Globetrotting

• ANTLER AUCTION. It's a spring ritual. Boy Scouts from Jackson, Wyo., pick up antlers that were shed by thousands of elk that winter on the nearby National Elk Refuge and auction them at the Jackson town square. Eighty percent of the proceeds go back into the winter feeding program on the elk refuge. Winning bidders recycle antlers into furniture, decorations, jewelry, even food products (yuck). The auction is held in conjunction with Elkfest, which this year will be May 19 and 20. Activities that are part of the Elkfest include a Mountain Man Rendezvous and Traders' Row at Teton County Fairgrounds, a chili cook-off and live music. New this year: the Jackson Rotary Club will auction off one of the large antler arches that is on the town square.

• JACKSON'S POPULAR OLD WEST DAYS, May 25-29, come fast on the heels of Elkfest. Stagecoach rides, gunfight re-enactments, a street breakfast and a special event for children (Kids Cowboy Connection), along with festivities for adults (Old Brew Fest and Wine Fest) are part of the happenings. A horse-drawn parade will kick off the Jackson Hole Rodeo. Utah will have a distinctive presence with an authentic pioneer wagon train that will make its way across the elk refuge to the tiny town of Kelly with an overnight stay and living history demonstrations at the historic Miller Ranch, courtesy of the Utah Western Heritage Foundation.

Information: www.jacksonholechamber.com; 307-733-3316.

• SUN VALLEY FOOD AND WINE FEST. This famous Idaho mountain resort is jumping on the food festival bandwagon. Its first food and wine festival will be June 8-10, with a keynote speaker (Jim Harrison, author of "The Raw and the Cooked"), seminars and demonstrations by name-brand chefs (Corey Schrieber from Wildwood Restaurant in Portland, Ore., and Cat Cora from the Food Network). Information: 866-305-9798 or visit www.sunvalleyfoodandwinefestival.com. Information about Sun Valley in general: www.visitsunvalley.com.

P.S. Don't forget the Sun Valley Wellness Festival, May 24-28.

• DEAD SEA SCROLLS ON DISPLAY IN SAN DIEGO. The San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park will display 24 Dead Sea Scrolls from June 29-December. The museum is partnering with the Israel Antiquities Authority on this exhibit. Among the highlights: the text of the Ten Commandments, the only Dead Sea Scroll inscribed in copper and psalms with passages that are still used in liturgy today. Also included: a virtual reality experience of the site at Khirbet, Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Information: www.sdnhm.org.

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E-mail: kclayton@desnews.com