(Following is an update of the 2008 McCall Winter Carnival, to be held Jan. 25 to Feb. 3, 2008).

Tickets will go on sale Jan. 7 for the 2007 Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival, to be held as part of the 2008 McCall Winter Carnival.

Harmonica organizers have announced that Idaho First Bank has signed on to become the exclusive source for advance ticket reservations to the festival. The event will be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1-2, at The Pancake and Christmas House starting at 4 p.m. each day.

Tickets are $20 for both days and can be reserved by phone by calling (208) 630-2025. Tickets can be picked up or purchased at Idaho First Bank on Deinhard Lane across from the McCall Post Office.

Any reserved tickets must be picked up at the bank by Friday, Feb. 1. In addition to being able to reserve tickets in advance, listeners of KMCL radio Mountain Air 101 will be able to win tickets during the on-air promotion of the event the week of Winter Carnival.

"We have been deluged with phone requests for tickets and want to accommodate everyone," Event Coordinator Steve Holloway said.

"So rather than just selling tickets at the door, we decided on advance reservations to help things go smoothly the days of the event," Holloway said.

Holloway emphasized the McCall event is a one-time affair after forest fires cancelled the planned
event in Yellow Pine in August. "This one during Winter Carnival is a way for our local businesses to make up for lost (burned) ground," he said. "We hope by offering our music to a whole new audience it will help build our summer event for years to come."