Winterfest in Chelan

Seattlest whimpered in defeat from the sanctuary of our covers this morning when the radio announced another 10 straight days of rain. Many Seattle residents escape this biblical rainy season each year by absconding to balmier, drier climes. We have previously scoffed at you as a bunch of sissies, but this deluge has eroded our derision. Uncle.

For those of you stuck here with us, and not lounging in Hawaii, your best chance for reprival is to head east. Be it two by two, or in your Hummer the size of an ark, you might find a sliver of relief in Chelan this weekend. The national weather service predicts more cloudiness but less precipitation for eastern Washington; colder temperatures would likely deliver snow instead of rain should those clouds prove too abundant.

The annual Lake Chelan Winterfest, starting Friday, offers numerous distractions from nasty weather. Ice sculpting, a chili cook-off, kids activities, and fireworks are all on the roster. Seattlest intended to mention the snowmobile drag races as the best entertainment option at Winterfest should you make the short trek, but according to their site they were cancelled as of yesterday. (In addition, we're fairly certain that the heralded selection of the "Snow King and Ice Princes" (sic) is the result of a repeated typo, but we'd prefer to think of them as the new gay royalty of eastern Washington.)