Celebs, politicians, best-selling authors at National Book Festival, Sept. 27

WASHINGTON -- Salman Rushdie and Tiki Barber are among 70 authors scheduled to participate in the 2008 National Book Festival.

The Library of Congress is organizing the festival for Sept. 27 on the National Mall. The event was started by first lady Laura Bush as a way to celebrate reading and books.

The recently named poet laureate Kay Ryan is among the participants.

Other prominent authors who plan to present their work include Dionne Warwick, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Cokie Roberts, Bob Schieffer and Daniel Schorr. The father-and-daughter travel guidebook writers Arthur and Pauline Frommer are also scheduled to be among the guests, along with legendary travelogue writer Paul Theroux.

Barber, famous for his career as a football player, is the co-author with his brother of three picture books for kids and two middle-grade novels. Warwick, known as a singer, is the author of a forthcoming picture book called "Say a Little Prayer." R.L. Stine, author of more than 100 spooky books, including the "Goosebumps" series for kids, is on the schedule as well.

In addition to Rushdie, novelists taking part in the program include Francine Prose, Richard Price, Alexander McCall Smith and Philippa Gregory.

Podcasts featuring popular authors can be downloaded from the library's Web site.

A new feature at the festival will be presentations by school-age poets and artists who are winners of the library's River of Words environmental art and poetry contest.

Details at www.loc.gov/bookfest.

South Dakota Wind Cave offers night hikes to see black-footed ferrets

WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. -- Visitors to Wind Cave National Park this summer have the chance to see black-footed ferrets at night.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the reintroduction of the creatures to the Black Hills park, rangers are offering night hikes through prairie dog towns in hopes of seeing the rare animal.

The program starts at Elk Mountain Campground at 9 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through Aug. 16. No reservations are necessary.

After a brief presentation, the group will caravan to a nearby prairie dog town where rangers will lead the group across the prairie.

Visitors can also see the cave, which is one of the world's longest, on a variety of ranger-led tours for which tickets must be purchased. Details at http://www.nps.gov/wica.

Weeki Wachee mermaids appearing in Myrtle Beach, away from their Fla. home

MYRTLE BEACH -- The mermaid swimmers who perform at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida are coming to Myrtle Beach.

It will be the first time in the 61 years of the Florida attraction that the mermaids have performed away from their home.

The mermaids will perform their underwater choreography Aug. 1-3 at Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach. The swimmers will perform in Ray Bay -- an 85,000 gallon saltwater tank.

The Weeki Wachee Theater opened in 1947 on Florida's west coast and during the 1950s was one of the most popular tourist stops in the nation.

Children's Museum of New Hampshire opens in new space

DOVER, N.H. -- A new space for a New Hampshire children's museum includes old favorites as well as new attractions in a building that is fully accessible for children with wheelchairs and other mobility issues.

The Children's Museum of New Hampshire is opening July 26 at 6 Washington St., in Dover, in a 20,000-square-foot building on the Cocheco River surrounded by a park.

The museum outgrew its original location in Portsmouth but it still has a popular exhibit from the original site, the Yellow Submarine, designed to replicate the experience of a deep-sea dive. Other features include a play space for babies and toddlers, an area where kids can dig for fossils, a display about the ecosystem of the river, and "Build It, Fly It," about aerodynamics.

Details at http://www.childrens-museum.org.

Historic car race in Monterey, with Mario Andretti as guest of honor, Aug. 15-17

MONTEREY, Calif. -- Mario Andretti will be the guest of honor at this year's Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, taking place at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., Aug. 15-17.

The classic car auto race is celebrating its 35th anniversary.

Andretti will drive some demonstration laps in his Formula One Championship-winning Lotus 79.

Cars on display will include a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C-2900B Mille Miglia Spyder, part of fashion designer Ralph Lauren's car collection.

The winner of the eight-lap Toyota Race of Legends, scheduled for the final day of the event, will earn $25,000 to be donated to the charity of his choice. Returning to defend his 2007 win in the Monterey event will be Derek Bell of Britain, the five-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Details at http://www.montereyhistoric.com/.

Couple marks six month of travels in their year in beer

CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. -- A couple of self-described "beer geeks" have passed the six-month point in their year of searching out great beer around the world.

Chris Nelson and his wife Merideth Canham-Nelson of Carmel Valley, Calif., started their year in beer in January with a visit to Anchorage, Alaska's Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival. Since then, they've attended a beer festival in Germany, downed Guinness in Ireland, and visited breweries and beer events in cities ranging from Boston to Seattle. The next six months will take them to England, Denver, San Diego, Belgium, and back to Germany for (what else?) Oktoberfest.

Nelson says they've stuck with their plans despite high gas prices and the low value of the dollar, and they're trying hard to offset the carbs from the suds with hiking. In August, they'll be starting their visit to England with a tour organized by Real Ale Walks in Somerset, where you trek between villages going to different pubs.

Their favorite place to hike is the Alps, because they can combine their love of beer with exercise. "Along the trails they have little restaurants where you can usually get a simple meal of bread and cheese and a beer," Nelson said.

Nelson has a Web site design business and his wife is a clinical social worker. They're paying for their trips out of their own pocket and are not sponsored or affiliated with any beer companies. You can read about their beer travels at http://www.yearinbeer.com.

Find a themed cruise on new Web site, ThemeCruiseFinder.com

NEW YORK -- Shakespeare at sea? Poker cruise? Antiques on board?

Cruises can be found with programming on all these themes and more. Some themed cruises offer lectures by experts, some offer performances, others offer hands-on activities from crafts to dance to seminars in photography.

A new Web site called ThemeCruiseFinder.com can help you locate a cruise themed on whatever interests you. There are cruises dedicated to golf, cruises about religion, and cruises featuring performances and concerts from rock and the blues to country and gospel.

While some cruisers prefer general-interest trips where the focus is on a destination, others enjoy meeting people with similar interests or spending their time on board learning about a subject that interests them rather than relaxing.

The ThemeCruiseFinder.com site lists more than 570 cruises, searchable by type of cruise. They include a seven-day Dec. 6 "Ultimate Wine Cruise" to the Mexican Riviera, a 10-day Oct. 1 cruise in the "Footsteps of Apostle Paul" to the Mediterranean, and a 10-day Dec. 9 Caribbean cruise in which the Royal Astronomical Society will offer on deck "star parties," lectures about the universe, and programs in the planetarium of the Queen Mary 2.

GQ tells where to find the best cocktails in America

NEW YORK -- Whether you're summering in New England or on a business trip to Louisville, sometimes you feel like having a cocktail. GQ's August issue tells you where to find the best drinks in America, and the results might surprise you, from margaritas in Maine to Manhattans in Kentucky.

The magazine says the Louisville restaurant called 610 Magnolia is the best place to get a Manhattan, while fine margaritas reside at El Camino in Brunswick, Maine. Less surprising perhaps is the award for best mai tai going to House Without a Key, a bar at the Halekulani hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii, and the best mint julep turning up in the South, at Elizabeth on 37th, in Savannah, Ga. For a perfect gin and tonic, GQ says head to the Spring House Hotel, Block Island, Rhode Island.

For a complete list of GQ's recommendations on where to find 20 excellent cocktails coast to coast, visit http://men.style.com/gq/features/archive/0808.

Thousand Islands region celebrates its bridges' 70th birthday

COLLINS LANDING, N.Y. -- The Thousand Islands International Bridge is marking 70 years since its opening with a celebration planned for Aug. 16.

More than 85 million vehicles are estimated to have passed over the bridge system since President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King cut the ribbon on Aug. 18, 1938, before a crowd of 25,000 people.

The bridge was built in 16 months and cost $3 million. Car rates have only doubled since the opening fee of $1.25 each way.

The bridges provide easy passage between the U.S. and Canada, linking Interstate 81 in New York and Highway 401 in Ontario, over the St. Lawrence River.

The celebration will run from noon to 3 p.m. and will include an ice cream social, a vintage car display and prizes. At night a fireworks display is planned over Boldt Castle, a six-story, 120-room Italian Renaissance-style mansion.

The unique multi-span bridge covers 8.5 miles, crossing the international border between Wellesley Island on the U.S. side and Canada's Hill Island. From the view on the bridges, you can see more than 200 islands. Details at http://www.tibridge.com.

Exactly how many islands are in the Thousand Islands region is a matter of debate. Some say there are as many as 1,700 to 1,800, though many of these are little more than a rock in the river with a tree on them. Other islands house castles, grand hotels and Victorian-style homes from the Gilded Age era when the area was a playground for rich industrialists and other wealthy vacationers. Details on visiting the region at http://www.visit1000islands.com.

European hotel prices in dollars can help you fight currency weakness

NEW YORK -- Here's a bright spot in the sad traveler's tale of the ever-weak dollar. One hotel company in Europe is accepting dollars in a one-to-one exchange with euros, when a euro is actually worth well over $1.50.

The "Stay in Europe, Pay in Dollars" promotion from WorldHotels includes 41 hotels in Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Luxembourg, Austria, Spain and the Czech Republic, according to Patti Winger, a publicist for the hotel company.

Hotels include the Hotel Plaza Brussels, the St. George Roma and the Hotel de Sers in Paris. While rates vary, Winger said that an average rate is about 150 euros a night, which is the equivalent of about $237, depending on daily exchange rates. If you pay that 150 euro tab with 150 U.S. dollars, however, you save $87. The offer is valid until Aug. 31, at participating hotels Thursday to Monday, Winger said.

Stays can be booked by calling 800-223-5652 or through a travel agent. The offer is not valid online; payment is due upon checkout. The price is guaranteed at the time of booking for payments made using credit cards, U.S.-denominated currency or travelers' checks.

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