Alaska comes to Louisiana

Just the statistics about Alaska are hard to get a handle on: 17 of the country’s 20 tallest mountains are here, as are 100,000 glaciers. Twice the size of Texas, Alaska has its own time zone, plus 15 national parks, monuments and preserves. How does one begin planning a vacation to The Great Land? Attend On Stage Alaska.

On Stage Alaska is an entertaining and informative free presentation by Alaska experts from Holland America Line. Cruising is one of the most popular ways to tour Alaska, and Holland America Line pioneered Alaska cruises and Yukon rail tours 50 years ago.

AAA Travel presents On Stage Alaska in Metairie, La., on Oct. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 2261 N. Causeway Blvd., in the Willow Room. To reserve your spot, call AAA Metairie office, (504) 838-7500, Ext. 6225.

Country Music Trail opens

Mississippi’s new heritage attraction, the Country Music Trail, is strumming along with the first two of 30 markers in place.

Country music legend Marty Stuart was honored with a trail marker July 25 in his hometown of Philadelphia, Miss., during an event at the Neshoba County Fairgrounds. It is the second marker on the trail. The first, honoring Jimmie Rodgers, was dedicated June 1 in Meridian where he is interred. Rodgers was known as the Father of Country Music. He died in 1933.

The MSU Riley Center in Meridian hosts an exhibit, “Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart’s American Musical Odyssey” through Sept. 18. Celebrity memorabilia from Stuart’s personal collection is on view.

While visiting Meridian for the exhibit, travelers can stop by Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery to see Rodger’s marker. The Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Meridian is open Tuesday–Saturday and is free to all Sept. 8, Rodgers’ birthday.

For more information about the Country Music Trail, click on www.visitmississippi.org.

Rising air fares

Airline prices in the first three months of this year rose almost 5 percent from a year earlier. The average domestic fare in the first quarter of 2010 rose to $328, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.