ANCHORAGE PRESS • ANCHORAGE’S POWERFUL NEWSPAPER • MARCH 16 - MARCH 22, 2017 • VOL. 25, ED. 11 • FREE
THE S ' N E M WO ISSUE A HISTORY OF SILENCE:
IN VERSE Stories for grownups
ALASKA’ ALASKA’S AS STRUGGLE WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
STANDING Ernestine Hayes: An angry Alaskan memoir
MRS. S ’ N A L N A SC P I R T D A RO
STRONG CONFRONTING VIOLENCE
Cassandra Squibb, marketing director for Copper River Seafoods
TEACH A GIRL TO
731 I Street, Suite 102 Anchorage AK 99501
WHY I CELEBRATE FEB. 11 AS MY ‘FREEDOMVERSARY’
(907) 561-7737 Fax: (907) 561-7777 anchoragepress.com ANCHORAGE PRESS Publisher Emeritus Nick Coltman nick.coltman@anchoragepress.com General Manager Clare Tilley clare.tilley@anchoragepress.com
BY WHITNEY BRANSHAW
Editor Cody Liska editor@anchoragepress.com
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Staff Writer Ammon Swenson ammon@anchoragepress.com Calendar Editor Alejandra Buitrago alejandra@anchoragepress.com Page design Bethany Strunk bethany.strunk@svherald.com Advertising Account Executives Karen Edes karen.edes@anchoragepress.com Bridget Mackey bridget.mackey@anchoragepress.com Circulation Director Cody Liska editor@anchoragepress.com WICK COMMUNICATIONS ALASKA Publisher Dennis Anderson publisher@frontiersman.com Regional Sales Development Manager Tia Conley tia.conley@wickcommunications.com Editor Matt Hickman news@frontiersman.com Advertising Coordinator Candice Helm candice.helm@frontiersman.com Advertising Account Executives Petra Albecker petra.albecker@frontiersman.com Tawni Davis tawni.davis@frontiersman.com Nicole Anderson nicole.anderson@frontiersman.com The Anchorage Press is an news, opinion, features, arts, entertainment and recreation paper. Established in 1992, the Press is printed weekly on Thursdays and distributed throughout Anchorage and the surrounding area. Copyright: the Anchorage Press is published by Wick Communications Co. With the exception of syndicated features and cartoons, the contents of the Anchorage Press are copyright 2016 by Anchorage Press. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part systems without the permission of the publisher.
MRS. SCANLON
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STORIES FOR GROWNUPS
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BY BARBARA HOOD BY MATT HICKMAN
TEACH A GIRL TO FISH BY TIFFANY BORGES
8-9
AWAIC
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UNDECLARED
13
BEER
14
COMING EVENTS
B1
BOOK REVIEW
B2
HEADLAMP
B3
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
B4
SAMURAI MUSHER
B7
THEATER REVIEW
B10
SAVAGE LOVE
B12
STILLS
B13
FILM REVIEW
B14
BY J. BESL BY BY BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY BY JAMES 'DR. FERMENTO' ROBERTS BY ALEJANDRA BUITRAGO BY DAVID FOX
BY ZACH FIELDS BY LISA MALONEY
BY CAITLIN SKVORC
BY LEE HARRINGTON BY DAN SAVAGE
BY SAGE O'NEILL BY INDRA ARRIAGA
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t was Feb. 15, 2011. I was 24-years-old. My daughter Ophelia was 20-monthsold. I was a little over halfway through my first nursing program. I had a verbally and emotionally abusive husband who was an alcoholic and I was desperate to leave him. One day, he forgot to pick me up at clinical, so a classmate drove me home. When we pulled up to my house, I saw our car parked in the driveway and I knew he was home, most likely passed out from day drinking—a normal occurrence at this point. I planned to get my car keys, change out of scrubs and pick up my daughter from daycare. I entered the house and called his name. Silence. I walked back to our bedroom and there he was, asleep as I had anticipated. I quietly changed clothes and removed my student badge. I sat down next to him and rested my hand on his leg, trying to wake him gently. He roused and immediately slapped my hand away from him. Any kind of affection was a game to him at this point, so I figured he just didn’t want me touching him. I quietly asked for the car keys so I could get Ophelia. He angrily fished them out of his pocket and threw them at me with a force I wasn’t expecting. I wish I just would have grabbed them and left without saying a word, but I didn’t. I said something to him about forgetting me, and that was enough to light the fuse to the time bomb that was inside of him. What happened next occurred in a matter of just a few moments, but felt like a lifetime. He was angry like I had never seen before. He took off his shoes and threw them at me. They bounced off my legs. I was stunned enough that I froze right in place. He rolled over and picked up the nightstand and threw it at me. It crashed into my shins and fell to my feet. The sensation initiated that feeling of fight or flight inside of me. I ran from the room and he chased after me. We got to the hallway next to the front door and he pinned me against the wall, his hands gripping my biceps, holding me in place. He slammed me into the wall a few times and I managed to wriggle from his grasp and stumble into the living room. I could see the front door, my mind was screaming at me, “Go! Get out of here!” But he stood in the way, blocking my exit. Studies have shown that in instances of trauma certain things stick out when it comes to memory of the event. For me, it was the look in his eyes. It was like someone flipped a switch and everything went black. I didn’t recognize him. I remember this feeling of sheer panic draping over me, one last surge of adrenaline pushing through my veins. A singular thought settled into my mind: “He’s going to kill you.” He moved towards me and I stood there, paralyzed with fear. His right fist connected with my left cheek, then again and again. I felt myself fall back to the ground, my head bouncing off the floor and up again. I could feel him on top of me, his hot breath screaming obscenities into my ear. The weight of him holding me down was so heavy, the hot tears pouring from the corners of my eyes. I oriented myself to the sounds of my screams piercing through the air. He had gotten off of me and walked away for some reason, and my
Read: A History of Silence on page 7 body went into survival mode as I began searching for an exit. I flipped over to my belly and crawled to the door. I opened it and sunlight poured into the darkness of my living room and blinded me. I remember how my hands felt on the pavement. The sound of my shoes scraping across the concrete. The way it felt as I broke into a sprint towards my car and was able to reach safety. In an instant my life was changed, and it would take me years to feel safe again. These days I refer to February 11th as my "freedomversary". It was a day that altered the course of my life and only recently have I been able to credit the impact it had on me. I attribute the reason I was able to leave my abusive relationship to the fact that domestic violence was not something that was normal for me. I had never experienced it before and leaving was my only option. All I had to do was think of my daughter and how I couldn't and wouldn't compromise her future. I also had an incredible support network made up of family and friends who also stood together and sent me the same consistent message, "Domestic violence is not something we will tolerate." It's important to remember that not all victims of domestic violence have
access to the resources that I did. Lack of resources can quite literally turn into a death sentence, and the woman's story I chose to share with you all in this issue could have easily been mine. Today I am happy, healthy and successful. I have a beautiful daughter that I raise alone who is thriving and knows what healthy relationships look like. I am forever thankful for the support I had every step of the way, and can't thank those that helped us during that time enough. My story of domestic violence is all too familiar in Alaska. The statistics surrounding those that experience domestic violence and sexual violence in our state are among the highest in the nation. According to a 2010 Alaska Victimization Survey done by The University of Alaska, Anchorage Justice Center, 48 out of every 100 adult women in Alaska have experienced intimate partner violence. In the last year alone, 5,000 people have experienced domestic violence in Alaska. Those are just the documented cases. Recently, two women in our state were murdered by their partners as a result of extreme domestic violence. You might not have heard about it, as neither case received as much media attention as it deserved. The obvious desensitization to this type of violence doesn’t sit well with me, so I decided to put a face to one of the victims. One of those women was Brandy Sullivan. She had taken the steps to leave an abusive situation and maintained to family and friends that she was ‘safe.’ Unfortunately her safety was an illusion and everything changed for her in an instant, much as it did in my story. My hope is that we can continue an open dialogue surrounding domestic violence in our community and, in turn, change the current culture that comes along with this type of power-based violence. We all need to send this consistent message: Domestic violence is not something we will tolerate in our community. Ever. Brandy, my heart is with you. My promise to you is that your voice will not go unheard. I will carry your story with me wherever I go.
March 16 - March 22, 2017
THE PRESS AND THE ANCHORAGE MUSEUM BY JEAN BUNDY
Clifford Weyiouanna
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elcome to my new column showcasing the Anchorage Museum. When I first came to Alaska in 1972, the museum was a small building with a large lawn on 7th Avenue. On Sundays, husband Dave and I would navigate our toddler Jennifer around local artists selling watercolors in the foyer, while a pianist played a grand piano. A few weeks ago I attended the College Art Association annual conference in New York City and the first session featured a group of Northern art specialists from Canada, Fairbanks and Anchorage. Director Julie Decker talked about the goings on at the Anchorage Museum which astounded me. Their bi-monthly newsletter about upcoming exhibitions, or updates on the Fall 2017 opening of the new addition, doesn’t do this institution justice. While the museum continues to show how Alaska’s natural resources lured European and American explorers, a major shift in their mission is to pay greater attention to the contributions from Alaska’s Native cultures. Native grants and sharing heritages with countries occupying the same latitude quietly occur under the same roof that houses the Imaginarium, which allows children to manipulate elementary physics. And then there is the tired tourist who only wants afternoon tea and a cookie, gaging there is enough time to purchase a bookshop souvenir during their once in a lifetime trip to Alaska. This and subsequent
columns will dig deeper into what has become the largest Alaskan venue for polar scholarship while continuing to celebrate its aesthetic pleasures. The exhibition, I Am Inuit, (thru September 17, 2017) presents Alaskan photographs by Inupiaq Brian Adams, raised in Anchorage and Girdwood. His work has been seen in the 'New York Times Magazine', London’s 'Guardian', and he photographed Sarah Palin in 'Runners World' which went global. Adams is at home photographing the Bush as well as cosmopolitan Alaska. His book ‘I Am Alaskan' provides further visual evidence there are commonalities to just being a human living anywhere in the forty-ninth state. This is no easy task as distance is impeded by mountains and inclement weather, not to mention cultural and racial differences ingrained by layering European domination over Native habitation for centuries. Alaska is one of the fifty states but it is also psychologically a separate
country. As Greg Kimura relates in the introduction to I Am Alaskan, “Alaska is America’s manifest destiny. Alaska is America’s last pristine place…. Alaska as an idea makes the land feel close and personal, even to those who have never been there.” So, do Adams photographs unite differing communities of Alaska? Is there commonality among Alaskans who live so differently? And does Adams retain Formal compositional aspects while pursuing that common ground? Adams’ photograph of Inupiaq Clifford Weyiouanna of Shishmaref shows him dressed in a t-shirt, jeans and fashionable eyewear, standing in a modern kitchen: contemporary cabinetry, pots and pans and supermarket food. Weyiouanna has what he claims is hundred year old sourdough bread starter which he shares with neighbors. He has adopted Western conveniences but has maintained the idea of sharing that was so vital to early Native survival.
Adams’ photograph of Inupiaq Diane Coffin of Noorvik shows her with a child in a cabin that might conjure a third world country. Whether or not this is just a summer fish camp is immaterial, most white folks I know would find living in this house unimaginable. Closer look, Coffin has electricity and judging by her jeans and the baby with bottle no one looks malnourished. Adams’ caption states that Coffin loves living in this house because of the abundance of berries nearby. This photograph forces the viewer to see beyond Western substandard shabbiness and to contemplate the idea of minimal shelter as well as the aesthetic passion for berry picking beyond needed subsistence. Adams’ photograph of two Inupiaq girls playing on a trampoline in Teller is not all that different than what goes on in any subdivision. My ten year old granddaughter, Tess, who lives in Alexandria, Virginia, has a backyard trampoline. In the photograph, the visible girl has tie-dyed jeans and a sweatshirt that says New York. Where the shirt came from is immaterial; the signage makes the connection. Adjacent to the trampoline is a pile of broken toys: a white rocking horse and bicycle parts. It is apparent a village is nearby as there are telephone poles in the mid-ground. Dead trees suggest the girls are playing on sloggy ground which might seem strange to those used to pristine playgrounds. You don’t have to have lived in the far North long to know that Alaskans are messy. Even in the nicest neighborhoods of Anchorage, you’ll find broken lawn furniture, cracked flower pots and maybe a non-functioning
car. Excuse: for at least half the year all will be buried under snow in urban areas and the Bush. From a Formal perspective, Adams has created cohesive compositions. Weyiouanna is nicely situated in his indoor landscape. He resides in midground parallel with the curtains and the verticality of the cupboards. Diagonals found on the rim of the left/right counters, the stove on the right and handles on the frying pans, soften the hardness of the wood cabinets and kitchen equipment as does Weyiouanna’s facial expression. The positioning of the egg box further cements Weyiouanna into the scene. Similarly, Diane Coffin resides in her door frame, mid-ground, of a traditional three tier landscape. Her frenetic tapestry of backyard debris that flows onto her roof contrasts with the unspoiled tree line, mirror-finished lake and pearl-esque sky. In the trampoline photograph, the girl’s jumping moment into-the-air, compositionally grounded by the partially hidden pink-parka-friend, resembles a totem pole as both add softened materiality to the starkness of electric poles, dead– tree verticality and unwanted toys. In the background the somewhat cloudy sky atop a pristine shoreline could be anywhere. I Am Inupiaq merges reality with commonality as it seeks the humanity beneath what is merely surface and store bought so-called necessities. I Am Alaskan is available on Amazon. Jean Bundy, AICA-USA is a writer/ painter living in Anchorage. She can be reached at 38144@alaska.net
MUSE WINE TASTING
Tour Italy with a trio of reds. $30 includes wine and cheese platter 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 18
U
POLAR NIGHTS R
Stories and stereotypes, snow and gold, and some of the hardiest people to share the Arctic. Explore them all in the Polar Bear Garden: The Place Between Alaska and Russia exhibition, followed by the screening of Red Snow, a 1952 Cold War era action film starring the late Alaska Iñupiat actor Ray Mala 6 to 9 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m., Friday, March 17 Museum admission is discounted on Polar Nights through April
Come to know the true North anchoragemuseum.org
March 16 - March 22, 2017
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MRS. SCANLAN’S ROAD TRIP BY BARBARA HOOD
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efore the George Parks Highway was completed to connect Fairbanks and Anchorage, the main route from the Interior cut a wide triangle that took twice as long to drive. The old Richardson Highway ran east toward the Canadian border before bending at Delta Junction to head south through the Alaska Range. Just above Glennallen, the Richardson connected with the Glenn, which carried you through the Wrangell, Talkeetna, and Chugach Mountains before entering the big city. With bathroom breaks and a mandatory stop for a Glennallen diner’s famous French fries, the trip took twelve hours. Both ways took at least twenty-four – a full day of remote driving, mostly beyond civilization, in the days before cell phones. Mrs. Scanlan was up for it. When she pulled in front of Lathrop High School in a Head Start van one cool May morning near the end of my sophomore year, the group of us she had cobbled together for the 1971 Lathrop Girls Track Team thought there must have been some mistake. We were in high school, not preschool. We were teenage athletes, not little kids. “It’s the only van I could find that’s big enough,� Mrs. Scanlan explained, brushing us off before we could utter a word. And with that we were on the road. Mrs. Scanlan must have been 50 years old at least. She was short, but stocky and strong. We could barely see her head over the driver’s seat, but we knew we were in good hands. She was, to each of us, formidable. Which was probably how we all came to be barreling down the highway that day with the familiar Delta Mountain peaks of Deborah, Hess and Hayes rising in the windshield. Most of us had never run track. And until
Ruth A. Scanlan (1924-2008)
Taught physical education in the Fairbanks school district from 1953 until her retirement in 1978 — first at Old Main school, then at Lathrop High School (19561976), and finally at West Valley High School (19761978). For many years in the 1950s and 1960s, she was the only public high school girls gym teacher in the district. She also ran the Girls Athletic Association at Lathrop and was a long-time advocate for equal gym time and athletic opportunities for her students.
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just a week before, most of us had never intended to. We had not been aware that the 1971 State Track & Field Meet would be held soon in Chugiak, and that girls our age across the state were training hard. We had not been aware that Lathrop had no girl’s team slated to compete. But we learned that Mrs. Scanlan was not about to accept our school’s no-show. She had approached each of us individually, pleading with us to sign up. As the gym teacher, Mrs. Scanlan knew who was in shape. Several girls had joined the Nordic ski team. Others had excelled in the school’s Presidential Fitness program. I wasn’t a skier and had failed the Presidential Fitness test despite the hours Mrs. Scanlan had spent with me trying to improve my softball throw. But I was a member of the Arctic Swim Club and worked out five days a week. My throwing score ranked in the 20th percentile, but she wagered that my lungs were strong. “It’s just one week of running practice, and one meet,� Mrs. Scanlan promised us. One by one, we committed ourselves. To the Malemutes! To the team! For our training, we ran loops around nearby Hunter Elementary School on the dusty gray streets of spring break-up in Fairbanks. It was cold out still, but warming, and the days were growing longer. We celebrated our spring fever, running without coats in sweats and tennis shoes scrounged from the backs of our closets. When Mrs. Scanlan barked orders, we listened. We huddled around. We stretched and swayed and swaggered. No one else at school paid attention, but we savored our place on her elite team. It was only when the Head Start van showed up that we began to have doubts about whether the school was taking us seriously. We began to suspect that school officials didn’t know about our team, that Mrs. Scanlan was pulling the whole thing off by herself. We knew for certain that the Malemute boy’s basketball
team would never be caught dead in that van. Fortunately for our morale, Sherene was along. A Nordic skier, she ran hurdles, an event that required a fine sense of humor. She thought the van was hilarious, and caught the giggles every time she imagined what our team looked like from the outside. She made up headlines: “Preschoolers Take State Meet by Storm.� “Records Tumble as 4-YearOlds Dominate the Track.� She joked about strangers looking in at us and wondering how kindergartners got so big and old, asking “shouldn’t they have graduated by now?� Her giggles became infectious, and by the time we reached Paxson, the old roadhouse halfway down the Richardson, the van was our team’s new mascot. No Malemute logo, no purple and gold school colors, but loyal and true to us. For hours and hours, it carried our loud teenage laughter down the highway. If Mrs. Scanlan was bothered by it all, she never let on. When we finally reached Chugiak High School, we were ushered into the gym and told we could sleep on the tumbling mats. We pulled the bulky pads off the stacks and arranged our sleeping bags and gear into little nests across the gym floor. The lighting was dim – not nearly as bright as during basketball games. The eerie feel in the cavernous space made us question again whether our mission was official. Again, Sherene got the giggles, offering a tourism commentary on our lodgings. “Welcome to Chateau Chugeaux,� she guided us, “and our luxurious Gym Suite, perfect for the discerning traveler and every single one of his or her best friends!� Again, we all caught the bug, rolling on our little mat nests like they were the funniest things we had ever seen. Amidst the hilarity, Mrs. Scanlan eventually got serious. Most of us had never run in competition before, so she assigned our distances. For me, she selected the 440, or quarter-mile: one lap around the track. I felt relieved, like
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
I got off easy. Other girls had to run the 880, even the mile. We got to bed early and were rested when we emerged onto the track the next morning. But it didn’t take long for uneasiness to set in. We noticed that some girls on the other teams wore matching colors, even uniforms. We envied their crisp appearance and hid our own outfits beneath our sweats. I had chosen a maroon cotton turtleneck and stiff black boxers for the day’s events, realizing too late that girls on other teams wore thin tank tops and slinky running shorts. My teammates and I shuffled in place, staring down at the dirt, looking for small stones to kick. Mrs. Scanlan either didn’t notice our deflation or ignored it. She sent us out for some warm-up laps, then called us together for our final pep talk before the preliminaries. “You girls ready to race, show ‘em how it’s done?” she beamed at us. You’d have thought we were at the Olympics. The great thing about being recruited for a nearly invisible team is the relative lack of pressure. From what I remember, none of us had real rivals to contend with, or even personal best times. None of us had family or friends in the stands to savor our victories or share our disappointments. Only Mrs. Scanlan seemed to care much about how well we did that day. But she created a sense of urgency, a need to do our best. And that was enough. One by one, we qualified for the finals. One by one, we began to look at each other differently. “We’re CONTENDERS!” Sherene yelled to our little huddle as only she could do. And the loud, brash way she said it, to our rag-tag group in front of everyone, brought our giggles back, along with our confidence. In the quarter-mile final, I qualified to run next to the two-time state champion. It was chilly standing in the lanes waiting for the start, and she was shaking out her arms and legs to loosen up and stay warm. Other competitors were shaking out, too, so I mimicked them, feeling like an imposter. I caught the champion’s eye and we spoke a bit, but mostly we
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laughed nervously. I wondered if she noticed that I was wearing a turtleneck. Time seemed to move in slow motion. The sun was high but not yet warm, and I could feel the cold on my cheeks and legs. I took deep breaths, trying to remember everything Mrs. Scanlan had told me. Be calm. Breathe. Give it everything. You don’t have to pace for one lap. Then the gun fired. Another great thing about our team was the shrieking. I could hear them all shouting and cheering for me, Mrs. Scanlan the loudest among them. I could hear the din in the stands for all the other girls sweeping down the lanes. But mostly I listened to the pounding of my feet on the track, the loud beating of my heart, the deep steady cadence of my breathing. I was outside my body, feeling nothing but a strange new exhilaration, as though all the energy in the world was behind me, pushing me onward. By the final bend, the champion and I were neck-and-neck, and I could hear her breathing, too. But as we emerged from the last curve, she disappeared from view. It was just me and the roar and the finish line. Mrs. Scanlan hugged me first, then Sherene,
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then the rest of the team. We jumped up and down until we couldn’t anymore. The Fairbanks newspaper, in a tiny article on the sports page, would later call it “probably the meet’s biggest upset.” But it was only the beginning. By the end of the meet, our team had claimed two more individual victories and six more individual awards. In the final team scoring, we placed second overall. We returned to Fairbanks triumphant, Mrs. Scanlan leading the way from the driver’s seat, the rest of us beaming proudly from the windows of our lucky Head Start van. We met no official welcome or fanfare when we got back to school, but our world had shifted nonetheless. It was just a year after our team’s surprise showing at the state championships that the U.S. Congress enacted Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. “Title Nine” prohibits gender discrimination in federally funded educational programs and activities, ensuring that girls have equal opportunity in school sports. In the decades since its enactment, schools have opened their gyms, rinks and playing fields to girls for a wide range of
sports that were previously inaccessible to them. Basketball, soccer, wrestling, even football. And girl’s teams now have uniforms and travel widely, just like boy’s teams. Yet despite this history, it took me decades to appreciate that Mrs. Scanlan’s mission for the 1971 Lathrop High School Girls Track Team may have extended beyond loyalty to the school and faith in our potential. Today, I suspect that her willingness to drive for twenty-four hours on lonely highways through the wilderness, and to sleep on gym floors with noisy teenagers, had to do with being tired. Tired of seeing girls denied athletic opportunities because of their gender. Tired of seeing limited resources showered on boy’s athletics while talented girls stood in the wings. I’ll never know for sure, but I like to think that Mrs. Scanlan’s ultimate goal on that trip was to defend the opportunity for girls as well as boys to be strong, confident, and powerful – for girls as well as boys to know what it felt like to fly. I never ran another race after that meet. Just a year later, I was diagnosed with a spinal condition that would keep me from running for the rest of my life. Today I consider it an achievement to walk slowly over the flattest trails in Anchorage. But I’ve never forgotten Mrs. Scanlan or the 1971 Lathrop Girls Track Team, or that time when my body was fearless and fast. A few years ago, my husband and I were visiting with our friend Mike, a Masters runner and Nordic skier approaching his 70s. Mike and I had worked together on many projects over the years, and had celebrated our share of successes. But when my husband happened to mention my state quarter-mile victory, Mike looked at me as though I’d grown wings. “You were a state champion?!” Mike asked, struggling to reconcile his image of an athlete with the graying sixty-something sitting before him. “Where’s your medal?” he asked. I explained that if I received one it was buried in a box
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STORIES FOR GROWNUPS
ALASKA’S POETS GRAB ‘EM BY THE COCKLES ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY BY MATT HICKMAN
C
hristy Everett put the punctuation mark on International Women’s Day in Alaska last Wednesday by closing the night’s “The Living Room: Stories for Grownups” reading session in Eagle River with her poem ripped straight from the headlines. The Seward poet, who won at The Moth competitive storytelling event at the Atwood Concert Hall last month, prefaced her piece “This Pussy of Mine” — stylistically moseying somewhere near the intersection of beat and slam — with a name-dropping backstory. Everett told the audience she was a college chum of Billy Bush, the entertainment journalist to come out of that Bush family, and the unfortunate hot mic recipient of our esteemed president’s famous ‘locker room talk 11 years ago. But before the poem could even get out of its first stanza, it was easy to see Donald Trump’s infamous “Grab ‘em by the pussy,” line stung Everett in ways much more personal than the way it affected her old classmate from Colby College in Maine. The wild thing about this pussy of mine Is that it’s intimately connected to my mind And to hands that swing an axe to cut wood in two Like the way I once stood above my body When uninvited fingers sliced this pussy of mine When I was only two years older than 9, When 1 plus 1 did not equal yes
MATT HICKMAN/FRONTIERSMAN
Poet Christy Everett, from Seward, reads to the writers group, The Living Room: Stories for Grownups, Wednesday night at Jitters coffee shop in Eagle River. Everett said she and Bush were easygoing “I chose that one, in part because of the day,” friends out of necessity and convenience in Everett said. “I thought about something orig- college. inal and different for International Women’s “He was dating my best friend in college Day and Day Without a Woman, so I think it and my boyfriend went to a different college was appropriate.” (in the area), so he and I would dance togeth-
er and drink because we were never going to hook up,” Everett said. “It was a sister-brother friendship kind of thing.” Not owning a TV, Everett hadn’t followed Bush’s rise in entertainment journalism, but was sad to see the reason he’d suddenly come back onto her radar. “He messed up big. I think it hit me more personally because I knew him,” Everett said. “It made me sad for him because he always tried to avoid politics… Now, Trump is president and his career is ruined.” Everett more or less headlined a lineup of poets and fiction writers from around South Central Alaska who took to the podium in a back room at Jitters coffee shop in Eagle River as guests of The Living Room: Stories for Grownups, which holds monthly events in their ‘no-fear space.’ “It’s friends reading for friends,” said Sue May, one of three organizers of The Living Room. “This was one of the best nights we’ve had.” Last month, the group hosted a reading by Veterans, and on April 8 they’ll hold their final meeting before taking a summer hiatus until September. For Alaska Women Speak, the event was part of their celebration of 25 years as a magazine, publishing poetry and literature written by Alaskan women. “It’s all grassroots, all volunteer,” said AWS President Carmen Davis. “This year our goals are to strengthen sponsorships and find venues where women can share their stories. We got a mini grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum which will allow us to share women’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
A HISTORY OF SILENCE:
ALASKA’S STRUGGLE WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
SISTER OF ANCHORAGE WOMAN ALLEGEDLY MURDERED BY HUSBAND SHARES HER STORY BY WHITNEY BRANSHAW
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
Left, Brandy Sullivan. Right, Brandy’s sister Tina Novotney. lence. AWAIC is a highly utilized resource in our community and the demand only continues to keep growing. AWAIC has been at or over capacity 50 percent of the time over the last decade. “The cycle of domestic violence only ends when the victim is able to successfully and safely leave the relationship,” Suzi says, “or it ends with the victim losing their life, which is sadly how this situation ended.” The cycle of domestic violence is one that is hard to understand or apply reason to, especially if you have never experienced it. There are several phases to the cycle that are often repeated. The first phase is the “honeymoon phase.” This is where the abuser starts to establish control over the victim through wooing them. After the honeymoon phase, tensions begin to build and ultimately lead to what is referred to as “the explosive event.” An explosive event can include violence, either physical or sexual. This can also occur in other ways such as extreme isolation, severe emotional abuse, financial abuse, threats to safety or children and most importantly the instillation of fear and control. There are many reasons outside of fear and control that the victim chooses to stay with their abuser. These reasons can range from cultural values, religion, financial dynamics and protecting your children. Victims often try to end the violence or abuse before they attempt to leave by changing their own behaviors, hoping it will result in the abuser changing their behaviors. This only contributes to the belief that the victim is in some way at fault for the abuse, which is never the case. Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate, it affects every single socioeconomic class and culture. In our community, we experience a high instance of intergenerational patterns of domestic violence. “In my 22 years with AWAIC, I have had several instances where I have taken care of a woman and her children,” Suzi says,” and then 10 years later her daughter will come through the shelter seeking services for her and her children. The acceptance of domestic violence as something that is normal is truly a learned behavior.” We are all painfully aware of the high instances of domestic violence in our state. But the question still remains, what are we actually doing about it? Suzi tells me that a spike in the conversation surrounding domestic violence usually happens after an event like this, but agrees that there has been little said about the recent homicides. “What concerns me is the lack of conversation surrounding these recent
events. Why aren’t we talking about this more? What are we doing to educate the community about prevention? We all need to come together and say that violence against anyone is not acceptable. We have to keep talking about it. The more that we say that this is not a part of our community values, the more it becomes a school of thought. That’s how we change the current culture.” AWAIC provides education to the community in partner with Green Dot Alaska. According to Green Dot Alaska’s website,
“Green Dot Alaska is a project aimed at engaging individual community members in preventing power-based violence in our communities.” Green Dot is informed by the social change theory and seeks to engage community members through awareness, education and skills practice. The idea is that when you establish intolerance to violence as a normal reaction, it will change the culture of thought and encourage those in the community to condemn power-based violence. While AWAIC provides a vital resource to our community through their emergency shelter, transitional housing, financial assistance and education, there is concern that we do not have the resources to meet the needs of those accessing these services. “We are a community of 300,000 people and we only have 52 beds,” Suzi says. “I only have 30 people that are direct service staff. So we're talking about a very limited resource in the community. There are not a lot of other options for people to utilize for emergency services.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
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randy Marie Sullivan was 37-years-old when she was killed. She was a mother of two young daughters. She had been in her marriage to 40-year-old Adam Sullivan for almost 15 years when they amicably separated this fall and attempted to co-parent their children. According to her sister Tina Novotney their cycle of domestic violence persisted through the period of separation leading up to the murder. There was a documented domestic disturbance in December that led to a shortterm protective order on 12/21/16. According to Brandy’s family, Adam convinced Brandy to not pursue the long-term protective order, which is reflected on CourtView. “He sweet-talked her out of doing the longterm protective order,” Tina says. “He knew what to say and what to do and was being incredibly nice to her. As soon as that protective order was dropped and he was in the clear again, things got worse. He was drinking more and he was continuing to stalk her. He saw that she was happier and I think that’s what pissed him off the most. He knew he didn’t have control over her anymore. I think she felt safe because she knew she had us to support her and she was confident in her ability to leave the relationship. She was convinced that he would never hurt her or the girls. But we knew the truth, and we knew how dangerous he was.” In the months after the short-term protective order expired they split time with their children and continued to live apart. It seemed as if both were moving on with their lives. They spent Valentine’s Day together as a family and things seemed to be fine. On Feb. 16, Brandy took the day off work and had lunch with a friend. She called Tina to check in with her on as she drove home to help her daughter clean her room before she was supposed to have a friend over. “She sounded so happy telling me about her day,” Tina says. “I tried to get her to swing by on her way home, but she wanted to get home to her daughter. I was about to start foiling a client’s hair, so we agreed to hang up and resume our conversation when I was done and she was home. 30 minutes later my phone rang. It was my mom. She told me that there were eight cop cars at the house. She asked me if I knew where Brandy was and I told her I had just talked to her and she was supposed to be at home. We hung up and ten minutes later my phone rang and she told me, ‘He did it Tina, he killed her. Brandy’s dead.’” As previously reported in the Alaska Dispatch News, officers were called to the scene by the victim’s 13-year-old daughter to find Brandy dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Adam Sullivan was later apprehended by police at Lowe’s after his brother contacted APD and informed them of his whereabouts. He has been charged with first and second degree murder and is in jail awaiting trial. I reached out to Suzi Pearson, the Executive Director of the Abused Women’s Aid In Crisis (AWAIC) shelter to try and help make sense of all this. Suzi has been with AWAIC for over 22 years and also works with several other agencies that help make up the domestic violence resources in our community. The core services that AWAIC provides are a 52 bed emergency shelter and their crisis line (907-272-0100). The crisis line is designed to help support anyone in the community that is experiencing domestic violence or supporting someone that is. AWAIC provides services to both female and male victims of domestic vio-
7
IF YOU TEACH A GIRL TO
WOMEN WHO’VE RISEN TO THE TOP OF ALASKA’S SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
Julianne Curry.
COURTESY OF JULIANNE CURRY
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
BY TIFFANY BORGES
I
n Petersburg, where the streets are named for boats and most boats are named for women, bringing your daughter onboard may seem natural. For many Generation X women from Southeast Alaska, making their way to various helms of marine enterprise feels equally natural. Although the folktales and superstitions banning females from fishing vessels were long ago dismissed, the paths of modern women committed to the seafood industry have been shaped by certain parallels. 2017 marks a twenty year period of progress for a few Gen Xers who recently sat down to reflect with the Press. Most of their childhood peers revisit this industry as a only sentimentally, far from their daily grind at campus and office — having forged their lives and careers far from the densely-forested island. Many will return only at traditional academic breaks, and fewer will remain active players in the state’s economy. The effects of ‘brain drain’ are a perennial focus for Alaskan educators, entrepreneurs and legislators. These are the stories of women offering the prime of their professional investment to remain engaged in a lifestyle still considered the domain of men. With their parents now at retirement age, the emerging impact of an aging marine fleet is felt in a particular way in rural communities. While college provided the credentials needed to cross over into policy and the boardroom, their formation spent among men offered the credibility. This uneasy truce of nepotism and sexism — exposure to the roughest elements of man and nature with your father as skipper — is perhaps ideal. While they’re not bothered those who insist on it, none have an affinity for being referred to as “fisherwomen”, as if it suggests a clumsy or fragile subset of the title they’ve earned —- they are Alaskan fishermen. “You have to keep up. Not be intimidated,” says Cora Campbell of her earliest awareness that she was capable of meeting the physical demands of the fishing grounds. Campbell, a 1997 graduate of Petersburg High School, intended to return to Petersburg after earning her teaching credential in Washington state. She landed in Juneau and now heads up a subsidiary of Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation from an Anchorage office overlooking Cook Inlet. Of her historic appointment as Commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game (2011-2014), she shrugs off fanfare — at 31 years old, Campbell was the youngest Commissioner and first woman to hold the office — in favor of her reality. “I don’t work at my desk or in the field ‘as a female’, I’m just doing my work.” Such a focus, free from self-consciousness, seems innate to Campbell. She speaks happily of her childhood spent on the water, saying it fortified her work ethic as well as her relationship with older sister Kelly, who owns Wrangell Boatshop along with her large family. “We’re incredibly close. She’s running a maritime business and doing very well.” As president and CEO of Siu Corporation, Cora is driven in part by a lifelong familiarity with Alaskan Native culture and a personal sense of justice. Campbell relished traveling within the state during her time with Fish & Game, and describes the bounty of Alaska’s interior and coastal regions. “One reason for living in these remote places is the harvest available, of both seafood and wildlife. Many Alaskans are tired of hearing about their region being the most impoverished census district in the nation.” Siu Corporation aims to return a portion of the material wealth extracted from these regions to its stakeholders. In their downtime, Campbell and her husband retreat to their cabin near Talkeetna as a way of keeping the rugged skills of Alaskan childhood accessible for their two children. “Anchorage can seem rather confining,” she said, contrasting the city lifestyle and conveniences with the simple pace of smaller towns on the highway and beyond. To meet Julianne Curry is to quickly realize that the trends and logistics of the fishing world were her first language. A fourth generation fisherman who never sought to leave the industry, her skills have been honed through a marketing March 16 - March 22, 2017
PHOTO COURTESY ANGELA CHRISTENSEN
Overlooking herring pounding near Sitka.
PHOTO BY CHELSA PAULK
Copper River Seafoods’ Marketing Director Cassandra Squibb. degree, tireless travel and networking. Always interwoven was loyalty to her family’s business and by extension, the fishing community. She served as Executive Director of Petersburg Vessel Owners’ Association for six years (preceded by Campbell) which Curry cites as key to broadening her professional scope. In her capacity as Executive Director of United Fishermans’ Association, she progressed to regular interaction with political heavyweights including Alaska’s congressional delegation. Still, she hungers for relief from white-collar work, which she continues to find on deck. “The single best feeling for me is pulling away from that dock, putting the gear away, and being out in Frederick Sound, just taking that in.” Currently working as a consultant, the advocacy piece of her work springs from a desire to provide Alaskan seafood with maximum visibility. Speaking of the American populace, she says, “There’s a real disconnect about our food source, but the richness of this product is just unparalleled. People are taking notice.” Angela Christensen, reached by phone from her home in Petersburg, rattles off the lineage of regional boats and permits like a familiar family tree. As an Assistant Fleet Manager for Icicle Seafoods, she describes the fishing fleet as a fusion of business interests and family legacy. “My dad’s generation was maybe a turning point … that pride in their daughters’ abilities. He always emphasized my strength and reliability, the focus was on that, nothing about gender.” The boat
bearing her name, the F/V Angela Marie, sank 23 years ago, her crew’s dramatic rescue defying the nighttime darkness, nearly frozen survival suits, and an unrelenting winter storm. Skipper Charlie Christensen described his attempt to stay above the water’s surface as almost dooming him, with his legs becoming tangled in the rigging of the vessel. The mayday call and other remarks can be heard at www.kfsk.org as part of coverage of a grassroots event held to honor the Coast Guard. Angela spent thirteen years salmon seining, then branched into retail side of vessel supply and now works as a liaison between fishermen and internal corporate interests. She recalls that as a teenager, her peers who were unfamiliar with the fishing industry might jeer, ‘you only got that job because your dad hired you”, but the opportunity remained hers to claim nonetheless. She credits the lessons in teamwork and stamina as the core of her fishing experience. “There’s no portion of that operation which is not my job, no matter how young I was. You can’t call in sick! Knowing that perseverance is the expectation — the norm — that’s crucial. You’ll never be the same after the rhythm of a fishing boat becomes part of your character.” Christensen finds roller derby to be a match for her physical and social talents, devoting much of her downtime to lead-
PHOTO BY CHELSA PAULK
Cora Campbell, former Commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game. ing the town’s team. Copper River Seafoods’ Marketing Director Cassandra Squibb spent the first half of her childhood in Petersburg, and the remainder between Juneau, Klawock and Boston. From these disparate locales grew her parents’ tugboat business. If the fishing world had experienced both first and second waves of feminism by the early 1990s, the timber industry remained largely uncharted in matters of the fairer sex. Squibb recalls assisting ships from Asian ports with the intense technical task of leveraging massive vessels alongside their tug, to secure loads of logs freshly harvested from Prince of Wales Island. Hand signals and flashing light sequences comprise the internationallyrecognized directions. Her father would often have to emerge from the wheelhouse to validate that she, a bright blonde teenage girl, was authorized to give these commands. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
9
RISING TO THE OCCASION AT AWAIC BY J. BESL
51 percent of Anchorage women have experienced violence from either an intimate partner or through sexual assault. That chilling number—and several more—are displayed prominently on the website for Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis, an Anchorage domestic violence shelter more commonly known as AWAIC. It’s an uncomfortable reality, one which AWAIC’s publicly facing mission has addressed since 1977. Many domestic abuse shelters are tucked away in undisclosed locations, but AWAIC is thoughtfully and definitely not hiding. The current shelter, opened in 1983, is a statement, part of the city fabric, just blocks from downtown. Though staff adheres to strict security and privacy measures, the shelter feels warm and recognizable, providing a safe space without barbed wire or fencing. “Violence is not something people want to talk about,� said Suzi Pearson, AWAIC’s executive director. “[The founders] wanted this to be a publicly known location because they wanted this community to talk about domestic violence and to take ownership for the fact that we needed a shelter.� As director, Pearson leads 48 staff members who help protect and support women in crisis. Her message of prevention, though, can only be realized at a citywide level. Violence, she says, is “part of our lives. Let’s find a way to change that.� “We want to be a voice� AWAIC, the state’s largest emergency shelter, has grown significantly in momentum and mission since 1977. Today, the non-profit provides broad support services ranging from crisis hotlines to legal advocacy to culturally considerate housing alternatives. Women are welcomed regardless of circumstances and provided a bed for 30 days, though extensions are permitted. During that month,
SHELTER DIRECTOR CONFRONTS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN ANCHORAGE
Visit AWAIC.org for domestic abuse resources on warning signs, volunteer opportunities, scheduling a presentation and more.
PHOTO BY PHIL HALL / UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE
Suzi Pearson, executive director of Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis, outside the agency’s domestic violence shelter near downtown Anchorage. AWAIC staff members help alleviate any crises in the women’s life—substance abuse, family pressure, employment, homelessness—and build a personalized safety and housing plan so women can safely take their next step. The need is supreme. AWAIC’s 52-bed facility ran at or over capacity more than half of last year (as it has for nine of the last ten fiscal years), while providing housing for 436 women and 245 children. A planned expansion will add 12 more beds; good news, but not a solution. “We don’t always want to be this shelter that has emergency beds,� Pearson said, addressing prevention versus treatment. “We want to be a voice that says violence is not okay in our community.�
Now in her 21st year with AWAIC, Pearson is clearly passionate about her work. She’s been with the organization for her whole career, starting part-time at the front desk shortly after graduating from University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). She says from the day she met the executive director, she knew she wanted to lead the organization someday, too. Her years of dedication in various leadership roles, paired with a master’s degree in public administration—which she earned from UAA while working fulltime at the shelter—made her an ideal fit for the role. AWAIC’s board named her executive director in 2009. “Everyone can do something� Today, Pearson serves as the face of a meaning-
ful mission. Promoting AWAIC to community stakeholders and collaborating on abuse prevention, she says, is “really a significant, powerful part of my job, and the part I like most.� (Pearson is also secretary for the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness and governance chair of Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault). Pearson keeps the big picture always in mind, but seeks to make change at the individual level. “Not everybody has to do everything, but everyone can do something,� she said. “Whenever you see something happening, you can make a choice.� Stop and call the police, she says, or find someone to help address the situation. Talk about violence proactively in your daily life. “There are things our community can do to stop domestic violence and become personally involved in the issue.� According to Pearson, at least nine percent of women in Anchorage experienced domestic violence within the past 12 months. That’s thousands of neighbors who need resources and support. These stark statistics keep her motivated. “I always felt that I had an important part to play,� she said. Often, when she tells someone where she works, they assume it’s a harsh duty-bound slog. Pearson strongly disagrees. Yes, many women arrive with challenging stories of terrible abuse, but Pearson has seen the other side. “They have incredible successes and they achieve so much and work so hard,� she said of participants at AWAIC. “I have a staff that support them 100 percent and does everything to make them successful. “The people I work with are incredible, fabulous, brilliant, supportive ... They do amazing work; it’s empowering and inspiring to watch what they do.� “For me, it’s a great place to be.� J. Besl highlights alumni stories and campus events at UAA.
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FISHING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 In describing her unique upbringing, Squibb is now able to appreciate what at the time was considered drudgery. “There is no downtime, with a ship in port, we were conditioned to be ready for anything.” She and her sister Eliza longed for the leisure they envisioned their peers indulging in back in Juneau: summers spent ‘sleeping in, biking to the mall, and here we are, stuck with our parents’”, she laughs heartily. Her early childhood was devoid of clutter and commercial toys, with the natural world being the family’s main source of rejuvenation. She describes beachcombing, playing musical instruments and trips to the public library as prime entertainment. Beyond their standard teenage angst, she does recall a fledgling appreciation for the risk-taking and fortitude of her parents. “I began to see how much they had on the line. I fell in love with marketing around the same time.” She earned her degree on the East Coast in 2000 and returned to Alaska eager to integrate her passion for local, sustainable nutrition and the pulse of public relations. Squibb finds a frenetic work/play balance is still deeply ingrained, but makes time for fishing treks, downhill skiing and ferry trips with her growing family. Teenage years meant undertaking nautical ‘wheel watch’, effectively driving a prosperous corporation, which fosters self-reliance and humility difficult to find in the average young employee. Eliza Squibb earned her USCG 100-ton Masters’ license before she turned thirty. Their youngest sister Lucy presently works as a commercial deckhand from Bristol Bay to Prince William Sound. Of
PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIANNE CURRY
Julianne Curry works the fishing boat. navigating the waters of Southeast Alaska, Cassandra Squibb says, “I feel like I still have the route from Klawock to Hydaburg memorized.” Says Squibb of the salty swagger that can typify the fishing industry, “Anytime guys seem to flinch, like here’s this lady witnessing vulgarities, it gets waved off by people who know me: ‘She can handle dock talk, she grew up on a tugboat.’ ” Upon reflection, all agree that their professional grit was born of a degree of necessity. All of their mothers fished. Across the fourteen children of their respective siblings, only Christensen has brothers. Along with their individual coming of age, they each grew up aware of the devastation that could be unleashed by the ocean. Vessels sinking, catching on fire and families who never returned to safe harbor were part of their consciousness. Endurance and heroism were often gratefully there, too. Squibb was nearly born at sea, and her family narrowly survived a harrowing tug fire and sinking just a few years later. Seared into the psyche of Petersburg
is the loss of Christensen’s classmate Renee Odegaard, her 1999 death commemorated in the local Fishermen’s Memorial Park. The Odegaard family’s 46-foot boat was overcome by a storm which ripped through the Inside Passage on Halloween night. The imprint of such a loss unites across generations. Odegaard was just 22 years old; her brother Eric, 25, along with their father Jim — each are honored by memorial plaques in the center of town. For all its potential tragedy, there’s pride in the continuity of preserving the trades of their fathers and grandfathers. The adaptability of these women doesn't override their sensitivities. In some way, they will 'sail on' in various capacities for those who went before them, as well as those whose final trips came too soon. Then there are the hardy wives and mothers, without whom the seafood industry, its earliest processing efforts and towns like Petersburg would not exist. Nothing less than devastation recently gripped the family of Darrik Seibold, 36-year-old veteran of the
F/V Destination, a vessel presumed sunk near the Pribilof Islands last month. A search of over five thousand nautical miles was conducted by the Coast Guard before being called off. His mother Gail Andrews, in an email to the Press, writes that she feels a part of herself forever lost to the sea. “No mayday, no lifeboat, no explanation, no body, no closure.” Almost inconceivably, Andrews has been here before. In 2008 her companion of many years vanished similarly, from his own boat which was found beached, engine in neutral, his dinner on the table and catch on the deck. Reached by phone, Seibold’s cousin Ambre Burell acknowledges the counterintuitive nature of fishing subculture. “He was just going to work,” she says of seeing off her beloved cousin for another crabbing season in the Bering Sea. “Never did I even consider that he wouldn’t return. We don’t think that way.” She likens the shock they received in mid-February to the way another family might learn of a fatal car accident. “When you live in Petersburg, this is your life.” Burrell’s own teenage daughters both fished on local boats as they grew up. The local Fishermen’s Memorial now temporarily displays six pairs of raingear, symbolizing each of the crewmen aboard the F/V Destination. The statue they hang upon is a bronze likeness of her husband’s grandfather. It sits adjacent to the Sons of Norway Hall, historic center of family and hospitality for the town of three thousand. According to Curry, “Women in seafood may be unconventional, but there are so many of us”. Their stories and numerous others give new seasoning to a familiar idiom: when you teach a girl to fish, she’s no more limited by the sky than she is by the sea.
VIOLENCE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 AWAIC receives money from the state, the Municipality of Anchorage and a small amount of federal funds. 22 percent of their financial resources come from fundraising in the community and donations, quite possibly the most important element to the shelter staying open and operating. AWAIC plans to add another 12 beds to its facility in the next few years as funds become available. When I ask Suzi what she hopes people take away from this story, she says, “The one thing I want people to do is to stop and think about how they can help end domestic violence in their community. The way that they do that is to talk to your friends and family and share how this impacted you. We need to send a consistent message that domestic violence is not a part of our values and it is not something we will tolerate in our community. That dialogue is so important. It’s important that we don’t forget her voice, her voice remains important. It’s our job to remind others of that.” Brandy Sullivan’s family is taking things day by day and attempting to make sense of what happened, while creating a sense of normalcy for Brandy’s daughters. “This was our worst fear, but we never thought he would do it,” Tina says. “My advice to other families that have someone they love in an abusive relationship like this is to not be silent. If you see someone in an unsafe situation, then say something. Have the hard talks you don’t want to have. Tell them how afraid you are for them. We were her resource and I wish I would have said more. Don’t let it get this far, don’t let it end like it ended for us.”
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 stories in 60 new communities in Alaska.” Davis said the group’s next reading will be April 28 at the Homer Bookstore in Homer. When Megan Zlatos isn’t working on her poetry and short stories, the opening to one she read Wednesday night, she works for the Alaska Humanities Forum. Originally from Indianapolis, she said Alaska reinvigorated her desire to write. “I wrote a lot when I was in school, but I would say I took a decade-long hiatus before moving to Alaska,” Zlatos said. “Coming to Alaska, it has such an open and welcoming community of Writers who helped me get back into the swing.” Mary Samuel, a poet ‘without a designated form,’ as she describes it, recently returned from travels in Ireland and shared her highly tactile style with the audience in a trio of poems. “I haven’t read out loud poetry in the U.S. — once I did in Oregon,” Samuel said. “In the last year in Ireland, I tried to exercise that muscle while there — did it where I knew no one (and tonight) I tried it out in front of people I might see next week.” Getting writers over their fear of public speaking is among the benefits of groups like The Living Room. “I think it went well; it’s a good mix of prose and poetry in a relaxed atmosphere,” said May, the evening’s emcee. “Sometimes even the most talented creative writers (struggle with reading their work in public)… It’s a very intimate thing to do.” Everett opened her reading with
MATT HICKMAN/FRONTIERSMAN
The seven guest readers at Wednesday night's Alaska Women Speak event at Jitters Coffee Shop in Eagle River. From left: Nan Botts, Wendy Brooker, Lois Simenson, Mary Samuel, Christy Everett, Megan Zlatos and Patricia Pierce. ‘Monster’, an intensely personal prose poem about dealing with a special needs child. It was the poem she read on her way to winning the title at The Moth slam poetry competition in Anchorage last month. The Moth tours nationally and its excerpts are played on NPR stations throughout the country. Each contestant puts their name in a hat, and that night at the Atwood Concert Hall, Everett was fortunate enough to have her’s picked. From there it was up to judges from the audience to decide the winner. Everett made the most of her opportunity. “I got picked in the second half of the show and I felt good about the story I shared,” Everett said. “But there were some really funny stories that night and some that were really powerful. When I got through with my story, I got the scores and I knew I was in the lead, but I didn’t know I was going to win.”
Everett said she began writing as a kid by writing down quotes from songs she liked and writing songs and journal entries of her own. But it wasn’t until she arrived in Alaska, seeing the Northern Lights on a ferry on her move from the northeast, and then seeing the Matanuska Glacier in August on her drive to Anchorage that the writing bug was rekindled. “I had this thought, ‘why would I move back to Maine when I could live here forever?’” Everett said. “Wildflowers were out. It was a sunny day and I couldn’t believe how warm it was and I thought, ‘yeah, I’m going to stay here.’” Davis said it wasn’t intentional that the reading coincided with International Women’s Day, but it was apropos. “It is serendipitous,” Davis said. “Also it’s Women’s History Month, so it’s naturally great timing — the stars are aligned.”
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somewhere. “That was before Title Nine,” Mike said. A lifelong athlete, he understood the significance of 1972 to women’s sports. “Schools didn’t fund girls’ programs much back then. Maybe you never got one,” he laughed, only half joking. A few months later, our mutual friend PJ hosted a potluck at his house. As our group mingled and finished our plates, the Olympic anthem suddenly blared through the living room. PJ marched in ceremoniously, holding an American flag. Mike followed behind him in beat with the anthem, carrying a pillow with a shiny red bag on top. The music stopped and PJ called our attention. “We have a special award this evening,” he announced. The rest of us looked at each other, nervous. Mike took a large gold medal on blue ribbon out of the little bag. He called my name and asked me to step forward. He read the 1971 newspaper clipping and explained that I was a champion who deserved my award at long last. Then he draped the heavy medal around my neck. Stunned and blushing, I just stood there. Then at Mike’s urging, I told the story of my old track coach and our long ago road trip in the days before Title Nine. The room was quiet when at last I raised a toast. “To Mrs. Scanlan,” I said. “To Mrs. Scanlan,” the room echoed back. “And to Title Nine!” someone added to cheers and applause as glasses clicked around. After the ceremony, I pulled Mike aside and examined the medal more closely. Engraved on the back, below my name, were the details: “1971 Alaska State Champ. 440 yards. 66.1 seconds.” Embossed on the front was a lean and muscular runner, leaping from a starting line. I stared at the figure for a long moment, then looked curiously at Mike. He grinned widely. “So sorry,” he said, shrugging a laugh. “The trophy shop only had guys."
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
TO THE LEFT
UNDECLARED
LATINO AND GAY, FELIX RIVERA HOPES TO REPRESENT ANCHORAGE’S DIVERSITY ON THE ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY BY BRENDAN JOEL KELLEY
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oters in Midtown Anchorage will select the successor to liberal Assemblywoman Elvi Gray-Jackson in the April 4 municipal election. Though the municipal charter specifies that elections for city government positions are nonpartisan, anyone paying attention knows ideology doesn’t fall by the wayside. Progressive allies of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz currently dominate the Anchorage Assembly, with conservatives holding only three of the body’s eleven seats. Felix Rivera, a behind-the-scenes operator on a bevy of Democratic candidates’ campaigns over the last five or so years, hopes to succeed Gray-Jackson. He’s facing off against conservative curmudgeon Don Smith and independent businessman Ron Alleva, who tried unsuccessfully to knock off incumbent Midtown Assemblyman Dick Traini last year (Smith was briefly in that race as well, but dropped out). Rivera moved to Anchorage in 2008 to attend Alaska Pacific University. He became involved in a student group called Spectrum, a pro-LGBT group “committed to expressing diversity through the power of education.” Because student government influenced the funding of student clubs like Spectrum at APU, Rivera became a representative for his sophomore class, and eventually president of the student body. While Rivera was active in Spectrum, Identity, Inc., the nonprofit that advocates for Anchorage’s LGBT community and puts on the annual Pride Fest and Pride Conference, got in touch with the group to inquire about APU hosting the Pride Conference, which Rivera calls “the educational arm of Pride Fest, educational workshops on what we can do as a community, Coming Out 101 — all these different sorts of basic institutional support that the community really needs.” His involvement in that project led to him joining Identity’s board of directors in 2009, a position he held until December of last year. “Identity was my first foray into, not so much the political part of organizing, but really the community grassroots part of organizing, and how we come together as a community,” Rivera said. At Identity, Rivera co-chaired Pride Fest and the Pride Conference, and was instrumental in organizing the first LGBT Youth Summit. Rivera also volunteered for Gray-
Jackson’s 2011 campaign for Assembly, when she fended off conservative anti-gay Alaska Family Council board member Dave Bronson. In 2012, Rivera was the field organizer for One Anchorage, a group that advocated for the passage of Proposition 5, a measure aimed at codifying the illegality of discrimination against LGBT residents. (Prop 5 failed at the polls, but the Assembly adopted a similar ordinance in 2015.) After working on the One Anchorage campaign, Rivera started hustling for progressive candidates, including Representatives Chris Tuck, Matt Claman, and Geran Tarr, and Assemblyman Dick Traini. In the 2016 election cycle, he managed nowSenator Tom Begich’s primary race (Begich had no challenger in the general election), and Alaska AFL-CIO President Vince Beltrami’s unsuccessful challenge to Senator Cathy Giessel in the general election. Rivera’s had his name on the ballot before. In 2014 he challenged Republican Senator
Kevin Meyer, but was easily squashed. He says he’d been planning to run for Assemblyman Traini’s seat in 2019, when Traini will be termed out of office, but was asked in March of last year to consider running to succeed Gray-Jackson. “This opportunity came up, and I figured it’s time for me to serve in a different capacity,” he said. “I love managing, I love the backbone of politics, but I also think I have a lot to give on the policy-making side of things.” After Mayor Berkowitz’s election in 2015, Rivera joined his administration as his constituent liaison and special assistant. In
his role as the former, Rivera represented the mayor’s office at community councils, communicating the administration’s goals and collecting input on issues like capital improvements. As special assistant, he worked on issues like homelessness and community policing. “A lot of what I did was, ‘OK, you have a problem, how can I help facilitate some type of solution to the problem.” Rivera left the mayor’s office last year to run Tom Begich’s campaign. Rivera and Downtown Assembly candidate Christopher Constant, if elected, will be the first openly gay elected officials in the state. Additionally, Rivera will be only the third minority to serve on the Assembly. Rivera is Puerto Rican, and Gray-Jackson and late-‘90s Assemblywoman Melinda Taylor are the only African-Americans to hold municipal office in Anchorage. “My philosophy on this is twofold. I think, one, we need to get the most qualified, most passionate, most community-driven folks on the Assembly. But at the same time, we also need to make sure that our elected body represents Anchorage,” Rivera said. “We like to tout how we have the most diverse city in the nation and we have some of the most diverse schools and neighborhoods in the nation, but when it comes to actually encouraging and facilitating these different communities to become part of the political process, we aren’t as refined as we should be in that area.” Rivera carries pride in the diversity he represents, but he doesn’t consider it a prime issue. “It’s definitely a point of pride that I am Latino and Puerto Rican and gay and running for office, absolutely, but when it comes to what folks really care about and who they’re going to elect, it’s not as big of a deal,” he said. “Folks care if you’re going to prioritize public safety and making sure roads are plowed of snow. But we do need to do better to facilitate folks in ethnically diverse communities to become part of the political movement, whether that’s through community councils or running for office. However we do it, I think we need to open that door.”
U P C OM I NG E V E N T S
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A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
March 16 - March 22, 2017
MARCH 30 | 10:30
Tickets on sale now, online and at the Bear Tooth box office!
Oscar Nominations for: Best Motion Picture, Actress in a Supporting Role: Nicole Kidman, Actor in a Supporting Role: Dev Patel XNLV320368
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LOCAL BEER HITS THE SLOPES IN GIRDWOOD BY JAMES “DR. FERMENTO” O” ROBERTS
“W
e were intentionally vague when saying we’d be open this ski season,” says Rory Marenco, one of the owners and one of two “brew engineers” at Girdwood Brewing Company. Rory and his brother Brett, along with “social drinking advocate” Josh Hegna “We didn’t want to project an opening date and have to keep pushing it back,” says Rory of the Friday, March 17 opening date. It’s been a long time coming, but Girdwood’s first – and long overdue – brewery is about to hit the slopes. I first interviewed the trio last October. The brewery was just a shell, but situated in a lovely south-facing setting three quarters of the way on the road up to Alyeska. Expansive views of the mountains accent the future tap room on the east side, and a glorious view of the Arm and mountains across it greeted me to the south. The trio was wise to defer planning to open when plans to build a brewery commenced in 2015. “When we first started planning in August of 2015, we got to the permitting stage and thought we’d be open toward the end of November in 2016,” says Rory. I’ve seen this happen before with upstart breweries. Despite meticulous planning and rock solid schedules – something that Brett and Rory have plenty of experience with in the construction facet of the oil and gas industry – delays are inevitable. “The biggest hurdle has been logistics,” says Brett. “Shipping to Alaska – as you know – has its own unique set of challenges. Everything had to come from outside including our brewhouse, kegs, glassware and brewing ingredients,” he says. “The biggest thing is that our equipment
“It’s feeling really good to have some beer kegged and ready to drink” was delayed. We got our fermenters around Thanksgiving and were on track, but the rest of the brewhouse didn’t show up until the middle of February,” says Rory. The trio persisted. “To be that close is pretty admirable,” says Rory, and I have to agree. “It’s feeling really good to have some beer kegged and ready to drink. It seems like everything is going pretty smoothly at this point. We’ve put the finishing touches on the tap room and it’s ready to go,” says Brett.
“It’s been challenging, but rewarding at the same time,” says Rory who compares opening a brewery to getting married. “You plan for it for a long time. On the big day, you wake up super excited. Everything seems to go so fast, and after the day is over, you’re married and you ask ‘what just happened?’” Opening a brewery is no small undertaking. The trio has a distinct love for their community, the surrounding backcountry and of course beer. The trio won the love of the Gird-
wood Community Council first, then nearby neighbors and residents. They hand delivered letters to the 50 closest property owners – as required by planning and zoning laws – and got overwhelming support. At a later community council meeting, the brewery’s plans were unanimously approved. “We’ve done a thorough job of research. We have the community behind us. We built the brewery and the entire system from the base up. We had all the bases covered and we knew
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Cheer on more than 80 high school teams as they compete for the ASAA basketball crown March 15 – 25 in Anchorage. For more info visit BigWildLife.com/press
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
FRIDAY
Corned Beef & Cabbage 11a-3p 530 East Benson Blvd. (In the Metro Mall) Tuesday thru Sunday 7am-3pm
You have butterflies in your stomach as you step up to the line and go over the edge
extract just the best essential lupulins from the whole hop cones and it’s in a powered form. You get twice the potency so you dose it at half the rate, but you don’t get the grassiness or without any astringency; it’s just all the goodness. At the rate of using only half the poundage, it’s actually twice the price, but at half the rate it is reasonable and comes out the same,” he says. Don’t expect to see Girdwood Brewing Company beer outside of the brew-
ery or on the shelves at your favorite grog shop. You’ll have to go to the brewery to enjoy it. “We have to satisfy our customers first here in the tap room. After that, we’ll branch out,” says Brett. Rory agrees. “For the opening, we’ll be serving straight out of the tap room with no growler fills. We need to make sure we can keep up with tap room demand, then we’ll slowly move into the local market,” he says. Local accounts will come first. The trio thinks they’ll be supplying Jack Sprat in Girdwood with some beer for festivities surround this year’s Slush Cup. “Jack Sprat is doing a beer garden and we’re going to give them some Kolsh and IPA and see how it goes,” says Brett. The brewery may only have two or three beers available on Friday when they turn the sign around and swing the doors, somewhere between noon and 2 p.m. There’s much more to come. Girdwood might be out of town, but hit the road and be one of the first to taste a little bit of history in the making as Girdwood’s first brewery starts pouring beer.
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we’d succeed regardless,” says Rory. “It’s like backcountry skiing. There are risks. You’re worried about avalanches. You study the angle and the route. There are unforeseen dangers. Still, you know you’re going to go for it, so you evaluate it carefully and set yourself up for success. Still, you have butterflies in your stomach as you step up to the line and go over the edge.” Excitement defines this new brewery, inside and out. The owners, the Girdwood community and the Alaska beer scene embrace the new venue. “We’re coming out of the chute with Down the Chute Kolsh, IP-AK and Hippie Speedball Stout,” says Brett. Down the slope a bit, after a few successful runs, there’s more. “We’re building our rhubarb Hefeweizen,” says Brett. This beer uses a Bavarian yeast, so expect a richer flavor than in a traditional American hef. “The rhubarb accents it with a bit of tartness and the color. With the yeast, it comes out really bubble-gummy and clove-y. We’re calling it Rhuby Weiss,” he says. It’s too early to use local rhubarb in the brew, but the trio is resourceful. “We found a stash of frozen rhubarb and we’ll put it in the hopback to flavor the beer,” says Brett. Another addition will be a New England style IPA. Differing from IP-AK, this one will be dosed with Cryo Hops, a revolutionary new hop additive that produces concentrated hop essence by freezing whole hop flowers to come away with only the goods brewers need to add bitterness, flavor and aroma to beer without bypoducts that have been accepted up to now, but can be eliminated in the process. It’s revolutionary and right in line with where Girdwood Brewing is going. According to Brett, “they use nitrogen to super-cool the hops and
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New Men’s Pleasure Pill Makes ED Remedies Obsolete Soaring Demand for New Sex Pill that Gives Men Longer, Better and More Intense Sex By Harlan S. Waxman Health News Syndicate New York – If you’re like the rest of us guys over 50, you probably already know the truth… Prescription ED pills may work, but they don’t solve all the probems in the bedroom and they are very expensive. Dr. Bassam Damaj, chief scientific officer at the world famous Innovus Pharma Laboratories, explains, “As we get older, we need more help in bed. Not only does our desire fade; but erections can be soft or feeble, one of the main complaints with prescription pills. Besides, they’re expensive… costing as much as $50.00 each.”
on the mental part of sex too. Unlike the expensive prescriptions, the new pill stimulates your sexual brain chemistry as well, actually helping you regain the passion and burning desire you had for your partner again. So you will want sex with the hunger and stamina of a 25-year-old.
THE BRAIN CONNECTION Vesele® takes off where Viagra® only begins. Thanks to a discovery made by 3 Nobel-Prize winning scientists, Vesele® has become the first ever patented supplement to harden you and your libido. So you regain your desire as well as the ability to act on it. New men’s pill overwhelms your senses with sexual desire as well as firmer, long-lasting erections. There’s never been anything like it before.
Plus, it does nothing to stimulate your brain to want sex. “I don’t care what you take; if you aren’t interested in sex, you can’t get or keep an erection. It’s physiologically impossible,” said Dr. Damaj.
VESELE® PASSED THE TEST
MADE JUST FOR MEN OVER 50 But now, for the first time ever, there’s a pill made just for older men. It’s called Vesele®. A new pill that helps you in bed by stimulating your body and your brainwaves. So Vesele® can work even when nothing else worked before. The new men’s pill is not a drug. It’s something completely different. Because you don’t need a prescription for Vesele®, sales are exploding. The maker just can’t produce enough of it to keep up with demand. Even doctors are having a tough time getting their hands on it. So what’s all the fuss about?
JAW-DROPPING CLINICAL PROOF SATISFACTION RATE (% Patients)
100
With Vesele 88.1%
With Vesele 82.0%
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In a 16-week clinical study, scientists from the U.S.A. joined forces to prove Nitric Oxide’s effects on the cardio vascular system. They showed that Nitric Oxide could not only increase your ability to get an erection, it would also work on your brainwaves to stimulate your desire for sex. The results were remarkable and published in the world’s most respected medical journals.
THE SCIENCE
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More and more men are seeking alternatives to costly ED prescriptions that don’t always work.
Baseline 41.1%
Baseline 47.9%
OVERALL SATISFACTION
DESIRE
Vesele Baseline
Overall Satisfaction. . . . . . . . . . . . .88.1% Frequency of sex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79.5% Desire for sex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82% Hardness during sex. . . . . . . . . . . . .85.7% Duration of erection. . . . . . . . . . . . .79.5% Ability to satisfy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83.3%
41.4% 44.9% 47.9% 36.2% 35% 44.1%
WORKS ON YOUR MIND AND YOUR BODY The new formula takes on erectile problems with a whole new twist. It doesn’t just address the physical problems of getting older; it works
The study asked men, 45 to 65 years old to take the main ingredient in Vesele® once a day. Then they were instructed not to change the way they eat or exercise but to take Vesele® twice a day. What happened next was remarkable. Virtually every man in the study who took Vesele® twice a day reported a huge difference in their desire for sex. In layman’s terms, they were horny again. They also experienced harder erections that lasted for almost 20 minutes. The placebo controlled group (who received sugar pills) mostly saw no difference. AN UNEXPECTED BONUS: The study results even showed an impressive increase in the energy, brain-power and memory of the participants.
SUPPLY LIMITED BY OVERWHELMING DEMAND “Once we saw the results we knew we had a game-changer said Dr. Damaj. We get hundreds of calls a day from people begging us for a bottle. It’s been crazy. We try to meet the crushing demand for Vesele®.”
“As an expert in the development of sexual dysfunction, I’ve studied the effectiveness of Nitric Oxide on the body and the brain. I’m impressed by the way it increases cerebral and penile blood flow. The result is evident in the creation of Vesele®. It’s sure-fire proof that the mind/body connection is unbeatable when achieving and maintaining an erection and the results are remarkable” said Dr. Damaj.
HERE’S WHAT MEN ARE SAYING • I’m ready to go sexually and mentally. • More frequent erections at night and in the morning. • I have seen a change in sexual desire. • Typically take 1 each morning and 1 each night. Great Stamina, Great Results! • An increased intensity in orgasms. • My focus (mental) has really improved… Huge improvement. • Amazing orgasms! • I feel more confident in bed.
HOW TO GET VESELE® This is the first official public release of Vesele® since its news release. In order to get the word out about Vesele®, Innovus Pharma is offering special introductory discounts to all who call. A special phone hotline has been set up for readers in your area to take advantage of special discounts during this ordering opportunity. The discounts will automatically be applied to all callers. The Special TOLLFREE Hotline number is 1-800-320-0675 and will be open 24-hours a day. Limited bottles of Vesele® are currently available in your region. Consumers who miss out on our current product inventory will have to wait until more become available. But this could take weeks. The maker advises your best chance is to call 1-800-320-0675 early.
THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. RESULTS NOT TYPICAL.
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
Going Green St. Paddy's Day in Anchorage
COURTESY IMAGES
SAT 3/18 ALASKA’S ULTIMATE GAMER Northway Mall 10 a.m.
THU 3/16 JOHN CLEESE Alaska Center for the Performing Arts 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
And now for something completely different. John Cleese made his mark as a founding member of the legendary Monty Python troupe in the 1960s and has gone on to write, produce, direct and star in a plethora of comedic hits, including the British sitcom *Fawlty Towers* and the film *A Fish Called Wanda*, for which he received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay. Cleese created a unique comedic style that has inspired countless writers and comedians. With such a vast and rich comedic background from which to draw, an evening with John Cleese is certain to be a memorable experience. (621 W 6th Ave)
FRI 3/17 SASPARILLA CD RELEASE
WITH BIRCH AND ALASKA THUNDER FUNK
TapRoot 10 p.m.
Sasparilla releases its first CD after 20 years. The band plays bluesy rock and super-fast funk and is comprised of longtime local guitarist Scott Feris, bassist Vikram Chaobal, Josh Antonio on saxophone and Adam Jay on drums. After their performance, look for a new band, Birch, to take then stage with their covers of Weezer, Nirvana, Muse, Foo Fighters and other favorites. After midnight, get out and get down with the super-funk of ATF for a night of dancing and partying! Don’t miss this night of veteran Anchorage musicians. March 16 - March 22, 2017 (3300 Spenard Rd.)
Test your skills in every arena with the first ever tournament to see who is Alaska's Ultimate Gamer. Win points to earn yourself this prestigious title. This is an all day, all ages event. There is no telling who will win since no one will know the games that will be played each round. There will also be bonus rounds that will allow for extra points. Sign-in will be from 10am to 11am and tournament will start shortly after. Cash and other prizes. Entry Fee is $25, 70 percent of net cash goes to the top 3 players. (3101 Penland Pkwy)
SAT 3/18 KAHULANUI
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts 7:30 p.m.
In Hawaiian, Kahulanui means “the big dance.” These “Kings of Swing” have earned their crown by generating a danceable blend of traditional Hawaiian music and the big band swing that was imported to the Aloha State during World War II. Bandleader Lolena Naipo, Jr. found inspiration from his grandfather, Robert Kahulanui, a member of the Royal Hawaiian Band during an era when horns and drums were a part of Hawaiian music. The nine-piece band’s energy and dynamic performances borrow from this sound, keeping Hawaiian Swing vibrant and alive today. Now Grammy-nominated Kahulanui are coming to Anchorage for spring break and they’re sure to have the house jumping! (621 W 6th Ave.)
THURSDAY, MARCH 16 ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE 10-MOVEMENT TAICHI/THUR—LaoShih Holly starts this class with simple Qigong warm-ups done either standing or seated. Wear Loose fitting, layered clothing to adjust for body temperature changes. Free, 7 a.m. (Jade Lady Meditation, 508 W. 2nd Ave., Ste. 103) ARCTIC ADAPTATIONS—Discover how plants, animals and people survive in the harsh landscapes of the far North. View objects from the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center to learn how humans mastered the art of living in the arctic and visit SparkLab! to invent ways of thriving in the unique environment of Alaska. For ages 7 to 9. $75, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Anchorage Museum, 625 C St.) PRESCHOOL STORY TIME—A half hour of stories, songs and movement that build early literacy skills and prepare your preschooler ages three to five for Kindergarten. Free, 11 to 11:30 a.m. (Loussac Library, 3600 Denali St.) LUNCH HOUR YOGA—A 55-minute yoga practice; a perfect choice for your busy day. Step onto the mat, let go and reconnect. Focusing on hips, core and shoulders. Drop in price is $14 or brand new members can purchase an eight-class pass for $49, expires one month after purchase. 12:15 to 1:10 p.m., weekly. (Namaste North Yoga Studio, 508 W. 2nd Ave.) OIL PAINTING CLASSES—Small, informal studio sessions with artist Alexandra Sonneborn. All supplies provided; all levels of experience welcome. Ages 15+. Learn the basics of oil painting and improve your technique at your own pace. $30 - $60, 1:30 p.m. (Paintspot Studio, 610 W. 2nd Ave., #200) CARE TEAM BOOK CLUB—Connection, Care and Community are at the Care Team Book Club When: Students, Staff, Faculty and Community Members are invited to join. Books are provided during the club meetings and read during club time; no need to purchase the book. Therapy Dog present at most meetings. Free, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. through Thurs., May 4. (UAA Student Union Den, 3211 Providence Dr.)
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B1
BOOK REVIEW
Available on March 3rd is Ed Sheeran’s new LP -
Divide AND The Real McKenzies LP - Two Devils Will Talk
AN ANGRY ALASKAN MEMOIR
Available on March 10th is Soundgardens LP -
Ultramega OK AND The Picturebooks LP Home is a Heartache
BY DAVID FOX
• New Release LPs • Used LP’s • CD’s • Cassette Tapes • Turntables
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A VINYL RECORD STORE, NEW & USED
n a lyrically, intoxicating style, Ernestine Hayes crafts a quasi-memoir that conflates her own history interwoven with Alaskan folklore myths, to create a world not quite of this reality, but through her mesmerizing story-telling, an alternative world, that reveals as much, if not more, about how our society works, or does not work, for today’s Alaskan Native citizen. While she speaks directly to her own life experiences, she melds it into a far more complex discussion of social injustice and how her people (she is of the Tlingit Kaagwaantaan clan) have been exploited, mistreated and misunderstood by those from the West. Hayes not only tackles the delicate and arbitrary facts of her own history and of her people, she also, with equal amounts of force, broaches the broad social injustices heaped upon her ancestors and brothers and sisters of today by the ubiquitous white man. She calls out the hypocrisy. She decries the sham spread for so many years, which touted white Christian’s superiority over the beliefs that had guided, nurtured and supported Native Alaskan culture for over ten millennia. Her bold study marries the tragedies of her life with the greater horrors perpetrated upon Alaskan Natives. There’s a searing anger infused within her work’s words – she doesn’t mask the anger nor hide her contempt. She’s pissed and not afraid to lay it on the line. From her vantage, the “white man” has emasculated her people and she fights back. It is a relentless attack – one that takes no prisoners. She postulates that Native people are under assault, facing cultural annihilation. “The only question might be how long the destruction will take. For cultures that were in existence for thousands and tens of thousands of years, it’s reasonable to expect that when they are dealt a killing blow – a killing blow delivered over a span of fifty to sixty years – the death, even a speedy one, will take three or four generations. When seen in that light, we can recognize that the symptoms we bemoan – incarceration, suicide, alcoholism, high-school dropout, college dropout, smoking, early pregnancy, tuberculosis, poverty, removal of children, abuse, domestic violence, termination of parental rights, fetal alcohol syndrome – are symptoms of cultural trauma. We are witnessing what was intended to be the death throes of a culture.” At the bottom of it all is the pain. Often selfinflicted, it is nonetheless, a solid reminder of what cements her and her family into their daily routine. She concludes that this ongoing pain is always present, filtering through in such a way, that it affects all aspects of life. “Much of the time, though, our intellectual search for meaning is fleeting, and after a moment or two of wondering, we get back to the business of measuring our own pain.” This pain is an ache. It is an unrelenting, throbbing, knot, twisted in her spirit that she
Book’s Title: The Tao of Raven: An Alaskan Native Memoir Author: Ernestine Hayes Ranking: 5 Moose
strives to expel. It is abundantly clear that she wishes to not only remove her own pain, but in acknowledgement of her brethren’s suffering, now and since the white man arrived to crush their collective dreams, she hopes to expose and possibly ease their laments, as well. She reflects long on her own actions or as she views it – inactions, harshly judging herself. “I want to think I’ve done all I can, yet my own generations sharpen the scalpel. I choke down sweetened bile from the siren’s gut. I mop up clever vomit. I ignore my own unbandaged wounds. I forge pennies to pin on my sunken eyes. Slaughterhouse stink, asylum scream, the soothing melodies of oppression: We hum and dance to a death song decades long.” Her rage, directed full throttle at our repressive culture and religious hypocrisy, knows no boundaries. Trenchantly, she bites the head off our excuses for the missionaries sent here, hellbent to convert her ancestors. There is nothing but justified venom in her words as she spews forth her feelings of betrayal by this western culture that has plundered the spiritual wealth of her people. In spite of all her dyspeptic musings, Haynes manages to wrangle a promising, optimistic tinged message as she closes out her autopsy of what has gone awry. In her inimitable, metaphorical style she voices cause for hope – a prayer that all is not forsaken. “We will all rejoin this scrap of earth and we will patiently wait. We will season ourselves in vigilant repose. We will listen for the lovesongs of those who tend the fires and we will wait the inevitable dawn.”
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
TRUE WEALTH
ALASKANS ARE THE TOP 1 PERCENT
HEADLAMP BY ZACK FIELDS
W
ealth is a subjective concept. In some cultures, wealth is measured by the number of friendships, or the strength and breadth of family connections, or the number and longevity of reciprocal bonds among neighbors. In a few places and cultures, wealth can be measured in dollars and the monetary exchange value of material possessions. Notwithstanding his mathematical wizardry, Albert Einstein said, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.� Here’s what we can count: Concentrations of wealth that are unprecedented in the last century. The rapid decline of America’s unions, middle class, and democratic institutions (as measured by voters purged from the rolls by Republican efforts to shrink the electorate). Deforestation, ocean acidification, sea level rise, declining life expectancy (of white males in particular), the ever-growing ratio between the income of CEOs and the stagnating wages of American workers. All of these things are measurable. So, too, are the manifestations of America, and the world’s, obscene distribution of monetary wealth. Here is one example: It costs $13,500 to go heli-skiing in the Tordrillo Mountains, across from Cook Inlet, for a week. The global elite plunk down a grand or more per day to fly fish the Nushagak and other world-class trout fisheries in the Bristol Bay watershed. Birding trips to remote islands of the Bering Sea cost similar amounts. Guiding outfits describe all of these as trips of a lifetime, experiences that are worth just about any cost. Doctors and lawyers from around the world hoard their vacation time to spend it here — for them, it is time and not money that is finite. Personally, I think it is a wise decision for an overworked lawyer to dump $13,500 on a week of heli-skiing. After all, all those doctors and lawyers don’t have the privilege that we Alaskans do, the ability to go explore this incredible landscape
Fishing the Gulkana River every day or every weekend. Within an hour and 15 minute drive of Anchorage, there are more mountains and world-class ski lines than anyone can ski in a lifetime. Within a given winter, working people in Anchorage will ski more incredible terrain than the wealthiest doctors and lawyers heli-ski in a lifetime. It is right out our backdoors, accessible by skis, boots, and skins, in the company of incredible friends. Summertime’s riches are even more accessible. Anybody with a fishing pole can pull kings and silvers out of Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage, or stock their freezer for the winter using a dipnet on the Kenai. People Outside regularly pay $20 a pound for our salmon, whereas we have the privilege of getting tired of it. Huge rainbows are on the Kenai and Gulkana Rivers, just a few hours drive away. These are the same fish species that the monetary 1 percent catch after getting dropped off by helicopter in the Alaska Range. Alaska is certainly the only place
in America where you can take a short drive and hunt caribou, mountain goats, or sheep — the same animals that wealthy Outsiders pay thousands of dollars to hunt with fly-in guided trips. Those doctors and lawyers from distant cities live amidst asphalt, cars stacked up in endless traffic jams, the dull, pounding, monotony of suburban sprawl. Unless you commute from the Mat-Su Valley, Alaskans almost never sit in traffic, have office views of multiple mountain ranges, and live within bicycling distance of America’s greatest state park, the Chugach. We aren’t just rich in land, scenery, fish, and wildlife. In contrast to the culture of large cities, Alaskans value time with our friends and family, and a reasonable work-life balance. Strong unions mean blue collar workers have economic security. Our small, close-knit community means that we see friends and neighbors daily — on greenbelt trails, in the grocery store, at restaurants. Lots of states have small towns, but none have the combination of community, economic
security, and proximity to wild places with which we are blessed in Alaska. Many of us are lucky enough to take the trip of a lifetime every weekend or so. Even one trip of a lifetime per year isn’t bad. Compare that to everyone else in the country, who are lucky to come here for one trip in their life. Inequality and economic insecurity will get worse with this Congress and this President. A few Americans will buy ever larger yachts, and sock away more money in offshore tax shelters. Yet most of them will remain in places like New York or Washington DC, stuck in their commutes, their offices. If they’re lucky, they’ll finagle enough time off to go skiing or fishing here once a year. By comparison, we are far wealthier. By how much, we’ll never know. Who can measure the value of skiing spines in perfect powder in the golden light of March, or catching rainbows in a pristine river, or catching enough salmon with a dipnet to supply your family for a whole year?
We need your help.
BMBTLBDIJMESFOTUSVTU PSH t Together we can prevent child abuse and neglect.
DREAM • PLAN • BUILD Brought to you by MAT-SU
BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
Learn about the building industry’s newest trends at the 2017 Annual Spring Home Show Friday, April 7 • Saturday, April 8 • Sunday, April 9* at the Menard Sports Center in Wasilla *Dates are subject to change. Visit us online for more information.
www.matsuhomebuilders.com
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Pick. Click. Give. donations are down dramatically this year. But Alaska kids and families still need your help. Can you help with a pledge of just $25? Give today pfd.alaska.gov.
SOME OF ANCHORAGE'S FESTIVITIES ARE SURPRISINGLY IRISH BY LISA MALONEY h f d beef b f and d everything from corned cabbage to shepherd's pie and Guinness-braised beef stew. They'll also have roving pipe and drum bands and Irish dancers passing through.
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lthough we might not be as famous an Irish-American stronghold as, say, Pittsburgh or Boston, Alaska has deeper than usual roots in Irish folk traditions. So, although you'll be able to get green beer, green beads and strap-on plastic butts that say "póg mo thóin" all over town this weekend, you also get a shot at some unusually authentic celebrations of all things Irish. Consider the following:
Celtic Treasures
Arctic Siren Cabaret
This ongoing celebration of all things song goes full-on Irish this Friday the 17th, with a lineup of performers that include Phillip Price, Dawn Berg, Cillian McDonough and the Derry Aires; there will also be dance performances from the Irish Dance Academy of Alaska and the Northern Lights Celtic Dancers. Tickets cost $20 (see taprootalaska. com) and the festivities start at 7pm.
Pipe Bands
It takes a staggering amount of logistical acumen to send even a small subset of a pipe and drum bands on a whirlwind tour through Anchorage's best pubs and community establishments. But two bands — the Crow Creek Pipes and Drums and the Alaska Celtic Pipes and Drums — do it every year as a fundraiser. Both bands have posted their full schedules on Facebook, but if you really love your bagpipes, the place to be is Humpy's: They'll have one band or the other passing through at 12:15pm, 4:15pm, 5pm, 8:30pm and 9:25pm.
Roving Irish Dancers
Much like the pipe bands, the Irish Dance Academy sends some of its finest dancers out to tour the community on St. Patrick's Day. In addition to their scheduled appearances at McGinley's and the Tap Root, you can also catch a glimpse of them dancing at Reilly's, Crossroads, O'Brady's, Reilly's again, and the Pioneer Bar, roughly in that order through the evening.
Hard Rock and the Irish Cultural Collective
Speaking of Irish dancing, it's not all Riverdance. If you want to try your hand at Irish set and ceili dancing — think lively versions of contra
and square dancing, with live music and a dance caller on hand to teach you the moves — don't miss the Irish Cultural Collective's annual St. Patrick's Day dance, upstairs in the Hard Rock Cafe. (Full disclosure: I'll be one of the people shouting directions at the dancers!) The dancing starts at 6:30pm, and there will also be live music from Woodrow downstairs, starting at 8pm. There's no cover for either event, and no partner or experience is needed to join in the dancing.
The Irish Pubs
There is no Mr. or Ms. McGinley behind the downtown pub McGinley's, but as the long-time host of a wonderful traditional Irish music session, they can be forgiven a bit of tourist-oriented wordplay. Start your St. Patrick's Day celebrations early with said trad session, which starts at 7:30pm on Thursday the
16th and goes until the musicians run out of beer; or come on Friday the 17th for festivities that kick off with Crooked Road, one of the best local Irish bands, playing from 12pm-3pm. They'll also have Irish dancers and pipe bands passing through, and a rotating lineup of other live music throughout the night. For a somewhat lower-key Irish celebration, stop by Reilly's Irish Pub on Fireweed, where they'll have a big tent out back to double their space, and the only price for getting in the door is a willingness to pretend you're Irish for a day. They'll have all the usual Irish car bombs, Irish coffees and Guinness, with Irish dancers and pipers passing through, but even more importantly they have a friendly, low-key community vibe. If you have a craving for Irish foods you'll find the best selection at O'Brady's, where you can enjoy
While in Ireland, I was gently admonished to never turn down a cup of tea. And sure enough, the one or two times I've been rushed enough to do so, I've regretted it. So when you stop by Celtic Treasures' open house, which runs from 12pm-5pm on Friday the 17th, and they offer you a cup of tea, say "Yes." Then linger in their living-room style seating to enjoy on-and-off live music, refreshments, and songs from Dawn Berg and Natalie and Phillip Price throughout the open house.
Honorable Mention:
Downtown's PopUp Pub Crawl
Although it's not terribly Irish, the downtown Pop-Up Pub Crawl, which is being hosted by Humpy's, Blues Central, Williwaw, Bootlegger's and Flattop Pizza & Pool, looks like it should be a lot of fun. Starting at 8 p.m., collect stamps from all five establishments and you could win $500 cash, along with an assortment of smaller gift card prizes. There'll also be food specials, Irish whiskey and car bombs, and live music all evening long. Williwaw will also host a family-friendly, greenthemed "Baby Loves Disco" dance party on Saturday, March 18, from 11am to 1pm; tickets range from $12.50 to $15, free for babies who aren't old enough to walk.
Celebrating 45 years in providing healthcare to Alaskan Families
MAY 13TH
Spring 2017 Flower Extravaganza
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#1 Best of Alaska for Medical Clinics
With local florist Natasha Price #alaskaknitnat, and Halo salon.
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Pick a style, and get styled for Mother’s Day, or just for fun. Fresh flowers, hand crafted crowns, necklaces, or any design you’d like to wear.
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Prebook at Halo and receive a gift from us!
Women’s and Men’s Health Children’s Health HOURS: General Medicine Monday - Friday Immediate Care Occupational Health 7:30am - 6:00pm Saturday Physical Therapy 9:00am - 4:00pm On-Site Lab Digital Radiology Insurance Billing
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
4th Ave.)
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 MIDNIGHT SUN BREWING COMPANY BREWERY TOUR—Get an insider's look at how MSBC brews its bold craft beer. And yes, you can have some drinks as well. Must be 21+ or accompanied by parent/guardian. Free, 6 p.m., weekly. (Midnight Sun Brewing Company, 8111 Dimond Hook Dr.) DUNGEONS & DRAGONS THURSDAY—Join Bosco’s for their weekly D&D campaign. Play out one epic encounter at a time. Each session only takes 1 - 2 hours to play, so it’s easy to fit your game in after school or work. And each week there’s a new and exciting challenge. Jump in anytime. As you defeat enemies, solve puzzles, finish quests and perform heroic deeds you’ll earn renown points that you can use to get exclusive rewards. All you need is dice. Free, 6 p.m., weekly. (Bosco's, 2301 Spenard Rd.) TAI CHI BASICS—Regardless of your skill level, coming back to the basics is like coming home. You will connect philosophy and breath as you develop balance and control. This class with reduce concerns before starting a regular Tai Chi class. Free, 6 p.m., weekly. (Jade Lady Meditation, 508 W. 2nd Ave., Ste. 103) DISTILLERY TOUR—Visit the Anchorage Distillery and see how vodka, gin and moonshine are crafted with local grains and ingredients. Can't make a Thursday? Private tours available just call 561-2100. Free, 6 p.m., weekly. (Anchorage Distillery, 6310 A St.) TRAIL TALES—Back by popular demand, the Chugach Park Fund and Alaska Trails are excited to present second Trail Tales storytelling series. In the spirit of Arctic Entries, storytellers will share seven minute stories about their trail experiences, adventures and life in general. Come enjoy this fun event and support great trails in the Chugach and across Alaska. Food and drinks will be available for purchase throughout the evening. Tickets at alaska-trails.org. $15, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (49th State Brewing Co. Anchorage, 717 W. 3rd Ave.) ALASKA OUTDOORS WEEKLY EVENING HIKE; MCHUGH TRAILHEAD—The Alaska Outdoors hosts easy to moderate social hikes every Monday and Thursday, all year, throughout Anchorage. Monday’s hike is designed for hiking beginners and families with children, on established wide and mostly flat trail about 3.5 4.5 miles in 1.5 hours. Thursday’s hike is designed for moderate hikers. Free, 6:30 p.m. (McHugh Trailhead, Seward Hwy., mile 112) FUSION BELLY DANCE WITH NICOLE YVONNE—Depending on the mix of students this class provides beginning moves for those just starting out, and combinations, choreography and improv for those ready for more adventure. Dress comfortably and bring water. Free, 7 p.m., weekly. (Jade Lady Meditation, 508 W. 2nd Ave., Ste. 103) “PRIVATE LIVES”—Cyrano’s Theatre Company is proud to announce “Private Lives,” written by Noel Coward and directed by Teresa K Pond. Considered to be one of the most sophisticated and entertaining plays ever written, “Private Lives” focuses on a divorced couple who reunite... while on their honeymoon...with their new spouses. A timeless tale of love and marriage. Tickets available at centertix.net. $23 - $25, 7 p.m. Thurs., Fri., and Sat., and 3 p.m. Sun. through April 2. (Cyrano’s Off-Center Playhouse, 411 D St.) THURSDAY NIGHT DANCE LESSONS—Thursday night dance lessons at the Golden Lion in the lounge on the 2nd floor. They rotate dance styles between West Coast Swing, Hustle, Country Western 2-Step and more. Beginning lessons at 7 p.m. Intermediate Level at 8 p.m. No experience necessary for Beg class. $7 - $10, 7 p.m., weekly. (Best Western Golden Lion Hotel, 1000 E. 36th Ave.)
MUSIC MEG ANDERSON, 6:30 p.m. (Organic Oasis, 2610 Spenard Rd.) PARLOR IN THE ROUND, 7 p.m. (TapRoot, 3300 Spenard Rd.)
ARCTIC SIREN CABARET, 7 p.m. (TapRoot, 3300 Spenard Rd.) DJ JAMES, 9:30 p.m. (Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House, 610 W. 6th Ave.)
MISHA SHIMEK, 6:30 p.m. (Organic Oasis, 2610 Spenard Rd.)
DJ MARK, 10 p.m. (Gaslight Lounge, 721 W. 4th Ave.)
WOODROW, 9:30 p.m. (Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House, 610 W. 6th Ave.)
FRIDAY, MARCH 17
SATURDAY, MARCH 18 ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE ARTS, OUTDOORS, INTRODUCTION TO ASL—Join the Innovation ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE Room for a lesson on introduction to American Sign Language. Come discover how to sign ASL through themed weeks, learning worksheets and engagement with others in the community. Class size is limited to 6. Contact Stacia at mcgourtysa@muni.org to register. Free, 10 to 11:30 a.m. (Innovation Lab – Loussac Library, 3600 Denali St.)
KIDS YOGA—Yoga for little people is an active and fun way to promote the physical, emotional and social development of children. Kids will learn the basics of yoga, through creative poses, storytelling, songs, games, breathing exercises and other fun and energizing activities. Drop-In: $12/ class or 10 classes for $100, 11 a.m. (Open Space Alaska, 630 E. 57th Pl.)
FREE COMMUNITY TAI CHI—Cultivate internal harmony while increasing strength and balance. Join LaoShih Holly as she guides you through the principles of standing meditation and Yang-style Tai-Chi. No experience or special attire required. Protect the floors, no street shoes please. Free, 9 a.m. (Jade Lady Meditation, 508 W. 2nd Ave., Ste. 103) SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS IN THE DOME—Watch Saturday morning cartoons that explore art, history and science at the Thomas Planetarium. These immersive fulldome shows change monthly. $4 - $10, 10:30 a.m. (Anchorage Museum, 625 C St.)
BOOKS AND BLOCKS—Join in for stories, songs and construction fun with blocks, gears and other building materials. Ages 5 & under with their families. Free, 11 a.m. (Muldoon Library, 1251 Muldoon Rd., #158)
BABY LOVES DISCO ALASKA ST. PADDY’S PARTY—Alaska's favorite family dance party is celebrating St. Paddy's with a green-themed dance party. Tickets available at bit.ly. $12.50 - $15, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Williwaw, 609 F St.)
WATER AEROBICS CLASS—Community water aerobics class in a newly-renovated saltwater pool. Great exercise that's kind to your joints, great teachers and a fun atmosphere. $4.50 - $5, noon to 1 p.m., weekly. (APU Moseley Sports Center, University Dr.)
AVIATION ADVENTURES FREE FAMILY DAY—Join the Alaska Aviation Museum on the third Saturday of every month through May for aviation-themed activities for the whole family. Noon to 4 p.m. (Alaska Aviation Museum, 4721 Aircraft Dr.)
POWER YOGA—Spend your lunch reconnecting with your body and mind. Lunchtime yoga takes place Wednesdays and Fridays. Make space for your spirit and get to your mat. By donation, noon to 1 p.m. (Open Space, 630 E. 57th Pl.)
SATURDAY NIGHT DINNER AND DANCE— Enjoy live music, dancing, food, beverages, free dance lessons and good company in a safe, clean and friendly atmosphere every Saturday night. In the spirit of camaraderie and community responsibility, the 35+ Singles Club of Anchorage seeks to bring together adult singles over the age of 35 years, for the enjoyment of dancing, friendship and social interaction. Twitter @35SinglesClub. $15 - $18, 7 p.m. (Carpenter's Hall, 407 Denali St.)
CHESS NIGHT AT TITLE WAVE BOOKS— Please join in each Friday evening for Title Wave's chess club. This event is free and open to all ages. All skill levels and abilities are welcome. They like to see new faces. Free, 5 p.m. (Title Wave Books, 1360 W. Northern Lights Blvd.) FRIDAY NIGHT MAGIC—Looking for a way to play Magic while meeting new friends and winning cool foil prize cards? Friday Night Magic is designed to bring casual players together on Friday nights to play for fun in a less-competitive event. Try it out and discover why Friday night is the best night of the week. All are welcome to come and play without joining the tournament. Free, 6:30 to 11 p.m. (Bosco’s, 2606 Spenard Rd.) MEDITATION CLASSES—Experience a unique style of meditation by choosing the technique that suits you. Whether it be through dance, sound or breath this practice will give you a sense of fulfillment and peace. $10 - $12, 7 to 8:30 p.m. (Gitanjali Meditation Center, 4143 Raspberry Rd.) FRIDAY NIGHT DANCE LOUNGE—Join in for a night of dancing, learning, practicing and more for all of you social dancers. The night starts at 8 p.m. with a salsa class or mambo. At 9 p.m. a bachata class will follow. Then social dancing ensues from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Their DJ will be playing salsa, bachata, kizomba, cha cha, merengue and more. If you have any questions please call the studio at 336-0333. $10, 8 p.m. (Alaska Dance Promotions, 300 E. Dimond Blvd., Ste. 11A) GET LUCKY—At the end of the rainbow there is no gold, there is only bass. Featuring live music by Clint Samples, Dig Sista, Lazuryte, De Pips and Scotty B Naughty. $20, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (Anchorage Community Works, 349 E. Ship Creek Ave.)
MUSIC
IRISH MUSIC, 7:30 p.m. (McGinley’s Pub, 645 G St., Ste. 101)
UNDER 21 OPEN MIC NIGHT, 5:30 to 8 p.m. (Middle Way Cafe, 1200 W. Northern Lights Blvd.)
STAND-UP COMEDY, 8:30 p.m. (Brown Bag Sandwich Co., 535 W. 3rd Ave.)
THE REBEL BLUES BAND, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. (Anchorage City Limits Music Lounge, 239 W.
March 16 - March 22, 2017
DJ MARK, 10 p.m. (Gaslight Lounge, 721 W. 4th Ave.)
Desert Storm-veteran father. Just as these Tlingit men are adjusting to their new lives together, the boys’ grandmother delivers shocking news. A world premiere portrait of a 1990s Alaska family. A World Premiere produced in Association with Native Voices at the Autry and La Jolla Playhouse. Tickets at centertix.net. On stage through Apr. 12. $49.25, 4 p.m. Sundays, 7:30 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays. (Sydney Laurence Theatre, 621 W. 6th Ave.) PAINT A SCARF—Painters can choose from four designs to paint their very own silk scarves, creating a beautiful personal accessory, or a gift for the holidays. This weekly event also takes place on Tuesdays at 49th State Brewing Co. To register visit paintascarf.com/pub. $49, 3:30/ 4:30/ 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. (Williwaw, 609 F St.) GEEKS WHO DRINK—Simply, a quiz game played in a pub. It's an Anglo-Irish tradition, but the goal is the same: to foster friendly competition, and promote social drinking, a noble cause indeed. Free, 6 p.m. (TapRoot, 3300 Spenard Rd.) BYOV—Koot's Bring Your Own Vinyl provides the turntables and speakers, they just need you to bring your favorites from your collection. Who's got the best collection? Come show off your vinyl every Sunday at Koot's. Free, 9 p.m. (Koot's, 2435 Spenard Rd.)
MUSIC ERIN PESZNECKER, 1 p.m. (Organic Oasis, 2610 Spenard Rd.) OPEN MIC NIGHT HOSTED BY JUSTIN BOOT, 8 p.m. (Van's Dive Bar, 1027 E. 5th Ave.) OPEN MIC, 8 p.m. (Humpy’s, 610 W. 6th Ave.) KARAOKE, 9 p.m. (Gaslight Lounge, 721 W. 4th Ave.) TAPROOT KARAOKE, 9 p.m. (TapRoot, 3300 Spenard Rd.)
MONDAY, MARCH 20 ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE POKÉMON CLUB—Get the lowdown on where the best Pokémon are in Anchorage. A $5 tournament starts at 5:30. Free, 5 p.m. (Bosco's, 2301 Spenard Rd.)
SPEEDSKATING—The Alaska Speedskating Club offers opportunities for people of all ages with any level of previous skating experience to learn how to speed skate. The first session is free. Skates and protective gear are provided. Bring your own helmet if you have one. Come at 7:45 a.m. to get skates and safety gear. They also meet on Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. $18 - $23, 8:30 a.m. (Subway Sports Center, 11111 O'Malley Centre Dr.)
HOW WE MAKE IT MONDAY—Get a whole new view of the brewery. Share some up close time with the brewers, packagers and everyone who makes the beer flow at Midnight Sun Brewing Company. Enjoy sessions with each part of the brew crew component, learning how they make it all happen. And grab a few beers from their tap line up, picked by the brewers. Free, 5 to 7:30 p.m. (Midnight Sun Brewing Company, 8111 Dimond Hook Dr.)
MUSIC
MEDITATION—In this busy, chaotic world, it is very important for our day-to-day happiness and peace that we learn how to control our mind. This is a class designed to show how to apply simple meditation techniques and basic Buddhist psychology in the midst of a normal, modern lifestyle. $5 - $10, 7 to 8:30 p.m. (Namaste North Yoga Studio, 508 W. 2nd Ave.)
LOFT BLUES JAM, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. (239 W. 4th Ave.) ALTERNATING LOCAL ARTISTS, 7 p.m. (Organic Oasis, 2610 Spenard Rd.) SONGBIRD SATURDAY, 7:30 p.m. (TapRoot, 3300 Spenard Rd.) SATURDAY CINDERS, 9 p.m. (Avenue Bar, 338 W. 4th Ave.) H3, 9:30 p.m. (Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House, 610 W. 6th Ave.) DJ MARK, 10 p.m. (Gaslight Lounge, 721 W. 4th Ave.)
SUNDAY, MARCH 19 ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE THEY DON’T TALK BACK—When 17 year-old Nick takes a floatplane from Juneau to his grandparents’ village, his arrival means changes for his fisherman grandfather, his cousin Edward–who hasn’t spent much time away from home–and his
GEEKS WHO DRINK AT THE 49TH STATE BREWING CO—Yes, it's really at the 49th State Brewing Co. Come get your geek on while having 49th State beer and food in the theater with quizmaster Warren Weinstein. Tables will be set up to accommodate a plethora of teams. Doors open at 6, quiz at 7 p.m. Free, 7 to 9:30 p.m. (49th State Brewing Co., 717 W. 3rd Ave.) BACHATA DANCE LESSONS—Bachata is a dance from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean islands. Both the music and the dance have been influenced by Cuban bolero, merengue, salsa and cumbia styles. Join ADP on Mondays to learn what these beautiful and intimate dances are all about. Drop-in classes are only $12; all levels welcome. 8 p.m. (Alaska Dance Promotions, 300 E. Dimond Blvd., Ste. 11A)
MUSIC ERIN PESZNECKER, 6:30 p.m. (Organic Oasis, 2610 Spenard Rd.)
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CROSSWORD & SUDOKU
ALASKA SUDOKU By John Bushell
ANSWERS TO SUDOKU ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK’S CROSSWORD
ALASKA SUDOKU - CHEECHAKO
Alaska Spruce
/(9(/ &+((&+$.2ȼ _ 3,21((5 _ 6285'28*+
ANDR/LORD ENNUI, 7 p.m. (Hard Rock Cafe, 415 E St.)
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 FIRESIDE LIVE, 9 p.m. (Koot's, 2435 Spenard Rd.) KARAOKE, 9 p.m. (Gaslight Lounge, 721 W. 4th Ave.)
TUESDAY, MARCH 21 ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE MIXED LEVEL YOGA CLASS—Ever find yourself wishing for yoga in the middle of the workday? You're in luck if you work downtown Midday, mixed levels classes for clarity and focus on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and a gentle class at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. All by donation. Noon to 1 p.m. (G Street Studio, 406 G St., Ste. 212) YU-GI-OH TOURNAMENT AND OPEN PLAY—Born from the game Duel Monsters within the original Japanese manga, the Yu-Gi-Oh card game is a battle-based gameplay where players duel each other using monster face cards. Come and try it out for free, or if you’re a more serious dueler, bring
B6
your decks along. Occasional sealed deck tournaments may come with a higher charge. Free for casual play, $6 $7 for tournament play, 3 p.m. (Bosco’s, 2301 Spenard Rd.) SKINNY RAVEN PUB RUN—Join the weekly joggers scurrying around downtown. The runs are approximately 5K in distance which starts at Skinny Raven and finishes at McGinley’s Pub. Product demos and fun prizes every week. Free, 6 p.m. (Skinny Raven, 800 H St.) I READ WHAT I WANT BOOK CLUB—The book club for those that don’t want to be tied down. No assignments, no judgement–just read what you want. Free, 6:30 to 8 p.m. (Siam Cuisine, 1911 W. Dimond Blvd.) PUB QUIZ—Join Humpy’s every Tuesday for drinks and trivia. Free, 8 p.m. (Humpy’s, 610 W. 6th Ave.)
FIRESIDE LIVE, 9 p.m. (Koot’s, 2435 Spenard Rd.) OPEN MIC, 9 p.m. (TapRoot, 3300 Spenard Rd.)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22 ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE KIDS YOGA (AGES 3 - 6 YEARS)— Why Yoga for little people? Yoga is noncompetitive physical activity which encourages flexibility, strength, coordination and body awareness. In a world full of hustle and bustle, yoga teaches kids how to relax and relieve stress. Yoga helps to bring out kids’ inner self and utilize their unique qualities in a positive way. $75 - $125, 10 a.m. (Open Space Alaska, 630 E. 57th Pl., #2)
BOB PARSONS, 6:30 p.m. (Organic Oasis, 2610 Spenard Rd.)
WATER AEROBICS CLASS—Community water aerobics class in a newly renovated saltwater pool. Great exercise that's kind to your joints with great teachers and a fun atmosphere. $4.50 - $5, noon to 1 p.m. (APU Moseley Sports Center, University Dr.)
TURN IT UP TUESDAY FEAT MIS-
LUNCHTIME MEDITATION—
MUSIC
Find inner peace amongst a stressful workday. Join Rev. Rachel for a midday quiet meditation in a peaceful and welcoming environment. All experience levels welcome. Free, noon to 12:30 p.m. (Unity of Anchorage, 1300 E. 68th Ave.) BEER MEETS RECORDS: VINYL NIGHT—Bring your records or play some onsite while enjoying a brewski. Vinyl nights every Wednesday at Resolution Brewing Company. Free, 5 p.m. (Resolution Brewing Company, 3024 Mountain View Dr.) TRIVIA NIGHT AT THE WHALE’S TAIL BISTRO & WINE BAR—Show how smart you are and head down to the Whale's Tail Bistro & Wine Bar every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. for Trivia Night. Enjoy a selection of 32 wines on tap, local draft beers, artisanal cocktails and classic bistro fare. Most importantly, a chance to prove you are the smartest person in the room. Prizes include cash and Hotel Captain Cook gift cards. Plus, keep an eye out for free giveaways. Free, 7 p.m. (Hotel Captain Cook, 939 W. 5th Ave.) ARTIST TALK—An evening of discussions by all three artists currently being exhibited at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art. The talk is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. Free, 7 p.m. (IGCA, 427 D St.)
OULA WITH CHELSEA—OULA is a high-energy, easy to learn, calorie burning, crazy-fun dance workout to Top 40 hits. Classes are one epic hour of sweat, joy and total inspiration. Price TBD, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. through April 17. (Open Space Alaska, 630 E. 57th Pl., #A2)
MUSIC DIANA HALL PENDERGRAST, 6:30 p.m. (Organic Oasis, 2610 Spenard Rd.) LIVE MUSIC, 10 p.m. (Pioneer Bar, 739 W. 4th Ave.) OPEN DECKS, 10 p.m. (Koot’s, 2435 Spenard Rd.)
ONGOING EVENTS For a complete list of events visit anchoragepress.com YOGA ON DONATION—Open Space offers weekly yoga, dance and other drop-in classes. Come join a vibrant community and pay what you can. All levels are welcome. Classes include: Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunch hour classes, Ashtanga, Hips and Core Explore, Prenatal, Baby & You, 50 and Fit and much more. Find a full schedule and special events online: openspacealaska.com/calendar. (630 E. 57th Pl.)
March 16 - March 22, 2017
‘The Samurai UA-Fairbanks celebrates centennial, Japanese pioneer in Mat-Su
BY CAITLIN SKVORC For the Frontiersman
With Iditarod XLV nearing completion, it seems only fitting that someone take time now to recognize a historic musher unknown to many until recently. This Thursday, the University of AlaskaFairbanks continues its monthly centennial celebration with a presentation by professor Tony Nakazawa on the Japanese “samurai musher” Jujiro Wada. Wada is credited with having established the historic dogsled trail from Seward to the town of Iditarod at the turn of the 20th century, and is honored by a life-size bronze statue erected in downtown Seward last summer. There is also record of him traveling to the Knik area by dogsled. Though only about half of Wada’s trail overlaps the Iditarod race course, it was used to transport much needed supplies between mining communities, and earned Wada the titles of “explorer,” “pioneer” and “adventurer.” “He’s become sort of a local folk hero,” here and in Japan, Nakazawa said. But it wasn’t only Wada’s land travels that gained him such status. Wada first immigrated to California as a teenager, and was “shanghaied,” Nakazawa said, onto a whaling ship bound for the arctic. When the ship would make port, Wada would befriend
and learn the language of the local villagers, to the point where some considered him to be an “eskimo” himself. A little more than a decade later, Wada traded the seafaring life for one on land. In addition to mushing, Wada ran (and won) three indoor marathons, Nakazawa said, each with a cash prize. A good portion of the money Wada earned from racing and from working in Alaska went to his mother back in Japan, along with letters describing his experience. Last May, a musical based on Wada’s life, called, “Chasing the Aurora: The Samurai Musher,” came to Alaska for the first time, with performances in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Wada’s bond with his mother alone, Nakazawa said, makes his story “almost like a tear-jerker.” Beyond that, it’s also a reminder of the diversity that still exists in Alaska. “Alaska is made up of a lot of different groups of people, and I think that’s a really important message to keep embracing,” Nakazawa said. Nakazawa’s own family hails from Japan, his grandparents having immigrated to southern California in the early 1900s.
ABOVE: Jujiro Wada with dogs in 1908. LEFT: Wada with Captain Norwood.
th talk in the political sphere of closing With America’s borders, he said Wada’s story is especially timely. “There’s many Wada-like stories that will help people know more about their communities and the impact that the people coming to Alaska have brought from their various cultures,” Nakazawa said. The future of Alaska’s relationship
with Japan and the state’s connection to Wada is further cemented by the sister city bond between Wasilla and Uchiko in Ehime, Japan — Wada’s home region — officially forged on May 1, 2015. To learn more about Jujiro Wada, attend Nakazawa’s presentation in Room 208 of Kerttula Hall at the Matanuska Experiment Farm in Palmer on Thursday, March 16, from 6 to 7 p.m. The free presentation includes a news feature clip on Wada from Japan’s national broadcast network, NHK, and recent video shorts from Kansai Broadcast, along with a behindthe-scenes description of the filming that took place in Seward last summer. Nakazawa will also provide updates on future filming that may occur, as well as copies of last year’s musical performance on Wada. Call the Mat-Su Cooperative Extension office for more information at 745-3360 or 745-3551.
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B7
UAA FILM SCHOOL PIONEER MAHONEY HOPES ‘FIND ME’ CAN
DO SOME GOOD IN THE WORLD BY MATT HICKMAN
E
ven as her film ‘Find Me’ was closing out its festival run at the Equinox Film Fest on Saturday at Mat-Su College, Kitty Mahoney was across town at Valley Performing Arts, where half of Wasilla-Palmer micropolitan area, it seemed, was lining up to audition for ‘Sudsy Slim Rides Again’. The second effort of brothers Chad and Darin Carpenter of Tundra Comics fame, ‘Sudsy Slim’ isn’t a sequel, per se, to their 2015 cult hit ‘Moose the Movie’, but as Chad puts it, it does ‘take place in the same universe.’ Mahoney sat in as second casting director, as scores of auditioners braved the scrutiny for a shot at the limelight. “It’s so inspiring,” Mahoney said of the success of ‘Moose’ which included theater runs throughout much of the lower 48. “It’s really a light for the Valley and Alaska in general… It’s a really shiny piece of work for Alaska to be proud of.” Gangrene Gulch, the fictional town in ‘Moose’ is referred to once in the new script, but that’s the extent of the connection between the films. ‘Sudsy Slim’ makes its home in Scratcher Pass, to be shot starting in late May in Hatcher Pass, the old buildings of Independence Mine serving as the fictional town’s setting. “Moose was more of a creature feature and this is much more of a comedywestern-hesit-buddy film,” Carpenter said. “It’s equally ridiculous to Moose, but in a totally different way, but again, very Alaskan.” For Mahoney, a 2011 grad of Colony High, Moose was a springboard in many ways to her own film career. Raymond Chapman, born and raised in Palmer, played the crusty, bearded role of Rupert in ‘Moose’ and when he heard through the news that the pioneering Mahoney, who had basically created her own film department at UAA, made sure to audition. In ‘Find Me’, a film that explores through flashbacks a young man writing a suicide letter, Chapman plays the lead role of Peter. “In the past I had been doing comedic types of things and I wanted to see if this was something I could do, a seriously, honestly depressing type of role,” Chapman said. “Kitty has a good way of connecting with actors. She comes with that acting experience and knows how she wants to be talked to as an actor and she’s able to flip that into the director’s
MATT HICKMAN
Kitty Mahoney shares a laugh with the casting crew of the new Carpenter Brothers movie "Sudsy Slim Rides Again" at Valley Performing Arts in Wasilla on Saturday. chair.” Mahoney said the idea came to her from an Improv class at UAA. “One of the students was facing away and he was tying something — we didn’t know what it was and he was doing it for like five minutes until he turned around and we saw he was tying a noose,” Mahoney said. “It was such a slow, intimate moment that it kind of sparked the whole idea for a story in my mind… The spark for the idea came from that, but from there, I had close friends and relatives who’ve dealt with suicide — I’m sure everybody has — and I drew from those experiences and molded it from there.” Across town at the Equinox Film Festival, a third annual event showcasing films made by women from all across North America, Mahoney’s work, one of just two Alaskan films of the 36 shown, stood out from the field. Most of the others were shorter in duration and even shorter on plot, not wanting too much story to get in the way of showing off cinematic chops.
‘Find Me’, by contrast, features six characters with speaking roles — a lot of story to squeeze into just 24 minutes. “I’m more of a storyteller than a technically minded person,” Mahoney said. “I just got hired with a production company in Anchorage that makes advertisements. That’s really going to whip me into shape… I figure I’ll learn as much as I can from that experience and eventually get back into narrative storytelling — that’s my passion.” Until then, Mahoney hopes ‘Find Me’ can do some good in the world. “’Find Me’ is coming to the end of the festival circuit. We had the option of running it another year, but I think that for the level it’s at, we should pull it now,” she said. “I’d like to contact some suicide awareness organizations and offer it to them to see if they want to do something with it.” Mahoney’s previous passion project — creating a film department at UAA may have died with her graduation. Seeing no film major option at UAA, Mahoney
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Player’s Choice
'Find Me' is a film directed by Alaskan filmmaker Kitty Mahoney, who, along with her production cast, will be on hand to talk with the audience Saturday afternoon at the Equinox Women's Film Festival at Mat-Su College in Palmer. (Courtesy photo)
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MATT HICKMAN
figured out a way to cobble together her own course of study by meshing elements from the journalism and theater departments. She pitched it to the dean, he approved it, and in 2015, Mahoney became the first Seawolf to graduate with a degree in film. To date, she’s the only one. “I’ve heard some of those classes have faded away, but I’m not sure,” Mahoney said. “I have hopes they’ll pick it back up and do something else with it.” Mahoney said her new job will make it tough for her to have much of a role on ‘Sudsy Slim’, which, is scheduled to be released next spring, but she’ll help out when she can. “I plan on showing up on set to help as much as I can,” Mahoney said. “Even if it’s just moving apple boxes around.”
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Actor Raymond Chapman, who played Rupert in ‘Moose’ and carried the leading role in Kitty Mahoney’s film ‘Find Me’, reads with an auditioner for ‘Sudsy Slim Rides Again’ Saturday at Valley Performing Arts in Wasilla.
For more information about upcoming events, visit anchoragedowntown.org Downtown Pass March 3rd First Friday & Month-long Specials ADP Monthly Membership Meeting April 5th • 9am-10am Port View Room
Downtown Dining Week April 7th -16th Downtown Restaurants Heart of Anchorage Awards April 28th • 6:30pm - 8:30pm Anchorage Musuem
See Additional Information About These Events & More at
www. A nchorageDowntown.org
Liquor License Transfer Notice
Jump-start
Brandon Hall d/b/a Resolution Brewing Company located at 3024 Mountain View Drive, Anchorage is applying for transfer of a Brewery License AS 04.11.130 liquor license to Grant Yutrzenka of 37.5% and Morgan Vail 37.5%. COURTESY PHOTO
The University of Alaska Anchorage's one-and-only film major, Kitty Mahoney in a 2014 file photo.
your summer!
Interested persons should submit written comment to their local governing body, the applicant and to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board at 550 West 7th Ave., Suite 1600, Anchorage, Ak 99501
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DIVORCE, LOVE AND FURY BY LEE HARRINGTON
S
taring out at the sea from their balcony in Dauville, France, Sibyl (Stefanie Suydam) and Elyot (Frank Delaney) can’t help but breathe in their new life. The first night of their honeymoon, how could things be anything but idyllic? As discussions about ex-wives and whether Delaney really loves his young 2nd wife Suydam rise up though, the audience can feel the tension in the air. But when they leave and the ex-wife in question, Amanda (Rebecca Mahar), enters with her new husband Victor (Jay Burns), tension becomes densely layered with comedy, tragedy, lust, and confusion. When director Teresa Pond said she was “looking for a juicy classic” for the Cyrano’s Theatre Company Stage to begin their 25th year of productions, she was right to choose Noël Coward’s Private Lives. A dark and emotionally broken romantic comedy, it reminds us that the opposite of love is not anger, but is apathy. Written in 1930, when divorce was far more taboo and uncommon than today, discussing the issues of whether love ends, how new love forms, and
where lust plays into all of it are important questions today as well. After Delaney finally runs into Mahar, he begs Suydam to leave. Literally on his knees at one point, he implores his new wife in a moment of ridiculously beautiful moment that the woman who cancelled her ticket on the Titanic lived, and his premonitions told him that they needed to flee as well. “Don’t quibble, Sybil,” he argues, as Suydam bursts into the overly cheesy tears her character turns to time and again – while also showing her fierce side each time she articulates why Delaney is being ridiculous. This shows, because even in a play that has such rapid-cycling mood swings, Suydam delivered beautifully even in a limited role. Rather than not bring up Delaney’s presence at the hotel, Mahar informs Burns instead that she would rather not be distracted by him. In a moment of charm that Burns carries throughout the show, he stands up straight, and with a sweet defiance states “I don’t see why our honeymoon should be ruined by Elliot.” He carries this strength of character and innocent charm all the way through his discussions face to face with Delaney over
Private Lives runs through April 2nd at Cyrano’s Playhouse. Tickets are available for $25 ($23 for students, military, and 65+) at Cyranos.org.
PRIVATE LIVES AT CYRANO’S Sybil (Stefanie Suydam) passionately accuses Elyot (Frank Delaney) on the balcony. Image by Frank Flavin. the flaws about fighting over women. If only the beau could know early on that even though they had been divorced for 5 years, Delaney and Mahar were not as done with each other as
Frontiersman M at- S u V alley
they thought. Private Lives, as it is set in the 30s, required intense wardrobe to hold the elegance of the time. The costuming team went above and beyond, with tight-wrapped waists, stunning glamor, delicate glitz, and coordinating coats. Creating the ambiance for the lyrical nature of Coward’s work was also an impressive feat. “The play was originally created for a large proscenium style theatre,” points out Pond, “so our version in an intimate partial thrust theatre, definitely required some creative thinking!” Together with Scenic Designer Marcia Varady, they created a world that, like the costuming between segments, could be transformed from one mood and location to another. As quaint as the piece may seem at points, it is Mahar and Delaney’s thoughtful moments between bouts of lust and domestic violence that win the day. This quaintness is only seen because, nearly 80 years later, pieces like Private Lives
became the template upon which other comedies of manners became modeled, where moments of chance lead to situations where no one can win. Mahar and Delaney’s fights and flights of fancy throughout Act 2 deliver powerful swings from long bouts of kisses and rolling around on various pieces of furniture, to vitriolic comments about current and past wrong-doings. The musical styling of Cowards work is lifted up as the two of them interact with one another. For example, when Delaney states with poise and consternation that “It doesn’t suit women to be promiscuous,” Mahar retorts with a matching demeanor that “it doesn’t suit men for women to be promiscuous.” Keeping such banter flowing with it still looking natural is a challenge, even if the physicality of the act came out on the slightly absurd, yet annoyingly believable, side. For those that have danced with domestic violence or challenging divorces though, this
believability amidst the absurdity can be challenging, while for others the back and forth these two excellent actors deliver allows for a chance to bet on which one you’ll hate the most in the next act. During her brief appearances as Louise, the maid at the Parisian flat, Danielle Best was able to provide pieces of slapstick sweetness that held up a mirror to the nastiness of the divorced couple, and the naiveté of their new spouses. Just like when the maid nearly trips over misplaced furniture with people sleeping on them, the various cringe-worthy moments ask us all when we have had those absurd moments tied up with our love and lust. Most of us can point out when we have been idiots for passion, been unable to disentangle from painful partners, or been so swept up in moments of joy that we forget what was framing that joy.
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FAR-NORTH MALLARDS THRIVING ON THE EDGE
SCIENCE Mallards in an open section of the Chena River in Fairbanks after a morning where the temperature dropped to minus 36 F.
BY NED ROZELL
W
ith dogs' breath fogging the 30-below zero air at their knees, 71 Iditarod mushers steamed their way down the frozen Chena River in Fairbanks on March 6. Upstream, just a few miles behind them, 500 ducks were surviving in a one-mile stretch of open water. You might think the mallards that did not migrate from the subarctic in fall would be skinny and weak, but a UAF graduate student found the Fairbanks ducks have the highest midwinter body mass of just about any mallards in North America. And the ducks improved in body condition since their brethren flew away. Tim Spivey just defended his master's thesis on the hundreds of mallards that spend winters in Anchorage and Fairbanks, unlike most of a half-million Alaska mallards that flew south months ago. The mallard is the raven of the duck world, able to eat just about anything. Mallards have overwintered in Anchorage since at least 1975. There are now about 1,300 mallards there now. The Fairbanks population of mallards has increased to about 500 overwintering ducks since people began feeding them in organized fashion. Spivey found the body condition of Anchorage mallards declined from autumn to late winter. Fairbanks ducks, however, reached their highest body mass during November, December and January, the coldest months of the year. Ducks live in the two cities all winter because of two key factors: There is open water in both places and people feed them. In Fairbanks, workers at the city's main
PHOTOS BY NED ROZELL.
Marv Hassebroek of Fairbanks feeds overwintering ducks a mixture of cracked corn, wheat and vitamin-and-mineral pellets. coal-fired power plant discharge equipmentcooling water into the Chena River, warming it enough that a mile-long section downstream does not freeze. Volunteers haul as many as eight five-gallon buckets of corn and wheat to the riverbank each winter day to feed the ducks. Marv Hassebroek, 81, has fed the ducks a mixture of cracked corn, Delta wheat and feed pellets for about 12 years. At that time, he and the late Bill Stroecker saw mallards that "looked like they were starving to death. "Bill used to say 'I shot more ducks than any-
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body in Fairbanks, now I'm going to make up for it,'" Hassebroek said. To test how much of that six-month daily gift made up the Fairbanks mallards' winter diet, Spivey captured ducks and took blood samples and banded their legs before releasing them. Using isotope analysis on the blood samples, Spivey found human handouts make up 85 percent of an urban mallard's diet by late winter. A natural diet for mallards includes seeds and berries, small fish and invertebrates in the water. Of the people feeding the ducks, Spivey said
some feel the ducks will die without their help. Hassebroek acknowledged that as he hauled a few 5-gallon buckets of grain to the Chena, where a few dozen ducks amid hundreds quacked at his arrival. "If we didn't feed them, they'd be dead in a week, maybe a couple weeks," he said. "That's not the case," Spivey said a few days earlier during his thesis defense. "They'll migrate to chase resource availability." In his research, Spivey also checked out ducks to see whether active infections were happening in the urban-wintering mallards. He found the Fairbanks mallards maintained the influenza A virus during winter when most dabbling ducks have left, which biologists think is significant. "Wintering mallards could conceivably play a role in the perpetuation of extremely economically costly poultry pathogens in Alaska," said Andy Ramey, an expert on avian flu with the USGS Science Center in Anchorage via email. These viruses "have the potential to cause disease not only among domestic poultry, but also in pet or backyard birds and numerous species of wild birds, including raptors." There are pluses and minuses for mallards remaining in Alaska over the winter, Spivey said. Downsides are the increased chance of maintaining the viral reservoir and a dependence on a human-granted food supply. Upsides include avoiding the many dangers of migration and shorter commutes to summer nesting areas in places like Minto Flats, Susitna Flats and the Innoko River. Since the late 1970s, the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute.
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DIVORCE, LOVE AND FURY
PRIVATE
Savage Love. By Dan Savage I went to Dark Odyssey Winter Fire, the big kink hotel takeover event in Washington, DC, in February. There was one thing I saw there that is messing with my head, and I hope you can set me straight. There was this lovely little six-person orgy going on with two cute-ascould-be hippie girls and four older dudes. Then these four people came along. They sat and watched—a guy and three women in hijabs and dresses that went wrist to ankle, fully covered. After a while, one of the hippie girls turned to them and said, “I’d be happy to flog you later if you’d like.” The three
women in hijab giggled. The whole scene was really sweet, but I just couldn’t get over these three women. I saw them walking around all night, taking it all in. Intellectually, I know there is no reason to think that conservative Islam is incompatible with kink. But my cultural biases make me feel that it is. Or is it possible that covering is their kink? What would you make of that? Washington Kinkster Wondering “With all the hateful antiMuslim rhetoric out there these days, it is tempting to romanticize Islam,” said Eiynah, a Pakistani-Canadian children’s book author who also hosts a podcast that focuses on sex, Islam, and apostasy. “The impulse is understandable, but Islam is another one of the blatantly sex-negative Abrahamic faiths.” The other blatantly sexnegative Abrahamic faiths, for those of you keeping score out there, are Judaism and Christianity. “Nothing outside of ultravanilla plain ol’ two-person hetero sex within the confines of marriage is permissible,” said Eiynah. So as much as I’d love to agree with WKW that conservative Islam isn’t incompatible with kink, there’s every reason to say that it is. It’s even incompatible with a woman being slightly ‘immodest’ in
front of men. Modesty codes are pretty rigid in Islam, and in non-Muslim-majority countries, modesty garments tend to stick out rather than blend in. Which achieves the exact opposite purpose—attracting more attention, not less.” And when sex-negativity, modesty, and religion mix it up, WKW, the part of our brain that grinds out kinks—precise location yet to be determined—kicks into high gear. That’s why there is Mormonundergarment porn out there and nun porn and hot-priest calendars for sale on sidewalks just outside Vatican City. “Islamic modesty has become fetishized for some— quite literally,” said Eiynah. “There’s hijabi porn and hijabi Lolitas. So the people WKW saw could be into some form of hijab kink.” I’ve seen a few people dressed up as Catholic nuns at fetish parties, WKW, and I didn’t think, “Hey, what are nuns doing here?!?” I thought, “That person has a nun kink.” (Related point: The nuns you see at queer pride parades? Not really nuns. #TheMoreYouKnow) “Finally, it’s possible they could be a more ‘open-minded’ polygynous Muslim family that ventured into the hotel in a moment of adventurousness,” said Eiynah. “We are all human, after all, with urges, kinks, curiosities, and desires
that surface, no matter what ancient morality code we try to follow.” Amen. Eiynah tweets @NiceMangos, her terrific podcast—Polite Conversations—is available on all the usual podcast platforms, and her children’s book, My Chacha Is Gay, can be ordered at chachaisgay.com. I’m a 30-year-old woman in a long-term polyamorous relationship with a stellar guy. Our relationship began as extremely Dom/sub, with me being the sub. My boyfriend and I began super casually but quickly became serious partners. Now, six years later, I find having kinky sex with him challenging. We have a very deep, loving relationship, so my feelings get hurt when we engage in bondage and kink play. This is especially problematic because I still enjoy BDSM with folks I’m not dating. Basically, if I’m not in love with someone, it doesn’t hurt my feelings when they beat me and humiliate me. My boyfriend feels slighted, but I just don’t know what to do. Every time we play rough—the same way we had played for years—my feelings get hurt. Any thoughts? She’s Hurting His Heart It’s not uncommon to meet people in BDSM spaces/circles who have passionate, intimate, solid, and regular vanilla sex with their long-term partner(s)
and intense BDSM play and/or sex with more casual partners. For some submissives, intimacy and a long-term connection can interfere with their ability to enter into and enjoy their roles, and the same is true for some Doms. If this is just how you’re wired, SHHH, you may need to write a new erotic script for your primary relationship—or make a conscious decision to have new and different and satisfying sexual adventures with your boyfriend. I cannot find a woman who will accept my panty fetish. Please advise. Trembling Man Inquires Keep looking, TMI. There are women out there who think men can be sexy in panties— and anyone who thinks men can’t be sexy in panties needs to check out all the hunky pantywearing models at xdress.com. I am a sissy husband. My problem is I am not attracted to women at all. I have asked my wife to cuckold me. My penis is less than two inches long, and the only way for me to have sex with her is by using my strap-on on her. When I do that, all I can think of is my best friend Roberto who I am very attracted to. I shared a queen-size bed with him for two years. While we lived together, I did all of the “women’s work.” Roberto always told me how small and soft and femi-
nine my hands were. He drank a lot and then would pass out in our bed. I would put on one of my sexy pink nighties and sleep next to him. Now I have a wife, and I am so jealous that Roberto might find a girlfriend. I have begged my wife to cuckold me with Roberto. She said, “Roberto is a very sexy man, but I don’t know.” How can I tell her that I am totally feminine and turned off by women and totally turned on by men? How do I tell her that she is married to a sissy man lover? I want her to have a boyfriend. Then when she is out with her boyfriend, I would get dressed up like a sissy and be locked out of the house dressed as a woman and have to wait for her to let me back in after her boyfriend left. Please help. Lust In South America Thanks for sharing. Not sure I believe a word you wrote, LISA, but it was an entertaining read. (Okay, okay, some advice: Tell your wife the truth, i.e., you are not and have never been attracted to women, suggest redefining your marriage as a loving-but-companionate one, propose cuckolding as a way for you two to maintain a sexual connection, albeit one mediated through a third party. Good luck.) On the Lovecast, “The Epidemic of Gay Loneliness” and a takedown of Beauty and the Beast: savagelovecast.com.
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BY ROB BREZSNY
B12
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The more unselfish and compassionate you are in the coming weeks, the more likely it is you will get exactly what you need. If you're kind to people, they will want to be kind to you in return. Taking good care of others will bolster their ability to take good care of you. If you're less obsessed with I-me-mine, you will magically dissolve psychic blocks that have prevented certain folks from giving you all they are inclined to give you. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I hope you will consider buying yourself some early birthday presents. The celebration is weeks away, but you need some prodding, instigative energy now. It's crucial that you bring a dose of the starting-fresh spirit into the ripening projects you're working on. Your mood might get overly cautious and serious unless you infuse it with the spunk of an excited beginner. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Many Geminis verbalize profusely and acrobatically. They enjoy turning their thoughts into speech, and love to keep social situations lively with the power of their agile tongues. However, I must note that your words don't always have as much influence as they have entertainment value. You sometimes impress people more than you impact them. But here's the good news: In the coming weeks, that could change. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your world is more spacious than it has been in a long time. Congrats! I love the way you have been pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and into the wilder frontier. For your next trick, here's my suggestion: Anticipate the parts of you that may be inclined to close down again when you don't feel as brave and free as you do now. Then gently clamp open those very parts. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I like rowdy, extravagant longing as much as anyone. But I am also a devotee of simple, sweet longing . . . pure, watchful, patient longing . . . open-hearted longing that brims with innocence and curiosity and is driven as much by the urge to bless as to be blessed. That's the kind I recommend you explore and experiment with in the coming days. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You know that forbidden fruit you've had your eyes on? Maybe it isn't so forbidden any more. It could even be evolving toward a state where it will be both freely available and downright healthy for you to pluck. But there's also a possibility that it's simply a little less risky than it was before. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I expect you will get
more than your usual share of both sweetness and tartness in the coming days. Sometimes one or the other will be the predominant mode, but on occasion they will converge to deliver a complex brew of WOW!-meets-WTF! Use a saucy attitude to convey your thoughtfulness. Be as provocative as you are tender. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "I want to gather your darkness in my hands, to cup it like water and drink." So says Jane Hirshfield in her poem "To Drink." I bet she was addressing a Scorpio. Yes, it's true that you also harbor an unappetizing pocket of darkness, just like everyone else. But that sweet kind is not only safe to imbibe, but can also be downright healing. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Some traditional astrologers might say you are in a phase of downsizing and self-restraint. They'd encourage you to be extra strict and serious and dutiful. There are some grains of truth in this perspective, but I like to emphasize a different tack. I say that if you cooperate with the rigors of Saturn, you'll be inspired to become more focused and decisive and disciplined as you shed any flighty or reckless tendencies you might have. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Born in the African nation of Burkina Faso, Malidoma Somé is a teacher who writes books and offers workshops. In his native Dagaare language, his first name means "he who befriends the stranger/enemy." I propose that we make you an honorary "Malidoma" for the next three weeks. It will be a favorable time to forge connections, broker truces, and initiate collaborations. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): EVERY relationship has problems. Here's the corollary to that rule: EVERY partner is imperfect. Does this mean that all togetherness is doomed? That it's forever impossible to create satisfying unions? The answer is HELL, NO! — especially if you keep the following in mind: Choose a partner whose problems are: 1. interesting; 2. tolerable; 3. useful in prodding you to grow; 4. all of the above. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Would you like some free healing that's in alignment with cosmic rhythms? Try this experiment. Imagine that you're planning to write your autobiography. Create an outline that has six chapters. Each of the first three chapters will be about a past experience that helped make you who you are. In each of the last three chapters, you will describe a desirable event that you want to create in the future.
March 16 - March 22, 2017
STILLS
WITH SAGE O'NEILL
Beluga Point Here’s a 43-second, long exposure shot taken from Beluga Point. Usually Beluga Point is too dark to get any decent shots, but the moon really helped me out on this night. I was out shooting for almost a whole hour, something about the moonlight and just taking in all the amazing scenery around me made for a very humbling experience. I was near the water for most of the time. Whenever I think about how crazy I must look to all the drivers passing by, I always laugh to myself—here I am, the only one out there, standing along the highway. Taking photos is always very therapeutic for me. I can be having the worst day, but as soon as I start clicking that shutter button all my stress seems to go away and I get lost in my own little happy place. I don’t always get the shot I want and even fail horribly at times, but if I can learn from my mistakes and get a better shot the next time, it’s always worth it. I think we’re all capable of great things, we just need to visualize the win and things will come together as they should.
Sage is a local skateboarder and photographer. You can check out him out on Instagram @sagerzzzz.
Anchorage I go to Point Woronzof beach whenever I have the sudden urge to get some fresh air. The open waters and cool breeze never disappoint. This night was exceptionally brisk. I’d say it was close to zero degrees out. Me and my buddy Shawn threw on whatever jackets I had in my car and we began our small journey. As a photographer, you often find yourself in questionable places, pushing yourself to the limit in hopes of getting that perfect shot. Considering I had ACL reconstruction surgery back in October, this night was no different. Something in me won’t allow my injuries to hold me back from doing something I love. When it’s frigid, it’s always a little tougher on your injuries, but the pain is only temporary and so I find a way to deal with it. Photography has been an uplifting outlet for me while dealing with my injuries. I blew my knee out last May, at the peak of summer skateboarding. Skateboarding is a huge part of my life—it was really tough for me not being able to skate all summer—so I just stuck with photography to keep me sane and help me through the emotional and physical roller coaster We got to the beach a little after sunset, there was no one else there, which always makes for an eerie feeling. We trekked through the snow and ice carefully. I eventually found where I wanted to shoot and went to work. This is a 13-second long exposure shot of the city I am happy to call home: Anchorage.
Help Those In Need Call to Coordinate Donations Blankets, towels, hats & gloves for those who are less fortunate
G TO OZ WEED GOT WHAT YOU NEED!!!
SPICE Spice Destruction Harm Reduction
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XNLV318103
907-336-2232 349-7437(SHES)
Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, Palmer, Fairbanks, North POLE, ESTER, FOX, MOOSE CREEK AND SALCHA 10am-8pm, Closed Sundays and Major Holidays Must be 21 Years or Older to Donate Always Looking For New Community Members Spice Destruction Harm Reduction $CASH ONLY$ - Driver Carries NO Change
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Making our community a greener place www.safetyhealthenvironmentalsolutions.com
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
B13
ELLE: SCHADENFREUDE WITH A TWIST
I
sabelle Huppert is perfectly sublime in Elle, directed by Paul Verhoeven and adapted from Phillippe Djian’s 2012 novel, “Oh…”. The novel was greatly acclaimed and this new retelling of the story is Verhoeven’s first feature film in about a decade. The plot points of Elle are widely known as a result of both the book and the film’s wide publicity efforts. The plot is simply this: Michèle Leblanc (Elle) is a powerhouse in the gaming industry — she’s tough, successful, and controlling. One day she is assaulted and raped in her home and instead of reporting it, she plows through the experience and it’s business as usual, or, almost. What is great about the film is that Huppert delivers the nuances of a deep-seeded ambivalence bordering on psychopathic tendencies that Elle experiences as a result of her childhood history in a way that only Huppert can. Isabelle Huppert has never made a bad movie. That isn’t to say that she hasn’t been in bad movies, it’s to say that if they were bad,
it wasn’t because of her. As a matter of fact, sometimes her acting is the only reason to see her movies, good or bad. Huppert was nominated for best actress for her role as Elle at this year’s Academy Awards and though she didn’t receive the award, the reasons why she was a leading contender are solid. The 60-something year old French actress has well over a hundred performances under her belt, and there are a handful more currently in postproduction. Huppert has demonstrated time after time that she possesses a wide range of emotional dexterity, profound intelligence and experience of human nature. This has given her a extensive variety of roles, from the her understated performance in Entre Nous (1983, by Diane Kurys) that influenced the way lesbian relationships evolved on the screen, to silly roles like in 8 Women (2002, by François Ozon) in which Huppert plays Augustine, a spinster teeming with desire who sings her way to metamorphosis, and of course, truly difficult and sadistic roles that push all the boundaries, like her role in The Piano Teacher (2001, by Michael Haneke) in which she plays Erika Kohut, a dark and disturbed piano teacher
with masochistic tendencies. Elle, as it turns out, is a character more like Erika than not, except unlike the character in The Piano Teacher, the character of Elle has it all, giving her unencumbered control of her actions. As one would expect, given the plot and characteristics of the thriller-suspense genre, there is plenty of violence to go around. The violence is introduced in perfectly framed and compelling shots. It intensifies and changes as the context changes, thus going from acts of violence against Elle to acts of violence with Elle. Huppert slowly reveals Elle’s own human nature and brings to light how complex she really is and how the world revolves around her not because she is good, but because she is honest about her desires, and unapologetic when she causes pain—actually she enjoys it just a tad too much. Elle could very well have been a flop if it weren’t for Huppert. Verhoeven fails to deliver depth in concepts that are there for the taking, such as the relationship between Elle and her psychochotic and incarcerated father. Verhoeven leaves too much on the table and it’s difficult to know if this is because Verhoeven
Art House Monday
ULTRAMAN
ELLE 55TH ANNIVERSARY
5:30 pm X THE MOVIE 2016 ULTRAMAN
10:30pm 7:45 pm
When TV host Carlos Academyreality Award Nomination – Best Kurozaki breaks into aGlobe Animated Feature • Golden mysterious Nomination forunderground Best Animated Feature pyramid for a television event, After his mother’s sudden death, he removes a special gem...
Small-town Alabama, 1932. Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Atticus (played Language Finch Film • Golden Globeby Gregory Peck) is a lawyer Award for Best Actress – Motion and a –widower. He has Picture Drama two young children, Jem Michèle seems indestructible. and Scout. Atticus Finch is Head of a leading videoTom game currently defending Robinson, a black company, she brings man the same accused of raping a white ruthless attitude to her love life woman. Meanwhile, Jem and as to business. Being attacked Scout are intrigued by in her home by an unknowntheir neighbours, the Radleys, assailant changes Michèle’s and the mysterious, seldom-seen life forever. Boo Radley in particular. In French with English subtitles.
Zucchini is befriended by a
1230 W. 27th Ave
907-276-4200 For a complete listing of this week’s movies, visit beartooththeatre.net
B14
Etelgar, forces a beautiful foster home, filled with other young princess, Alena, orphansalien his age. to use her magical mirror to In French withUltraman English subtitles. trap every hero in the Galaxy!
ENGLISH DUBBED.
Showtimes: Mon 3/20 7:45 PM Run time: 2:10 h Movie Rating: R. for violence involving sexual assault, disturbing sexual content, some grisly images, brief graphic nudity, and language
Special Presentation
MY LIFE AS- A ZUCCHINI DOUBLE FEATURE! Art-House 5:30pm Monday, March 20th
ULTRAMAN GINGA S THE MOVIE police officer, Raymond, who 2014 - A sinister accompanies himspace to his warrior, new
believes in the acumen of his viewers, or simply because he ran out of steam. In addition, there are small continuity issues that viewers are forced to ignore in order to give in to the tension and suspense. On the other hand, perhaps it’s the fact that Verhoeven does not give more information that will keep smart viewers talking after the end credits role.
Art-House TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962) Monday, March 20th
LION WESTWORLD (1973) SPECIAL PRESENTATION 10:30pm Friday - Sunday
March 17th-19th at for 7:55 pm An amusement park rich vacationers. The boy park A five-year-old Indian gets provides itsstreets customers a way lost on the of Calcutta, tothousands live out their fantasies of kilometers through the He use of robots from home. survives that provide anything many challenges before they beingTwo adopted by avacationers couple in want. of the Australia; 25 years choose a wild westlater, he sets out to However, find his lostafter family. adventure. a computer OSCARS 2017breakdown, Nominations: they find they are now BESTthat PICTURE • ACTRESS IN A being SUPPORTING Nicolerobot Kidman • stalked by ROLE: a rogue ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Dev Patel gun-slinger. Based on a true story #lionheart
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BY INDRA ARRIAGA
March 16 - March 22, 2017
BY MIKE GORDON
W
eary of selling life insurance, I was looking for a change. I’ve never been very good at dealing with rejection and if I got a rude reaction to my first cold call of the day I was frequently done. A lot of people had suggested to me that I should be in radio or television, mostly because of my voice, a baritone I’ve been accused of affecting, though it’s the same voice of my father and my son. In 1969, radio broadcasters had to take a simple FCC test for a license before they were employable, so I went to the old federal building on Fourth Avenue and got licensed. As I recall, it had mostly to do with not swearing on the air. Next, I applied for a job as a disc jockey with local radio station KHAR. Station manager Ken Flynn ushered me into a little booth to read an ad for Volkswagen. When I was finished, he said, “I hate it when some kid walks in straight off the street and sounds better than I do!” Then he hired me. In addition to selling life insurance for New York Life and managing some apartments on a block of property downtown that I owned with a friend of mine, I was trying to put another bar deal together, crawling under the buildings of prospective purchases through the reeking fumes of space heaters placed to prevent the plumbing from freezing. But now I also went in the mornings to KHAR each day to learn how to work “the board,” a big commercial radio station soundboard. My instructor was Ruben Gaines. This chance meeting was one of the most important in either of our lives, though neither of us could have possibly guessed it at the time. Ruben was the consummate raconteur, a truly gifted and professional writer and entertainer in every sense of the word. I marveled at his abilities. He had a program called Conversations Unlimited, in which he entertained Alaskans every weekday during prime drive-home time with his storytelling, wit and social commentary, mixed with easy-listening music. His theme song, I nostalgically recall, was Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune." Ruben had different established characters in his stories, including Doc, Mrs. Malone, Six-toed Mordecai and, of course, Chilkoot Charlie, a character Ruben concocted during a long, 206-inch, rainy winter in Ketchikan in the late 1940s. Ruben would bring these characters to life for his audience, virtually becoming each one. The character I remember most vividly watching him affect was Doc, the crusty sourdough, for whom Ruben would greatly protrude his lower lip to produce the appropriate vocal personality. Ruben was born in Portland, Oregon in 1912. He had a successful career in Hollywood during World War II and knew a lot of the Hollywood celebrities of the day. He worked for five years at the Hollywood Mutual Studios of KJS, Los Angeles, writing most of the network’s continuity for their musical productions. He also wrote much of the drama for shows like “California Melodies,” the music version of “Music Depreciation,” and “This is the Hour.” Ruben wrote and directed musical productions with Frank DeVol, Buddy Cole and Henry Zimmerman—all enormously talented and successful men. He told me he and a couple of pals, drunk and blindfolded, threw a dart at a wall map and it landed on Alaska, which I suppose is as good of an explanation for moving to the territory as any. Before settling in Anchorage, Ruben also worked a spell in Fairbanks, where he and another talented radio guy, sportscaster Ed Stevens, would brilliantly broadcast “live” Major League Baseball games. Of course, there were no satellites back then, so Alaskans had to wait several days for tape recordings to arrive by air, and calling the States was expensive, if not impossible for most people. Ruben and Ed would receive the play-by-play information about a game from a buddy in the Lower Forty-Eight by telephone, on the staMarch 16 - March 22, 2017
RUBEN GAINES A CHILKOOT CHARLIE’S TALE tion’s dime, and would then "broadcast" the game as if it were live, including the excitement one would expect from the announcer, the sound effects of the ball being smacked, the roaring crowd and all. People in the Bush never knew the difference between Ruben and Ed’s broadcasts and the real thing. Not long after my introduction to Ruben and “the board,” oil was discovered on the North Slope and a state auction raised $900 million from the sale of leases at Prudhoe Bay. It was a colossal amount of money in 1969, though recent annual State budgets have been well over ten times that amount. Given the changing circumstances, I figured I would visit Skip Fuller again to see if the Alibi Club in Spenard was still for sale. It was, but the price had gone up. The price of everything had gone up. Not wanting to miss the potential bonanza of owning a bar during a boom period, lawyer friend Bill Jacobs and I bit the bullet, borrowed the pre-arranged $20,000 from his mother for a down payment and closed the deal. Now I had to decide on a name and specific Alaskan theme for the place. I kept a pad by my bed and woke up throughout the night to write down ideas. One had to do with a much-maligned local variety of salmon—the pink, or humpy. I had schools of ideas about Mr. and Mrs. Humpy, waking up in the middle of the night to write them down on that pad. You don’t have to ponder overly long to realize the possibilities. Sooner or later someone was going to employ the name, and many years later did. The other idea was Chilkoot Charlie’s, after Ruben’s titan, fictional, sourdough reprobate, arguably the best known literary character in the state at the time. I was torn. I had a school teacher for a tenant in one of our rentals downtown who had been a customer at the Bird House Bar and was one of my New York Life policyholders. When I went around monthly collecting rents he and his wife would sometimes invite me in for dinner. One night over dinner I presented my dilemma and Mel didn’t hesitate, saying, “What, are you crazy? You’ve got to call it Chilkoot Charlie’s!” I took Ruben to lunch at the Black Angus restaurant on Fireweed Lane, carrying with me a handwritten agreement giving me exclusive permission to use the name in the bar and restaurant business. In return Ruben would be able to sell his books, records and cartoons in the bar. ***** Ruben was a very talented cartoonist. He used his cartoon skills in making the transition from radio to television. He employed a stylized cartoon duck to portray weather conditions while he announced them—the duck thenceforth becoming a staple in the cartoons he created. Ruben was a creative genius, not a marketing genius. He manufactured far more
cartoons than he could sell, but he loved crafting them, so I told him I would purchase all that he produced. He made me promise not to hoard them and so I’ve given them away over the years for special gifts and for charity auctions, but I’ll admit I still have a pile of them. I should mention that Ruben drew the Chilkoot Charlie’s logo for me. During my mountain climbing years I borrowed an idea at my wife Shelli’s suggestion from the Iditarod dog racers, who postmark decorative cachets, carry them the 1,000 miles to Nome, postmark them again and then give them to supporters as collectibles or sell them to raise money. Ruben drew cartoons for each of my climbs with Chilkoot Charlie in an outfit appropriate for each mountain. Denali saw him dressed as a sourdough with mittens and a hat with ear flaps; for Kilimanjaro he wore the uniform of a French Legionnaire; for Elbrus he had on a big Russian-style fur hat; for Aconcagua he wore a serape and gaucho; for Vinson he was shaking hands with a penguin on the summit; for Kosciusko he wore an Australian Outback hat and for Everest he was a sourdough again. I would have them postmarked at a location near the base of the mountain, carry them to the summit and have them postmarked again somewhere near the base. Upon returning home Ruben hand-colored each cachet, a job he dreaded but performed with kind-hearted tolerance, and signed them. I then numbered and signed them. They made great gifts and I was proud that friends collected them, some framing them and hanging them in their homes or offices. ***** Ruben, without hesitation said, “Chilkoot Charlie’s! That’s a great name for a bar!” and signed his name in the space I had provided. No one at the time could possibly have conceived the notion that someday the name of the bar would surpass the name of the legend or its creator—certainly not me, but it did and in the process, I hope, it has helped to perpetuate both legend and creator. Ruben, nor his family, ever republished his works, though the writings are copywritten. Everything is out of print and has been for decades, and without the club’s name out there for the last forty-five years, creator and legend would quite possibly be all but forgotten. Fortunately there’s been a renewed interest in Ruben and his works with the arrival of Anchorage’s Centennial Celebration. His personality was recently featured in Anchorage: The First One Hundred Years—A Theatrical Tour (1945-1955), at Cyrano’s Off Theatre Playhouse, along with the reenactments of the baseball games he and Ed broadcasted to the Bush. I was asked to participate in a profile of Ruben to be featured by KTUU-TV, but it was during the sale of my business to my employees and I just could not make the time committment. Ruben’s contributions have not gone
unrecognized. He was appointed Alaska State Poet Laureate in 1973 and in 1985 was entered into the Alaska Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame. Our arrangement, however, became lopsided with Chilkoot Charlie’s—the nightclub— so successful I became embarrassed, feeling like Ruben had gotten a raw deal, so I took him to lunch again—this time to the Corsair, the high-end basement restaurant on West 4th Avenue that Hans Kruger ran for many years. I had another hand-written agreement with me that promised to pay Ruben a specified amount of money each month for the rest of his life, and I did. ***** Rusty Heurlin is universally recognized as an Alaskan master artist. His original paintings are highly sought after and very expensive. He is in the same lofty realm as Sydney Laurence, Eustice Ziegler, Ted Lambert and Fred Machetanz. Rusty is not as well known outside Fairbanks as the others, but he is very well known in the interior, or to anyone knowledgeable about Alaskan art. Large paintings of his used to adorn the Fairbanks Airport walls, though on a recent visit I didn’t see them. His paintings portray wondrous pastel hues of the Arctic and his depictions of the interior and far north—the coldness, the alpenglow, the winter skies and the lifestyles of the Indians and Eskimos—are unsurpassed. Rusty was also a world class character and an expert at the shell game. He prided himself on knowing the capital of every country in the world and relished winning bets at it. I turned up with my future wife, Shelli, one day to close on the purchase of my little house near Chilkoot Charlie’s Ester, prepared for Rusty with the name of a recently reorganized African country and capital due to a coup d’etat. He lost that game for a case of beer, which didn’t further endear me to him. Rusty’s best pal was the radio personality, poet laureate, raconteur, cartoonist, and my friend, Ruben Gaines. Ruben was in the habit of traveling to Ester for Thanksgiving with Rusty to “cook a buzzard,” as he explained. The first time Ruben made this annual sojourn after the local opening of Chilkoot Charlie’s he sauntered into the bar with Rusty in tow and announced to Jim Ables, my manager, that he had a deal with me which, among other things, allowed him to drink free at Chilkoot Charlie’s for the rest of his life, whereupon Ables, a character in his own right said, “Oh, he did, did he?” and proceeded to “six-pack” the two of them with screwdrivers. I showed up not long afterward—the bar top now a sea of screwdrivers—and the bullshit was so deep within an hour that the handful of patrons in the place had to dash to their cars for frozen hip-waders. By way of explanation, it used to be legal to buy someone as many drinks as you wished; never mind whether they wanted them. Better that they didn’t. “Six-packing,” in the ‘70s and ‘80s, was commonplace. The recipient was either supposed to drink the purchase on his behalf or wear it. David Asplund, the son of the first Municipality of Anchorage mayor, who also owned Asplund Supply Company, used to like to set new records with the number of drinks he bought me in Spenard. He kept upping the ante until he one afternoon 164-packed me with scotch and sodas, pouring the contents of half a dozen large, 64-ounce pitchers over my head. I happily rang up the purchase, went home, changed my clothes and returned to my business. You might be guessing that money was easier to come by at the time. It was. There was a little shed/showroom beside Rusty’s log cabin where he and Ruben had teamed up on a marvelous production called “The Great Land.” It was essentially the story of the Vitus Bering Alaska discovery years proceeding, as I recall, up to the pioneer gold mining era. They also teamed up on one called “The Great Stampede,” about the Alaska gold rush that has been on display in Fairbanks and Valdez. There was a small seating area and an ingenious system of CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 pulleys to showcase large, original paintings by Rusty depicting various stages of Alaska’s early modern history. As light flooded the paintings, Rusty, stationed off to the side, would pull the cords moving one painting out of the light and another into it in synchronization with an historical narration recorded by Ruben. It was a unique presentation by one of Alaska’s best artists and one of its best writer/raconteurs. Rusty had Shelli and me sign his guest book, already signed by many, including such notables as author James A. Michener. Another noted Alaskan artist, A. E. (Betty) Park, a friend and fan of Ruben’s, did a masterful job of personifying Chilkoot Charlie, Six-toed Mordecai and illustrating their titan, epic adventures in a couple of Ruben’s collected story publications. She did the artwork for the cover of his two LPs recorded with Frank Brink—Vat I and Vat II. Betty also created a wonderful small, detailed clay model sculpture of Chilkoot Charlie at the behest of the Anchorage City Council to be placed in front of City Hall on 4th Avenue. She described the ordeal: “They told me his head was too knobby. Then they said, ‘You’ve got to remove the liquor jug from his hand.’ In the end I took back the statue and gave it to Ruben.” What the residents of Anchorage wound up with is a politically correct block of carved granite sporting a plaque commemorating William H. Seward that would offend no one other than those with artistic sensibilities. Ruben gave that statue to Shelli and me during our last Christmas together. It will eventually belong to the Anchorage Museum, along with the original mural behind the South Long Bar at Chilkoot Charlie’s, the inserts representing different Chilkoot Charlie tales, such as The Bear, The Mosquitos, The Tundra Boar, The Purple Goat and The Moose Mouse and a 4’ x 8’ painting of both Chilkoot and nemesis Six-toe Mordecai, all of which Betty painted for me to display in the club and long ago I replaced with copies skillfully rendered by unknown artist Michelle Wade. Ruben certainly wanted to be remembered—more than anything else—for his poetry.
When I am young and suffering my first unthinkable reverse and, wounded to the core, go crawling to another who will listen to it all, I hope I find no counselor, who robs me of my grief and tells me disappointment is a simple seasoning and failure an adjustment and the grinding misery is just the firm caress of God, but one who will agree that it's the end of everything and wisely wails with me and follows in my stumbling, broken path awhile Ruben Gaines Collected Ruben Gaines II Copyright © 1988 Ruben Gaines I knew how Ruben felt when he wrote those lines because I didn't want to hear about what a long, productive life he had lived. I spoke emotionally about it during his memorial at the Senior Center that Ruben referred to affectionately as “Gaffersville” on April 7, 1994. I didn't want to be comforted by how he didn't suffer greatly in the end. I wanted to wail out loud about the loss of my dearest friend, a mentor, a man who treated me as his own, whom I shall miss every day of the rest of my life. I felt [and feel] unworthy and unequal to the task of remembering a man who stood head and shoulders above most of the men I've ever known. Ruben was pure of heart and soul. There wasn't an ounce of malice, greed, meanness or arrogance in him. He loved and respected all things. Politically, I would argue vainly about the impracticality of some position steadfastly presented by one who cared only for the welfare of his fellow man–the devil with practicality. “That’s just an excuse, man!” Ruben loved women, too. He loved my wife, Shelli. I used to kid her, not without a certain uneasiness, that if Ruben had been thirty years younger he and I might have had
a real problem. When I'd pick him up to go out to dinner and Shelli wasn't in the car with me, the first thing out of his mouth would be not, "How's it going?", but "Where is she?" Early on I gave up trying to confide in Ruben any sort of grievance with Shelli because he would invariably announce, "I'm on her side, man." And he was right to be. Speaking of going to dinner with Ruben; most people don't realize that Ruben was part Japanese. That's right. He claimed to be Volga German—Hagelganz his real family name. I used to call him Hassleblad to get his goat. But I really believe he was part Japanese. We used to take him to different kinds of restaurants for the sake of variety until one night about ten years into the program we thought “Why not?” and took him to a sushi bar. Eureka! Ruben was never exactly a virtuoso with chop sticks but he took to sushi and sake like a fish to water. For a guy who never forgot any other thing he ever learned in his life, he couldn't for the life of him remember what to call any of that stuff. All he knew was that he loved it and for ten years, roughly once a month, we never ate anywhere but a sushi bar. Just so you know, that's roughly 120 orders of maguro sashimi, 240 hotategai, maybe 50 orders of amaebi, 100 orders of suzuki usuzukuri, 240 orders of tobiko with uzura no tamago and 2,000 servings of sake, not to mention the plum wine and green tea ice cream afterwards. Ruben is not only missed by family, friends and avid followers but by the Sushi Bar Association of Alaska. "It's a wonder a guy didn't sprout gills for God's sake!" How much less enriched our lives would be without Ruben Gaines. By entertaining us all those years he also helped to define us. Alaskans have a sense of unique identity that is to a large degree the gift of one man—a wonderful, supremely talented man who fit perfectly into the time and space he occupied. When Ruben lived in a trailer in east Anchorage Shelli and I would arrange for our housekeeper to clean his place for him once a month or so. When he got to where he couldn’t drive anymore we set up an account for him with Alaska Cab, so all he had to do was call them and they billed me on a monthly basis along with the club’s regular billing. Ruben’s idea of hydration was coffee in the morning and boxed wine from noon on, so
we got him a water dispenser and pestered him to drink water regularly. We helped organize his seventieth and eightieth anniversary galas, which were grand affairs at the Captain Cool Hotel. At one of them I got a kick out of giving him a cane with an air-squeeze horn and rearview mirror attached to it. Ruben suffered some of the standard health issues of the elderly, but the end came while living in his ex-wife’s condominium off of Tudor Road. He fell in the kitchen one day and couldn’t get up. No one, including Ruben, knew how long he was on the floor without food or water until his young female neighbor and admirer discovered him. She took care of Ruben’s garbage and in return he took her to brunch weekly—though he’d have certainly done it anyway—her driving and he treating. When Ruben didn’t answer the door, which turned out to be unlocked, she called me at Chilkoot Charlie’s. My manager, Doran, and I drove directly to the condominium to find paramedics on the scene as well as his daughter, Christine, who had flown up from California because he wasn’t answering his phone. Between the two of us, Christine and I were able to convince Ruben to visit the ER at Providence Hospital, something she had been unable to convince him to do on her own. Ruben never recovered from that accident. Shelli and I visited him on his death bed at Providence Hospital. He was cheerful. Accepting his fate without remorse and with the ever-present wry sense of humor he said, “If I’d known I was going to live this long I’d have taken better care of myself.” As we held his hand, reminiscing for the last time, he said, “You guys have made a difference.” It was a wonderful sentiment and Shelli and I were heartened to hear it. Ruben made a difference too—a big one. Over time I’m sure the people of Alaska will return the love he showered upon them by remembering his creative genius and his contribution to Alaska’s ethos. No one has ever been more Alaskan than Ruben, nor contributed more to what it means. The characters Ruben created will live forever as our treasured heritage: Chilkoot Charlie, Six-Toed Mordecai, Suzy Floe, Mrs. Maloney. Even crusty old Doc would have to say, "He was a pretty good kid after all, dagnabbit.
ALASKA FIREWEED PRESENTS
Strain Variety Observations
of the nose, close to the Last week we talked a nostrils. lot about bud structures Sponsored by: Naturally, as indica and about how to vaguely genetics become slightidentify sativas from indily crossed with sativa, a cas and the dilemma of small amount of sativa an overwhelming abunfeatures will alter the dance of hybrids in the bud. Indica-dominant marketplace. Let’s go a hybrids have a few little deeper into that and more pistils than pure further your expertise indica. The spacing on the subject. I feel that between the calyxes after the last 3 articles relaxes and opens a litanyone really reading this should have a good BY WILL INGRAM, MANAGER AT tle more. The scent perception is from the nosidea about how to identify ALASKA FIREWEED trils to the middle of the their favorite buds and nose. Common indica keep themselves supplied hybrid-dominant tertime and time again. Let's talk Indica flower specifically. penes, like beta-caryophyllene, smell Pure indica has large, wide leaf fin- of spice, earth, wood, pepper and camgers and tight node spacing. These phor. 50/50 hybrids have a combination plants produce flowers that have tiny, right, round colas (like golf balls), or of both strain features. Therefore, a large football-sized flowers. Indica 50/50 bud could have dense, indicaplants tend to have fewer pistils cover- like features accompanied with eloning the buds. Indica flowers produce gated cola characteristics of Sativa. terpenes, like Linalool, that smell These hybrids can also contain a of lavender and flowers. Other com- myriad of terpene combinations. mon indica terpenes produce robust Common 50/50 scents include skunk, scents such as chocolate, leather and leather, orange and other fruits. 50/50 tobacco. These smells can vary, but hybrid scents are either perceived in are usually perceived at the bottom the middle of the nose or throughout
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the entire nose. Sativa dominant hybrid plants have wider node spacing on the branches, causing the buds to grow longer. Sativa hybrid flowers are more open, yet not as wispy as a landrace sativa. Notice that these flowers have more pistils than indica varieties. The smells of citrus, pine, mango and sage are common in sativa hybrids. Sativa hybrid scents are perceived in the mid to higher part of the nose. Landrace sativas have thin leaf-fingers and generous spacing between branch nodes. This allows the buds to grow more elongated and open. Sativa flowers usually have ample spacing between the calyxes, which makes them appear more fluffy and wispy. The buds have more pronounced pistils than those of indica. Sativa terpenes like D-limonene smell like citrus, solvents, diesel and sugar. These smells are perceived at the top of the nose, almost in between the eyes. Use these observations wisely and feel confident about making your cannabis purchases, and remember never hesitate to ask questions. I can't tell you how many times I've heard customers say, "now this might be a stupid question..." There are no stu-
pid questions. This is a brand new industry and we know there is a lack of solid information out there. So, if you’re curious at all, use this information wisely and come see one of our bud-tenders today. We've got some epic new strains in this week from Permafrost Distributors and there's no better time to put your new bud identifying information to work. This article was brought to you by Alaska Fireweed.
March 16 - March 22, 2017
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March 16 - March 22, 2017
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150 Lots/Acreages
225 Homes for Rent/Wasilla
VAIL ESTATES 1 ACRE LOTS All Utilities, Paved roads, 5 minutes from Trunk & Bogard $52.5K 354-1215
Small House For Rent: 2BR 1BA Small indoor pets only, No smoking. $1,100 first, last + $600 sec. deposit Detached car garage, W/D in unit 907-357-2627
WANTED: 10 + Acres of raw land in the MAT-SU Borough # 907-229-4910 Lovely, Large Apartnment for Rent in Palmer Nice neighborhood within walking distance of town. 1 bedroom 1 bath all custom. Marble floors, tiled counters, washer and dryer. Parking and plowing supplied. $1000.00 per month plus deposit, no last month, includes utilities. Child and pet ok. Call or text 707-9430 for more information. 205 Apts. for Rent/Wasilla
WOODSY 1 BD COTTAGE Avail. Early April $850 per month + Deposit To inquire: Sharon 746-6836 or email slicmiestr@aol.com Beautiful Log Home on quiet 8 acres on Lake. Loft, 1 bath, deck. $900mo includes in-floor heat, water, trash, snowplowing & lawn.Private, with beautiful scenery, facing lake, near paved trail. 907-376-5650
Valley Business
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1BD VIEW of Big Lake Utilities incl. NP/NS Newly remodeled. $700 Mo +Dep. 907-631-2456 2 BD 1 BA Great location 1 mi N of Wasilla Heat paid. N/P $875 month. Available Now 907-495-1483
3 BR $1,000 No pets / drugs $1,500 Deposit For info: 907-376-8830 2 BD, 1BA UPSTAIRS $825 mo. + deposit. No Pets. No smoking. Approx Mi. 5 KGB 231-330-5156
Wasilla
Carr’s Shopping Ctr.
485-2847sf from $1.35/sf Contact Cycelia Gumennik Call 376-6300 or visit www.carrgottstein.com 320 Public/Legal Notice Marita Sea & Ski – Power Sports Bankruptcy Auction / Complete Liquidation Saturday March 11 @ 10am Friday March 17 @ 5pm Saturday March 18 @10am www.AlaskaAuction.com
325 Legals THOMAS S. HANNAM is applying under 3 AAC 306.400(a)(2) for a new Limited Marijuana Cultivation Facility license, license #12359,/or Standard Marijuana License, license #12357, doing business as 907 Aurora Products, located 5501 East Hemlock Dr., Wasilla, AK
112 Duplexes for Sale/Mat-Su
G R E AT I N V E ST M E N T !
DUPLEX FOR SALE
$239,400! Call (907) 444-7453 for showings.
B18
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Close to Downtown Wasilla! Built in 1984; Good condition - a must see! Approx. 1,100 sf per unit, each unit has 2 BR and 1 1/2 BA, includes storage, carport, washer/ dryer, refrigerator, stove and dishwasher. Seller will pay up to 3% of sales price towards a buyer’s closing costs, prepaids and reserves with full price offer. Serious buyers only, this is a 1031 tax exchange.
515 Lost & Found
695 Misc. for Sale
99654, UNITED STATES. Interested persons should submit written comment or objection to their local government, the applicant, and to the Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office at 550 W 7th Ave, Suite 1600, Anchorage, AK 99501 or to marijuana.licensing@alaska.gov not later than 30 days after this notice of application. FR#6221 Publish: March 15, 22, 29, 2017
The Ombudsman Selection Committee of the Alaska State Legislature is accepting applications for the position of Alaska Ombudsman. This position can be located in either Anchorage or Juneau. The Ombudsman must be 21 or older and an Alaska resident for at least three years per AS 24.55.030(a) (4). The Ombudsman is a non-partisan, independent, impartial official of the legislative branch readily available to the public. The position is compensated on the State of Alaska Exempt salary schedule at a range 26 starting at step A ($8,305.00 per month). The Ombudsman is responsible administratively to the Legislature, and is empowered to investigate the administrative acts of State of Alaska agencies and to recommend appropriate changes to rectify problems discovered during those investigations. Applications must be submitted through the Workplace Alaska recruitment system no later than 5 p.m. Monday, April 3, 2017. For more information regarding this recruitment visit Workplace Alaska at: www.governmentjobs.com/care ers/alaska The Alaska State Legislature does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or disability. Persons with disabilities who require special accommodations please contact the Legislative Affairs Personnel Office at 907 465-3854. Please allow sufficient notice for the Agency to accommodate your needs prior to the closing date.
and aligator hide on handle / 1 pair of Fur Mukluks made out of Moose, Seal,Red fox, and 1 sea otter hide, signed / Large amount of Women’s Harley Davidson Clothing and Hats and Sweatshirt type Jackets all with womens Bling / One Riding Jacket / one baseball leather hat / Hunting knives and Special forces type knife / flashlight for hunting / Beads and Teeth from wolves, bear, porcupine, deer, and Beloved dog teeth / 2 fur coats / Purple Turquoise Rings (very special) / Diamond Necklace (belonging to His mother that the Grandmother had just taken out of the saftey deposit box) / Motorola Tundra cell phone / There is also a good chance that he has copies of her ID and other identification. Now the police on Prince of Wales are working with local law enforcement in the area. If anyone has any information on any of these objects, please contact the local troopers- that will be in contact with Authorities on Prince of Wales. Klawock Chief of Police Terry Stonecipheer can be contacted at any time. Just call 907-401-0899 concerning any information of the items stolen. He has the full list of items with him. How about you? If you have received or know of any of these things, please let the State Troopers or local police know about any info you have. You are not guilty of anything he is.
140 Neckties For Quilting $100.00 907-376-5024
399 Help Wanted
400 Employment
Call 352-1824
210 Apts. for Rent/Mat-Su
400 Employment
Cashiers G&G/Party Store Apply@Shell Station Hyer Rd/Fairview Lp
For Rentals in the Valley
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325 Legals
Mat-Su Events Office and Sales Staff Days & Eves. Fun work & Easy $! 907.631.6011
305 Business Opps
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marketplace
Contract Licensed Nutritionist/Dietitan for residential substance abuse program: will provide weekly menus that are well balanced, posses effective communication skills and knowledge of substance is helpful. Approximately 16 hours per month, sendresume and salary requirements to Nugen’s Ranch: P.O Box 871545, Wasilla, AK 99687. The State of Alaska’s Legislative Branch is recruiting a Victims’ Rights Advocate for the Office of Victims’ Rights. The Advocate’s primary responsibility is to perform all tasks that direct, manage and support victims and their rights in accordance with its statutory duties (AS 24.65.100). The position is located in Anchorage and is compensated on the State of Alaska Exempt salary schedule at a range 26 step A ($8,305.00 per month). The successful candidate will need to be licensed to practice law in the State of Alaska, at least 21 years of age, have significant experience in criminal law, and a resident of the State of Alaska for the last three years. In addition, the successful candidate must have been actively practicing law sometime within the last three years. Applications must be submitted through the Workplace Alaska recruitment system no later than 5 p.m. Monday, April 3, 2017. For more information regarding this recruitment visit Workplace Alaska at: www.governmentjobs.com/care ers/alaska www.governmentjobs.com/care ers/alaska The Alaska State Legislature does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or disability. Persons with disabilities who require special accommodations please contact the Legislative Affairs Personnel Office at 907 4653854. Please allow sufficient notice for the Agency to accommodate your needs prior to the closing date.
Building Construction Technology Instructor: HBI is currently seeking a fulltime Building Construction Technology Instructor for its program at the Alaska Job Corps Center in Palmer. HS diploma or equivalent is required. Must have at least five (5) years’ general trades experience. The ability to work with youth aged 16-24 is needed. Competitive salary and full benefits offered, including paid leave. To view a full job description and apply, visit www.hbi.org EOE/AA/M/F/D/V 515 Lost & Found Attention! Between December 27, 2016 to present, anyone buying, trading or given anything from Richard J. Brown (known as “Richie”) are more than likely STOLEN from his Grandmother on Prince of Wales Island. She was sick and borrowed the money to get him down there to help her out and she got sicker with Double Pneumonia while he was there. He took it on his own to help himself to: $600.00 / her debit card / checks / her notary seal / 1 Sony Alpha 24.4 MegaPixel DSLR Camera / 1 Nikon 16 MegaPixel camera / 2 Minolta SLR 35 cameras / and several lenses / 1 Antique fiddle in black aligator cases with silver odornments on the case
617 Computers/ Electronics
"COMPUDOC” In home repair since the 90’s. Off hours OK, 376–8285. Used Computers 620 Farm/Garden Two-Level Seed Starting Setup Mounted on a small rolling scaffold. 8 total grow light tubes Accomodates 8 plastic trays $200.00 907-376-5024 633 Firewood FIREWOOD Tree length Birch Saw log Spruce Contact Bond Bros Logging at 715-4019 645 Machinery Original Tommy Lift 1,600 lb. Capacity, in excellent condition, on Chevy Box Truck $1,600 - FIRM (Detached) 907-352-2251 695 Misc. for Sale Automatic Card Shuffler Brand New, In Original Box $11 Call:907-631-3773
For Sale: New Cabela’s Wrist Watch Works Great. For Info, call: 907-631-3773 $25 695 Misc. for Sale
Used IBM Wheelwriter 50 Series 2 Typewriter - w/ Monitor Like new, in great working condition. Has been in storage since 2001, purchased in 1989 (new). $450 907-315-1400 920 Cars Car for sale: 1996 SAAB TURBO 9000 CS Auto trans, new tires and battery. Starts and runs great. Heater fan has intermittent issues.217,000+ miles, this deal includes a 1995 Saab turbo CSE parts car, 95k on parts car motor. $1,750 for both obo. Call 232-4000 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER Color: Raspberry 93,000 miles, Good condition $7,000 OBO # 907-892-7036 652 Pets/Supplies
Advocates for Dog and Puppy Wellness Offers microchippping at PetZoo, once a month. Keep your pet safe. www.Advocatesfordogandp uppywellness.org
Equal Housing Opportunity All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise "any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference,limitation or discrimination." This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. To complain of discrimination call HUD tollfree 1-800-669-9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 800-927-9275.
March 16 - March 22, 2017
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HAPPY HOOKER
Septic Pumping Mat-Su Area
All types & brands of equipment
Certified-Licensed-Bonded-Insured (907)746-5190 advplumb@mtaonline.net
24/7
Pat & Charlotte Murray
! " " " ! "
Make sure your Ad makes the paper, deadlines to place ads are as follows: Tuesday at 10AM for Wednesday’s Paper Thursday at 10AM for Fridays Paper Friday at 10AM for Sundays Paper
907.841.4345
XNLV301367
Snow Removal
746-7800
Advanced Plumbing & Heating, Inc. 24-7 365 Service
XNLV236908
GrassHopper
XNLV268911
720 E. Schelin Spur Palmer, AK 99645
Lawn Maintenance & Landscaping
Metal Roofing & Building Components
907-707-1030 OFFICE 907-707-1035 FAX
XNLV320055
Mat-Su Valley 376-8733 Anchorage 345-8733
XNLV293375
CONCERNED ABOUT SNOW FALLING ONTO YOUR WALKWAYS?
Alyeska Tire Monday thru Friday 8 am - 6 pm Saturday 9 am - 5 pm XNLV317361
steve@alaskansuncatchers.com
XNLV313314
Handcrafted in the USA from recycled materials! (907)795-8217
XNLV296467
SNOW REMOVAL & ROOF SHOVELING
(907) 376-9114
Call today to place your ad
*All ads are non-refundable*
CALL TODAY! 352-2264
352-2279 B19
SALE STARTS 3/16/17 ENDS 3/23/17
Trail Sale!
907-276-1331 888-770-1330
ACCAK.COM Starting as low as
$28,980
MSRP: $36,095 Sale Price: $29,980 USAA: $1000 STOCK# 771760
2017 RAM 1500 Quad Cab
New 2017 Chrysler 200
New 2017 Jeep Patriot
New 2017 Chrysler 300
New 2017 Jeep Cherokee Sport
#53068 • MSRP $25,705
#511589• MSRP $18,985
#58137 • MSRP $39,245
#511729 • MSRP $26,590
New 2017 Dodge Journey SE
New 2017 Renegade Trailhawk
New 2016 Dodge Challenger
#81918 • MSRP $30,820
#95108 • MSRP $31,685
New 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
#66100 • MSRP $24,330
XNLV319447
#72499 • MSRP $29,705
Disclaimer: Tax, license, registration additional. Documentation fee of $220 included in sales price. Subject to prior sale. Sale Price after all applicable discounts and rebates. Must finance thru Ally Bank to qualify for lease pricing. On approval of credit. Pictures may not depict actual vehicle. Incentives and pricing programs subject to change by FCA without notice and is at the discretion of the dealer to honor. Stk# 95108 Lease is based on $2999 due at signing. $0 lease security is required. Must finance through Chrysler Capital on approved credit. a charge of 20 cents per mile for mileage over 12000 per year will apply. See dealer for details.
B20
March 16 - March 22, 2017