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Santa Claus, Indiana
The Voyage new wooden roller coaster
at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
Three new rides herald the opening of the 60-year-old amusement park in southwest Indiana. Considered the first theme park in the country, Holiday World was created by Louis J. Koch, who was saddened by the fact that kids were disappointed when they came to Santa Claus and found that Santa was, in fact, not there. It has since grown into a 100-acre amusement center, with a full-sized water park attached. New this year is The Voyage, heralded as having the longest “air time” on a roller coaster, a full 24.2 seconds of weightlessness along the 1.2-mile track, with the steepest drop on a wooden coaster in the country. Visit the website for a ride simulation. Admission to the park is $36.95 (under 54 inches $28.95, parking and all soft drinks are free, and sunscreen in the water park is free). Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, 452 E. Christmas Blvd., 877-463-2645, holidayworld.com
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Las Vegas, Nevada
“Ansel Adams: America” on view at Bellagio; works chosen by artist as important
The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is exhibiting “Ansel Adams: America” through May 6, 2007, featuring 50 works that the photographer himself chose as being among the most important or iconic of his career. Among them: “Monolith,” “Face of Half Dome,” “Yosemite National Park,” and “Colorado (1937),” as well as a rare image of “Boulder Dam (1941).” The works trace four decades of Adams’ experimentation with black-and-white photography. The exhibit, organized by the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson, also includes album pages from his earliest photographs and his 8×10 Kodak camera. Tickets for the exhibit are $15 per person.
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 877-957-9777 bgfa.biz
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Las Vegas, Nevada
“La Rêve” at Wynn new visual masterpiece from Cirque du Soleil director Dragon
Wynn Las Vegas is home to the latest theatrical extravaganza from Franco Dragon, famous for his successes with “O,” “Mystère,” and Celine Dion’s “A New Day.” Wynn’s “La Rêve,” (“the dream”), is a theater-in-the-round performance (the audience gets to interact with the cast) using air and 13,180 gallons of water per minute to convey an aerial ballet of love, adventure and mystery. On a more practical note, the 75-member cast goes through their water-logged costumes every two weeks, and 24 of them have to have their shoes repainted and re-glued daily, with more than 800 towels used nightly and 95 loads of laundry. Tickets start at $90.
Wynn Las Vegas Theater, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-770-WYNN, wynnlasvegas.com
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San Antonio, Texas
Chili Queens Fiesta celebrates 1900s tradition of chili sold by colorfully dressed gals
Only a handful are still alive, but their children remember the days when the “chili queens” would dress up in brightly colored attire and fill Market Square with the smells of chili con carne, fried cinnamon twists, menudo, homemade tortillas and freshly fried chips, large baskets of chiles and other good foods. This annual party (May 27-29) is sponsored by the El Mercado Merchants Association, and while many merchants sell their wares, wandering through to get a whiff of the past is free. Tejano tunes, a chili cookoff and games enliven the experiences.
Chili Queens Fiesta, Market Square, 514 W. Commerce St., 210-227-9254
– Denver Post staff and wire reports
