Colorado Celebrates a Hot Harvest

Colorado

The fifth annual Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Chile and Frijole Festival, Sept. 24 to 26, showcases the harvest of Pueblo chilies with food and music. The open-air 1840s mercado section features frontier foods such as hand-rolled tortillas and bread cooked over open fires and in adobe ovens. Also planned: demonstrations of barrel and adobe brick making, and a jalapen~o-eating contest. For children, there’ll be a tortilla toss, bean-spitting contest and pin~ata-breaking. For more information, contact the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, 302 N. Santa Fe Ave., Pueblo, CO 81003; telephone (719) 542-1704.

Hawaii

The Aloha Festivals take place on six islands beginning Sept. 10 on Oahu and run on an overlapping schedule until an Oct. 24 finale on Lanai. All islands hold parades and street fairs. Downtown Honolulu and Waikiki fairs are the largest, with eight stages of live Hawaiian entertainment. Other events include falsetto singing contests, poke contests (sort of a Hawaiian chili cook-off), aloha shirt contest, hula festivals and athletic tournaments. For more information, contact Aloha Festivals, P.O. Box 15945, Honolulu, HI 96830; tel. (800) 852-7690.

Indiana

“Fairmount Museum Days: Remembering James Dean” pays tribute to the small town’s favorite son Sept. 24 to 26. Activities include a James Dean look-alike contest, screening of Dean’s three major films and a car show that includes a “Merc Corral,” where owners of 1949 Mercurys (the car Dean drove in “Rebel Without a Cause”) will gather. Also: a parade, ‘50s dance contest and ‘50s entertainers. The town museum has a large collection of Dean memorabilia. For more information, contact Grant County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 217 S. Adams St., Marion, IN 46952; tel. (800) 662-9474.

Kentucky

More than 10,000 Corvettes and their owners are expected to converge on Bowling Green, Sept. 3 to 6, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Corvette Museum here. Corvette lovers will arrive in 14 different cross-country caravans. Events include tours of the museum and the world’s only Corvette assembly plant, auto cross, drag racing and a road rally. General Motors designers will talk about new models. For more information, contact the National Corvette Museum, 350 Corvette Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101; tel. (502) 781-7973.

New York

The 73rd Feast of San Gennaro takes over the Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan Sept. 9 to 19 with streets closed for 11 days to accommodate the grand parade (2 p.m. on Sept. 11. down Mulberry St.) and general revelry. Over 30 Italian restaurants will serve both inside and at specially set-up tables in the street. Evening entertainment, on two stages, includes opera, Italian folk dancing and songs and Italian pop music. The festa pays homage to the patron saint of Naples and includes a religious procession carrying a statue of the saint as well as 300 street vendors. For more information, contact Figli di San Gennaro, 1501 Broadway, Suite 1808, New York, NY 10036; tel. (212) 768-9320.

Washington

The Salmon Homecoming Celebration, Sept. 9 to 12 on the waterfront in downtown Seattle, features songs, dances and ceremonial presentations of Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. The event pays homage to the salmon as the center of life for the indigenous peoples of the area. Also planned are Native American storytellers, Northwest Coast crafts for sale and a traditional salmon bake. For more information, contact the Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98101; tel. (206) 386-4300.

Wyoming

The 27th annual Mountain Man Rendezvous, Sept. 3 to 6 at Fort Bridger, is one of the largest rendezvous that allows the public to meander through the reenactment. The get-together celebrates early Western life during the fur-trapping era. Traders’ Row features pre-1820s items such as antique beads, old knives and quill work. The mountain men competitions include fry-pan toss, tomahawk throw and egg cooking. Entertainment includes Shoshone dancing. The fort is a former military outpost in southwest Wyoming. For more information, contact Fort Bridger Museum, P.O. Box 35, Fort Bridger, WY 82933; tel. (307) 782-3842.

Events appears monthly.