Santa Rosa, from its native New Mexican and American restaurants to its collection of lakes and its unsurpassed Southwestern hospitality.”

Cost to attend the two-day event is $10. There is no Saturday-only rate. Wristbands are sold at the City Center Pavilion (Gazebo). An event pin is included with the $10 wristband purchase.

Saturday morning is the Billy the Kid Poker Run, featuring stops at natural lakes and historic sites. Also scheduled are the mini-bike races around the town square, with riders dressed in super hero costumes.

On Sunday morning the hardy chopper-jockeys who dare will begin a 2,000-mile ride to the Rockingham Drag Strip in Rockingham, NC. The ride called, The Long Road, will be about a 350-mile ride each day.

For more information about top events in New Mexico, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in New Mexico

For more information visit the web site for Santa Rosa

Park City Food and Wine Classic

The Park City Food and Wine Classic is a premier destination event where master winemakers, culinary greats, and distinguished guests gather to play, wine, and dine in beautiful Park City, Utah from July 8 to 11. What makes the event stand out from other food and wine festivals is the opportunities it provides guests to experience the great outdoors in the spectacular mountains of Utah while learning about and tasting a wide variety of food and wine.

Throughout the festival, guests can participate in a number of wine tastings and pairings, gourmet dinners, educational seminars and culinary competitions. The festival also provides the rare chance to meet with owners, winemakers, Master Sommeliers, and senior representatives from wineries around the globe.

Outdoor events include bike riding, hiking, fishing and horseback riding, all of which include wine and gourmet lunches.

Events include “Wine on the Mountain Kickoff” celebration at the top of the Gondola at Red Pine Lodge; “Mud Sweat and Cheers”, a biking/food seminar that takes participants on a scenic ride through panoramic Deer Valley and ends with a sumptuous lunch served up by executive chef and fellow biker Zane Holmquist from the Stein Eriksen Lodge; and “Park City Stroll” that includes great wines and fabulous food at various locations in downtown Park City.

Other highlights are sessions including Winemaker for a Day, Chocolate and Wine, Secrets of Wine and Food Pairing, the Toast of Park City Grand Tasting and the High West Brunch.

For more information about top events in Utah, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Utah

For more information visit Park City Food and Wine Classic

Festivals Showcase Hawai'i’s Cultural Diversity

A melting pot of ethnicities, Hawai‘i is truly a unique destination and one that makes any visitor feel at home. Locals and visitors alike come together at different times throughout the year to celebrate this diversity that one cannot find anywhere else. Here are several festivals in the coming months that you will not want to miss.

Na Hökü O Hawai‘i Music Festival, May 27 to 30: Hawaii’s talented artisans and musicians will share their knowledge of Hawaiian music, arts, and crafts through a variety of workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances throughout Waikiki.. Workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions throughout the four-day event are sure to provide an engaging cultural experience for all.

Pan-Pacific Festival, June 11 to 13: Experience the cultural heritage of the people from Japan. Since 1980, this festival continues to offer an eclectic assortment of cultural arts, crafts, traditional folk music and performances. A complete weekend- long affair, the festival includes a ho‘olaulea, performing arts showcase, hula festival, arts and crafts fair, and parade.

Korean Festival, July 9-10: Engage your senses in all things Korean in this 9th annual celebration. Taekwondo demonstrations, cultural exhibits, Korean cuisine tastings and traditional music will surely delight both kama‘äina (local residents) and visitors alike.

Prince Lot Hula Festival, July 17: Visit historic Moanalua Gardens for the largest outdoor hula festival in Hawai‘i. Featuring both ancient and modern hula along with chant, this festival honors Prince Lot Kapuäiwa, who brought the return of the once-banned hula in the district of Moanalua. Local food and refreshments also available.

For more information about top events in Hawai’i, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Hawai’i.

For more details on these cultural events visit the official Hawai'i web site.

The WoodenBoat Show Returns to Mystic Seaport

The 19th Annual WoodenBoat Show, owned and produced by WoodenBoat magazine, will once again be held at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT. Show dates are June 25 to 27.

Wooden boat owners and enthusiasts alike will revel in the opportunity of viewing and boarding over one hundred traditional and classic wooden boats of every type amidst the rich historical backdrop of the extensive Mystic Seaport campus.

Large and small; old and new; power, sail, oar and paddle – there’s something to capture the passion of all who love wooden boats. Find everything you need to outfit your boat, and learn new skills at demonstrations and workshops. Exhibits include maritime art, antiques, tools, books, nautical gear, and innovative items to increase the pleasure of owning a wooden boat.

Family Boatbuilding will be returning to the WoodenBoat Show in 2010. It was started in 1998 as a way to bring new people into boatbuilding, and boating. This year five designers and builders will be offering kits and instruction for families to build and launch their boats during the three-day show.
Mystic Seaport – the Museum of America and the Sea – is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Visitors explore American maritime history firsthand as they climb aboard historic tall ships, stroll through a re-created 10th century coastal village or watch a working preservation shipyard in action. Founded in 1929, Mystic Seaport is open every day except December 24th and 25th.

For more information about top events in Connecticut, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Connecticut.

To purchase a Family Boatbuilding kit, and participate in Family Boatbuilding visit the WoodenBoat Show.

Wisconsin Honors Nation’s Vietnam Veterans

One of the largest gatherings of Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans in US history – some 30,000 veterans from Wisconsin and around the country – will convene to be honored for their service and sacrifice for the country at a special weekend of activities in Green Bay, Wisconsin, from May 20 to 23.

This touching event – LZ Lambeau™: Welcoming Home Wisconsin’s Vietnam Veterans – will include several days of concerts, reunions and exhibits, including The Moving Wall™, a traveling half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.

Named for the landing zones that military service members were deployed to during Vietnam, LZ Lambeau was developed by a partnership of Wisconsin Public Television (WPT), The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wisconsin Historical Society and many veterans organizations. It will feature educational initiatives, oral presentations, museum exhibits, a portrait display and other community engagement activities. Including the families and friends of attending veterans, the event is expected to draw approximately 100,000.

Telling emotional stories that haven’t been heard before, Wisconsin Vietnam War veterans have recounted their experiences in a three-hour television documentary being screened by Wisconsin Public Television. “Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories” will feature dozens of veterans from all regions of Wisconsin who reflect on their memories of the Vietnam War and their experiences during and after the war.

In addition to the television documentary, all of the veterans’ interviews will be archived for posterity with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, ensuring that the lasting stories from the Vietnam War will be available for future generations.

For more information about top events in Wisconsin, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Wisconsin at www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-wisconsin.html

For more information on LZ Lambeau visit http://lzlambeau.org

World Eskimo-Indian Olympics at Fairbanks

Alaska’s Olympic history reaches back several thousand years. Every July, Fairbanks hosts the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO), a four-day series of traditional Alaska Native athletic competitions and dances.

WEIO draws Native athletes and dancers from around the state, the United States and Canada, as well as visitors, fans and media from around the globe. The 49th WEIO Games this year take place July 21-24, 2010.

The competitions at the Olympics not only provide entertainment, but give men and women the chance to test their strength, discipline and endurance – all qualities that are needed to survive in a harsh and often unforgiving climate.

All the WEIO events, from the fish cutting competition to the greased pole walk, serve this purpose. For instance, fast yet careful fish cutters were sometimes needed to process a plentiful fish run before spoilage could occur. A walk on a birch pole slathered with bear grease was good practice for walking in precarious situations such as checking a fish wheel on the river.

Besides being a time to test strength and endurance, WEIO is also a time to don parkas, moosehide dresses and vests, mukluks and moccasins to compete in parka and Indian dress contests. It is also a time to dance and tell stories through songs and motion.

For visitors, it’s a chance to see unparalleled feats of endurance and agility. It is also a chance to browse through booths of authentic Alaska Native crafts, and meet the people who carved, sewed, wove or beaded the items.

Every year WEIO coincides with Golden Days, Fairbanks’ annual summer celebration of its Gold Rush heritage, providing locals and visitors a variety of activities to choose from.

For more information about top events in Alaska, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Alaska

To learn more about the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics visit www.weio.org

Americans Discover the "Rail Way" on National Train Day

Amtrak will host the third annual National Train Day on May 8 with events across the country to celebrate America‘s love for trains.

National Train Day commemorates the 141st anniversary of the first transcontinental railroad‘s inception by bringing to life the rich narrative of how trains transformed America. Large-scale, family-friendly events will be held in Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Actor and avid train fan Taye Diggs, star of Private Practice, will start the weekend’s festivities with a ceremony at New York’s Penn Station on Friday, May 7, where he will flip the switch that launches an edible “trainscape” made from elaborate confections and moving model trains.

Afterward, Diggs will board Amtrak and travel to Washington DC to host one of National Train Day’s signature celebrations at Union Station and enjoy the festivities with other train fans on Saturday, May 8.

On that day, in addition to Washington DC, Amtrak will host free events from 11am to 4pm in three other of its gateway stations across the U.S. – Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles, all designed to help people “discover the rail way”. These large scale events will feature live entertainment, interactive and educational exhibits, kids’ entertainment, model train displays and tours of notable private railroad cars, Amtrak equipment, freight and commuter trains.

In addition, local communities across the country have been encouraged to develop and host their own National Train Day celebrations. More than 140 local celebrations took place in 2009 and Amtrak expects even more in 2010.

For more information about top events across the USA, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events across the country.

For more information visit the official website about National Train Day .