Great Entertainment in the Methow this Weekend

Lots of great entertainment in the Methow Valley this weekend to go along with the sunny weather. Friday night RT Junior performs cowboy music at the Burnt Finger BBQ and Fiasco does blues and funk at the Old Schoolhouse Brewery, both in Winthrop. The Twisp River Pub has bluegrass with Polecat. Saturday rocks with Honey and the Killer Bees at BJ's Branding Iron in Twisp while Flowmotion is at the Old Schoolhouse Brewery and Shakedonia is at the Twisp River Pub. For a change of pace, Don Goodman plays Native American flute and 12-string guitar at the Burnt Finger BBQ. Surf movie sound track singer/songwriter Jon Swift is doing a benefit concert for the Winthrop Auditorium at the Barn in Winthrop on Sunday night at 8. And to top it all off, a complete day of entertainment on Monday at Arts Fest in the Twisp Park from 11:30 to 4:30 featuring the Mud Bay Jugglers and the Tune Stranglers from 1 to 2.

4th of July Weekend

The forecast for this weekend at Sun Mountain Lodge is Sunny and 78 degrees. Perfect weather for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, swimming, fishing and boating on Patterson Lake. We still have some rooms left, so call today and make a reservation for a fun-filled, sun-filled holiday weekend. 800 572 0493.

The Best Kid's Art Event Anywhere, Ever

Monday, July 4th is the 24th Annual Methow Arts Fest, the best kid's art event anywhere, ever. From 11:30 to 4:30 the Twisp Park will be transformed into a wonderland of hands on arts and crafts booths and entertainment for kids of all ages. Under the theme "Art Grows Here" there will be booths for copper Bubble Wands, home grown Felted Flowers, aromatic mists and bath salts, insect headdresses and capes and all time favorites such as Laverty Construction's Wooden Boats, tie dye T-shirts and creative cupcakes topped with your creation of garden microcosms! Demonstrations will include painting with Joan Lasse, glassblowing with John Breslin, massage with Judy Swank, John Doran and his famous horse and a visit with Sunny Pine Farms' goats. Live music and entertainment streams from the stage all afternoon providing music, dance and theatre, plus a pie eating contest. Headlining the stage are the Mud Bay Jugglers with the Tune Stranglers performing from 1-2 pm. Don't miss it! Tickets are $5 for kids 6 and older and include five free booth tickets. Adults are $7.

Sun Mountain Lodge Signature Bed

The Sun Mountain Lodge Signature Bed is now available for purchase in the Lodge Gift Shop. This special mattress was created exclusively for Sun Mountain by Northwest Bedding. An individually encased coil system features multi-gauge coil construction for a 7-zone sleeping surface. The system conforms to your body's curves yet is designed to enhance spine alignment during sleep, whether you sleep on your back or on your side. Talalay Latex cushioning is used only in the finest sleep sets. Latex is hypoallergenic and anti-microbial. Pressure point relief properties ensure that you will enjoy a restful night's sleep. Call the Gift Shop at 509 996 4716 for more information or to place your order. If you want to try out one of these great mattresses, book a room on the upper floor of the Gardner Building where these new king beds have recently been installed.

This weekend's Prix Fixe Menu

This weekend's Prixe Fixe menu in the Sun Mountain Lodge AAA Four Diamond award winning Dining Room features four delectable courses and three Northwest wines. It starts off with a Blue Nose Snapper, radish and peach salad with bleu cheese foam. This is paired with a Columbia Valley Goose Ridge Riesling, 2007 (3 0z. pour). Secondly we have Sauteed Quail with mushroom duxelle, foie gras, Andouille sausage emmer rissotto and truffled quail jus. Complementing this is a Willamette Valley Lachini Vineyards Estate Grown "S" Pinot Noir, 2008 (3 0z. pour). The main entree is Roasted Antelope wrapped with Thomson's Meats bacon, goat cheese puree, glazed carrots and a port wine demi. The wine for this course is a Chateau Faire le Pont "Elerding Vineyards" Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 (6 oz. pour). For desert we have a trio of Creme Brulees. Cost for this fantastic meal is $65 for the dinner only or $88 with the wine flights. Plus tax and gratuity. To make reservatons, call 509 996 4707.

Rhythm and Blues

July 15, 16 and 17 is this year's annual Rhythm and Blues Festival at the Blues Ranch in Winthrop. For all you 70's rockers out there, the lineup is awesome. Commander Cody, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood, Booker T and Jimmie Vaughan. Plus the red hot Dusty 45's from Seattle. Stay at Sun Mountain Lodge and enjoy the best of creature comforts while enjoying some great music at the festival. For more info, visit their website at http://winthropbluesfestival.com/.

This Weekend's Prix Fixe Menu

Each weekend Executive Chef J. Russell Bradshaw, C.E.C. and Executive Sous Chef Pete McKinney put together a new and innovative prix fixe menu. Wine Manager Don Elsing then pairs a selection of fine wines to go with the meal. This weekend the menu is: Grilled Romaine with cucumber pearls, grape tomatoes, bleu cheese crumbles, toasted Macadamia nuts and fresh blueberries with a balsamic reduction blood orange vinaigrette. The wine pairing is a 3 ounce pour of the Columbia Valley Goose Ridge Riesling 2007. The second course is a Sauteed Blue Nose Snapper with grapefruit marmalade, carrot and pea puree and an endive and mushroom ragout paired with a 3 ounce pour of the 2007 Columbia Valley Townshend Sauvignon Blanc. The next course is a Roasted Duck Breast with spaghetti squash and brown sugar smoked corn hash and a blueberry Bordelaise sauce. This is paired with a 6 ounce glass of the Willamette Valley 2008 Lachini Vineyards Estate Grown "S" Pinot Noir. This is all topped off with a Trio of House Made Sorbets. Price is $63 plus tax and gratuity for the dinner only or $85 ++ with the wine flight. Make your reservations by calling 509 996 4707. Bon Appetit!

Fine, Fine Music

This Friday and Saturday nights, June 10 and 11, twelve string guitar virtuoso David Lee Howard will be performing in the Wolf Creek Bar and Grill at Sun Mountain Lodge. A "Trend setting, cutting edge Guitar Guru" David Lee Howard plays the 12 string guitar like no one else in the world. Following his Sun Mountain gig he will be heading back to Europe where he will be performing in Germany all summer. The shows start at 7pm and there is no cover charge, so come up and enjoy this one of a kind musician.

Wine, Wine, Wine

This weekend is a wine lover's bonanza in Winthrop. Saturday June 11 is the seventh annual Winthrop Wine Festival. Fifteen wineries from around the state of Washington will be on hand in the Winthrop Park from 2-6pm. The tasting fee is $30 and this is a 21 and over event. Later that evening Sun Mountain Lodge is hosting a Seven Hills Winery winemaker dinner with owner Casey McClellan on hand to talk about his wines. A fabulous four course dinner from Executive Chef J. Russell Bradshaw will accompany the Seven Hills wines. The dinner is served in the Dining Room from 5:30 to 8:30 pm and the cost is $85 per person plus gratuity and tax. To make your reservations call 509 996 4707. And on Sunday evening June 12, Chef Bradshaw will be hosting an Italian themed Interactive Dinner. Guests will have the opportunity to cook along with Chef Bradshaw and learn new culinary techniques. The price is $65 per person plus gratuity and tax and includes a flight of three wines selected by Wine Manager Don Elsing. The fun starts at 6:30 pm. Make your reservations by calling 509 996 4770.

National Trails Day

This Saturday, June 4, Sun Mountain Lodge will be celebrating National Trails Day with a variety of fun activities for the whole family. Guided hikes, a trail stewardship project, kids story trail and scavenger hunt and a presentation on hiking in the North Cascades. All events are free, so come up and join the fun. For more details: http://www.mountaineers.org/stories/news.cfm?reader=20