ISLAND HOPPING
Writing contest prize is Waikoloa vacation
The Big Island Visitors Bureau is sponsoring Wanderlust and Lipstick’s Hawaii-themed Travel Writing Contest. Participants can enter from now to Sept. 14 by sending in a Hawaii-themed article that falls under one of three categories: earth, sea or sky.
Each category will have a winner, and the overall grand-prize winner will receive a volcano-inspired vacation package from the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. For more information, visit www.wanderlustandlipstick.com.
New beach club offers luxe cottages
Waikoloa Resort’s Lava Lava Beach Club, now open on the beach at Anaehoomalu Bay, hopes to become a an attraction for diners and partygoers as well as overnight guests.
The club features four free-standing cottages, a 120-seat open-air restaurant and bar, and an outdoor event lawn that can accommodate up to 1,000 people.
Each cottage includes a private covered lanai, outdoor lava rock shower, a king-size bed, a punee (daybed) in the living room area and a kitchenette.
For more information, visit lavalavabeachclub.com or call 769-LAVA (5282). To book cottages, call 769-5291 or see the website.
GLOBE TROTTING
Teen conquers Mississippi River
OAKLAND, Maine » A Maine teenager says his summer trip paddling a canoe the length of the Mississippi River made him a man.
Seventeen-year-old Benton Purnell of Oakland and his father put their canoe in the headwaters of the Mississippi in Minnesota on May 4.
His father, Ronald, dropped out after two weeks.
Benton continued solo, the trip ending 2,350 miles later on July 19 in New Orleans.
Benton told the Morning Sentinel of Waterville that he spent as many as 14 hours a day on the water, passing the time by listening to audio books — including, of course, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
He had close encounters with wildlife, including a wolf, a poisonous water moccasin snake and an angry beaver.
When he finished his trek, he was suffering from skin infections and bug bites.
3-day fest celebrates astronomy
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, S.D. » Get your telescopes and model rockets ready.
Badlands National Park has announced that it is holding its first Astronomy Festival this month.
The Aug. 17-19 event will include hands-on activities and workshops, including model rocket building and launching, photography and night observations.
Guest speakers include NASA astronaut Story Musgrave; photographer Randy Halverson, whose time-lapse videos of South Dakota’s night sky have gained national attention; and nuclear physicist Peggy Norris.
All events will be in the area around the Ben Reifel Visitor Center.
For more information, visit www.badlandsastrofest.org.
Elite Derby viewers get new digs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. » Move over, Millionaire’s Row. Churchill Downs will soon have The Mansion to cater to the rich and famous at the Kentucky Derby.
Churchill Downs officials on Tuesday announced $9 million in renovations highlighted by a new section on the sixth floor where the track’s media center has been since 2005.
The Mansion will be able to hold more than 320 race fans and will include a dining room, living room, library, parlor and a veranda with a panoramic view of the historic track. Guests will be taken there by private elevator.
Track officials say The Mansion will be open in time for next year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. Admission will be by invitation only.
