Twain hometown sites unaffected by flooding

Twain hometown sites unaffected by flooding

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Historic sites in Mark Twain’s hometown are open and safe despite reports of some flooding.

The Mississippi River was a few feet above flood stage, and some low-lying streets were flooded as of early May, according to The Hannibal Courier-Post, but downtown is protected by a flood levee.

The eight properties that belong to the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum - including the Becky Thatcher House, Huckleberry Finn House and Grant’s Drug Store - are operating normally. Even the Mark Twain Riverboat is still taking cruises.

For more information, visit www.marktwainmuseum.org.

Attention seed spitters: Melon festival needs you

PARDEEVILLE, Wis. — The watermelon seeds will fly again in Pardeeville.

The 41st annual Watermelon Festival, complete with its trademark seed-spitting contest, has gotten the go-ahead after a core of about 10 volunteers stepped forward to run the event.

A decline in volunteers in recent years left only a few people trying to put on the festival. When a community meeting on the festival was held in late March, few people turned out and planners said the festival might be called off this year. But festival chairman Clark Hodgson said a group of Pardeeville residents met and decided they have enough people to hold the festival as scheduled Sept. 6.

Featured attractions include free all-you-can-eat-watermelon for everyone, the seed-spitting contest and a contest to see who can eat watermelon the fastest.

Admission prices cut at wax museum in D.C.

WASHINGTON — One of Washington’s new high-priced museums is lowering its admission fee in response to the economic slowdown.

The Madame Tussauds wax museum cut its admission price from $21.15 to $18 for adults. The price for children will be reduced from nearly $16 to $12.

There will be even bigger discounts for Washington-area residents, with prices lowered to $13 for adults and $9 for children ages 12 and under.

The regional discount applies to residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

Museum officials say they want to make it easier for people to visit exhibits that include lifelike figures of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Hollywood stars and other Washington celebrities.

Tussauds cited the increasing cost of fuel and food, as well as consumer opinion on acceptable prices in the Washington tourism market.

Ala. motor sports park to get major expansion

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — George Barber said he plans to nearly double the size of his motorcycle museum and add a motocross track at Barber Motorsports Park, which was built with $70 million of his own money, according to The Birmingham News.

Barber said ground likely will be broken next year on an expansion that would add at least 100,000 square feet to the museum and enable the display of hundreds more motorcycles. The existing 140,000-square-foot museum allows for the display of less than half of Barber’s 1,200-bike collection.

The Barber park and museum, in its sixth year of operation, has been a tourism magnet for the Birmingham metropolitan area. A study by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitor’s Bureau estimated its economic impact at $372 million since its opening.

Associated Press