Mystery tour returns to Ritzville

The City of Ritzville is soon to be the location of a mystery tour provided by Inland Empire Tours on Wednesday, Sept. 25. All of the occupants of the charter bus have no idea where or what they are about to encounter when they join the mystery tour.

The group’s tour begins at the Reardan Audubon Lake Wildlife Area, before traveling to Ritzville. The bus is expected to arrive in town in the late morning and begin the tour at Ole Worlds Oils, where Curt Greenwalt is providing a demonstration of the Camelina press and bottling process.

As the passengers of the tour bus leave Ole Worlds Oils, a group of bandits is going to overtake the passengers. Residents are advised gunshots will be heard around 12:15 p.m. as part of the skit, performed by the Ritzville Community Theatre group. Gunshots will again be heard around 2:30 p.m. at the Train Depot.

After bandits accost the bus, the group is traveling to Memories Diner for lunch. Immediately following lunch, Cowboy Mac is taking the stage to perform and entertain with anecdotes, tall tales and cowboy humor.

At 2 p.m., the group is embarking by bus to take the Heavy Metal Tour of Ritzville’s historic metal sculptures before heading to the Northern Pacific Railway Depot for a live historic demonstration of the telegraph. Ritzville Railroad Agent L.R. Keith is leading the demonstration and a tour of the museum.

From 3:30-4:30 p.m., the group has an opportunity to visit downtown shops and participate in a walking tour of Ritzville. The group ends the day with a tour of the Dr. Frank R. Burroughs’ Home and Museum, with Ritzville Museum Volunteers serving as narrators.

Individuals who may come across the tour group are asked to welcome them to the community and let the tour continue without interruption. The group could consist of up to 35 people and are on a tight schedule during the time in Ritzville.

For more information about the Inland Empire Tours, visit the website http://www.ietours.net.