OTHELLO - The return of Sandhill cranes to central Washington means the Sandhill Crane Festival is getting ready to start in Othello. The community is preparing to host the festival featuring guest speakers, tours and activities.

The festival kicks off Friday and ends Sunday. There is an entry fee on Saturday, $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and children, which provides entry into all festival activities.

The festival was founded in 1998 to call attention to the return of the Sandhill cranes to Othello and the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

It is unique for the Sandhill cranes to stop their migration in Washington, so this festival allows local residents and bird enthusiasts the opportunity to view the birds without traveling to New Mexico or another area where the cranes migrate, said coordinator Marie Lotz.

The festival is a community-wide effort with more than 400 volunteers working the weekend events. In addition to the festival events, community organizations are sponsoring a spaghetti feed, breakfast and baked potato bar.

The local farmers also help ensure the cranes have a safe migration by leaving out corn for the birds to eat and delaying work on their fields until after the cranes have left, Lotz said.

Casual birders and children will also have plenty of events to attend, she said. There are several educational lectures and children's activities held at Othello High School, 340 South Seventh Ave., during the weekend.

"People do get surprised when they bring their children," Lotz sad.

Usually, the festival begins in late March, but because of conflicting speaker schedules the events are set to start at 11 a.m. on Friday. The Potholes Reservoir Boat Tour kicks of the festivities. This tour shows the bays where waterfowl, grebes, shoebirds and eagles are found.

Aside from the Potholes reservoir tour, all Friday tours will leave from the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District Building at 735 E. Main St. A fee is charged for all Friday and Sunday tours.

The Othello Fire Department will sponsor a spaghetti feed Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the fire hall, 220 South Broadway Ave. Cost is $7 per person. Friday's featured speaker is Dr. Richard Johnson, whose presentation begins at 8:15 p.m. at Othello High School. Johnson is a professor emeritus in the field of ornithology from Washington State University. He studies ecology, zoogeography and systematics of birds.

The Othello Rotary club will sponsor breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the high school. The main festival day is Saturday when tours begin at 7 a.m. from the Othello High School gym and run all the way to 7:15 p.m.

The Othello Senior Citizens group will sponsor a baked potato bar from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the high school. The all-day program for kids will include mask making, crafts, painting and an insect display. In addition to the Othello community, the Washington State University Raptor club will be in attendance showing off live birds to festival attendees.

The oldest car still operating on American railroads, a Pullman built in 1910, will be in town and open for tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the siding on North Broadway Ave. The "Abraham Lincoln" has been restored to its original appearance.

After the tours are concluded a banquet and silent auction is scheduled, featuring guest speaker Idie Ulsh, who is known for her bird and butterfly programs. She will be speaking on "Feathered Architecture," the construction of bird nests. The banquet begins at 7:30 p.m. at the high school.

The festival concludes Sunday with more tours and an Ice Age landslide hike. All events are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For more information about tickets, visit www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org and click on "brochure/registration download."