TRAVEL DIGEST || Propeller signed by Orville Wright heading to Denver

DAYTON

A wooden propeller signed by airplane inventor Orville Wright is leaving Ohio’s National Aviation Hall of Fame to go on loan at a Colorado museum.

The National Aviation Hall of Fame inside Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton has owned the Wright Model K propeller since it was donated in 2004. The Dayton Daily News reports the propeller will be on display at the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum in Denver for five years.

NAHF President Michael Quiello says displaying the artifact in Denver will expand NAHF’s national brand recognition and help tell the story of the birthplace of aviation to a new audience.

A museum crew recently flew to Dayton to pick up the propeller.

155-foot SkyWheel comes to Cincinnati's Coney Island

CINCINNATI

A giant Ferris wheel will take a spin in Cincinnati starting in late May.

Officials say the 155-foot SkyWheel will be ready for riders when Coney Island opens for its 132nd season May 26. It will remain in operation through July 8.

The SkyWheel features 36 six-person gondolas. Each 10-minute ride includes four rotations and views of the entire park and the Ohio River.

Coney Island officials say the ride will be lit at night and visible from miles around.

Tickets for the ride are $5 and will be available for purchase online.

Velvet Ice Cream's Ye Olde Mill set to open April 2

Velvet Ice Cream will open the doors to its Ye Olde Mill factory April 2 for its 2018 season – the earliest date in the Utica, Ohio-based ice cream maker’s 104-year history. Ye Olde Mill is open in April, 11 a.m.-5p.m.; May, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; June-Aug., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; September, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and in Oct., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Velvet will also host a special giveaway. The first guest to arrive at Ye Olde Mill on Monday will receive complimentary lunch for two and Velvet's incredible signature ice cream sundae, The Licking Legend. This sundae features five dips of your favorite Velvet Ice Cream flavor, bananas, chocolate, cherry and marshmallow toppings. To mark the first Saturday of the season, Velvet will also offer ice cream cones for $1 on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All throughout the season, visitors can enjoy family-friendly events, such as live music and entertainment on weekends and holidays; Mother's and Father's Day specials; and special deals during July, which is National Ice Cream Month. The annual Ice Cream Festival on Memorial Day weekend, group tour experiences and school learning field trips are among the many draws to Ye Olde Mill.

'Wagon' exhibit featured at Baker County museum

BAKER CITY, ORE.

A new exhibit at the Baker Heritage Museum celebrates the 50th anniversary of “Paint Your Wagon,” the big-budget Western musical that was filmed in Eastern Oregon.

The movie starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg was filmed in two main locations — near Anthony Lakes and along East Eagle Creek in the Wallowa Mountains northeast of Baker City.

The Baker City Herald reports the museum display includes photographs on loan from the community and memorabilia ranging from promotional posters to the pants worn by Lee Marvin.

Associated Press