Casper hotels close to sold out for Wyoming 2017 eclipse ADVERTISING Casper hotels close to sold out for Wyoming 2017 eclipse CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — People hoping to stay in Casper for next year’s Wyoming Eclipse Festival may be out
Casper hotels close to sold out for Wyoming 2017 eclipse
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — People hoping to stay in Casper for next year’s Wyoming Eclipse Festival may be out of luck as hotel rooms are essentially sold out.
Casper lies directly in the optimal viewing path for the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. Hundreds of visitors are expected.
Wyoming Eclipse Festival Executive Director Anna Wilcox says one hotel isn’t taking bookings until January, but otherwise all hotels in Casper claim to be full for Aug. 21, 2017. She says some of the rooms have booked for as high as $750 per night.
Wilcox says there are still camping options for people looking to visit Casper for the eclipse, and many people are renting their homes through companies like Airbnb.
Crowd-funding for ‘Oz’ Scarecrow costume falls short
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donors flocked like flying monkeys to the Smithsonian’s crowd-funding campaign to preserve a pair of ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.” But they weren’t as generous when it comes to maintaining the Scarecrow costume from the beloved movie.
A Kickstarter campaign for the slippers and the costume ended at midnight Wednesday, with donors pledging $349,000. The original goal was $300,000, and that total will go to the slippers. The National Museum of American History sought another $85,000 to preserve the Scarecrow costume, but that goal fell short.
Museum spokeswoman Laura Duff says the Scarecrow costume will still be preserved. She says some donors gave directly to the museum instead of pledging to Kickstarter, and the museum is “committed to raising the additional funds necessary to complete the conservation.”
Huge, uncut Foxfire diamond goes on display at Smithsonian
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the biggest diamonds ever found is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
The Foxfire diamond is the largest uncut, gem-quality diamond ever mined in North America. It weighs 187 carats, or 1.3 ounces.
The Foxfire diamond was found just last year at a diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Before it was discovered, only much smaller diamonds were believed to exist in the area. Such a large stone might easily have been crushed by mining equipment, but it survived because of its unusually flattened shape.
The diamond was purchased at auction by investor Deepak Sheth in June, and went on public display for the first time Thursday, alongside the famous Hope diamond. It will remain at the museum through Feb. 16.
‘Super Size Me’ filmmaker brings restaurant idea to Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The maker of the documentary “Super Size Me” is preparing to test out a new fast-food restaurant concept in Columbus.
Morgan Spurlock is planning a four-day, pop-up restaurant called “Holy Chicken!” beginning Saturday. He picked Columbus because it’s known for its role as a national test market.
Spurlock calls the concept a “mission-driven, farm-to-table, all-natural, TranspareLocaLicious” (tranz-PAYR’-eh-loh-keh-LISH’-uhs) “chicken experience.”
Spurlock’s 2004 documentary was nominated for an Academy Award. The film chronicled the detrimental physical and psychological effects of Spurlock eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days.
He says “Holy Chicken!” features sandwiches and tenders made from natural, free-range chickens, as well as locally sourced and locally produced beverages.
