'An Explorer's Dinner'

MILFORD — Meet, dine, and have glass of wine with Alan and Gloria Valdes, who will regal a gathering at the Columns Museum next Saturday with their many tales of high adventure.

You may know Alan Valdes from his weekly appearances for CNN and CNBC, where he reports as a business correspondent. He has been a licensed trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for 35 years and his expertise is a sought-after commodity.

But Alan is also an adventurer and has other talents that take him far from the stock exchange floor. An avid climber, he has summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and trekked to the base of Mount Everest in Nepal. He has also climbed Mont Blanc in the French Alps, studied poisonous dart tree frogs in the Amazon, traversed the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, sailed the Pacific, and is a certified scuba diver.

Gloria Valdes is a certified personal trainer who has summited the Breithorn and Matterhorn in Switzerland, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and Mount Washington in New Hampshire in winter. She's trekked through the Amazon jungle to study dart tree frogs, and canoed its muddy river waters while fishing for piranhas. She trekked up the Inca Trail to an elevation of 13,800 feet while en route to Machu Picchu, Peru. She is a certified scuba diver who sailed through the South Pacific and did some shark dives, just for kicks.

"An Explorer's Dinner" with Alan and Gloria marks the anniversary of the return, in 1935, of Pike County's Arctic explorer, David Irwin. He was the first man to trek across the top of the world with only sled dogs to accompany him. Museum Director Lori Strzelecki will give a short presentation on Irwin to start off the evening; a chilling tale of survival for certain. Then enjoy a delicious four course meal. Alan and Gloria will speak after dinner, followed by a question-and answer session, and dessert.