Photos from Okanogan County Tourism Council Love a challenge? Brave winter's cold to try your luck at ice fishing on Sidley and Molson Lakes near Molson, a ghost town in northcentral Washington. It's happening at the 2018 Northwest Ice Fishing Festival on Saturday, January 13. The competition runs 8 a.m.-3 p.m., and the grand prize … Continue reading 2018 Northwest Ice Fishing Festival Saturday, January 13, in Molson, WA

Photos courtesy New York Botanical Garden If you're still looking for festive holiday activities to do in the new year, the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show© continues through Monday, January 15, in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Watch G-scale model trains chug on two miles of track, passing 150 famous New York landmarks. … Continue reading New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show© a miniature tour through the city

Photos by Cheryl Landes, all from the Seattle Lantern Light Festival in Puyallup, Washington Dozens of hand-crafted Chinese lanterns are on display at two Lantern Light Festivals in Puyallup (pew-ALL-up), Washington (35 miles south of Seattle), and Tulsa, Oklahoma. These lanterns, some more than 30 feet high and others up to 300 feet long, were … Continue reading Popularity extends Seattle and Tulsa Lantern Light Festival dates this month

Photos courtesy Conconully Chamber of Commerce, Conconully, Washington Looking for something to do that will keep you knee deep in stories for a long time? Then check out the 25th annual Outhouse Races in Conconully, Washington. On Saturday, January 13, show up on Main Street at 11 a.m.-noon to vote for the People's Choice Outhouse … Continue reading These outhouse races in Conconully on January 13 will crack you up

Featured image: The marker at the Bunker Hill Monument commemorating the famous Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood on June 17, 1775 (photo by Cheryl Landes) The National Park Service has closed the Bunker Hill Monument in the Charlestown neighborhood northeast of downtown Boston until further notice because of icy conditions. The monument, a … Continue reading Visiting Bunker Hill Monument in Boston in the winter? Check weather conditions first.

Featured image: Faneuil Hall in Boston Photos by Cheryl Landes The National Park Service closed Faneuil Hall, Boston's historic meeting center and marketplace, for extensive renovations yesterday. The closure includes the permanent Visitor Center and Great Hall. Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston The Visitor Center moved to a pop-up location at 15 State Street and … Continue reading Faneuil Hall in Boston closed for renovations until spring

Featured image by kaboompics, courtesy Pixabay Update, January 8, 2018: Tickets are sold out for the ball, but volunteers are still needed. I received this update in an email today from the City of Vancouver Parks & Recreation. The City of Vancouver Parks & Recreation seeks volunteers ages 16 and older to help at the … Continue reading Volunteers needed for Father Daughter Valentine’s Ball February 2-3 in Vancouver, WA

Featured image: Swimmers jump in the frigid water at Lake Wenatchee during the 2017 Polar Bear Plunge. (photo credit: Don Seabrook, The Wenatchee World) The 25th Annual Jim Sofie Memorial Polar Bear Plunge at Lake Wenatchee State Park in Leavenworth, Washington, was cancelled on New Year's Day after organizers learned they need to provide liability … Continue reading Polar Bear Plunge at Lake Wenatchee cancelled New Year’s Day, but guided snowshoe hike is on

Featured image credit: Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment A century ago, the first giant lighted ball dropped in Times Square in New York City as the old year ended and the new one began. But how did this tradition start, and why do we welcome the new year this way? Watch this video to … Continue reading Why does a lighted ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve?

Featured image: A scene in Massachusetts on February 10, 2015, during a record-breaking snow season in New England (photo by Cheryl Landes) One winter while living in the Northeast, I was driving on Interstate 684 north of White Plains, New York. It was a sunny day, but the day before, a foot of snow fell. … Continue reading If you don’t scrape the snow and ice from your car in these states, you could get a big fine