Mystery Tour brings tourists to Ritzville

Ritzville was the surprise location of a mystery tour provided by Alpha Omega Tours & Charters on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Fifty-seven passengers boarded the charter bus early on Tuesday morning without any inclination of where they would be spending the remainder of the day.

As the bus pulled onto Railroad Avenue, two bandits overtook the bus and attempted to steal valuables from the unsuspecting passengers. But two sheriffs soon came to their rescue and officially welcomed the visitors to Ritzville.

The Ritzville Community Theatre group assisted in bringing the Wild West to life and the four men appeared during various times of the trip to surprise and have gunfights for the tourists’ entertainment. Miles Athey, who portrayed Wyatt Earp, brought the idea to the attention of the staff at Alpha Omega almost a year ago, and with interest from the company and help from the Ritzville Visitors Center, the vision became reality.

The tour began at the Train Depot and L.R. Keith led the tour and demonstrated the use of the telegraph for those in attendance. The group traveled around the town on the charter bus, and the tour guide and Athey provided narrations.

The bus took the group on the Heavy Metal Tour through the town, which includes all of the Ritzville metal sculptures. The 12 sculptures include the Tison fountain, the covered wagon, architect Shuler, auto dealers, Philip Ritz, photographer Kendrick, Doc Burroughs buggy, “On the Scene”, bronco, plowman, cowboy and the pioneer woman.

The tour then took the group to Cow Creek Mercantile/Spike’s Deli and Pizza to enjoy a lunch and visit with local metal sculpture artist, Sherryl Evans. After finishing the meal, the group was again accosted by bandits as they tried to board the bus.

The afternoon portion of the trip allowed the large group to have time socializing and wandering through the Burroughs Museum where local museum volunteers lead the tours. The visitors had an ample amount of time to visit all the rooms in the house and spend time relaxing outside.

Across the street, Curt Greenwalt presented a Camelina press demonstration and informed the visitors about Camelina and the products it creates. Greenwalt had samples of bread and Camelina oil for the group to taste and had oil available for purchase.

The mystery tour is where attendees pay a flat rate, board a bus and are taken to a certain destination to learn about the area. The cost of the Ritzville mystery tour was $71 and covered the cost of lunch during the trip.

A wide variety of tours are available through the company and run year round. The next trip planned is to Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. The first trip is from Oct. 9-12 and the second is scheduled from Oct. 15-18.

With a cost of $599, the tour escorts visitors through a variety of parks and allows visitors to witness the beauty of the changing fall colors and lakes in Canada. The trip includes transportation, hotel stay, three breakfasts, one lunch, one dinner and events the group attends. A passport or enhanced drivers license is required.

To schedule a trip through Alpha Omega Tours & Charters, call 509-299-5594 or email [email protected].

For more information about the Alpha Omega Tours & Charters, visit the website http://www.alphaomegatoursandcharters.com.