Lentil Festival packed for lentil lovers

Pullman's 27th annual celebration of the lentil will be Aug. 21-22 this year with several sporting events, musical performances, cooking demonstrations and competitions, and, of course, lentil chili and other creations.

The World's Largest Bowl of Lentil Chili will again be on display with free lentil chili for all. Live music, a beer and wine garden and several booths will highlight the fun on Friday evening and throughout Saturday.

The live entertainment can be found on the Hometown Chevy and BullCountry Main Stage.

R&B/Soul/Rock artist Megan Wilde of Seattle will kick off the evening entertainment Friday at 5:15 with acoustic pop artist Travis Atreo Graham of Federal Way taking center stage at 6:30 p.m.

They will be followed by a three-piece blues rock band, Ayron Jones & The Way of Seattle at 7:45 p.m., and Tango Alpha Tango of Portland.

Saturday's live entertainment will include Blake Noble of Seattle at noon, country/folk artist Austin Jenckes of Duvall at 1:15, and headliner Dylan Scott, a country music singer-songwriter from Bastrop, La., at 2:30.

The Pullman Lion's Club Lentil Pancake Breakfast will start the events Saturday at 8 a.m. at the Cougar Plaza on the corner of Grand Avenue and Olsen Street. The breakfast will include lentil-filled pancakes, scrambled eggs, ham, juice and coffee for $8 for those 12 and over and $4 for children 5-11 years old. Children under 5 eat free.

A number of athletic events will provide fun for festival-goers of all ages. Most of the athletic events will take place Saturday, beginning with the Tase T. Lentil 5K Fun Run sponsored by Snap Fitness at 7:30 a.m. The run will begin and end in Reaney Park.

The annual Tour de Lentil Half Century (50k), Century (100k) or Century-and-a-Half (150k) bike ride will loop through the Palouse area beginning at 8 a.m. The course begins at the Pullman City Playfields and "rolls out Wawawai-Pullman Road, through Colfax to Palouse, past Kamiak Butte, and back to Pullman," according to the Lentil Festival website. The event is the annual fundraising ride for the Washington State University Cycling Club.

The 3-on-3 Hoop Classic basketball tournament sponsored by Wysup Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram is scheduled for 9 a.m. in Reaney Park. The tournament is open to participants in third to eighth grade. Games will last a maximum of 25 minutes or until one team scores 20 points. A press release for the event asks participants to register by Aug. 15 by dropping off a registration packet at the Pioneer Center or mailing it to Pullman Parks and Recreation at 240 SE Dexter St.

A co-ed softball tournament sponsored by ProFormance Physical Therapy is also scheduled for 9 a.m. The all-day event will be at the Pullman City Playfields. Participants are asked to contact Pullman Parks and Recreation for registration information.

A new athletic event is also slated. The Tase T. Lentil Miniature Golf Tournament will pit teams of three to five players or families of up to seven players against each other. The tournament will be at Airway Hills Golf Center in Pullman Friday-Sunday.

More information about all athletic events can be found at http://www.lentilfest.com.

The Lentil Festival Grand Parade is slated for an 11 a.m. start down Grand Avenue and up Main Street before finishing at Reaney Park. The parade will feature the Little Lentil Sprouts, the Lentil Express, rodeo queens, Distinguished Young Women, Tase T. Lentil and many more units.

A number of cooking demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.

"Co-sponsored by Whole Foods Market, the Lentil Cooking Demo Stage will feature top chefs guiding interactive cooking classes that showcase lentils in bold, new ways," according to Kim Davidson at Pacific Northwest Farmers Co-op.

The Ask-the-Experts panel is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start Friday where festival-goers can ask the top chefs and agriculture experts about anything lentil-related.

"We're on a mission to teach everyone how quick, delicious and affordable it is to cook with lentils, and this is a great opportunity to learn from some of the best chefs in the business," Davidson said.

Saturday will feature a cooking demo at 11 a.m. with Executive Chef Jamie Callison and Chef de Cuisine Adam Korner of WSU's School of Hospitality and Business Management. They will be followed at noon by Chef Hayden Smissen, the marketing and events chef at Whole Foods Market.

Chef Robin Leventhal, an instructor at Wine Country Culinary Institute and former Top Chef contestant, will demonstrate her cooking skills at 1 p.m., and students from the WSU School of Hospitality and Business Management, with Callison and Korner, will lead a "Cooking with Kids" demonstration at 2 p.m.

The Legendary Lentil Cook Off will also be Saturday. The top five finalists, chosen earlier this summer, from the 109 recipes submitted will prepare their recipes and present them before a panel of judges and 100 festival-goers Saturday afternoon.

The Lentil Land Kid's Area sponsored by Moscow and Pullman Building Supply will be open Friday from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday from 12-5 p.m.

Lentil Land will include a 12-foot long Lentil Fest themed Monster Mural, a juggling tent, face painting, inflatables and other attractions.

The Children's Stage in Lentil Land will have WSU Birds of Prey, local dance groups, Amazama Juggling and other acts. Also in Lentil Land, the Science Tent sponsored by Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories will feature hands on activities for the kids.

A new service component to the festival has also been added. Decagon Devices, Inc., and Feeding Children Everywhere have partnered with The Lentil Festival Hunger Project for the service activity, where volunteers will package 25,000 healthy meals to be distributed to children throughout Washington.

"Through this Hunger Project volunteers will be able to impact the lives of hungry children and families within the local community. Hunger is an epidemic that holds no prejudice and is prevalent in every corner of the world," said Molly Slicker of Feeding Children Everywhere in a July 20 press release. "Currently, one in five children in Washington live in homes suffering from food insecurity. With the help of the Pullman community, we have the ability to make a tangible difference in the lives of 25,000 children and families."

The volunteers will hand-package a healthy Lentil Casserole from 12-3 p.m. in Spring Street park.