Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The time is right for eating lentil chili in the street.
The 24th annual National Lentil Festival will converge on Pullman this weekend, with events running from Friday night to Saturday evening.
Friday will bring the festival’s signature free lentil chili, served from one 350-gallon vat. The serving of the chili has become Pullman’s greeter for new and returning WSU students who have been making their way back to campus.
“All from one big bowl,” said Festival Director Amberly Boone.
The chili will be at the intersection of Olsen and Grand Avenue beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.
Nearby, at the Spot Shop parking lot on Kamiakin Street, bands will play.
Friday night’s lineup features openers Cody Beebe and The Crooks, followed by the funky blues of Hot Bodies in Motion and culminating in the crowd-pleasing ‘70s-present covers from Hit Machine.
On Saturday, the Tase T. Lentil 5K Fun Run will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Simpson United Methodist Church followed by a lentil pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. in Cougar Plaza.
The parade starts at 11 a.m. followed by food and fun in Reaney Park. There will a Boards and Blades skateboard and skates contest, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for third-thru-eighth graders and an adult co-ed softball tournament.
All the while free bags of Plentils, chips made of lentils, will be given out with purchase of National Lentil Fest merchandise.
The Saturday lineup features the first National Lentil Fest appearance of Tyrone Wells of Los Angeles by way of Spokane. His sounds of acoustic folk/pop will fill the air after the Little Lentil Royalty coronation.
At 2 p.m. the annual lentil cookoff will begin. Six lentil finalist recipes will be judged by the public to decide a winner. In July, 21 judges whittled down a list of 50 submitted recipes to the final six.
Also at Reaney Park will be the microbrew tasting tents which feature the concoctions of Paradise Creek Brewery, Palouse Falls Brewing Company, Odom Distributing, Whiskey Barrel Cider and wine from Merry Cellars.
A full listing of Lentil Festival events and times is published on page 3B.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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