Huckleberry lovers, mark July 25 on your calendars. That's the date of the third annual North Powder Huckleberry Festival in North Powder, Ore.
The tiny, intensely flavorful mountain berries -- common in the nearby Blue and Wallowa mountains -- are the highlight of the festival.
But you'll also find crafts and food vendors, a parade, games, live entertainment and a barbecue from 5 to 7 p.m. prepared by the volunteer firemen and Quick Response Team.
But it's the Huckleberry Dessert Contest and Auction at the Cornerstone Baptist Church that's the highlight of the event. Competition will be fierce and the results delicious. Bid on your favorite after the winners are announced at 2 p.m. and take it home to enjoy (if it makes it that far).
Admission is free. The festival begins at 10 a.m. and runs until dusk. North Powder is midway between La Grande and Baker City, and Highway 237 runs through the town. Activities take place within four blocks of the center of town on Second Street.
Earlier this year, festival organizers began collecting huckleberry recipes for a cookbook. They're finished and the book is available for $8 (plus postage if you want it mailed).
Buy them at the Union County Tourism Office and Visitor Center, 102 Elm St., La Grande; 800-848-9969. Or contact Laura Dougherty, 503-407-0303, or grandl97867@gmail.com.
Medal winning brews
Two brews produced by Ice Harbor Brewing in Kennewick took awards in the North American Beer Awards, held in June in Idaho Falls.
The winning beers were Columbia Kolsch, bronze in the Kolsch category, and Sternwheeler Stout, silver in the American Stout category.
The competition is run by the North American Brewer's Association. Check out all the brewery winners from across the U.S. at www.northamericanbrewers.org/Winners.htm.
New read
The book: 'wichcraft: Craft a Sandwich into a Meal -- And a Meal into a Sandwich by Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar.
Cost: $28
Best for: The core of the book is scores of yummy-sounding sandwiches you hadn't considered: Roasted pumpkin with mozzarella. Recipes are streamlined and unfussy, with an easygoing explanation of techniques.
Get more: Read more book reviews and literature news in Sunday's Desert Living.
*Loretto J. Hulse: 582-1513; lhulse@tricityherald.com. To receive a recipe via e-mail each Tuesday register at tricityherald.com and click on newsletters. If you already are registered, click on edit account and newsletters to select Recipe of the Week. This exclusive recipe does not appear in the newspaper.
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Looking back on the early days, Burks remembers a brewpub was a hard sell in the Tri-Cities.
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The expo is from noon to 6 p.m. at the Grant County Courthouse in Ephrata. Admission is $25 for beer drinkers and $5 for designated drivers who will get free soft drinks and water.
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