Make A Scene Magazine October 2022

Nikolas, Age 3

Lyla, Age 11

Dance

Contributed by Kelly Caraway

Bow to your partner.

Yellow Rock your corner. Join hands & circle to the left. Ladies Center and the men sashay.

These are some of the calls you might hear if you attended a square dance!

Don’t worry; once you take lessons, the lingo will all make sense.

There are numerous benefits to dance. It’s great for:

- Cardiovascular system

- Muscular strength

- Balance & coordination

- Strengthening bones

- Helps grow self-confidence

- Is a lifetime activity for any age

- The protection against dementia is well documented. A 21-year study of senior citizens was printed in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results showed that dance provides the greatest risk reduction of any cognitive or physical activity studied! For example, golf decreases risk of dementia by 0%. Frequent dance reduces risk of dementia by 76%!

As wonderful as all those benefits are, there’s 2 other benefits that I want to focus on: 1. Fun and social practice, and 2. Mood Booster

Regarding fun and social practicedance fosters respectful cooperation, collaboration, and an increased

acceptance of others. It requires focus and control, which leads to clearer communication with others, not just verbally, but via body language as well.

As a mood booster, a 2014 study showed that dance can be used as therapy to decrease clinical depression and anxiety!

If you think about what our society - and the world - has been through the last couple of years, it’s been a rather dark time. The pandemic and subsequent shutdowns have caused strife, dissidence, division, disconnection, and mostly, fear. The result has been a drastic rise in the deterioration of mental health across our society. A couple of old, known truths that have been dramatically reinforced in the aftermath of the pandemic.

One is that fear is a very powerful emotion that’s easy to manipulate, and Two is that we need human interaction.

I think that when we became afraid of each other, and covered our faces from each other, this has been at the root of the exacerbation of our societal division and strife.

Not being able to see smiles and facial gestures is detrimental to our mental health & our well-being as a society. The increased separation of people from people is detrimental. It’s well

known that babies need human touch in order to survive. Well, it turns out that adults need it, too!

We need to smile, laugh, play, have fun, connect with others, enjoy the company of others, and touch.

Many people have reordered their priorities in the wake of the pandemic and began focusing more on what is really important in life, and taken great consideration as to how they want to live.

I invite each of you to consider how, within your own life and your circle of influence, if you laughed more, smiled more, played more, interacted more, connected more, enjoyed more, and touched others, you yourself can combat the societal pull toward pessimism, division, and fear not only in your own life, but within your own community.

While of course there are several ways you can go about this, I think dance is one of the very best!

Square dancing, in particular, is great for those who have never before considered dance. The saying goes, “if you can walk, you can square dance”. Square dancing does not require that you keep a specific beat. As you take lessons, you gain confidence and practice to be able to meander through a dance. The other dancers

in the square are willing and able to guide you along, laughing all the while. Everyone is encouraging, and no partner is needed.

Square dancing is done in English worldwide! There are square dance festivals held both statewide and nationally. It’s a great opportunity to connect and laugh with a wide variety of people who are there for the sole purpose of enjoyment and camaraderie.

Paws & Taws Square Dance Club in Palmer begins a 12-week lessons series, Friday evenings starting October 14th from 7-9pm at Sofia’s Cafe near the intersection of Trunk Rd and the Palmer Wasilla Hwy (9191 E Frontage Rd, Palmer).

Check out our Facebook page “Paws & Taws Square Dance”, or our website pawstaws.dance

Square dancing is friendship, set to music.

Do your body, your mind, your health - both physically & emotionally - your outlook, your community, and your country a huge favor. Increase the quality of your life by dancing!

Shoot the star. Right and left grand. Swing the girl & promenade ’til you get back home! Now bow to your partner. Bow to your corner. And thank them all!

Contributed by Mark Sowers

Alaskan author Mark Sowers presents the first book in his epic fantasy series The Blackfire Chronicles. With two books in the series currently available on Amazon, he’s nearly finished with volume three. He’s published five books so far and is always creating new works.

His wife Marcy and him live in Wasilla, and when they aren’t outside in their very large yard cultivating the Hügelkultur beds or spending all day mowing the lawn, Mark can be found at his desk, typing away on stories in multiple genres.

They have three adult children who are very close with the couple, and a large German Shepherd who is the comical guardian of the family.  Marcy creates custom-tailored and handmade items ranging from rugs to fine clothing when she’s not making things grow. They are a great team with Mark the wordsmith and Marcy the magic behind formatting the books for print and Kindle versions, in addition to being the artist behind some of his book covers. Mark has created books and stories that will appeal to a wide audience.  We hope that you are intrigued by this snippet and will add this series to your must-read list!

The Blackfire - that mysterious and gigantic wheel of black flame spinning in the southern sky has been an enigma for thousands of turnings. What is it? Who created it and why? Magic – it once existed, but no longer. Where did it go? Will it return someday? Revan and Arval – two young men, slaves, who seek to escape their tormentors, the brutal and vile Nojii. How will they win their freedom? What will they discover when they finally escape, and where will fate lead them? Will secrets and knowledge, long hidden and lost, be revealed, and understood?

There are legends about the far side of

the Blackfire. Some claim to possess knowledge of those who have traveled beyond it, to have heard the tales of hideous and deadly creatures, unspeakable atrocities, and cities like nothing ever imagined. But who is the one to stand before us and say, ‘I have seen these things’? Where is this person? Who is he or she? Are the stories true? No one knows. It is known that some have tried to venture beyond the Blackfire. But what became of them? That too, no one knows. Most believe that death is all that lives on the other side of the Blackfire, or that it can be found somewhere within it. Will the truth of the other side ever be known? Will there someday be one who is able to travel beyond it and return? Nothing is known.  - Transcribed from a lecture by Wurfavend Mentrana, Udron Library, Enrat, Turning 3478, Era of Calm

Chapter 1

The crack of Bhinja’s lash tore a furrow across the skin of Revan’s back, sending small streams of blood oozing down towards his waist. The map of scars that crisscrossed his flesh would have another road soon. Revan arched his back with a quiet grunt, as if stretching after getting out of bed, and drove his pick into the iron hard ground. He’d long ago become numb to the pain of lashes; they were nothing more now than Bhinja’s way of saying work faster. Even the pain and blood was simply something to shrug off, a minor annoyance deserving of minor acknowledgement. He could vaguely remember a time when the lashes had caused him to cry out in pain, when he’d had to sleep on his sides to avoid aggravating the fresh injuries. But those days had passed long ago.

Chips of light brown earth sprayed out from the tip of his pick, ricocheting off the others toiling near him. None even bothered to look up. The young man closest to him had a small red nick on his ribs from a particularly sharp piece. From his lack of reaction, it seemed he hadn’t even felt it. Most of them didn’t. At least the ones who had been there for a time.

“Swing those tools faster or it’s the lash for the lot of ya,” Bhinja growled. His crooked and broken teeth enhanced the menace in his eyes, one of which was cloudy white and sometimes spun around in its socket like a rock rolling downhill. Sweat dripped off his bald head and ran down the bulging muscles of his chest and shoulders, making him glisten in the baking sun.

You can find Mark Sowers on Amazon. Follow him as an author and you will be notified of his new releases.  He also has a website - www.marksowersbooks.com - which will point you to his books on Amazon.  If you would like to purchase an autographed paperback, please use his website to contact him.

Contributed By Kosharek Art

The highlight of my first summer as an Alaskan resident was to paint for a week in McCarthy, AK as an “artist in Residence.” An artists residency can have many different definitions but, for me it meant free housing, free food and drinks and a place to paint every day, on location. It also means representation in the Mountain Arts Gallery.

I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of most of the town of McCarthy and reality TV show star, Neil Darish. I met him in McCarthy in May, we talked about me returning to paint in August. And despite me having the craziest summer with the loss of my boyfriend, my home remodeling project and chas ing all over the state of Alaska… I knew I had to go and paint. I knew it was my Alaskan artist beginning.

McCarthy is a seven-hour drive from Anchorage. The last two hours are on an un-serviced dirt and rock road with large potholes. There is a warning sign not to travel on the road. Despite warnings the bravest travelers venture on. You cannot drive into town without a permit and a key to cross the bridge. Because of this… people park at Basecamp and then cross a foot bridge and walk a mile into town. (Or take a van

shuttle). When you get to town you see the McCarthy History Center and then The Potato. The Potato is the spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner, beer wine, and bougie Mac and cheese, burgers, pizza and the ever-loving fries. I ate there several times during my stay and watched the Oregon based band, Free Creatures.

Music and the Arts are a driving force in McCarthy. Neil brings excellent Alaskan bands to the Golden Saloon’s outside stage and open mike nights inside the Saloon. The first time I was in McCarthy was to see The Super Saturated Sugar Strings!

McCarthy is a foodie town… I already mentioned The Potato… but wait, there’s more! The Golden Saloon makes the best drinks in town and serves up delicious dining fare. For something very fancy there is the Salmon and the Bear restaurant next door. If you head five miles down the road there are other dining options at the Kennecott Lodge and a food truck. Check out my Instagram reel that documents the food I ate during the artist residency: HERE.

Kennecott is the abandoned copper mining operation and is now property of the National Park system: Wrangall St. Elias National Park. From Kennecott

you can tour some of the Copper mine buildings and head down the trail to Root Glacier. Glaciers cover 35% of this national park… Did I mention this is the biggest national park in the USA? In May, my son Scout and I hiked to Root Glacier and got to walk on the glacier. It’s quite an experience. It’s about a four-mile hike round trip from Kennecott to Root Glacier.

During my artist residency I painted daily outside of the Mountain Arts Gallery–where you can buy my paintings! I participated in a story telling event, watched a fabulous open mike night, ate delicious food, met wonderful people, listened to live music, and felt at one with nature.

I stayed at Lancaster’s back packers Hotel. There is also Ma Johnson’s Hotel and if you want the experience of a lifetime… you can stay at the Kate Kennedy House. Kate was the madam and respected businesswoman who lived in the boom days of the mining town–1900s to 1938. The Kate Kennedy House is a totally refurbished Sears catalog home. The home is the shining gem of all that Neil Darish has done to better McCarthy and preserve the history of this fabulous place. There is an Instagram reel of my tour of the home: HERE. If you would rather camp… you

can rent a spot at Basecamp for your RV, car top tent or tent. I camped the first time we went to McCarthy. It’s a bring your own water kind of place and the bathrooms are outhouses. Despite delicious food being only a mile walk away across two footbridges… the camping is roughing it.

Other than the Foodie, Arts and Music scene… McCarthy is a central location to do backpacking, glacier hikes, ice climbing, flight seeing, & rafting trips.

My first summer in Alaska… and I got to paint the beauty that I experienced in Mc Carthy, AK Thank you to Neil Darish for this opportunity. And yes, I was asked to come back next summer and paint again! Out of all the places I have been in Alaska… McCarthy felt like “my people.”

McCarthy totally closes up its doors come Mid-September… she won’t reopen until May or when the roads are clear enough to open her back up. I couldn’t love this summer Alaskan destination more and from talking to people in Anchorage—I have realized many locals have never been there! Take a chance on McCarthy —bring a spare tire! www.kosharek.art

Contributed by Garry Forrester Valley Performing Arts

Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “Number One Fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads the manuscript to his newest novel and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, “Misery Chastain”. Annie forces Paul to write

a new “Misery” novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letti ng him go anywhere. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it...and it does.

Valley Performing Arts is proud to present this spinetingling tale of hero worship gone extremely wrong. Based on the book by Stephen King, this play is sure to make you jump in your seat! Please be aware that the play contains adult language and situations. Misery opens October 14th and

runs through October 30th. Ticket prices are $19 Regular Admission, $17 Seniors 65+/Students 18 and younger. The production will be at Valley Performing Arts, 251 W. Swanson Avenue, in Wasilla.

Purchase tickets online at valleyperformingarts.org or call our office at 373-0195 for more information.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ValleyPerforming-Arts.

MusicContributed by Alison Dennis

Hi everybody! My name is Alison Dennis, I’m a twelveyear-old singer/songwriter and the creator of Guitar Girl 907. I’m crazy for guitar and I love sharing my music with the world on YouTube!

At Guitar Girl 907 I do everything from videos of my music (both originals and covers) to reviews and

more! Make sure to check it out and hit that subscribe button.

Thanks for stopping by my YouTube channel, Guitar Girl 907. Never stop singing big and loud!

Contributed by Brenda Davis

Little Shop of Horrors is a delicious sci-fi horror musical with an electrifying 1960s pop/rock score by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Seymour Krelborn is a meek and nerdy assistant at a floral shop who happens upon a strange plant. He names her “Audrey II” after Audrey, the girl he has a crush on. Little does he know that this strange and scary plant will eventually develop a potty mouth, a soulful R&B voice, and an unquenchable thirst for HUMAN BLOOD.

As Audrey II grows bigger, she grows meaner. The carnivorous plant promises Seymour limitless fame and fortune, as long as he continues providing a fresh supply of blood. A little too late, Seymour learns that its Audrey !!’s goal to gain more and more power until she achieves world-domination.

Bronsen Stewart is a seasoned actor and plays the role of Seymour. However, this is his directorial debut and has this to say about the production: “Directing Little Shop of Horrors has been not only a privilege, but also the most fun I’ve had in my theatre career!

With this being my directorial debut, I have been so excited to stop into a while new world of learning. Being on stage as Seymour and directing has been amazing because I have learned so much and believe I put together the most amazing show that has hit a stage in the Mat-Su

Valley! My hope is that everyone has a chance to come out and see the show!”

Katelyn Rogers plays one of the “Do Wop Girls” and says, “Little Shop is one of the most organized, well produced shows I’ve ever been involved with. The vision and goals for the show are very clear and every cast and crew member is on their A-game. The level of dedication put into this show is nothing like I’ve seen before.”

Little Shop of Horrors runs from October 14-November 5, 2022 with Friday shows at 7pm and Saturday shows at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets in person at the Glenn Massay Theatre or online at glennmassaytheater.com

Poetry & Prose

Contributed by Improbable Scribe

Mindfulness is being present in the now Not regretting the past

Not worrying about the future

Being present, in love, with whatever is in front of me

When I find myself in turmoil

I remind myself to Breathe and This helps me Re-Center Within mySelf, and know that that which lives within me and all things

Already have a solution, and is showing me the way to change my perspective, so I can again Be centered, Balanced, and Present

Contributed by Wendy Brooker

In the October of prior years, I’ve submitted Wicked Witch limericks about the Wicked Witches of Wasilla, Palmer, and the Butte. Here is one this year for the Wicked Witch of Big Lake:

The Wicked Witch of Big Lake and Bogwart her purple pet snake sang a duet so shrill it gave skeletons a chill and the Headless Horseman a headache

Contributed by Cherime MacFarlane

Another summer put to bed. Still, it was a good one. I didn’t get anywhere near the potatoes I hoped for, but the current jelly and dandelion jelly will take me through the winter.

Another treat is beer mustard with brown mustard seeds. Never buying mustard again. The people who make beer in Talkeetna make one with currants that is amazing. Best part of that enterprise is I only needed half the bottle for the mustard and got to drink the other half. I did a quick pickle of a red onion to go with the sandwiches I’ve been eating so I can eat more mustard.

Another thing I canned that won’t make it though the winter is the new jam I learned to make, chili jam.

An interesting sidebar to getting older is a sudden ability to eat more spicy food than I ever have before. I mean stuff like chili jam made from jalapenos. For me, that’s huge. I had stomach problems as a kid and anything spicy put me in pain for hours.

My new thing at night while in front of the tube with some hint of lime chips, and a nice bowl of chili jam to go with. Yum. Since I know this will run out, I’m keeping the kids in chili jam, too, I bought and froze some jalapenos. Just in case. Who knows what will be available in December?

Me and my little electric pressure cooker were busy as the dickens over the summer. I can get four pint-jars in the thing and it seals them with no problem. That steam canner is perfect for a retired single person. Thinking about this has me hungry. Think I’ll go make some grits, eggs and sausage with a dollop of chili jam on the sausage. Off to cook.

Bury me, bittersweet and evergreen into the roots of your soul

Let me soak in the gentle reality of you; up to my waist in your presence

I close my eyes so I can notice your poetry. Forming an awareness for touch that is more than surface,

Touch that will penetrate the spine

Envelop me into your cocoon of intertwining branches and buds

Let me smell the dirt behind your ears and melt into you like sap; producing nutrients oozing with piney sweetness on the mouth of us

Malleable in the hands of the other and a love, pure silk; billowed and delicate

Let us love expensive, all over; authentic

With sheerness of soul like an architectural blueprint on our hearts

The way we found each other and didn’t stop

The way we knew that finding wasn’t the same as seeing Close your eyes now and experience the ease of us; how our fabric sits on the skin and the simplicity with which we take each other in

Here we are an open book, a poetry blooming on the pages

Contributed by Karly O’Loughlin

Contributed by Robert Lyons

Drip, drip, drip. the torturous noise reverberating through my head, it makes me think of the faucet we had, back in the days when we had each other, remember it sweet mother?

It kept us up at night, drip, drip, drip. And the pipe I tightened, you berated me, when all your towels it took to wipe up the torrent? Those were the days, abhorrent your absence.

The drip drip drip not torturing anymore, this drip brings me rest, and soon in your arms I will be swept again. Sensing the end I am, but to what end is the drip?

As it hits, I reflect, the ripples deflect from noticing what’s gone, but eventually the heart longs for times irreplaceable. drip, drip, drip, for arms unembraceable.

Contributed by Katherine Baker

I have to ask, why wear a mask, why hide from view, me knowing you?

Is it your will, or something ill, or who you are, keeping me far?

Is it your past, following fast, are you hiding, law abiding?

Are you funny, sweet as honey, or very mean, naive or green?

I want to know, don’t be my foe, just let me hear, your voice made clear.

Are you crazy, thinking hazy, or thoughtful, smart, and loving art?

Remove the mask, you’re such a task, I know you’re there, I may well swear.

Are you lonely, meek, a phony, or a pervert, ever been hurt?

Please speak your thoughts, share them, you ought, I’ll comprehend, and feelings tend.

Need you pity, something witty, does that attract, I need these facts.

I’ll let you be, you’re puzzling me, you have no words, as my ears heard.

Wait, is it you, is trust a clue, I need to see, What if it’s me!