Prescott Frontier Days
June 29–July 5 — The World’s Oldest Rodeo will be the highlight of Prescott’s Frontier Days, which also includes an arts and crafts show, dances, Kiwanis Kiddie Parade on July 3 and the Frontier Days parade on July 4. The rodeo has been an annual event since 1888. www.worldsoldestrodeo.com.
Navajo Festival of Arts and Culture
July 31— Aug. 2 — More than 55 Navajo artists, story tellers and cultural interpreters will offer presentations at this event at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. Artists will show jewelry, painting, beading and pottery. A presentation on rug weaving will include everything from sheep shearing and weaving techniques to the meanings behind intricate rug designs. A Navajo linguist will discuss the tribe’s intricate language, and a Navajo botanist will discuss the uses of local plant life. www.musnaz.org.
International Route 66 Festival
Sept. 11–13 — Fans of Route 66 will come to Flagstaff to meet and share experiences with Route 66 authors, artists, preservationists and collectors. The event will include a showcase for classic cars. www.flagstaffroute66days.com.
CALIFORNIA
Huck Finn Jubilee
June 19–21 — Country and bluegrass music by artists such as Ricky Skaggs and Daily & Vincent, winner of the International Bluegrass Association’s Entertainer of the Year award, will be among the attractions at this event at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park near Victorville. There will also be a Route 66 car show, hot air balloon rides and the California State Arm Wrestling Championships. The Russell Brothers Circus will entertain families, and there will be a performance of Mark Twain Live featuring Mike Randall. There are campgrounds in the 800-acre park, along with two man-made lakes. www.huckfinn.com; (951) 341-8080.
Mendocino Music Festival
July 10–25 — A large tent houses a symphony hall every summer at Mendocino Headlands State Park to present concerts by the Mendocino Music Festival Orchestra and other artists.
Singer Maria Muldour will be among this year’s performers. The concert lineup includes a Big Band Night, an opera, jazz, folk music and chamber music. In addition to the evening concerts, there will be daytime performances at various venues in Mendocino Village. www.mendocinomusic.com.
Gilroy Garlic Festival
July 24–26— Musical entertainment, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations and food flavored with garlic are the ingredients in this festival at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, 30 miles south of San Jose. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For information on the festival, visit www.gilroyfestival.com. Information on lodging, including RV campsites, can be found at www.gilroyvisitor.org.
Oxnard Salsa Festival
July 25–26 — Everything salsa—food, music and dance—will be celebrated at the 16th annual Oxnard Salsa Festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in downtown Oxnard. Local restaurants and salsa vendors will offer tastes of dozens of salsas from mild to very hot. Two international food courts will serve food and drink while salsa and Latin jazz bands perform. www.oxnardsalsafestival.com.
Paso Robles Olive Festival
Aug. 22 — Olive oil ice cream will be free at the festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at downtown Paso Robles City Park. A wine and beer tasting will be offered along with food along Culinary Row. There will be an olive dish cooking contest and a free sampling of olive oil and olive products. www.pasoroblesfestival.com.
COLORADO
Evergreen Jazz Festival
July 24–26 — The eighth annual Evergreen Jazz Festival will be held at five venues in the mountain community of Evergreen, 25 minutes from downtown Denver. Music will begin at noon Friday and continue until Sunday at 6 p.m. Performers will include James Dapogny’s Chicago Jazz Band, the Celebration Jazz Band led by Bob Cooke and the Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra. www.EvergreenJazz.org ; (303) 697-5467.
IDAHO
Emmett Cherry Festival
June 17–20 — Parades, a carnival, a quilt show, a cherry bake-off, a cherry pie eating contest and a cherry pit spitting contest are among the activities at this event in Emmett City Park in Emmett, about 30 miles northwest of Boise. The festival includes free entertainment in the bandshell and free nightly concerts. www.emmettcherryfestival.com.
National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest
June 22–27 — Fiddlers have been coming to Weiser, a town of 5,200 people, every year since 1963 to compete in a national fiddling contest, giving the city the title of “Fiddling Capital of the World.” Competition is conducted at Weiser High School. In addition to the contest, there is musical entertainment nightly at City Park. www.fiddlecontest.com.
Ketchum Arts Festival
July 10–12 — More than 100 artists, musicians, dancers, poets, chefs and brewmeisters from the Wood River Valley will demonstrate their art at the Ketchum Arts Festival at Festival Meadows along Sun Valley Road in Ketchum. The festival will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. www.ketchumartsfestival.org.
Yellow Pine Harmonica Contest & Festival
Aug. 7–9 — The village of Yellow Pine, high in the Idaho mountains north of Boise, will host its 20th annual harmonica contest, offering prizes in youth and adult divisions for both amateur and professional harmonica players. Jam sessions are held on an outdoor stage in the center of town. An RV park and campgrounds are nearby. www.harmonicacontest.com.
Bannock County Bluegrass Festival
Aug. 28–30 — Ten bluegrass bands will perform at the sixth annual festival at Bannock County Fairgrounds in Pocatello. The event includes music workshops, jam sessions, crafts displays and a beer garden. Camping with electricity and water hookups is available. www.bannockcountybluegrassfestival.com.
MONTANA
National Folk Festival
July 10–12 — This free event will feature 250 performers and craftspeople with music and dance performances on several stages in the nation’s largest National Historic Landmark District in Butte. In addition to music and dance, the festival will offer folklife demonstrations, a marketplace, children’s activities, workshops and ethnic and regional foods. The National Council for the Traditional Arts selects performers for the festival. The lineup will include Magic Slim and the Teardrops, featuring 71-year-old Mississippi born bluesman Morris (Magic Slim) Holt; teenage mandolin player, singer and Alison Krause protégé Sierra Hull, and Massive Monkees, a world champion break dance crew from Seattle. www.nationalfolkfestival.com.
Bannack Days
July 18–19 — The ghost town of Bannack became a state park in the 1950s and is now open for tours. Sixty structures are still standing in what was once a flourishing mining town. Each July, the park celebrates Bannack Days, starting with breakfast at 7 a.m. each day in the Hotel Meade. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, visitors can enjoy bluegrass and other music, and see how quilts are made, wool is spun into yarn, and a work of art is created from steel by a blacksmith. Visitors can also try their luck at gold panning and take a ride in a horse-drawn wagon. www.bannack.org.
Rockin’ the Rivers
Aug. 7–9 — Peter Frampton, the Spencer Davis Group and Tommy James and the Shondells will be among the performers at Rockin’ the Rivers, an annual festival on 140 acres in the Jefferson River Canyon near Three Forks. www.rockintherivers.com.
NEVADA
Elko ATV Jamboree
June 14–20 — A variety of trail rides will be offered during this event that will begin with breakfast each morning at the Elko Convention Center in Elko. Trail leaders will guide the riders, and when they return at the end of the day, they will find a no-host bar and snacks at the Convention Center patio and their ATVs will be steam cleaned. www.elkoatvjamboree.org.
Elko Motorcycle Jamboree
June 19–21 — Thousands of motorcyclists converge on Elko every year for this event that includes a bike rodeo, poker run, motorcycle stunt show, a parade and performances by a precision riding team. Events are held in downtown Elko. www.elkomotorcyclejamboree.com.
Hot August Nights
July 31–Aug. 9 — Rock and roll music from the ‘50s and ‘60s will be featured in free concerts in downtown Reno, the Grand Sierra Resort and Victorian Square in Sparks during this event that also celebrates classic cars. Cruises, a swap meet, a car auction and the Big Boy’s Toy Store are among the attractions. This year’s entertainment lineup will be announced this month on the event’s website: www.hotaugustnights.net.
OREGON
Salem World Beat Festival
June 27–28 — Cultural exhibits, demonstrations, workshops and performances along with three costumed processions will be offered in a program of international music, dance and art at Riverfront Park in Salem. A $3 donation is suggested, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting cultural programs at A. C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village. www.worldbeatfestival.org.
Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival
July 2–5 — Legendary blues singer Etta James will headline the opening day of the festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on the banks of the Willamette River in Portland.
The four-day event is staged by the Oregon Food Bank to feed people in Oregon and southwest Washington. Admission is a donation of $10 a day and two cans of food.
The festival annually attracts more than 100,000 people, making it the second largest blues festival in the nation. Scheduled performers include blues-rock guitarist Robben Ford, Texas blues-rock legend Johnny Winter, soul singer Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Chicago blues band Magic Slim and the Teardrops, and harmonica ace Rick Estrin and the Nightcats. www.waterfrontbluesfest.com; (503) 973-FEST.
Salem Art Fair & Festival
July 17–19 — Set among the oak trees at Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem, the art fair marketplace will feature paintings, jewelry, photography, ceramics and other works of art by more than 200 artists. The festival will include tours of the Bush House Museum, art exhibits at the Bush Barn Art Center, art and cultural demonstrations in the Artisan Village, children’s activities, food courts, beer and wine gardens and entertainment on the Main Stage and Family Stage. The art fair will open at 10 a.m. daily and continue to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday. Headliner musical performances will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. www.salemart.org.
Oregon Brewers Festival
July 23–26 — Eighty handcrafted beers from across the nation will be served at the festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland. Admission to the festival grounds is free, but to consume beer you must purchase a taster package, starting at $10. The festival includes home-brewing demonstrations and a variety of food. The Crater Lake Root Beer Garden will offer complimentary root beer for minors and designated drivers. The festival will open at noon and run to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. www.oregonbrewfest.com.
Great Oregon Steam-Up
July 25–26, Aug.1–2 —Vintage tractors, trucks and automobiles will parade at 1:30 p.m. each day during the largest event of the year at Antique Powerland, a power equipment heritage site in Brooks, just north of Salem. A steam-powered sawmill operates twice a day and a trolley tours the perimeter of this site, which houses a truck museum, miniature railroad, steam powered equipment, antique farm machinery and implements. The event will offer food and beverages, a flea market, blacksmith demonstrations and a tractor pull. Dry camping is available on site, and there are RV parks in the area. www.antiquepowerland.com.
DuneFest 2009
July 29–Aug. 2 — Thousands of ATV enthusiasts will be drawn to Winchester Bay in the heart of the Oregon Dunes for five days of activities, including a poker run, show and shine, ATV safety classes, freestyle shows and sand drag racing. There will be live music on Friday and Saturday nights. DuneFest is presented by the Reedsport/Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce. www.dunefest.com
UTAH
America’s Freedom Festival
June 15–July 4 — The Jonas Brothers will perform at Stadium of Fire, the July 4 fireworks show that will be the culmination of three weeks of celebration of freedom in Provo. The festival includes concerts, flights by hot air balloons, a fine arts exhibit, parades and soccer and golf tournaments. During Colonial Days from July 2 to 4 at the Crandall Historical Printing Museum, there will be free entertainment, demonstrations of colonial life and the opportunity to hear words that were spoken by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin and other historical figures. Freedom Days in downtown Provo, also on July 2-4, will include arts and crafts booths, food, entertainment and carnival rides. www.freedomfestival.org.
Utah Arts Festival
June 25–28 — More than 80,000 people come each June to Library and Washington squares in Salt Lake City for fine arts exhibits, performances on five stages, street theater, film programs and food. The festival includes art demonstrations and special activities for children. www.uaf.org.
Utah Shakespearean Festival
June 29–Aug. 29 —The 48th season of this festival in Cedar City will present three plays by William Shakespeare in the open-air Adams Shakespearean Theatre and three other productions indoors at the Randall L. Jones Theatre. The Shakespeare plays are “As You Like It,” “A Comedy of Errors” and “Henry V.” The other plays are “Private Lives” by Noel Coward, “Foxfire” by Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn and a musical, “The Secret Garden,” with music by Lucy Simon and book and lyrics by Marsha Norman. Performances will be given at 2 and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Tickets are available at www.bard.org and (800) PLAYTIX.
Ogden Pioneer Days
July 20–24 — A parade, fireworks show, rodeo, pancake breakfast and art show are among the activities scheduled at the Ogden Pioneer Days 75th anniversary celebration. Pioneer Days will be preceded by a concert July 15 by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at the Dee Events Center on the campus of Weber State University. www.ogdenpioneerdays.com.
Park City Kimball Arts Festival
Aug. 1–2 — The 40th annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival on Main Street in Park City will feature the works of 225 artists along with live music and three beer and wine gardens. The festival will open at 9 a.m. each day and continue until 7 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday. The event is presented by the Kimball Art Center. www.kimball-art.org.
Moab Music Festival
Sept. 3–14 — World-renowned musicians will perform classical, traditional and jazz music in a variety of settings during this festival in Moab and the red rock canyons. Venues range from a grotto on the Colorado River to Moab’s historic Star Hall. www.moabmusicfest.com.
WASHINGTON
Seafair
June 27—Aug. 2 — The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon from Tukwila to Qwest Field in Seattle will launch Seafair for the first time. About 25,000 runners will compete, with rock bands stationed at every mile along the course. Seattle’s celebration of summer will include the Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade in downtown Seattle Saturday, July 25, and hydroplane races and an air show at Lake Washington July 31 to Aug. 2. www.seafair.com
Kirkland Uncorked
July 17–19 — Wine from more than 20 Washington wineries may be sampled at the Tasting and Lifestyle Garden in Kirkland’s Marina Park during this event that will also feature jazz music, art exhibits and home décor workshops and lectures. There will also be grilling demonstrations and competitions with top chefs, including executive chefs Bobby Moore of the Barking Frog in Woodinville, Brian Scheehser of Trellis Restaurant in Kirkland, and Seth Caswell, who is opening a new restaurant in Seattle this summer.
In addition, the event will include a boat show that will feature an appearance by Lady Washington, a full-scale reproduction of a pioneer sailing vessel. The 112-foot ship, which was built in 1989 in celebration of Washington’s centennial, will be on site for guided tours and sailings. www.kirklanduncorked.com.
Sequim Lavender Festival
July 17–19 — The largest lavender event in North America includes tours of seven farms and a street fair in downtown Sequim. Shuttle buses provide transportation between the street fair and the farms. Tickets good for visits to all of the farms are $15, with children 12 and younger admitted free. Parking and admission to the street fair are free. The fair includes art, music, food and wine in addition to lavender products from the Sequim Lavender Growers Association. www.lavenderfestival.com; (877) 681-3035.
Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival
July 17–19 — Mavis Staples with the Rick Holmstrom Band, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds with Kim Wilson will be among the performers at the state’s longest running blues festival at the Blues Ranch, a mile west of Winthrop in the Methow Valley. The event will begin with a Mardi Gras style street dance in downtown Winthrop at 7 p.m. Friday. Music will start at 11 a.m. and run until 2 a.m. at the Blues Ranch Saturday and Sunday.
Other scheduled performers are Magic Slim & the Teardrops, Too Slim and the Taildraggers, Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, JJ Grey & Mofro, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Studebaker John & the Hawks, Kim Field & the Mighty Titans of Tone, Randy Oxford with Patty Allen, Big Mumbo and Nathan James.
On-site camping, food, craft vendors, shade tents and a beer garden can all be found on the grounds of the Blues Ranch along the Methow River. www.winthropbluesfestival.com ; (800) 422-3048.
Darrington Bluegrass Festival
July 17–19 — Dale Ann Bradley and Dailey & Vincent, both winners of the International Bluegrass Music Association awards in 2008, will headline this festival at Darrington Music Park on Highway 530, three miles west of Darrington. Bradley has won the Female Vocalist of the Year award for the past two years. The duo of Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent earned Album of the Year and Entertainer of the Year awards. A dozen other bluegrass groups also will perform. Dry camping is available. www.glacierview.net/bluegrass.
Big Band Swing Festival
July 24–25 — Harmony Lakeside RV Park on the shores of Mayfield Lake in Silver Creek will host a big band festival and wine tasting. The event includes a dinner show Friday night and music and wine tasting Saturday from noon to 9:30 p.m. www.mayfieldlake.com.
Anacortes Arts Festival
Aug. 7–9 — The streets of Anacortes will be filled with art and food booths during this 48th annual festival that runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. www.anacortesartsfestival.com.
Maryhill Arts Festival
Aug. 15–16 — More than 50 artists will display and sell art in a variety of media during this festival under the shade trees at the picnic grounds of the Maryhill Museum of Art, which is housed in a mansion on 5,300 acres above the Columbia River in Goldendale. Live music and food from Casa El Mirado, Glass Onion and Café Maryhill will be featured. There will also be exhibits by the Portland Photographic Society and the Cascade Stereoscopic Club. Admission is free. The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the festival. In addition to permanent exhibits that include works by Rodin and other artists, the museum is hosting a special exhibit, “Ansel Adams: Masterworks,” which features 47 black and white photos selected by Adams to represent his life’s work. www.maryhillmuseum.org.
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