Western Souvenirs: September 2011

September/October 2011 [1]

Shopping for flight jackets for kids, Huckleberry Flavored Vodka, and glass pumpkins? Make room in your suitcase and get ready to travel.

Hey, Flyboy!
Bush pilots are heroes at the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum on Anchorage’s Lake Hood Seaplane Base—the world’s busiest—where some 82,000 Beavers, Otters, and other aircraft take off and land every year. Visitors ogle vintage planes and exhibits and shop for keepsakes, such as this kids’ flight jacket ($60). (907) 248-5325, alaskaairmuseum.org [2].

Berry Smooth
Sweet and silky, Koenig Distillery’s Huckleberry Flavored Vodka mixes easily in cocktails. Is it as easy to make? Visit the distillery’s tasting room in Caldwell, Idaho, or call to plan a group factory tour and learn how a copper German pot still, plus a bit of patience, turns local potatoes, huckleberries, and water into a rich spirit. (208) 455-8386, koenigdistilleryandwinery.com [3].

Truly Great Pumpkins
Guaranteed to last past autumn, Ken and Ingrid Hanson’s vibrant veggie is one of 30 artists’ blown-glass squashes at the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch in Rinconada Park in Palo Alto, Calif. Browse among some 7,000 works to find a favorite. Pumpkin art is on exhibit September 27 through 30 and on sale October 1 and 2; prices range from $15 to $1,000. (408) 993-2244, [4]greatglasspumpkinpatch.com [4].

Photography courtesy of Great Glass Pumpkin Patch

This article was first published in September 2011. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.