Lentil Festival marks 30th year

The 30th National Lentil Festival will be Friday and Saturday, Aug. 17-18, throughout Pullman.

The Tase T. Lentil mini golf tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Friday at the Airway Hills Golf Center, with tee times running throughout the day. Teams of two to six players will compete in a “best-ball” competition, in which each team member gets one attempt at each hole and only the best score for each hole is scored.

The weekend’s festivities really get underway at 5 p.m. when visitors can enjoy free samples from the world’s largest bowl of lentil chili at Reaney Park. Food vendors selling snacks and frozen treats, plus the Lentil Land Kids’ Area featuring children’s entertainment and games will also open at 5 p.m. in Reaney Park.

On Spring St., marketplace vendors, Garbanzo Gardens, music and trivia by ZFun Radio and a beer and wine garden will open at 5 p.m.

At 6:30 p.m., an “Ask the Experts” panel discussion will get underway on the gazebo stage, where food professionals will answer audience questions and discuss eating, cooking, farming, health and more.

Friday will also feature live music, beginning with Pullman folk musician Dan Maher playing on the gazebo stage at 5 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., Portland rock band Redwood Son will perform on the main stage on Spring St. At 6:35, Pacific Northwest country band Brewer’s Grade will play on the main stage. At 7:55 p.m., central Washington rock and reggae band Dimestore Prophets will perform on the main stage. At 8 p.m., Moscow Indie-American singer/songwriter Andru Gomez will play at the gazebo. Orange County, California Americana band, The Brevet, will take over the main stage at 9:15 p.m.

Day two of the Lentil Festival begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the Pufferbelly Depot parking lot, when the Tase T. Lentil Fun Run gets underway. Prizes will be given to overall and master (age 50-plus) male and female winners. Ribbons will be awarded to the top three finishers in each age group. A portion of each entry fee will be donated to the YMCA of the Palouse.

At 8 a.m., the Pullman Lion’s Club will serve a lentil pancake breakfast at the Cougar Plaza on Grand Avenue where visitors can feast on lentil pancakes, scrambled eggs, ham, juice and coffee.

Also getting underway at 8 a.m. will be the Circles of Caring Tennis Tournament at the WSU tennis courts. The tournament will feature pro-set matches with regular scoring and every participant is guaranteed at least two matches in each event. Participants can compete in a variety of singles and doubles matches for men and women of different age groups. The event will also feature a “Play with a Cougar” bracket, where competitors can partner with a WSU tennis player. The tournament will include food, massages and prizes for participants.

At 9 a.m., an all-day co-ed softball tournament will lead off at the Pullman City Playfields.

The second day of the Tase T. Lentil mini golf tournament will also begin at 9 a.m. at the Airway Hills Golf Center, with tee times running throughout the day. Additionally, the 3-on-3 Hoop Classic will get underway at 9 a.m. at Reaney Park. Teams will consist of three to four players ages third to eighth grade and each game will last 25 minutes or until one team scores 20 points.

At 10 a.m., the newest class of inductees to the Pullman Walk of Fame will be honored during a ceremony on the corner of Kamiaken and Main St. This year’s inductees include former WSU professor, archaeologist, researcher and author Dr. Richard Daugherty; former WSU football coach Mike Price, and Pullman residents Ivan and Velma Sayles.

Beginning 11 a.m., the grand parade will begin at the corner of Grand and Main St. The parade will feature the Lentil Express, Distinguished Young Women, Rodeo Queens, floats, fire trucks, and the Tase T. Lentil festival mascot. Marketplace vendors, Garbanzo Gardens and a beer and wine garden will also open for business at 11 a..m. on Spring St. Finally, the Lentil Land Kid’s Area and a range of food vendors will open at 11 a.m. at Reaney Park.

Jamie Callison will demonstrate a variety of recipes involving lentils on the gazebo stage at noon.

Starting at 12:50 p.m., Seattle rock band Cody Beebe and the Crooks will perform on the main stage.

At 1 p.m. will be the Lil’ Lentil Royalty Coronation, where candidates for king and queen will respond to a number of questions to advance in the competition. Also at 1 p.m., chef Patty Brehm will give a live cooking demonstration.

At 1:50 p.m., Seattle country and blues artist Austin Jenckes will perform on the main stage.

Beginning at 2 p.m., chef Gretchen Stoops-Luongo will give a live cooking demonstration.

Kicking off at 3 p.m., five finalists will compete for the People’s Choice Award at the Legendary Lentil Cook-off at the gazebo stage.

At 3:30 p.m., Nashville country-rock band The Cadillac Three will perform on the main stage.