Anchorage Press 082417 by Wick Communications

ANCHORAGE PRESS • ANCHORAGE’S SLICK NEWSPAPER • AUGUST 24 - AUGUST 30, 2017 • VOL. 25, ED. 34 • FREE

A BUBBLIN' CRUDE THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF OIL TAXES IN ALASKA

INSIDE * Alaska State Fair preview — Judah and the Lion A.M.E. Section * Health and Wellness special section

Health & Wellness Inside:

• Keto Lifestyl e • Cupping • Non-surgica l weight loss • Diabetic anti ques collecti on • Invisible orth odontics

* Jessica Michelle Stapleton comes home. Page B6 T H U R S DAY

AU G U S T

24 , 2 0 1 7

ANCHORAGE'S

731 I Street, Suite 102 Anchorage AK 99501 (907) 561-7737 Fax: (907) 561-7777 anchoragepress.com

HIDDEN TREASURE

ANCHORAGE PRESS General Manager Clare Tilley clare.tilley@anchoragepress.com

IS THE REJECTION OF THE RAT RACE

Editor Matt Hickman editor@anchoragepress.com Calendar Editor Alejandra Buitrago alejandra@anchoragepress.com

BY JOHN ARONNO

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 Clare Tilley clare.tilley@anchoragepress.com WICK COMMUNICATIONS ALASKA Publisher Dennis Anderson publisher@frontiersman.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 Brandon Williams brandon.williams@frontiersman.com The Anchorage Press is a 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.

ARMS DEALER

BY MELINDA MUNSON

SHOOTING RANGE

BY AMY BUSHATZ

HEADLAMP

BY ZACH FIELDS

CORALINE

BYJACOB MANN

OIL TAXES

10-11

BY TIM BRADNER

PRESS EATS

BY MATT HICKMAN

WINNING RECIPES

several hundred thousand. The air was actually breathable, crisp in a way I'd never known. There were freaking moose! There were the Chugach Mountains! And there was the immediate culture shock. I remember, on day one, pulling into the Carrs on Minnesota and being greeted by a truck, held together by duct tape, with a rebel flag and a bumper sticker that read, simply, “Vote Confederate.” I remember the first snowfall – and me running outside and trying unsuccessfully to sell my dog on it. I also remember when we finally went back inside and she made a point to pee on the floor in protest. Never broke eye contact. But, I think it wasn't until a few months into that first year that I noticed the biggest, and most amazing, difference. It was a gradual identification of what I truly believe is the greatest part about living here. Meeting people in California (prevalent in the Bay Area; indescribably awful in Los Angeles) had an unspoken, unconscious protocol. Whether you were hitting on someone at a bar or talking with a coworker or even just talking to a stranger after church, a twisted ritual took place. Certain questions: Where did you go to college and what did you major in? Where do you work? How much does that pay? Up for a promotion? What kind of car do you drive? Where do you see yourself in five years? We grew up socialized to dismiss this as “small talk” or “icebreakers,” but it was deeply more insidious. That laundry list was a learned habit of immediately gauging how important the person you were talking to was. In the Lower 48, the importance put on the individual as a status symbol is pervasive. The vast majority of interaction is actually an interrogation bent on determining if you're worth talking to, working with, dating, sharing oxygen with. Much like our justice system, there's a false notion of the presumption of innocence disguising the conviction of guilt. This is the rat race — a term I grew up with, but had to escape 3,000 miles to truly understand. This was the deeply ingrained mentality that there were two types of people: those inside the club and those yearning from outside. Nothing was more

YIELD

had no idea how lucky I was about to be when I moved to Alaska. Over a couple years preceding my venture to the 49th Estate, my life had become a country song. A string of bad luck, mired by worse decisions, found me losing my house, my dog, my fianceé, and my job. I was crashing in my parents' Northern California basement, playing video games all day and night, and somehow happened upon an online image of Anchorage. I had never dreamed of living outside of California – and had traveled enough to make a good argument in defense of that – but it was very much feeling more like paradise lost. Every day seemed an exercise in walking around aimlessly in my own graveyard. Endless episodes of playing “Which utility can we forego this month to make rent?” had ended in me declaring my surrender. Honestly, I didn't know much of anything about the state. I was told two things before I packed whatever I could fit into my car and drove north. One was that my Senator thought the Internet was a series of tubes prone to freezing. The other was advice never to go to Koot's. Neither turned out to be very helpful. It didn't matter. I'd always dreamed of coming here to visit, so why not just move? “For the lights of this city, they only look good when I'm speeding,” Eddie Vedder crooned on my car stereo as I got on the highway. “Gonna leave 'em all behind me, cause this time I'm gone.” I got here in September of 2006. I was so illiterate as to Alaska life that I found myself puzzled, driving around the first day, looking at house windows layered with tin foil. I thought, “Does everyone here grow pot?” and then found myself really confused when the light in the sky declined to dim at night. My dog and I found a studio apartment in Midtown. I got a job at Borders Books and Music after getting a couple friends to fake references. There was an immediate difference. Well, there were several. Well, there were

important than making sure you landed on the right side of the velvet rope line. In Anchorage, it became increasingly clear something was different. People didn't quiz me on my education. There was no expectation of specific accolades proving my worth. I showed up, worked hard, tried to be nice to people, and that was it. That's all that mattered. Here, you prove your worth and very few questions are asked. When your neighbor goes on vacation, you water their plants and walk their dog. When work requires more than what you signed up for, you shrug and meet those requirements anyway. If you meet someone you like, you just enjoy their company. No resumé required. Respect is a currency, and we have an amazing luxury of income equality. In some circles, driven by people unable or unwilling to notice the structural flaws in the social ladder – the endless array of fractals informing us to step on the nearest head to get a leg up – the rat race has breached Alaska. You see it in xenophobic sentiment lining online comment threads. You see it in proposals to check gender at the bathroom door, or when people take umbrage over the fact that their property taxes fund homeless shelters, alcohol and drug treatment, and public education. Every time I see it, I see a little piece of my favorite corner of Earth vanishing. It's an erosion we should fight with every fiber of our being. Alaska has largely rejected the pie mythology — the false notion that any time someone else succeeds at something, it comes directly out of your take. You prove your worth by being worth your weight in salt. Stationary doesn't do it. There's an old adage I learned quickly my first year here: Nothing matters about you when your car breaks down in the dead of winter. Everyone is worth stopping for and, if you happen to be the person with the opportunity, you are the person with the responsibility. That is a hallmark of the state that took me in and afforded me a truly blessed life. I want my son or daughter to one day enjoy that experience, but I can't help but worry: Is that still true today? Will it still be true tomorrow? I hope so. I don't know what's left if that goes away. Stay weird, stay welcoming, stay Alaska.

BY KITCHEN NINJA CONTEST

BEER

BY JAMES 'DR. FERMENTO' ROBERTS

CAFFEINATED

BY RJ JOHNSON

PREP FOOTBALL

BY JEREMIAH BARTZ

COMING EVENTS

BY ALEJANDRA BUITRAGO

ART SLEUTH

BY JEAN BUNDY

I LIKE ROBOTS

BY ROB LEFEBVRE

JUDAH & THE LION

BY MATT HICKMAN

FILM FESTIVAL

B10

BY INDRA ARRIAGA

SAVAGE LOVE

B12

BY DAN SAVAGE

August 24 - August 30, 2017

NATIVE HEALTH CARE, IT IS COMPLICATED BY RICHARD PERRY

“Alaska Native and American Indian people have pre-paid healthcare,” Southcentral Foundation (SCF) Vice President of Medical Services, Dr. Doug Eby explained. “Alaska Native and American Indian People paid with land, oil, timber, and other resources. In exchange for settling land rights and peace. The United States signed treaties with the many tribes and promised housing, education, and health care to American Indian and Alaska Native people.” SCF is one of several Alaska Native-owned, nonprofit health care organizations. They serve about 65,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people living in Anchorage, Mat-Su, and 55 rural villages, mostly in Alaska’s southcentral region. This health care agreement or settlement was formerly established in 1787 by Congress, providing health care services based on Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. This was following numerous treaties, laws, Supreme Court decisions, and Executive Orders. That was complicated too. “The IHS level of funding – by the U.S. government calculation – is only about 40% of basic needed funding,” Dr. Eby explained. It’s not free, and IHS does not cover all the costs. Though, there are shortcomings concerning funding. “In Alaska, the settlement is managed through the Alaska Native Village Corporations and Regional Corporations,” Dr. Eby said. “Current revenues into Tribal Healthcare Organizations include many revenue streams including private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, research, grants, and other programs, in addition to the IHS funding.” Health care moved from being managed for Alaska Native and American Indian people to eventually give way to a policy of self-determination. It has worked well. The government recog-

IDENTITY

hen it comes to health care in the U.S. there is no lack of social and political narratives vying for attention. Likewise, the facts are not easy to decipher with so much hyperbole; not to mention that corporate profits and the well-being of people are in the balance. Everybody will need health care. It is not a matter of want; it will be needed. The last several election cycles have seen repealing Obamacare and replacing as a significant talking-point for politicians. It is hyperbole with a mission, with large multinational corporations seeking to reduce expenses and increase the bottom-line profit. That’s what corporations are supposed to do. Another objective is to provide access to health care. The fact is, health care is complicated. Depending on who you ask, the reasons why health care is complicated are confoundingly difficult to determine. Let’s see if we can muddy the waters a bit more. Recently, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price made a brief visit to Anchorage. Many Alaska Native health groups had to the opportunity to share some of the details of how they are serving the Native population. This is a good opportunity to share a few details about Native health care. There is a common misconception that Native people have free health care in Alaska and Indian Country. To be clear, Indian Health Service (IHS) does not just provide 'free' health care. Health care services are provided to federally recognized Tribes, as established out of the special government to government relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes.

nized that Alaska Native and American Indian leadership should be involved in the decisionmaking processes. In 1984, SCF began providing comprehensive health-related services. In 1998, SCF assumed ownership and management of primary care services, as well as other related programs. SCF is one part of the Alaska Tribal Health System. The point is, there are tribal health organizations that are effectively providing services and doing it with fewer resources and better outcomes. It has involved many innovations and changes in how services are provided. Imagine the difference between the uncertainty of affordable health care verse knowing that it is available. That is not complicated. The innovations keep on coming. Case in point, there is a new program called TriballySponsored Health Insurance or TSHIP. This is a new pilot program where Tribes and Tribal health organizations may now pay for health insurance for Alaska Native and American Indian people who qualify. TSHIP is offered in Alaska on a limited trial basis. This is the result of a collaboration between 10 tribes and Tribal organizations who have committed to funding for the project. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and SCF taking part in TSHIP. ANTHC and SCF pay the individual's insurance premium cost. Alaska Native and American Indian people do not have to pay any copayments or deductibles when they are seen or referred by Tribal health facilities. Participants must be eligible for Indian Health Services to qualify. There are resident and income guidelines as well. Participants also must not be covered by or eligible for affordable health insurance through an employer or other means like Medicare and Medicaid. Alaska Native and American Indian people still receive services at Indian Health Service and Tribal hospitals and health clinics in Alaska and the United States. The TSHIP program participants hope Alaska Native and American Indian

PROVIDED BY SOUTHCENTRAL FOUNDATION.

Dr. Doug Eby people keep using these services and the intention is it will help funding overall. If you like to know more, contact Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium at (907) 729-7777 or (855) 882-6842 or email sponsorship@anthc. org. You can also reach Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage area, Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association, Chickaloon, Chitina, Chugachmiut, Copper River, Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Eklutna, Eyak CORDOVA, Knik, Mt. Sanford, Ninilchik, Saint George, Seldovia, Tyonek, Valdez; Family Health Resources at (907) 729-7225 or TSHIP@Southcentralfoundation.com. Sharing these details about Tribal health organizations is with the hope that those who are not Alaska Native and American Indian people will see that there are affordable and innovative ways to provide access to health care. Also, providing health care can be made more affordable and serve everyone. It may take an act of Congress, but it is possible; it has been done before, here in the U.S. and it can be done again if there is the social and political will to look beyond what has been done so far. It is possible that everybody can have access to health care.

LIVE IN THE PLANETARIUM: INDIAN AGENT Sitka-based Indian Agent (formerly Silver Jackson) ﬁlls the planetarium with music inﬂuenced by folk and electronica paired with powerful visuals 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, $10

Brian Adams

XNLV339409

I AM INUIT R

Explore Inuit life and culture through the lens of photographer Brian Adams. Co-presented with the Inuit Circumpolar Council-Alaska See it before it closes Sept. 3

Come to know the true North anchoragemuseum.org Museum members enjoy free admission and save on classes and events. Join today! Sponsored by Anchorage Press

August 24 - August 30, 2017

The arms dealer

Sundberg finds joy in orthotics and prosthetics BY MELINDA MUNSON

il Sundberg has a difficult time describing to his young children what he does for a living. Once, a client visited Sundberg’s home and left with his new leg, leaving behind the old one. “Dad, your friend left his toes!” his daughter squealed. A certified orthotist and prosthetist, Sundberg crafts arms, legs and braces. He estimates that about a dozen people in the state of Alaska share his profession. Forty-two-years old with a beard and a mischievous smile, Sundberg is the owner of Alchemy Orthotics and Prosthetics in Anchorage with a satellite office in Fairbanks. Sundberg says that 80 percent of his work is orthotics (straightening) while the remaining 20 percent is prosthetics (replacing). A native of Minnesota, Sundberg says he was not a good student and preferred to work with his hands. Sundberg’s mother suggested orthotics. It was a good fit and eventually led him to Alaska. He opened Alchemy in 2007. Despite Sundberg’s extroverted personality and off-beat sense of humor, he is not the most popular one in his office. That honor goes to Maeve, Sundberg’s blonde labradoodle. “It’s inconvenient when Maeve is not at the office,” Sundberg shares. “Patients occasionally say, “I would have rescheduled if I had known the dog wouldn’t be here.”’ Sundberg’s workshop is like Dr. Who’s Tardis, it’s bigger on the inside. After passing two elaborately decorated exam rooms (one CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

BTY DENTAL SMILE FOR SCHOOL SAVINGS btyDENTAL is Anchorage’s most convenient dental clinic! We understand that choosing a dentist is a big decision; that’s why this Summer we are offering an affordable way for you to experience the btyDENTAL difference!

TAKE $250.00 OFF YOUR TREATMENT FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF AUGUST!

Show us your military ID for

an additional $100.00! Up to $350.00 in savings all month long.

Terms and Restrictions apply please visit www.btydental.com for information.

Accepting Medicaid, Denali Kid Care and most insurance plans btydental.com • (907) 333-6666 4

XNLV342206

Call 333-6666 to schedule an appointment at one of our 8 convenient Anchorage locations. btyDENTAL, making your life better than yesterday!

August 24 - August 30, 2017

Shooting range ‘theme park’ planned for Glenn Highway property BY AMY BUSHATZ

gravel pit off the Glenn Highway near Palmer is currently home to a gate, a “no trespassing” sign and some old carnival equipment. But if things go Chase Eckert’s way, the 14-acre lot near Matanuska Lake will soon house Livefire Alaska, the Valley’s newest outdoor shooting range featuring automatic weapon rentals — and it’s unclear whether the public will get to weigh in before that happens. Eckert, who has a land use agreement for the lot with his family’s company, Heritage Holdings, of which he is shareholder, envisions his new business at 4786 S. Glenn Highway as a shooting range theme park, he said. His family owns Alaska-based Golden Wheel Amusements and has been in the theme park and carnival business since 1967. Centering his new business around an entertainment concept just makes sense, Eckert said. “We want to offer firearms in a recreational fashion that’s not scary for people,” he said. Rather than continue to pay property taxes on vacant property the family has owned for more than 40 years, Eckert said they started looking to develop it after a spate of recent thefts of items stored there as well as use by vagrants. He said they also recently sold 1.1 acres of the land to the state for the ongoing highway expansion project. The range will feature three recreational shooting lanes and two instructor-only lanes, he said. With a visitor center, nature walk area, classrooms, gift shop, camping sites and room for food trucks and events, Eckert hopes to attract tourists and bachelor party users, among others. Visitors will be able to rent automatic and other high-powered weapons not easily available elsewhere. During the summer months he plans to have the range open from noon to 7 p.m. daily, with appointment-only use during the winter, likely centered around private instructors. But the shooting range plans have drawn fire from some area neighbors, who worry that the noise will disrupt their homes and businesses, as well as wildlife on the nearby Crevasse Moraine/Matanuska Lakes trail system and Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge. Eckert’s lot sits next door to Alaska Artisan Coffee and directly across the Glenn Highway from land designated for the future home of the Mat-Su Valley South Gateway Visitor Center. Those neighbors say the new business should be approved through a public hearing and permit process. Eckert said he was surprised when his lawyer told him that he does not need a conditional use permit through the Mat-Su Borough, a process that costs $1,000 and includes a two- to three-month application review, public comments and a hearing and, ultimately, a decision on the plan from a seven-member board. He said the ordinances in Chapter 8.52 of the borough’s code governing noise only apply to amplified sound, not gunshots. Yet officials with the borough said Eckert may not be as free from the approval process, and he may still need a permit under a separate section, 17.61, which specifically governs conditional use permits. That section states that shooting ranges within the borough’s core area are regulated if the sound, or decibels, go above a certain level, said Alex Strawn, the borough’s development services manager. Whether or not the new range will exceed that sound threshold, Strawn said, depends on the noise abatement techniques installed. Eckhert can choose to spend the $1,000 to get the

August 24 - August 30, 2017

Chase Eckert, an owner of property at 4786 S. Glenn Highway near Palmer, demonstrates where he plans to construct several lanes in the outdoor shooting range planned for the property. The business, Liveﬁre Alaska, will feature automatic weapon rentals, Eckert said.

permit now, or take the gamble that he won’t need it when construction is done and he’s ready to open, Strawn said. “He’d be sort of building that at his own risk,” he said. “The other option is to say ‘we’re likely to exceed this’ and get a conditional use permit. That’s always the wiser option.” To address the noise issue Eckert said he plans to maintain the natural 75- by 75-foot berms between the property and Matanuska Lake, build additional berms and barriers where necessary, and install 12- by 24-foot berms between the shooting lanes for safety and sound protection. He said they also plan to install coverings over the lanes and use other sound suppression methods for the weapons. Eckert said he’s also worked with various organizations, including the National Rifle Association and Environmental Protection Agency, to follow best practices for keeping the bullet lead in the berms and away from the lake. Officials with some of the nearby development projects and lands, including the planned visitor center, said they do not know enough about the new shooting range to comment on it or its potential impact on the surrounding area. “We’ll be looking into it here in the future,” said Casey Ressler, the marketing and communications manager for the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau. Ron Maclure, who owns Alaska Artisan Coffee and lives on the three acres directly next to the planned range, worries that noise from the new business will lower his property value. Maclure, who has listed his property for sale in the past, was hoping to re-list it this week. News of the shooting range has forced him to put off that plan, he said. “We’re going to keep the sign up because

we’ve got (Alaska State) Fair traffic, but we pulled the listing because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Maclure said. “We were in shock, my wife and I. No one ever approached us... the borough never approached us, there’s no consideration on what impact it would have for us.” Eckert said he’s worked to keep his neighbors’ interests in mind, but ultimately can do what he wants with his land. “I think the only complaint that I think is a valid complaint is the noise, and we completely understand, so we’re doing what we can to mitigate the noise and be good neighbors,” he said. “Honestly I wouldn’t want anyone moving a range next to me.” Maclure, who has owned his land since 1995, said he’s also concerned about the potential risks to the environment, including nearby Matanuska Lake. Dan Payne, who owns 130 acres southeast of the planned range, said he can hear gunshots from the weapons training that Eckert has recently hosted on the land. He said he is primarily concerned about the potential environmental impacts. “This is a critical wildlife habitat area,” he said. “It’s critical for many migratory species as a nesting area.” Desiree Olson, who owns nearby Fox Run Lodge and RV Campground, said she has no problem with the new range as long as Eckert addresses the noise problems. She regularly rents space for classroom work to Matsu Tactical. Eckert said that company will use the range space for shooting. “I’m all for gun safety, I don’t have any gripes about it,” Olson said. “I know that it is noisy sometimes, and I think that they’re taking steps to rectify the noise issue. If they want to develop the property, it’s their property —

The owners of a 14-acre parcel off the Glenn Highway near Palmer plan to make the vacant lot the area’s newest outdoor shooting range, Liveﬁre Alaska, featuring automatic weapon rentals. The mostly empty lot currently houses old carnival equipment.

good for them.” What she doesn’t want to see, she said, is more regulation. “Everything is ridiculously over-regulated as it is — I mean everything,” she said. “All it does is create more expense and more hassle for everybody concerned, especially everybody that’s trying to operate a business.” Assemblyman Matthew Beck, whose district includes the proposed shooting range, said the controversy is the perfect example of why public hearings and input exist. “I’m neither against this nor for it — I own firearms and I shoot,” he said. “I haven’t made up my mind with what’s going on here, but I do think it’s a good example of where there’s need for a conditional use permit, that way it involves the public. Maclure said he also just wants to see Eckert’s business go through a public approval process. “If due process is done correctly, and I end up (being) voted against, at least due diligence is done,” he said. “But none of that has been done.”

LET ALASKA LEAD THE WAY BY DONNA WALKER

n the aftermath of the violence and hatred on display in Charlottesville earlier this month, I found myself in deep reflection. As a child growing up in the South, I knew that life was different for those who were black. For them it meant sitting in the back of the bus, being banned from many public establishments including restrooms and swimming pools, and living in what were often inferior segregated neighborhoods, attending inferior segregated schools. There were white and "colored" entrances and seating in theaters, and white and "colored" water fountains. Churches were being bombed, people were being shot and lynched. My school was integrated when I was in 7th grade. There was violence and bloodshed that day as a young black student was punched through a glass door by the son of the local KKK leader. Rarely a day passed that I did not hear the hateful “N” word. I was keenly aware of the civil rights movement and of the roles of leaders like John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. I was rocked by their assassinations and deeply grieved their deaths. The fact that I could have a worldview dif-

ferent from so many in the South at that time was due largely to Florence Fumby, our black nanny who was one of the most influential people in my life. Florence taught me to love and respect everyone and I certainly loved her. I have come to believe that hate is taught. So is love. While still in junior high, my family moved to Hawaii, which was considered the melting pot of the world. There, my appreciation for all of the rich cultures, peoples, histories, and

yes, the foods of the world, greatly expanded. One of my initiatives as First Lady has been to bring Alaskans of diverse cultures together using Anchorage Bridge Builders as a model. This has resulted in the formation of Bridge Builders of Juneau and Bridge Builders of the Mat-Su Valley. For over twenty years, the group’s mission has been to make Anchorage the first city, and ultimately, Alaska the first state, without prejudice. On Saturday, I will serve once again as the Honorary Chair of the annual Bridge Builder Gala where outstanding volunteers advancing the mission of friendship and unity will be recognized. Bridgebuildersak.org. Please consider joining Governor Walker and me in this celebration of culture and service. In speaking of Anchorage being one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation, former NFL player and community leader Ma’o Tosi said in a 2015 CNN interview that our classrooms are so diverse, our children are growing up not knowing the color of their skin. And for the most part, I agree. This is reflected in the close friendships of our children and our grandchildren. I sense this as I visit Alaska’s classrooms. And indeed, I celebrate this because I know what it is like as a child to sit in a classroom where the exact opposite is true.

So throughout Alaska, Bridge Builders and similar programs are making great strides to build bridges of friendship, understanding, and appreciation for all Alaskans. Governor Walker and Lt. Governor Byron Mallott are doing the same throughout Alaska through their service and work together. We have this opportunity as the most culturally diverse state in the nation and I ask, why can’t Alaska be the model? Why can’t we be a statewide community of friends, without prejudice? Isn’t it time? In the last speech Dr. Martin Luther King delivered before his death in 1968, he implored: “Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be.” My hope is that we as Alaskans will be profoundly impacted by these recent events and that we will work with greater determination and readiness for all that is good, just, fair, and right. Let us rise up to the challenge to make Alaska and America what they ought to be, and let Alaska lead the way. Donna Walker is the First Lady of Alaska, and serves as honorary chair of the annual Bridge Builders Gala. Learn more by visiting bridgebuildersak.org.

ditor Letters to the E clared Actually, GOP allows unde imary, too voters to participate in pr

XNLV320155

XNLV344810

publican total – could vote Re voters – 81% of the on. ballot in that electi Republio can't vote in the wh lks fo ly on e Th different a th wi ose registered can primary are th ka Indeas Al n, ee Gr ocratic, party, like the Dem co is just mmon Veteran party. This or ce en m" nd pe r: in rs of the "other tea To the edito d fair play. Membe a significant error r an ct e ou rre ns "y co se r fo to p e eu lik lin d I woul the starting mn about ck lu pi co to d’ t iel ge ‘Y n't 10 ld ? st ht ou gu sh ip, rig John Aronno's Au e state championsh imary elecn gubernatorial pr team" just before th straight, ica rd bl co pu re Re e th 14 t 20 se e to th anks for the chance Th blicans pu Re join with ,903 tion. invite Alaskans to ) Parnell clocked 80 to an d taxes, Se an . w ov lo "(G t, e, en ot m He wr ary, which is in supporting smaller govern im pr e th in P ic opportunity, votes for the GO nal defense, econom tio na ." g ns on ica str bl pu restricted to Re rty welom. ka Republican Pa and personal freed Actually, the Alas vote in to ns ka as Al of y ajorit comes the vast m gistered as Sincerely, only the 136,400 re t No y. ar im pr our n Saddler registered en th s ter vo all t bu Representative Da , 14 20 ) 30 7,7 Republicans in ader n (8 Republican Floor Le ,633) or non-partisa ka as Al as undeclared (189 ed ns 413,800 register as well. That mea

PLACE AN AD TODAY!

102,000 READERS FROM GIRDWOOD TO TALKEETNA!

Frontier sm an Mat-Su Valley

CALL: 352-2250 OR EMAIL ADVERTISING@FRONTIERSMAN.COM 6

August 24 - August 30, 2017

TAKU RIVER

PADDLING TO TIDEWATER

This is the second in a three-part Headlamp series about the Taku River.

HEADLAMP BY ZACK FIELDS

“T

aku” appears on maps where the Sloko and Nakina Rivers converge in Canada, miles upstream but just a few hours float from coastal rainforest. Shortly below this confluence, the aquamarine Taku joins the silt-laden Inklin, forming a massive coastal river that flows another fifty miles or so to the coast south of Juneau. The lower Taku is a place of explosive life and energy. At each confluence of a freshwater tributary, hundreds if not thousands of salmon and dolly varden roil the milky boundary of glacial and clear waters. Rainforest crowds the hillsides, with spruce and western hemlock growing to dizzying heights on hillsides and old moraines. Glaciers surge from the icefield above, through rocky chasms, knocking down trees and pushing up new moraine on the banks of the Taku. Low clouds and mist obscure waterfalls that leap off of hillsides, course down cirques, and plunge riverward through boulder-choked canyons. Like a continent unbound by railroads and highways, each stream contains the infinite promise of untrammeled headwaters, of remote alpine lakes that the salmon know and we don’t. This is an unbelievable country to fish. Even novice blunderers can catch dozens of dolly varden, trout, pink, and silver salmon at the mouths of just about any freshwater tributary entering the Taku downstream of the border. Improbably, there is very little guided sportfishing in this area, despite an abundance of fish and unrivalled scenery. There aren’t just lakes and glaciers that lie upstream, however. Not far beyond the Canadian border, the Tulsequah River flows from the toe of a large Juneau icefield glacier. On its banks, the derelict Tulsequah Chief Mine leaches acid into the waters that flow downstream into the Taku. As bountiful as the Taku’s waters are today, they pale in comparison to the recent past. King salmon fishing has nearly disappeared in the watershed, though it is unclear whether that is a result of ocean acidification’s impact on food stocks, global warming’s impact on sea temperatures and oxygen concentrations,

RAINFOREST, ICEFIELD, SALMON

ZACK FIELDS

Paddling the lower Taku toxic pollution from Tulsequah Chief, or some combination thereof. The Tulsequah Chief Mine’s acid drainage is an apt summation of British Columbia’s fisheries, mining, and environmental policy. For years, the British Columbia government has recklessly permitted mines directly upstream of Southeast Alaska’s billion dollar fisheries. The most recent transboundary mining disaster--the Mount Polley blowout of 2014, which released 6.6 billion gallons of toxic mine waste

into the Fraser River--went unpunished as a result of flaccid oversight by British Columbia. In fact, British Columbia granted the Mount Polley mine owners permission to another transboundary mine just six months after the Mount Polley disaster. In 2016, Alaska’s Congressional delegation urged the State Department to protect Alaska’s fisheries from effectively unregulated mines in British Columbia, and the Obama Administration began working toward that objective. But

Celebrating 45 years in providing healthcare to Alaskan Families

BEARTOOTHTHEATRE.NET Wonder Woman - 2D.................................... Wonder Woman - 3D ................................... Cars 3.................................................................. Bow Wow Film Festival .............................. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ................. Chasing The Dragon: The Life Of An Opiate Addict ......... The Hero ............................................................ Boston: The Documentary ......................... Beer Hunter: The Movie ...............................

2211 E. Northern Lights Blvd.

NOWMORE AVAILABLE

(907) 279-8486 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

Walk-In and Same Day Appointments Available - 1(888) 382-8486

8/258/18 - 8/31 907-276-4200 • BEARTOOTHTHEATRE.NET FRI - THUR 8/24 907-276-4200

25 5:00 8:05

26 27 5:00 5:30 8:05 8:35 12:00 12:00 2:30 2:25

29 5:30 8:35

30 5:30 8:35

31 5:00 2:30

2:25 5:30 8:00

2:25

2:25 8:00 10:30

Now Playing THE BOW WOW FILM FEST - $6 AUGUST 26 The most celebrated dog film festival in North America! The Bow Wow Film Fest is a traveling, dog centric film festival that celebrates, educates and inspires all things doggie through the art of short film. Bow Wow Film Fest features some of the years’ best pooch themed short films all wrapped up in one beautiful, fun-loving package! For the Love of Dog!

XNLV338013

www.mpfcak.com

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

U P C OM I NG E V E N T S

#1 Best of Alaska for Medical Clinics

• • • • • • • • •

the election of a dysfunctional Trump administration now means that the State Department almost certainly will not stop mines like New Polaris, Big Bull, and Hat from threatening the Taku’s fisheries. That is tragic, because international campaigns have protected Alaska’s coastal rivers in the past. British Columbia would have permitted a massive copper mine in the Tatshenshini-Alsek watershed, but a

Presented by the Bear Tooth in Partnership with Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue. XNLV342788

August 24 - August 30, 2017

A SONG FOR

ED SHEERAN PAYS A VISIT TO A TERMINALLY ILL VALLEY TODDLER BY JACOB MANN

oraline Sanders still smiles. She loves to give kisses and she loves to laugh, and most of all- she loves music. Coraline is nearly blind but her hearing is heightened. She has a special relationship with sound and especially with music. It uplifts her and it sooths her. She sings throughout the day and settles down when her favorite tunes start playing. She sings along to Disney movies and cannot sleep without the steady stream of Ed Sheeran, her all time favorite, at her side. “She’s all about sound,” said Coraline’s mother, Kayla Baker. Coraline has infantile Leukodystrophy, a rare and terminal brain disease that is deteriorating her white matter. She is two years old but is essentially toddler-sized infant. She was diagnosed at 9 months old and has since lived almost 2 years past expectations. At the initial diagnosis, they gave Coraline a year to live. According to Baker, Coralline is currently the longest living child of her age range and 3 similarly aged children died

in the recent months. Her disease is very rare. Baker said that1 in 400,000 people are diagnosed with it and there’s currently only 250 cases worldwide. Coraline is the only case in Alaska. Coraline’s parents noticed her symptoms when she was 6 months old. “She went from sitting on her own to trying to crawl- to not being able to keep her head up any longer. She just went stiff and couldn’t move much of her body. That’s when they diagnosed her with Leukodystrophy,” Baker said. The white matter in Coraline’s brain is disappearing. She is stationary and has a limited ability to move. She has lost the ability to eat on her own so she has a feeding tube. She also needs the help

of a catheter. She is able to move a bit and likes to flail, slap and tug at things. “She’s pretty good at grabbing her tube,” said Coraline’s father, David Sanders. “She thinks it’s funny.” Coraline has had pneumonia 6 times and is taking 5 different medications like Valium, Gabapentin, and Baclofen. She has to switch medications frequently because she grows immune to them. Baker said that her daughter is actually in an upswing and fairing pretty well. “She’s always happy,” Baker said. “She’s a special girl. Everybody that meets her just falls in love with her. She kisses people. She just loves the attention pretty much.”

Coraline’s brother, Elijah is year and a half old and is always jovially running around the house. Baker said he is a caring brother and learned to be very gentle with his sister. He will cuddle her and pet her and even gave her an armature pedicure with a marker one time. Baker was 5 months pregnant when Coraline was diagnosed. She was also told that every one of her children has a 25% chance of acquiring the same disease. She said that didn’t make her pregnancy any easier. It’s been a tough journey for Coraline and her family. On top of their medical blunders has been theft and displacement. At the end of May, their car was stolen. Baker said that her parents actually found them and followed them through

$20.99 ea. 750 ml TO DARE GO THERE GIVE-AWAY

Value Liquors, with Alaskan Brewing Company, is giving away a trip a month for this Summer. Have a chance to

WIN TANDEM SKYDIVING FOR TWO ALASKA SKYDIVE CENTER, PALMER DRAWING - AUGUST 31ST

$17.99 ea. 750 ml

$19.99 ea. 750 ml

WIN A YAMAHA 6HRS MOTOR

$27.99 ea. 750 ml

Yamaha 4 Stroke 6 Horse Kicker Motor At All Locations DRAWING:

Sept. 6th, 2017

$26.99 ea.

Crown Royal 750 ml

XNLV339397

11580 Old Seward Hwy. (907) 344-0716 • 601 W. Dimond Blvd. (907) 349-3712 7141 Jewel Lake Rd. (907) 243-0749

XNLV339616

XNLV339396

ENTER TO WIN

GROWLER BARS AT KLATT & JEWEL LAKE STORES! 8

August 24 - August 30, 2017

Wasilla until the troopers caught up with them but it was too late, the criminals totaled the car. A week before, Coraline was She was vomiting 15 times a day. She was hospitalized for pneumonia, which caused David to lose more hours at work. Due to the money spent over the theft ordeal and time lost from work, the family couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make their house payment so they were evicted and had to move in with Bakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family in Palmer. Baker said she is actually glad everything happened the way it did because after losing her car and home, they moved in with her parents which has proven to be very helpful for their situation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being down hers makes everything better. She gets to be with family all the time,â&#x20AC;? Baker said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just try and keep positive and stay together,â&#x20AC;? Baker said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just try to help her have the most amazing life as she should.â&#x20AC;? The family has been making the most of their time with Coraline and taking each day as it comes. Baker is a stay at home mom and Sanders works as a mechanic at Yukon Services in Wasilla. Recently, Baker noticed Coraline was having difficulty breathing and that her heart was racing. She took her to her doctor. The doctor said that it looked like her brain was sending the wrong signals so she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control her breathing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to happen. Her brain is just going to stop telling her how to do things,â&#x20AC;? Baker said. Baker said that it can be tough at times because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so many things Coraline canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do. But she still is able to see the light in the situation, the abundance of quality time she gets to spend with her daughter, the bounties of bonding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so many kids that are her age I see running around- it kills me- but at the same time she getâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a whole new perspective,â&#x20AC;? Baker said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She is cuddling all the time she sings all the time. She is like a little newborn that never grows up. She just gets bigger.â&#x20AC;? Recently, the Make-A-Wish Foundation helped Coraline meet her all time favorite singer, Ed Sheeran. They flew down and saw his concert in Phoenix, Arizona. The family went backstage where Sheeran held Coraline and sang songs like Photograph to her.

Coraline is all about sound and all about bonding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She also has a pretty good memory too. She can remember voices. If you just walk towards her she knows who it is just by the sound,â&#x20AC;? Sanders said. The familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only working vehicle is broken down. Baker and her friend have started a Go Fund Me page to get new family van. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how long she has. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hitting almost two years past what they thought. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fought her way past little issues here and there. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a tough little girl,â&#x20AC;? Baker said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone who meets her falls in love with her. She has opened so many eyes.â&#x20AC;? Below is the link for the Go Fund Me page for a new family van: https://www.gofundme.com/coraline039scause

AUTO

>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;/Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x2022;VÂ&#x17D;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;6>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;{Ă?{Ă&#x192; Â&#x201C;ÂŤÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;VĂ&#x192;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;i

SALES

100+ PRE-OWNED VEHICLES UNDER $10,000

www.rwbauto.com

xĂ&#x2021;{Ă¤Ă&#x160;"Â?`Ă&#x160;-iĂ&#x153;>Ă&#x20AC;`Ă&#x160; Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Â°

561-6045

"%34 02)#%3 s "%34 3%,%#4)/. s 7% &).!.#%

$5,950 *%%0 #/-0!33 ,!4)45$% !7$ s ! 4 s #$ s 0WR /PTS s !LLOYS s 5

$9,950 4/9/4! 6%.:! 356 !7$ s 6 s ! 4 s #$ s !LLOYS s /NLY + -ILES s 5

$15,950 August 24 - August 30, 2017

*%%0 ,)"%249 304

#(%69 42!),",!:%2 ,4

7$ s 6 s ! 4 s #$ s 0WR /PTS s !LLOYS s 5

7$ s 6 s ! 4 s #$ s 3 2OOF s !LLOYS s 5

!7$ s CYL s SPD s #$ s ,OW -ILES s 5

$7,950

$5,950 &/2$ &,%8 3%,

35"!25 /54"!#+ 3 7

!7$ s 6 s ! 4 s ,EATHER s RD 2OW s !LLOYS s 5

!7$ s CYL s ! 4 s #$ s 3 2OOF s !LLOYS s 5

$10,950

$11,950

4/9/4! 45.$2! 32 #2%7 #!"

(5--%2 ( ,58529

7$ s , s ! 4 s #$ s 0WR /PTS s !LLOYS s 5

7$ s 6 s ! 4 s ,EATHER s 3 2OOF s !LLOYS s 5

35"!25 )-02%:! i

4/9/4! &* #25)3%2 7$ s 6 s SPD s #$ s 0WR /PTS s !LLOYS s 5

$12,950 $/$'% 34 #2%7 #!" 7$ s (%-) s ! 4 s #$ s !LLOYS s ,OW -ILES s 5

XNLV342776

02 CHEVY TAHOE Z71

7$ s 6 s ! 4 s ,EATHER s !LLOYS s 5

There Will Be Blood BY TIM BRADNER

il taxes have tied the Legislature in knots every year since 2011. The last two years have been particularly contentious, with lengthy, agonizing extensions of annual sessions into special sessions, all supposed to end in mid-April and lasting until mid-June. Everything else, such as resolution of the state’s structural financial problem, gets pushed to the side when legislators get heated up over oil. We came close, this year and last, to not passing budgets and shutting down state government. Will 2018 be any different? Can we ever get this issue settled? Why is it so complicated? First off, any complex political issue takes time to resolve in our American system of government. Parliamentary systems, where the ruling party or coalition decides all, often accomplishes things quickly. Not so our decentratized U.S. system, with its separation of legislative and executive branches and the legislative branch further divided between the House and Senate. That makes for three separate power centers that compete and often fight, and must somehow cooperate to get things done. Difficult issues like oil taxes seem to divide on partisan lines, but not always. It can be as tough when Republicans control both the House and Senate as when one body is controlled by Democrats and the other by Republicans, which is the case now. For example, in 2013 a contentious revamp of state oil taxes, in Senate Bill 21, passed the Republicancontrolled Legislature by just one vote. In 2016 and 2017 the Legislature’s action to deconstruct a complex system of oil tax credits was equally contentious, prolonging the sessions in both years. The final votes, in HB 247 in 2016 and HB 111 this year, seemed on party lines, but there were huge debates behind closed doors, in caucuses of the Majority and Minority.

Why is this so hard? What’s the problem? Here’s a history lesson: Alaskans have been arguing over oil taxes since before oil production even started on the North Slope in 1977. The late 1970s and much of the 1980s were years of spirited debate, controversy and lawsuits over changes to the state’s oil production tax and the state corporate income tax as it related to oil corporations. The issue went on a slow boil in the 1990s and early 2000s as Alaskans dealt with a period of low oil

prices, budget problems and a sharp regional recession sparked by the plunge in oil prices in 1986 (sound familiar?). The pot started boiling anew in 2006 when Gov. Frank Murkowski, a Republican, changed the structure of the state production tax to a net profits tax, which had the effect of raising taxes on the industry. When she replaced Murkowski in 2007 Gov. Sarah Palin introduced her own version of oil tax changes, which she called Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share, or ACES. This also amounted to a tax increase. Sean Parnell, the Lieutenant Governor who replaced Palin when she resigned initially resisted calls for changes to ACES for but became convinced eventually that the law had structural problems and needed to be changed. It took three years for the Legislature to pass the changes in SB 21 although the bill became so convoluted on its difficult journey through the House and Senate that it became subject to a citizen initiative to repeal it, which failed in 2014. Still, the complexities of SB 21 have been a source of controversy ever since and criticism continues today. It’s also recognized, however, that had SB 21 not passed, and had Palin’s ACES law remained in effect, the state would have lost revenues, to some degree, when oil prices plunged in late 2015 because of the way the ACES law was constructed.

produce oil, but Alaska’s control of a major source of U.S. domestic oil supply puts it into a different class. In other states private landowners, ranchers and farmers, own subsurface rights and receive royalties if oil and gas is found. There are private landowners in Alaska, too, with Alaska Native corporations owning subsurface producing leases. Arctic Slope Regional Corp. get royalties from the North Slope and Cook Inlet Region, Inc. shares in gas production royalties in Cook Inlet. When this public ownership of a large resource, at times supplied up to 20 percent of the nation’s domestic oil, is combined with the state’s political culture and history, a suspicion of large multinational corporations arguably “exploiting” Alaska’s resources, the seeds of conflict are set. What often gets forgotten is the billions of dollars of investment brought from out of state. Things got off to a bad start just three years after the 1969 North Slope oil discovery when the Legislature, in 1972, enacted a set of stiff regulatory requirements which dealt, along with other things, commercial concerns. One was that the state would own 20 percent of the trans Alaska oil pipeline without having to pay to help build it. These were fiercely fought by the industry and somewhat modified a year later, and the legacy of that fight was to set a tone that has lasted since..

The root of the controversy

What’s fair share?

Why do Alaskans get so stirred up about oil taxes? This doesn’t happen in other oil-producing states like Texas, Oklahoma or North Dakota. The answer may lie in the state’s history and political culture, and in the structure of the resource land ownership. Unlike other states, the prolific North Slope oilfields, and Cook Inlet oilfields discovered earlier, are on state-owned lands, or state-owned submerged lands in the case of Cook Inlet. As landowner Alaska receives the royalty, one-sixth or one-eighth of the oil or the revenue depending on the lease, and also levies a state production tax along with other taxes just for oil. When the “tax share” is added to the royalty Alaska’s total share typically adds up to over 25 percent, or onefourth, of the gross revenues. The ownership of the resources by the state is the concept behind former Gov. Walter Hickel’s idea of the “owner state,” that as the resource owner (the production rights are contracted, through the lease) Alaska is in a unique position, as resource owner and taxing authority, to fashion and influence its development. Some other states have state-owned lands that

At the root of the tax disputes was, fundamentally, the question of what the state’s fair share of the resource should really be. Normally the royalty, oneeighth in the case of Prudhoe Bay, is the landowner share, but many Alaskans felt the state should get more, and since the royalty is set in a contract (a lease) that can’t be unilaterally changed, people looked to the state’s taxing power as a way to increase the share. Under Alaska’s constitution taxes can be changed by the Legislature at any time, and they were changed many times, almost always upward. No one could really get a grip on what the appropriate share should be. Many looked to Middle Eastern oil producers, many who receive up to 90 percent of the oil wealth, as what Alaska should do. This is complicated, however. Middle east fiscal regimes also allow their producers quick recovery of capital investment before levying their high share of the resources. These arrangements can often be profitable for the industry because companies get their capital back quickly. This wasn’t the case in Alaska, but these things were not well understood by the public or the Legislature.

August 24 - August 30, 2017

OIL TAXES – BLOOD SPORT FOR THE POLITICIANS IN JUNEAU In any event, someone eventually asked thenGov. Jay Hammond what he thought a fair share should be. Hammond mused and suggested that a split of one third of the money to the industry, which had made the investment, one-third to the state and one-third to the federal government was reasonable. It’s unclear whether Hammond was talking about net profits, after costs are considered, or gross revenues before production costs, but most assume he meant profits. Was that ever achieved? No one has really tracked it through the years because the accounting is complicated and made more difficult by wild swings in oil prices, which gave the state as much as 60 percent of the net profit “pie” at times, to industry’s discomfort. The state Department of Revenue has determined that overall, from 1978 to 2016, the state has received about 41 percent of gross revenues from the North Slope. After oil prices crashed in 2015 the industry share of profits plummeted because production and fixed costs had to be paid from revenues that were diminished. Even though state income plummeted industry’s income fell even faster because of the costs, and some North Slope producers claimed they operated at a loss while others still reported modest profits. By then the state was on a 4 percent minimum tax on gross revenues, which has no allowance for companies to deduct production costs. Because of that the state share of the “pie” went up relative to industry’s. Regardless of how the pie was split, however, it was shrinking fast as oil prices that were once over $100 a barrel dropped below and then below $40. Everyone was hurting.

How our oil royalty and tax payments are set up Alaska’s royalty payment system is relatively simple and is based on royalties in other states, whether with public or private landowners. Basically, the state share is one-eighth of oil revenues on the North Slope with those calculated by subtracting tanker and pipeline charges from the nearest market where the oil is actually sold, typically the U.S. west coast. This system of a percentage payment of gross revenues on the slope (no deduction of production costs are allowed) is relatively simple, and is relatively transparent because it is easy for the

August 24 - August 30, 2017

public, and legislators, to understand. Things got complicated in 2006, however, when former Gov. Frank Murkowski switched the tax system to net profits, where production costs are allowed to be deducted before the state’s share of net profits, now 35 percent, is taken. Previously, when the tax was on gross revenues like the royalty the effective percentage ranged, over the years, from about 7 percent to 12 percent and more for some fields. State petroleum economists had urged Murkowski to switch to net profits because, overall, it better aligns the state’s interest with that of the producers. When oil prices are high the state’s net income rises right along with that of industry. Under the gross revenue tax, however, the industry profited more than state. The state’s income did not rise as fast. As a protection, the Legislature inserted a minimum “floor” tax of 4 percent of gross revenues, at the field level, as a hedge against a period of low oil prices. This was inserted in the law when the 2006 change to a net profits tax was made. This proved a wise decision because a collapse of prices did happen, and since 2015 the state has been operating under the minimum tax. One of the bones of contention in the 2016 and

2017 legislative sessions is that the minimum tax should be raised from 4 percent to 5 percent. The House, led by Democrats, advocated for this along with Gov. Bill Walker. The Republican-led Senate, and industry, fiercely resisted, arguing that the companies, some operating at a loss, would be further discourged from making new investments if the state raised the tax rate.

The tax credits Most of the recent controversy has focused on the state’s oil incentive tax credit program, which the Legislature began winding down in 2013, in SB 21, and completed the job in HB 247 in 2016 and HB 111 in 2017. This program refunded explorers and new developers with cash refunds for production tax credits allowed under the state’s tax laws. If a company was new to the state and was exploring but did not yet have production and a tax liability against which to use the tax credits it could turn these in to the state and be paid in cash. This program grew incrementally over several years with added activities eligible for tax credits. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

PRESS EATS CAFÉ AMSTERDAM: THE BEST PLACE FOR BENEDICTS & BEER ALL DAY LONG BY MATT HICKMAN

Bombay Deluxe ÝÌi `i`Ê ÕÀÃ\Ê->Ì -Õ Ê£Ó\Îäq Discover Indian Cuisine

277-1200 277-1200

555 W. Northern Lights Boulevard Lunch Buffet Mon–Fri 11a-3p • Dinner 3p–9:30p Extended Hours: Sat-Sun 12:30p–9:30p

Order at www.BombayDeluxe.com Now Delivering to JBER and Eagle River. orPlace www.FoodOnTheWay.com orders by 4pm for same night Delivery!

XNLV342794

Order at www.BombayDeluxe.com or www.FoodOnTheWay.com

Authentic Turkish Food Made fresh Daily

2210 E. Northern Lights

258-3434 XNLV342795

(next to Kinko’s/FedEx)

Hours : Tues thru Fri : 11am-9pm Sat : 12-9pm / Closed : Sun & Mon

t’s hard to know what to expect as you walk into Café Amsterdam, at 530 Benson in midtown. The high ceilings, indoor patio with faux picket fence, elaborate rock wall adornments, the hardwood floor and perhaps the best European beer selection in town are probably the last things you’d anticipate for the restaurant, bakery and bar owned by Shauna and Ken Pejak for the last 18 years. The previous owners, Aben and Tina Koper had built up a strong following as a breakfast destination, but when the Pejaks took over, their first mission was to convert it into a ‘brown-style’ Amsterdam café, the type which could be likened best to a tavern, and quite different from a ‘green style’ café that serves cannabis. “We had beer from the minute we got it; our intention was to always have beer,” Shauna Pejak said. “We had been lit with a fire by others in the business that perhaps there might be a chance that Belgian beer wouldn’t be (in Alaska) forever. We were concerned about that, too. There’s so many wonderful Belgian ales, and if they weren’t here it would be unfortunate.” Essentially there was just one distributor supplying Anchorage with Europeanstyle ales, and if that distributor ever changed its mind, or went out of business, that could be the end of the supply chain. So the Pejaks took it upon themselves to ensure that didn’t happen, renovating the right side (as you walk in) of the establishment and putting in a bar with a distinctively

European look and feel. The Pejaks kept the menu pretty much as it was, dominated by various eggs benedict varieties as well as sandwiches. Frequent travelers to Holland and Belgium, they picked

ASIAN FOOD IN A BOWL DINE-IN CARRY OUT DELIVERY

Monday - Saturday 10:30AM -3:00PM

3901 Old Seward Highway, Suite 20 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 907-279-DELI • www.alaskadeli.com

XNLV344341

Vegan & Gluten Free Options! Catering options for breakfast, lunch & dinner

up ideas for dishes to bring back to their menu, including the Uitsmijter, an open-faced gouda, ham and tomato with sunny-side-up eggs topped by a green salad. The word Uitsmijter translates into Dutch as ‘The

aktopbop.com 220 Muldoon Rd, Anchorage, AK 99504 3020 Minnesota Dr. STE 20 Anchorage, AK 99503

XNLV342940

XNLV342194

AU T H E N T I C INDIAN R ES TAU R A N T

Bouncer’ because it’s meant to be a meal you can get anytime of day, even at the end of a long night on the town. As an homage to the original owners of the restaurant, the Pejaks introduced a ClubHouse Koper, and in a cross-cultural twist, the menu includes a number of stir-fry dishes atop a croissant. Shauna said she believes Café Amsterdam has the best eggs benedict in town, the Chicken Avocado Sandwich is the best seller but the Reuben sandwich garners the highest praise. “We’ve been told it’s on par with New York Reubens,” she said. “Everything is made from scratch. It’s surprising how many people there are who don’t cook and aren’t familiar with even how a perfectly poached egg is such a wonderful thing.” By the time they were done with the renovations, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 August 24 - August 30, 2017

WINNING RECIPES 3 WINNING ENTRIES FROM THE KITCHEN NINJA CONTEST

RECIPE 2 (SARAH)

RECIPE 1 (FRED)

GEMLET - COCKTAIL WITH NO HFCS 6 parts vodka 3 parts lime juice 1 part maple syrup Shake with ice Serve with ice

RECIPE 3 (BRIAN) CHOCOLATE MESS In a blender put 1/2 c ice 1 oz Crème de Cacao 1 oz Coffee Liqueur 1 oz Black Raspberry Liqueur 1 Tbsp Powdered Cacao Scoop of chocolate ice cream Blend until smooth Top with whipped cream, drizzle with chocolate syrup and garnish with fresh fruit.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE- BEEF STROGANOFF Ingredients: 12 oz. choice eye-of-round steak, pounded into ½” thickness ¼ c. reduced-sodium soy sauce (Kikkoman) 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 7 oz. sliced white onion 8 oz. container cremini mushrooms, sliced Fresh ground black pepper 2 t. Better Than Bouillon reduced-sodium beef bouillon paste ¼ c. white wine or vermouth ½ c. light sour cream (Daisy) 2 T. light butter (Land O’ Lakes Canola) 1 T. cornstarch ¼ c. light cream cheese Fresh dill, for garnish Directions: Marinate the pounded beef in soy sauce (or Worcestershire) for one hour. Prepare mashed potatoes or large flat noodles for serving accordingly and set aside. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the beef until it is lightly browned on both sides. Remove meat from pan and let it rest while you prepare the sauce. In the same pan, sauté the garlic and onions; season with black pepper and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are deeply colored. Stir in the beef bouillon paste. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Slice the meat into 2” x ½” pieces. Add the meat to the sauce and heat until just warmed through. Reduce heat to low and stir in the sour cream.

Description: I developed this recipe with two goals in mind: 1) to make this dish a little healthier 2) to create a finished product that tastes as close to "authentic" stroganoff as possible This stroganoff satisfies both goals and was perfected after visiting the Russian neighborhood of Brighton Beach in NYC.

Stir in the butter. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch if necessary. Turn off the heat when heated through and stir in cream cheese. Garnish with fresh dill and serve immediately. *Serves 2-3 (large servings)

XNLV337090

Camping Season Isn’t Over Yet! We Have The Largest Selection Of Rv’s In The State! Over 115 Travel Trailers, 8 Toy Haulers, and 67 Motorhomes In Stock and Ready To Deliver” 2017 RPOD 171

Clearance $17,425

2018 FUN FINDER 271K

Clearance $32,657

Clearance $33,647

Reg. Price $19,430

Reg. Price $37,152

Reg. Price $35,269

Compact and light weight. Queen bed and dinette. We have never advertised this so low!

Corner Island kitchen floor plan very open and is the only one offered. Lit up cabinetry is a must see!

Best selling family floor plan. It has it all. Queen Bed, Sofa, Full Dinette, and full over full bunkbeds.

Mon to Fri 9 am to 6 pm • Sat 10 am to 6 pm • Sun 12 pm to 5 pm 2017 SPRINGDALE 189FL

Clearance $20,989

Reg. Price $22,669

2 -198

561

Great family bunkbed trailer with sofa and dinette.

RV SALES

Clearance $32,862

Clearance $69,950

Reg. Price $35,490

Reg. Price $85,013

This rear lounge model has all the creature comforts of home. Great daylight.

Built for luxury andentertaining. Must see this to believe it!

561

-198

A C WWW.ABCRVSALES.COM 2 5550 Old Seward Hwy., Anchorage, AK

August 24 - August 30, 2017

2017 GRAND DESIGN SOLITUDE 5TH WHEEL

2018 WILDCAT 255RL

2 Great Locations to Visit!

349 50 4 -045 0 0 349 8103 Old Seward Hwy., Anchorage, AK 13

ALASKA FIREWEED PRESENTS

The Legend of Ocean Grown Kush

one of the stand out In the wild world of Sponsored by: strains weed, there are a handwe've ful of strains that prethad the ty much any enthusipleasure ast should be able to tell of stockyou about, or they've at ing here least heard rumors of at Alaska their mythical powers, Fireweed. and the ever so popuOver the lar "OG Kush" which course has graced the shelves of our 9 of legal weed shops months in across the country BY WILL INGRAM, MANAGER AT business, sits atop the list. Held ALASKA FIREWEED we've been in high regard for it's blessed epic ability to squash with dozstress, negativity, anxiety, and provide an overall ens upon dozens of different happy and euphoric state of strains grown by cultivators mind, this incredible Indica all over the state of Alaska, hybrid has made it's way to but these picture perfect nugs Alaska Fireweed thanks to grown by K Beach Reef are the fine growers at "K Beach surely something special. Now Reef" on the Kenai Peninsula. let's be clear here, OG Kush is Upon first inspecting these labeled an Indica hybrid by beautiful, almost neon green, most shops and websites, but tight and dense nugs of some experiences so far throughout of the stickiest greenery I've the crew here at Alaska Fireever handled, I was in awe of weed have been a mixed bag. how perfect this stuff looks and Some of us have reported an smells, and I knew instantly ultra euphoric high which led this was going to be a shop into an amazing nights sleep, while others were left with a favorite. One thing I can tell you for high reminiscent of an enersure after sampling this good getic sativa, keeping us up all stuff over the past few days night with our minds awake is that this is most definitely and aware long into the wee

hours of the night. One things for certain, experiences will vary from person to person, but this strain will likely have you coming back for more time and time again, and will most certainly overshadow a lot of other stuff on the market right now. One way I always like to test the potency of some good weed, or potentially good weed I should say is to just sit down with my guitar and see how epic of a jam session I can get going. Well...I can tell you that OG Kush is my new best friend, as I found myself making epic sounds and coming up with new riffs easily. There's something about this stuff that just gets me in the zone... I threw on some backing tracks with a little drum and bass, and the hours just went by as I continued to jam on long into the evening. I've also found OG Kush to be phenomenal for gaming. Yes, I'm a gamer, and don't act like you aren't... This lovely hybrid is the perfect companion for a night of kicking back on xbox live with good friends, and exploring through mystical worlds. I find OG Kush to make me quite talkative, which is also good for gaming as it can be quite a social expe-

The Valley is alive and well. Let us show you!

rience conversing with friends and other random gamers across the digital plain. All in all, I've just got to say this is hands down some of the best stuff I've had in quite sometime. And I know I've said that before, but it just keeps getting better... So remember, if you're at all curious about trying some of this fantastic hybrid, get to Alaska Fireweed sooner than later. Our regulars know it, and many tourists have experienced it; strains like this don't last long, as most people come back for more, and this

stuff is gone before articles like this ever reach the printing press, so don't delay, and come speak with a bud-tender today! Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive."; (2) "Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence."; (3) "There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana."; (4) "For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children."; (5) "Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.

A Better Experience

Call 907-352-5100 today!

Willow, AK 99688................ $299,900 Single Family â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Alaskan Style Home close to Susitna River, 2 miles from Kashwitna Lake, and Kashwitna River. Gorgeous lawn with beautiful deck for viewing kmfk]lk af hjanYl] )* Y[j]k& EYaf Ă&#x203A; ggj `Yk kallaf_ jgge k]hYjYl] ^jge danaf_ Yj]Y oal` dYj_] Ă&#x161; j]hdY[]$ \afaf_ area, kitchen, pantry, and 3bd/2bath. Downstairs is an mfĂ&#x161; fak`]\ ZYk]e]fl oal` lgfk g^ hgl]flaYd ^gj Yfql`af_ with 1600+ sq. ft. Huge Boat Storage. MLS# 16-17994 Call Susan 907.232.0040

Willow, AK 99688................ $295,000 SALE TO INCLUDE AK BEER AND WINE LICENSE Commercial Building â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Capitol Speedway CafĂŠ and

Motel sold together. Four room hotel with laundromat and coin shower next to cafĂŠ. 2 bedroom home available to purchase with the purchase of cafĂŠ and motel. Coin op laundromat with 2 washers and 2 driers. Coin op shower. The well serves both the [Y^Â Yf\ egl]d& EDK )/%0+0- ;Ydd KmkYf 1(/&*+*&((,(

Wasilla, AK 99654............... $329,000 Single Family â&#x20AC;&#x201D; New Stainless Steel Appliances w/Lowes warranty, cul-de-sac road location, fenced in back yard and k]dd]j oadd hYq mh lg -(((&(( af Zmq]j k [dgkaf_ [gklk& :gfmk room above the garage or as a 4th bedroom, the septic tank is rated for a three bedroom. Views, relaxing and fun! MLS# 17-10049 Call Shelly 907.232.3327

Many lots to choose from! Ask about owner finance.

As an Alaskan, we know you expect a lot from your vehicle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting you to work, school or a trail ride! At Credit Union 1, you can affordably swap out your car or truck whenever you need. With rates as low as 1.99% APR, your loan will cost less â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and your vehicle will be ready to handle more!*

XNLV318754

Willow, AK 99688.................. $80,000 Vacant Land â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 2.2 Acres for your Beautiful Alaskan j]lj]Yl$ EYl%Km k Ă&#x161; f]kl jan]j^jgfl Yj]Yk$ YmlgeYl]\ [g\]\ gate, private maintained year round roads, private boat ramp, covered pavillion; room to turn around & park. Protective [gn]fYflk$ hgo]j ^gj qgmj [gfn]fa]f[] Yf\ Y[[]kk lg Ă&#x161; k`af_$ rafting, snowmachining, with Willow, Caswell, Talkeetna and <]fYda FYlagfYd HYjc Yl qgmj Ă&#x161; f_]j lahk& EDK ).%)0/// Call Susan 907.232.0040

XNLV318755

A Better Drive

LOTS OF LOTS

XNLV343893

Lucy Lake, Cherrie Lake, Pappa Bear Lake, Houston & Wasilla. Owner finance available, call for more info!

124 West Swanson Ave., Suite A Wasilla, AK 99654 907-352-5100 â&#x20AC;˘ akhomeguide.com

Apply online at cu1.org/drive Federally Insured by NCUA â&#x20AC;˘ (907) 339-9485 â&#x20AC;˘ (800) 478-2222 *Best annual percentage rate of 1.99% APR on approved credit up to 48 months. Rate subject to change without notice. Visit cu1.org for details.

August 24 - August 30, 2017

HEADLAMP

Fishing a freshwater tributary of the Taku Glacier Lake. Several islands cluster around the mouth of the lake, and provide unobstructed views of the glaciers and mountains beyond. Paddling around the lake, up near East and West Twin Glaciers, takes

a whole day. Be aware of winds that could make travel slow or dangerous, and the calving faces of the glaciers. Contrary to what maps suggest, these glaciers (particularly West Twin) will not touch the lake

ARMS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 is plastered with comic books and the other is an oceanthemed wonder) the building opens up into a warehouse sized space. Prosthetic legs and arms along with Styrofoam heads for baby helmets are scattered across the work space. The shop houses an oven, a machine that sculpts Styrofoam blocks into 3D molds, a computerized gait mat with cameras, and various drills and grinders. Unlike many providers, Sundberg makes his custom devices on-site. He believes in using hand skills while incorporating as much technology as possible. This allows him to maintain control of the product and avoid shipping costs and delays. Because all work and no play makes Sundberg a dull

boy, his workshop also houses a nerf gun collection, hockey goal, basketball hoop and disco ball. People often ask Sundberg if his job is depressing. Absolutely not, he says. “The worst thing has already happened.” One of Sundberg’s goals as

a practitioner is to “get people comfortable enough to complain.” He explains how tiny adjustments can make a big difference in patient comfort. “We can’t try the body on,” Sundberg says. He and the patient must work together to achieve the ultimate fit. After the patient leaves the

Do you have questions about buying a home but afraid to ask?

Retail Marijuana License Application Notice

XNLV339490

Scan the QR code for a FREE Home Loan eCourse!

appointment, it takes one to four hours to design and fabricate a device. For Sundberg, insurance is the hardest part of the job. Medicaid and Medicare mandate the price of his labor. “We haven’t had a Medicaid raise in 10 years,” he says. While insurance reimbursements remain relatively the same, the phone bill,

Tip Top, LLC is applying under 3 AAC 306.300 for a new Retail Marijuana Store license, license #14359, doing business as TIP TOP, LLC, located at 233 E. 5th Avenue, Suite 1, Anchorage, AK, 99501-2519, 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.

True North FCU NMLS#440100

August 24 - August 30, 2017

Federally Insured by NCUA

Pub 8.17, 8.24 and 8.31, 2017.

XNLV344118

material costs and the office lease go up every year. “I try not to stay up at night thinking about it,” Sundberg says. Despite the stress, he enjoys his job, particularly the variety he encounters. “We see children to grandparents, quadriplegics to people who have toe pain,” Sundberg says. He gets satisfaction out of seeing their lives improve. Whether the issue is large or small, Sundberg appreciates that his clinic can make a difference. “We don’t mind if they (products) come back looking broken or worn,” Sundberg says. It means his devices are comfortable and doing their job. Sundberg finally paid off his student loans after fifteen years of working. The next generation of orthotists/prosthetists can expect even higher educational debt. Chris McKillop, earning his

master’s degree at Concordia University, St. Paul, and Brittany Moores, earning her master’s degree at University of Hartford, are interns at Alchemy. They say it’s not unusual for someone graduating in their field to accrue $100,000 in student debt. “I’m tempted to live out of my van,” Moores says.

Liquor License Transfer Notice

Liquor License Correction Notice

Donald Skewis and Frank Dahl, d/b/a no establishment is applying for transfer of a Beverage Dispensary AS 04.11.090 liquor License to Anchorage Alehouse, LLC d/b/a Anchorage Alehouse located at 2830 C Street, Anchorage, Ak 99503. The transferor/lessor retains a security interest in the liquor license which is the subject of conveyance under the terms AS 04.11.360(4)(B); AS 04.11.670 and 3 AAC 304.107 and may, as a result, be able to obtain a retransfer of the license without satisfaction of other creditors. 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. Pub 8.24, 8.31, 2017. XNLV345025

Melinda Munson is a CoConspirator with Alaskafamilyfun.com. Reach her at Melinda@tripodcommunications.com.

Now Buying Your Books, CD’s, DVD’s and Vinyl!

XNLV341775

mile from the Taku, separated only by an old moraine. Packrafts or canoes can ascend (with difficulty) the stream that flows from lake to river. Rafters could tie up at the confluence and walk up to Twin

Froth & Forage LLC is making application for a new restaurant/eating place liquor license AS 04.11.100, doing business as Froth & Forage located at 27635 Seward Highway, Indian, Ak. Interested persons should submit written comment to their local governing body, the applicant and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board at 550 West 7th Ave., Suite 1600, Anchorage, AK 99501 Originally pub 4/27. 5/4 and 5/11, 2017 Pub 8/24/2017

XNLV345312

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 sustained campaign with strong American support resulted in that watershed’s permanent protection. As a result of salmon that still spawn in the Taku basin, you will pass a couple fish camps on the Canadian side of the border. Shortly downstream, below a short canyon, a couple dozen large cabins line the riverbank, in an area with private land inholdings within the Tongass National Forest. This area is the hardest of the trip to find good camping, due to substantial reaches of private land. Near the end of most of these cabins, the Wright River flows into the Taku on the left. Surprisingly, the open forest on the floodplain east of the Wright River makes it possible to walk up to the Wright Glacier’s terminal lake in just a couple hours, with minimal bushwhacking. The Wright Glacier is visible several miles away, having retreated significantly from the point you find marked on maps. While salmon still run up the Taku, while glaciers still flow to tidewater, while clouds from the North Pacific still drift through icebound cirques, take time to visit the Taku. Just a few miles above tidewater, two glaciers descend from the Juneau Icefield to Twin Glacier Lake. The lake is about a quarter

surface for long. They are thinning and retreating rapidly, leaving behind vast, bare rock escarpments. While it is possible to paddle back to Juneau from the Taku, most paddlers will prefer to fly back from Taku Lodge on a “deadhead” flight. These flights are cheap, and generally available every day during the summer. Taku Lodge’s manager Mike Ward is very supportive of paddlers, so call ahead and figure out the logistics for your trip. A journey down the Taku feels like a trip into an entirely different time, verdant and primordial. The fish are so thick that it isn’t clear whether you are seeing them or the water. On the boundary of the glacial Taku and a clearwater tributary, the fish flit in and out, their silhouettes moving across the eddy lines in such number that it seems the riverbed or river itself is in motion. Downstream just a few miles, a great wall of ice-Hole in the Wall Glacier, a branch of the Taku Glacier--comes into view. Had you been descending the river for the first time, you would wonder what would happen when a massive river crashes into an equally imposing wall of fluid ice. The enchantment, and much of the ice, remain: Cosseting the river against massive cliffs. Flowing into Twin Glacier Lake. Being born, with every snowfall, in the high reaches of the Juneau Icefield.

Hiring Dancers $500 a Day Full or Part-Time? Apply in person after 7:30pm

earn up to

XNLV342223

MUST BE 18

301 W. 64th Avenue Anchorage

562-ROCK (7625) www.clubsinrock.com

XNLV343794

XNLV333038

(corner of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Câ&#x20AC;? St. & 64th)

ing Views OutstandFamous of the AIN

AG TURNRM A Microbrews, Alaskan

Oysters

& Seafoo

Events, Bore Tide Schedule, Specials!

See

INDIAN ANCHORAGE 27957 SEWARD HWY 3637 OLD SEWARD HWY 907.653.1953 907.562.6328 OPEN 11 - 9 DAILY

AMSTERDAM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

This Weekend

Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Omelette

Ground Beef, Spinach, Onion and Swiss Cheese Tuesday thru Sunday 7am-3pm

www.cafe-amsterdam.com â&#x20AC;˘ 274-0074

XNLV338582

530 East Benson Blvd. (In the Metro Mall)

XNLV343347

CAFĂ&#x2030; AMSTERDAM @madmyrnasfans

@madmyrnasak @myrnaskaraoke @madmyrnasak

Pejaks were enjoying the best of both worlds â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a faithful breakfast crowd that had been coming since the Kopers opened in 1987, combined with a niche beer audience that was getting a selection at CafĂŠ Amsterdam they couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find anywhere else. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The nice thing about buying a restaurant thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already operational is that the market is already there. We had to do a little bit of dialing in because some of the people whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d come for years and years were getting olderâ&#x20AC;Ś Frequently we were grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite place to come,â&#x20AC;? Shauna aid. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had two distinct groups â&#x20AC;&#x201D; breakfast people whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been here forever, and then we added beer.â&#x20AC;? Shauna said adding beer proved to only add customers, not subtract from the existing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we took over it was really a galâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t perceived as a place you could get in and out of for lunch,â&#x20AC;?

OIL TAXES

XNLV343344

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

bit.ly/myrnasevents

Karaoke seven nights a week!

be here on friday for our diva show

snapchat geofilter!

TO PLACE AN AD HERE CALL AN AD REP TODAY!

561-7737 16

The costs had mounted to several hundred million dollars a year until Gov. Bill Walker said â&#x20AC;&#x153;whoa!â&#x20AC;? and vetoed funds appropriated to pay the tax credits. The was even before oil prices crashed in late 2015. The governor, working with the Legislature, set a course for winding down the tax credits, which is now largely done. There remains over $700 million in liability for past tax credits the state must deal with, however, and some small independent companies developing new projects were cut short after having been been given written assurances when they made investments that the tax credits would be paid. In hindsight, the tax credit incentives seemed a good idea when they were put in place years ago. Even liberal Democrats like Anchorageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rep. Les Gara and Sen. Bill Wielechowski endorsed the goals of using the incentives to bring new companies to Alaska, including smaller indepedents, to break what seemed a

she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the ladies we had here for long lunches saw, oh, beer, I could get my husband to come here.â&#x20AC;? But as the downturn in oil prices affected all of Alaska, staying open for breakfast, lunch and dinner proved imprudent for the Pejaks, and in October of 2015 they decided to suspend dinner service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The last couple of years thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been changes in the market. We have a good base market, but as the economics change, and because we have an older market thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drifted and havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come as regularly as they have been, we decided to make the change,â&#x20AC;? Shauna said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not being open at night is a super-challenge; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a small group of people already.â&#x20AC;? Shauna said if market forces in Anchorage improve they may consider bringing back the dinner menu, but for now, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to keep doing what they do best â&#x20AC;&#x201D; poaching eggs perfectly, crafting sandwiches and being â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite restaurant.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; CafĂŠ Amsterdam has been anything but neglected or forgotten by local beerlovers. The local chapter of homebrewers

and craftbeer.com voted them Alaskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Best Beer Barâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for 2017, which flatters Shauna to the point of blushing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was kind of embarrassed because we werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t open at night anymore,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last year, 49th State (Brewing Co.) won, which I understand, but I thought, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;what am I going to do?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; So I decided to do nothing.â&#x20AC;? Half the point of such an award is for the winner to promote it for advertising purposes, but whether the award was given for any recent achievements Shauna isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure of, or merely a tribute from local beer lovers for the Pejaksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; efforts in making sure European beers had a future in Alaska, the plaque will sit behind closed doors for the time being. â&#x20AC;&#x153;European beers are fantastic things to pair with wonderful meals you might have â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a Bavarian wheat beer with some sausage or something like that is a great thing,â&#x20AC;? Shauna said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The thing Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m most sorry about is not having that experience. All the restauranteurs in town have made choices, and we have beer and we chose to stay open in the daytime.â&#x20AC;?

monopoly by the North Slopeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three big producing companies, BP, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil. It seemed to work, too. New companies like independents Armstrong Oil and Gas, Pioneer Natural Resources and Hilcorp Energy came to the state, invested and found oil and gas. More recently Caelus Energy, another independent, and Repsol, a large Spain-based company, began exploring, and have made major discoveries. But Gara, Wielechowski and other legislators, and the governor, now say the program is unaffordable with oil prices still low and the state faclng multi-year billion dollar deficits. The state will deal with the past liability, most likely with modest payments over several years â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $74 million being paid this year. Another change this year, in HB 111, agreed to by both the House and Senate, ended, with minor exceptions, cash payment for the credits and putting sideboards on the ability of companies to deduct Net Operating Losses against future production tax payments. Yet another change was â&#x20AC;&#x153;hardeningâ&#x20AC;? the minimum tax so producers couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

use tax credits to lower their production tax below the minimum. New language in HB 111 prohibited this.

What now? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s left to do? The petroleum industry says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Please, no more changes!â&#x20AC;? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understandable given the continued low prices. However, some legislators, mostly Democrats in the House and Senate, still believe the minimum tax should be raised. More to come on this one. HB 111 also provided for a special task force of legislators and advisors, which is yet to be appointed, to consider the overall tax regime and make recommendations for the 2018 session, which begins in January. Are we set for yet another year of arguing? Are we in a time warp, like that movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Groundhog Dayâ&#x20AC;? where actor Bill Murrayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character, a TV newsman, suffers a recycling of days, again and again. Tim Bradner is copublisher of Alaska Legislative Digest August 24 - August 30, 2017

Your Favorite Midtown

Chill Spot

OUTDOOR DECK OPEN! REILLY’S IRISH PUB XNLV342276

(907) 274-6132 317 W. Fireweed Facebook.com/Reillysirishpub

1/2 Price

Any Menu Item #6: 0/& .&/6 *5&. (&5 5)& /% *5&. 0' &26"- 03 -&44 7"-6& 0'' With this coupon only. Not valid with any other advertised oGGer

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM

Expires * Not Valid on Friday Night

August 24 - August 30, 2017

XNLV344192

XNLV343150

ALASKA STATE FAIR SPECIAL $199! Includes medical cannabis card & extended plant count ($425 value save $225)

NEW CBD PRODUCTS! Edibles, Oils, Topicals and More!

YOU MUST HAVE A VALID GOVERNMENT-ISSUED ALASKA ID

(907) 250-5453 XNLV342272

“D

oc, you don’t know how happy I am to be brewing, in my own place, and finally open,” says Danyelle Kimp of QUAKE Brewing Company in Wasilla. It’s been a long time coming. All brewers struggle to open and it’s not uncommon to see delays that are out of control, but Kimp’s had his ass kicked particularly hard from the get go as he’s been determined to join Alaska’s craft brewing scene. It’s starting to wear me out too; this is the third time since October of 2015 that I’ve written about QUAKE’s opening and the first time it’s actually happened. Kimp’s been rejected by banks, beset by bad buildings and screwed by landlords. I know of at least four locations Kimp’s tried to set up shop including a place on Boniface and East Northern Lights, a place on west Tudor Road, and the same location twice in Eagle River and now in Wasilla where his beer is actually flowing. The Boniface and Northern Lights location was perfect. The east side didn’t’ have a brewery back then, the access was easy from all directions, and parking was ample. The banks didn’t see things Kimp’s way though. “I was depending on bank funding. It didn’t happen,” says Kimp of one of his biggest hurdles back then; not going broke funding the brewery with his own credit. At the west Tudor Road location, Kimp wanted to open on March 24, 2015 on the anniversary of Alaska’s famous 1964 quake. Structural problems screwed him this time, and a dismayed Kimp had to look at other options. "The biggest issue was the structural thing," says Kimp. "Half of the building was on solid ground and the other half was propped up. On top of that, the ground wasn't best. That's not good karma for a brewery called QUAKE." I noticed that a pot shop recently moved in. Caveat Emptor, you guys. The Eagle River Fire Lake Plaza location seemed prime. Kimp lives in Eagle River, so certainly having a brewery he'd essentially live at for the first couple of years made sense. The place was bigger than the Tudor location, sat on flat ground with a solid foundation and boasted better parking. It was a 10 minute walk from his house which is convenient as he shared child care and school transportation duties with his supportive wife. It reminded Kimp of Pon-

sticking out of a cooler; three are unused at this point. My goal is to brew a new recipe every week, but it remains to be seen if I can keep up with that. I’m going to try, but realistically, I’ll probably come up with something new every two weeks or so. I’m experimenting; this is just the start.” People seem to be taking to the beer though. “I’m getting some great feedback and I’m starting to get to know my customer’s tastes as well. I just want people to be happy,” says Kimp. Kimp’s original dream was to open a brewpub and provide custom burgers with his brews. “Food has always been the goal, but of course I had to scale back,” says Kimp. In the interim, Kimp’s sourcing food trucks to visit the brewery on a regular schedule, a common tactic with upstart breweries. “It looks like I’ll be getting food truck support next week. First up will be Cali’s Smokey BBQ and Soulfood.” The dates haven’t been announced yet. Kimp’s lease came with a surprise. “My landlord hit me with a history bomb. There’s a really old piano in here. She’s going to try to verify it, but the piano that’s on display was here in 1923 when President Harding laid the first railroad spike in Seward. She calls it the Harding Piano.” Kimp’s an avid musician and tinkers with it. “From time to time, I play it. It’s out of tune, but it’s still playable. I’ll tune it myself when I have time to do it. It’s part of the lease; it’s insured,” he says. “Someone’s already stolen my brewery signs,” says Kimp of the latest in an ongoing series of setbacks. I put up some signs and I’ll be damned if the next day they weren’t stolen. Now I have some spray painted signs just to help customers find the place.” I’ve always admired Kimp’s steadfast, sheer determination through his trials and tribulations along his rocky path to success. “I don’t like quitting. It’s not what I want to do. It would have been wrong to quit; it just motivated me to keep going,” he says. The brewery is open Wednesday through Friday between 5 pm and 8 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 8 pm. If you don’t make it out there before then, Kimp will show up elsewhere with his fermented wares. “I’ll be at the Alaska State Fair. I’ll do the Mighty Matanuska Brew Fest again this year. I’m already signed up for the January Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival,” he says. Things are finally shakin’ at Quake. Take the short drive to the Valley and feel and taste the rumble.

Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence. There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

releafak.com • releafak@gci.net

Learn to Heal Massage Therapy School Call or Click for Next Session XNLV345043

BY JAMES “DR. FERMENTO” O” ROBERTS

totoc, Mississippi where he grew up and seemed to fit his ongoing southern-themed beers. "I feel like I'm at home," he said in a February 2016 interview. This location wasn't destined to be home. Suffice to say, Kimp got cross-threaded with his landlord there, and the deal fell through. "I started this back in 2015," he laments. I was retiring from the service and had to think of what I wanted to do. The Eagle River thing was definitely a letdown, but I'm not a quitter and I'm home now." QUAKE finally moved the needle on the Richter scale when Kimp started pouring beer on Tuesday, August 15 in Wasilla at 1540 N. Shorline Drive, his new –and hopefully final – brewing home. "Third time's a charm," says Kimp of his quiet opening. “The very first beer someone actually paid for was my Good Friday IPA. I served it to Zach Lanphier from over at Bleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer. He wanted to make sure he was the first customer and showed up at 5:01 on opening day.” Kimp launched with five beers on tap out of the eight handles available on his dispensing system. “I’ve good the Good Friday IPA, Magnitude Stout, a roasted pecan stout with vanilla beans, Sweet Potato Ale, Avalanche Pale Ale made with smoked beech wood malt, ginger root and lemon grass, and a red IPA that I don’t have a name for yet. I’m calling it XRIPA for now, or Experimental Red IPA,” says Kimp of his initial offerings. As of this weekend, he ran out of the XIPA and another batch is in the fermenter. “My place is interesting. It’s about 5,000 square feet. It’s in an airplane hangar. We have a lake view; it’s pretty sweet. I found it on Craigslist, the exact same day the landlord posted it,” he says. “The brewing system is just a one barrel system. After I ran into difficulties in Eagle River, I had to go back to the stone age. My boil kettle is literally a stainless steel 55 gallon drum and right now I’m conditioning in kegs. I’m fermenting in plastic fermenters. It’s all retrofitted. You gotta make it work, right?” says Kimp of his brewhouse setup. “I had to rethink the business strategy after all this time and moving around. The brewery is big enough to handle something much bigger I’ll upgrade equipment and increase capacity when I can afford it. I don’t want to grow too fast. This is all dictated by my brewing skills and abilities, not just money,” he says. “I have eight taps right now. They’re

XNLV344117

A QUAKE AWAKENING

Alaska Institute of Oriental Medicine, Massage Therapy, & Acupuncture

Call Now 279-0135 akinstitute.com

CAFFEINATED

DRINK IN THE HISTORY AROUND YOU

“H

istory is a study guide rarely used.” The late Bob Pond wrote that in one of his many journals. There is so much history in Alaska; history that is lost when we constantly look for the new. While looking forward to a new chain restaurant opening, we forget about the local places where our parents had their first date. Saving for a designer bag from a brand new mall location prevents us from purchasing a vintage piece at a local boutique. Kobuk Coffee downtown in the Kimball building is historical. The building itself is over 100 years old, and was originally built as a home and general store. Situated on 5th Avenue, it is a building that has survived the '64 earthquake, vehicles losing control on ice, and more. If you step inside you will find a busy store, brimming with unique gifts, cards and more. If you can get past all of the fascinating items, there is a wonderful little coffee shop tucked in the back. Coffee, tea and desserts are always done to perfection, and the location makes for an easy stop when walking through downtown on a lazy Sunday. My friend Mick and I were on our way to the cemetery recently and stopped in for a little pick-me-up. It seemed appropriate to

visit a place with so much historical value, as we were on our way to hear Stories At The Cemetery. This event has been happening for 7 years, and each time it is a unique experience. Most of the time I have stopped in for the July version, where actors stand on top of the graves of the people that they are portraying, telling stories from the past, and giving life to legends. For the August performances, there is a small stage set up and folks are welcome to bring chairs and listen as the past becomes alive. In past years there have been stories such as that of Eklutna Annie, one of the many victims of Robert Hansen, Alaska's most well known serial killer. One year my friend John Frasier portrayed Wayne Hussey, also known as Margaret I, Empress of Alaska. John’s skill as an actor was apparent, giving all who witnessed a glimpse into the life of one of Anchorage's most outrageous characters. As Mick and I entered we were both excited to get the program, wondering who would be speaking this year. I noticed that it was mainly stories of Alaskan Pioneers. We joined the large crowd of seated people, and took space standing in back. A hush fell over the crowd as the actors, in period clothing started to come to stage. Linda Benson, who is one of the organizers of the event, was portraying Anna Simonsen. Other favorite local actors included Mark Robokoff, Ron Holmstrom and David Haynes.

As each of the 10 actors took to the stage, I found myself watching the crowd more than what was happening in front of me. Looking at the faces of men and women that were easily in the their 60's, 70's and older, I watched as smiles crept across faces, and eyes twinkled when names were mentioned, or locations reminisced, bringing back memories for those around me that they had also lived. At the end I asked Mick if he would like to take a walk with me around to some graves of people that I knew, and others that I only knew legend of. He agreed, and after we made a donation to the event we walked and I told him my own stories about people that might not ever make the history books, but still helped shape who I have become as a person. Names like Misty Dawn Espinoza, Ross Crich, and Christine Johnson may never be in a history book, but they shaped my world just the same. My family has been in Alaska for a long time. The sidewalk in front of my grandparents’ house is etched with my Mom's handprint, and the names of herself and all of her siblings. My name is there too, only because I was named after my grandfather. That same name is also in one of the bricks surrounding town square park. I know that the blood in my veins is part of the history of this great state. It is wonderful that Alaska is getting more of the chain stores that the lower 48 has, and many times I do appreciate them for con-

venience and quickness. However, when I can, I try to eat at local restaurants, and shop in local stores. Not simply to support local businesses so much as to soak up history. History is a study guide, and more importantly it is occurring and disappearing each and every day. Each of us is a historian, if we simply take the time to learn and share.

(1) “Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive.”; (2) “Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence.”; (3) “There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana.”; (4) “For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.”; (5) “Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.”

XNLV344081

BY RJ JOHNSON

August 24 - August 30, 2017

WARRIORS SNAP A STREAK, STARS CONTINUE TO SURGE

ill Stout’s a math teacher. So That’s just north of 44,000 hours if you really there was little surprise when the want to get ridiculous. second-year head coach of the It was a loss to Palmer by the way, 27-7 durWasilla Warriors knew the exact ing the opening week of the 2012 seanumber of days since Wasilla’s son. last home victory prior to the 30-0 Speaking of streaks, how about Redwin over Eagle River Aug. 18 at ington? WHS. The Huskies, a second-year varsity It’s 1,057 if you’re counting. program in the Division III Peninsula Before the shutout of the Conference, are 2-0. After finishing Wolves, Wasilla’s last win at 0-8 in its first season of varsity football home, a 49-21 in over North Pole, last year, Redington opened the 2017 came on Sept. 26, 2014. There campaign with a 54-40 win over Monwere nine straight home losses in roe Catholic in Fairbanks. On Saturbetween. BY JEREMIAH day, Redington earned its first shutout “There was a lot of pressure on BARTZ ever, blanking Valdez 45-0 in Valdez. us for a while, hey we’ve got to get Quarterback Sam Reed spent his a win at home,” Stout said postsummer playing American Legion game. J’S WORLD baseball for the Wasilla Road Warriors. Quarterback Aeron Milliron is Reed and the Huskies have been road among a group of Wasilla seniors warriors during the first two weeks of who were freshman the last time Wasilla won the season. Friday, the Huskies have their first at home. Milliron said all of the right things home game, a date with Division II Barrow after the win. Friday at 7 p.m. at the Knik-area school. Bar“We worry about the present, what we’re row, idle in Week 1, dropped its season-opengoing to work on in practice and the next er in Week 2, falling to Division III Homer. game,” Milliron told me. How about this Redington? Here’s your opporI believe that completely. Wasilla is intent tunity to notch the school-history hat trick. on leaving the struggles in the rearview mirFirst win- check. ror. But the win also lifted that elephant-sized First shutout- check. monkey off their backs. First home win? Let’s see what happens FriDivision II power Soldotna hasn’t had to day. worry about losing streak since many of their players were in elementary school. Soldotna extended its state-record winning streak to 51 I think we’ve found the top 2 teams in Alasgames with a 64-6 manhandling of Dimond. ka’s Division I class. And for those counting, when the printed Let me introduce you to Colony and Bartlett. version of this column hits driveways WednesAnd yes, Chugiak, you’re right up there too. day morning, it’ll be 1,837 days since Soldotna But after the Friday night slugfest at CHS, a last suffered a loss.

Battle of the titans

2017-18 SEASON PASS SALE

GET UP TO

33-27 victory for the Knights, Alaska’s football faithful are already gauging the possibility of a rematch in the postseason. The game featured a little bit of everything. Big plays. A grinding Bartlett running game. And rain. Plenty of rain. Colony reached the end zone five times in the win, and other than a 2-yard Kaiden Jimenez plunge, four of those scores came from 26 yards or more. Senior Jon Pomrenke ran for scores of 45 and 59 yards, and hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass courtesy of Parker Kizer. Bartlett also had a long score, an 80-yard Jontay Edwards run. But for the most part, Bartlett’s Edwards-led offense methodically churned the yardage. Edwards finished with 342 yards on 48, yes 48, carries. Tack that on to the 160 Edwards gained against Wasilla in Week 1, and the Bartlett back has now rushed for 502 yards in two games against Valley opponents. Yikes. Chugiak, meanwhile, also scored a win in sloppy conditions Friday night, beating South Anchorage 20-7. Senior Derryk Snell rushed for 138 yards and another score.

Flex scheduling? The National Football League adopted flex scheduling for its national broadcast television schedule. It’s a great way to get games that really matter on the tube late in the season, rather than viewers potentially getting stuck with a game that might turn out to be a total stinker. I want to take it a step further in the 907. Let’s completely change at least a week on the schedule. Why? Because I want to see Colony take on Sol-

dotna. Right now, Colony, and Bartlett, appear to be the only teams, at this point, ready to threaten the steak. During Week 4, Soldotna is slated to travel south to face a squad from Oregon. Colony is on the road at West Anchorage. Any way we can switch the plane tickets and send the Eagles to Oregon? Imagine a Colony-SoHi matchup at the midway point of the season. That’s must-see football. All joking aside, that Colony-West matchup should be pretty good too.

ASBN poll There were no surprises at the top of the latest Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network weekly prep football poll. Colony jumped Bartlett in the Division I poll after the loss to the Golden Bears. Soldotna, once again, holds the top spot in the Division II/III poll. Following Colony (2-0) are Chugiak (2-0), Bartlet (1-1), West (1-1) and East (1-1) in the large-schools poll. And look who earned a spot in the Division II/III top 5 for the first time ever. The Redington Huskies! The Huskies (2-0) snagged fourth. North Pole (2-0) and Juneau-Douglas (2-0) are second and third, and Eielson (1-1) is fifth. Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at frontiersman.com/ sports.

$75 POWDER CACHE BONUS! SALE ENDS AUGUST 31

5TH ANNUAL

MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 1 - 4 FEATURING THE POND CROSSING WHIPS & TRICKS DOWNHILL CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE MUSIC & MORE! FULL SCHEDULE ONLINE XNLV341543

907-754-2275

ALYESKARESORT.COM/PRESS

END-OF-SUMMER CONCERTS

AUGUST 26: CHASE CHRISTIE AND THE QUICK & EASY BOYS BLUEGRASS SEPTEMBER 1 & 2: HONEY & BLOOD CLASSIC ROCK & BLUES SEPTEMBER 9: SUPER SATURATED SUGAR STRINGS ALASKAN FOLK

OPEN FRIDAY-SUNDAY AT NOON | THESITZMARK.COM

LIVE MUSIC EVERY SATURDAY | ALL SHOWS START AT 10PM - FREE! | 21 & OVER | FRIDAYS: $2 TACOS AND TRIVIA NIGHT @ 7PM August 24 - August 30, 2017

XNLV345038

August 24 - August 30, 2017

READY TO HEADLINE alt-rock upstarts Judah & the Lion excited to top the ticket at State Fair

WITH BUITRAGO

BY ALEJANDRA BUITRAGO

THURSDAY, AUG. 24

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IF YOU:

ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE TODDLER STORYTIME—Join Bell’s Nursery on Specking Road for story time with your little ones. Free, 10:30 a.m. (Bell’s Nursery, 13700 Specking Rd.)

1) GOT NO MONEY SIP, SWAP AND SHOP 907 Alehouse & Grill, Sunday, 4 to 7 p.m. Clear your closets and fill your wallets. This event was created to bring fashionistas together to sell their gently used clothes, accessories, shoes and new makeup. RSVP at subscribepage.com. Free. (8001 Old Seward Hwy.)

2) GOT NO FRIENDS YOGA NIDRA Yoga for Mental Health, Sunday, 7 p.m. Enjoy some self-love time and deep meditation and relaxation. Tickets at app.acuityschedule.com. (406 G St.)

3) GOT KIDS STROLLER STRONG MOMS BACK TO SCHOOL BASH Eagle River, Thursday, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Join a free boot camp style workout where you can bring your kids and sweat like a mother. The older kids will be back at school, making it time for you to get into a new routine. All fitness levels welcome. (Eagle River Town Square Park)

4) GOT A HOT DATE HARVEST DAY AT THE MILL Alaska Mill and Feed Inc., Thursday, 2 to 7 p.m. Nothing is more romantic than cooking a meal with the person you’re interested in. Stop by The Mill and pick all fresh and locally made produce and then find a kitchen and see what you can whip up together. Free. (1501 E. 1st Ave.) MORE ON PAGE 5

THE LISTENING POST—Everyone deserves to be listened to. That is what The Listening Post is here to do - honor you, offer you respect, and hear your story. Free, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily. (Atrium – 2nd Floor, Loussac Library, 3600 Denali St.)

B” SPECIAL PANEL DISCUSSION—If you want to be a climate change champion and be informed about one of the most important issues of our time, plan to attend this free, powerful panel moderated by Fran Ulmer. Free, 5 to 7 p.m. (Side Street Espresso, 412 G St.) TEEN WRITING SOCIETY—Join other teens in exploring the creative process or writing. Come discuss your writing projects, whether they are novels, short stories, poetry, plays screenplays or any kind of literature. Free, 6 to 8 p.m. (Loussac Library, 3600 Denali St.)

DISCOVERY CENTER SCIENCE LABS— At Noon, 2 and 4 p.m. daily through August. Ask questions, make predictions and conduct experiments at the museum’s hands-on Exploration Station. New themes monthly. Great for inquisitive minds of all ages. $7 $15. (Anchorage Museum, 625 C St.)

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 to 8:30 p.m., weekly. (Bosco's, 2301 Spenard Rd.)

GUIDED TOURS OF THE OSCAR ANDERSON HOUSE—Step back in time with a 45-minute guided tour of Anchorage's only house museum, built in 1915 and restored to show visitors a glimpse into daily life in early Anchorage. Tours are on a walk-in basis, except tours on Fridays, which require 24-hour advance reservations by phone or e-mail. Noon to 4 p.m. daily except Mondays through August. $5 - $10, noon to 4 p.m. (Oscar Anderson House Museum, 420 M St.)

QIGONG FOR ARTHRITIS—Active or sedentary, more than 10% of adults are affected by Arthritis within their lifetime. Qigong exercises have been used in China for many years to successfully circumvent and even treat this condition. Let this gentle and graceful exercise help you relieve joint stiffness and move more freely in your everyday activity. $11 - $16.50, 11 a.m to noon, daily. (Jade Lady Meditation, 508 W. 2nd Ave., Ste. 103)

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.)

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.)

“CROSS ROADS: THERE IS NO PLANET

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

THE ANCHORAGE MUSEUM BEGINS AT ITS BOOKSHOP AND CONTINUES IN YOUR HOME LIBRARY BY JEAN BUNDY

SLEUTHING ART

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

XNLV342950

Leaving a Mark by DA-KA-XEEN Meaner, ink jet print, collection of Anchorage Museum

ith the Anchorage Museum’s new wing opening in less than a month, I headed to the book section of its gift shop to see what titles might help me better understand the paintings and artifacts that are about to get more space. It was pouring and tourists in multicolored rain gear buzzed the area perusing t-shirts, children’s art supplies and dinner plates printed with vintage Alaskan photographs. No one seemed to be buying the pricey ivory and hardly anyone took a book off a shelf. Whatever the reason, visitors were missing out on discovering the variety of Alaskans who have published books about: Statehood, the Pipeline, the Iditarod and yes, ladies of the evening. I personally found these aesthetic treasures overwhelming and needed a short walk and a cup of tea in order to focus. Here are a few titles that would make a non-Alaskan better informed. My Degeneration: a Journey Through Parkinson’s by satirist Peter Dunlap-Shohl describes his ongoing battle with disease in a cartoon format. Peter’s art, now done on computer, is tightly constructed and makes the reader see through his illness to the person. Sideways Rain by Nancy Elliott Sydnam MD. encompasses her twenty years flying throughout the Aleutians/Pribilofs treating patients, accompanied by her retriever and cello. In the children’s section I found Fatty Legs by Christy JordanFenton and Margaret PokiakFenton, about a Native child who decides to attend boarding school and finds her willful demeanor doesn’t bode well with a mean-spirited nun. Oops, I almost forgot, I had gone to the book store to critique art books and I found a few Alaskan titles that would enrich any home library. Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage, The First Peoples of Alaska by the Smithsonian is organized by tribes. Seeing Native baskets and hunting/ fishing up close will make visiting the Anchorage Museum’s Smithsonian collections more perceptive as contemplation into why Northwest adventurers felt compelled to pillage

should also be considered. Kesler E. Woodward’s Spirit of the North: The Art of Eustace Ziegler provides an historical account of artist Ziegler (18811969) who balanced a sculptural objective structure with a loose Impressionistic brushstroke and is a bridge between the Captain Cook era of linear Picturesque and color laden Post-War Modernism. True North, Contemporary Art of the Circumpolar North is a 2012 Anchorage Museum catalog showing that PostModernism in the form of digital photography had indeed arrived. One of the reasons for remodeling the Museum’s atrium was to provide wall space for looping videos and floor space for installations that now dominate major museums worldwide. Remember, Alaskan art belongs to art’s historic timeline. And Native Alaskan art has the advantage of being inherently unique, even more so when combined with traditional Western genres-borrowing from past styles without blatant copying. An example from True North… is Da-Ka-Xeen Mehner’s ink jet print, Leaving a Mark, which juxtaposes an image of the Alaska Pipeline with bare land and aboriginal tools. He presents visual ambiguities while setting up dialogues between past and present ways of land use. I love art books of all varieties: monographs, exhibition catalogs, art criticism, museum collections, even how-tos on painting and drawing. When husband Dave and I travel outside, he’ll carry my newly acquired tomes as long as I promise to mail them home! You don’t have to acquire a big art library to enjoy museum/gallery going, but a few basic books really help. Here are some picks I turn to, even when contemplating Alaskan art. Written with historical commentary like a social studies textbook, Gardner’s Art Through the Ages has nice maps, color photos and gets routinely updated. My mother’s mid-thirties edition with its black/white images of the Parthenon was useful to me in elementary school. A readable history on color is Philip Ball’s Bright Earth which explains the fascination with tonal values beginning with the Greeks.

August 24 - August 30, 2017

NOVELIST LOUISE ERDRICH TO APPEAR AT WENDY WILLIAMSON AUDITORIUM SEPT. 6 49 Writers, Inc. is pleased to present acclaimed novelist Louise Erdrich in Anchorage on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 at UAA’s Wendy Williamson Auditorium for a free public reading and a private reception with members and supporters. Louise Erdrich grew up in North Dakota and is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe. She is German, French, and Anishinaabe. Her first book, Love Medicine, received the National Book Critics Circle Award, as did her latest novel, LaRose. Her book The Round House, a crime novel about a boy who tries to protect his mother, a victim of sexual violence on an Ojibwe reservation, won the National Book Award. She wrote about the German side of her family in The Master Butcher’s Singing Club. Louise has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist, received many other honors including the Library of Congress Award, and she owns a small independent bookstore, Birchbark Books, in Minneapolis. She lives in Minnesota with her daughters. The free public reading is scheduled for UAA’s Wendy Williamson Auditorium from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Tickets are not required and everyone—including youth—is invited to attend. There will be time for questions after the reading, and Louise will sign books afterward, as well. A private ticketed reception for 49 Writers members and supporters will take place backstage at the Wendy Williamson from 5:00–6:30 PM. Tickets for the reception can be purchased at http://49writers.org/louise-erdrichevent. Tickets are $30/person for 49 Writers members, and non-members can purchase or renew membership for an additional $49. All tickets will be will-call at Wendy Williamson beginning at 5:00 PM the day of the event. UAA Campus Bookstore will be on site with books for sale. Erdrich’s appearance in Anchorage comes in advance of the 8th Annual 49 Writers Tutka Bay Writers Retreat, led this year by Erdrich. Erdrich will also offer a free public reading in Homer on Thursday, September 7th, at 6:30 PM at Kenai Peninsula College’s Kachemak Bay Campus. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/ events/1812771075699882 The Williamson Auditorium is part of the UAA Campus. The facility is located at 2533 Providence Drive in the building complex closest to the corner of Lake Otis Parkway & Providence Drive.

Sankofa Dance Theater

RACIAL HARMONY AT ALASKA’S BRIDGE BUILDERS GALA 2017 BY JEAN BUNDY

ven the food servers were rocking to choruses of ‘amen’ in the Captain Cook Ballroom on Saturday August 19 as a variety of community leaders and concerned citizens promised to continue to promote goodwill and harmonious living amongst the many ethnicities that live in Anchorage, with Mountain View coming into the national spotlight as having the most diverse friends and neighbors nationwide. Eklutna’s Tribal Council President Chief Lee Stephan, Governor Bill Walker and First Lady Donna Walker recited the Bridge Builders ‘Pledge of Mutual Respect’ which resounded table to table, even more poignant in light of last week’s Neo-Nazi demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia. The audience chimed in to Katelyn McGeary’s rendition of the Alaska Flag Song and eightyfour year old Ethel Thomas, a lay prison preacher, rephrased the scripture John 3:16 with a more contemporary interpretation of God’s love, while proving if you want to live a

Governor Bill Walker and First Lady Donna Walker long, productive life it pays say this Gala was just preachto be free of hatred. Spe- ing to the choir, as those who cial thanks goes to Lourdes enjoyed cheesecake and raspCrawford (Lo), a long time berries with white chocolate Anchorage School District were already committed to teacher and counselor, for loving thy neighbor. As variorganizing the chicken/hali- ous dance troupes gyrated to but dinner and the peonies beating drums, proving that as centerpieces. Some might diversity enriches a commu-

nity, it was clear peace begins from within and radiates. Here are visual highlights from the Bridge Builders Gala. Keep on Sleuthing for art and peace. Jean Bundy aica-usa is a writer/painter living in Anchorage. Email: 38144@ alaska.net

SAVE MORE WHEN SHOPPING DOWNTOWN

Explore Downtown with exclusive savings at restaurants, boutiques, bars and rtainment. PECIALS CHANGE EVERY MONTH & USINESSES ADDED EVERY WEEK!

1. PURCHASE YOUR PASS FOR ONLY 49! 2. PRESENT YOUR PASS TO SAVE www.downtownpass.org

Questions? Contact us at: info@anchoragedowntown.org | 907-279-5620

August 24 - August 30, 2017

XNLV343786

XNLV343660

START SAVING TODAY!

JUST WHAT I NEEDED: Robb Rood

Lisa Ballard

THE TOTALLY ‘80S SOUND OF I LIKE ROBOTS BY ROB LEFEBVRE Justin Somaduroff

Gregor Wright

Christian Woods

Like Robots is taking the stages of Anchorage by storm. With a focus on a well-produced live sound and hot neon visuals for their ‘80s-centric sets, this five-piece has only been together for three years – a fact that belies the tight workmanship of the all-star line up that makes up this supergroup. You can’t listen to I Like Robots without wanting to at least tap your feet or dance in your chair. Most likely, though, you’ll get your butt off of your barstool and dance a bit, as soon as the music hits your system (perhaps with a shyness-dissolving drink or two). Having just totally rocked the rad SoLo block party in the South restaurant parking lot this past weekend, I Like Robots is headed next to Williwaw to fuel a dance party this coming Saturday night. You’re guaranteed to have a good time, unless you hate fun. You don’t hate fun, do you? The membership of this rad five-piece has settled down of late, said Robb Rood, the drummer with the best ‘80s-sounding name. Singers Justin Somaduroff (Nervis Rex) and JJ Tranquila (Stuck in Reverse) rotate through the front man duties, while Lisa Ballard (Woodrow) keeps the guitar parts bitchin’. Greger Wright plays totally excellent synth and keyboards — a must for any of the new wave tunes of the era. Christian

144 Activities In Town Square To sign up: www.AnchorageDowntown.org “Upcoming Events”

Monthly Membership Meeting For information on the Downtown Pass August Specials please head to www.AnchorageDowntown.Org

XNLV342072

Wednesday, September 6th • 9am • Port View Room

Woods (Woodrow, City in Ashes) holds down the totally tubular bass lines and Rood smacks the skins, of course. He also admits to chucking a drumstick at band members when they make mistakes. “I can see them clench when they screw up; they know I’m gonna toss a stick at them,” he told me. Rood has been playing for a while now; his roots coming from the Baltimore scene. He plays in both original and cover bands here in Alaska. While he enjoys both experiences, he leans toward the latter type of music-making. “It’s just more fun. I got tired of playing my heart out with original tunes and no one paying attention to us,” he said. “You can play ‘Dancing With Myself’ for the one-hundredth time and people will dance to it.” The paycheck helps, too, he added, laughing. Ballard agrees that cover bands — especially this one — are a ton of fun. “Most of us have played in, or still play in, original bands,” she said. “I enjoy playing in both type of bands and have made a living most of my life as a musician. It's all I’ve ever wanted to do, and I’m just driven to play as long as I'm enjoying the music, whether it’s original or cover.” Watching the band play a set at the SoLo block party last Saturday, it’s clear the group (originally named The Cyclone Rangers from the Vapors' ‘80s hit, “Turning Japanese”) has a good time above all else. Whether it’s the smooth groove of “In the Air Tonight,” the Christian Woods-led Journey opus, “Any Way You Want It,” or the world music-influenced Paul Simon hit, “Call Me Al,” the band is always smiling and goofing off. You have got to hear Ballard's amazingly authentic version of “Pump Up The Volume,” the ‘80s one-hit-wonder you'll remember as soon as you hear it. With musicians of this caliber, you’ll find yourself singing along and bouncing up and down with every beat. This band isn't a jukebox, however. “If you listen to the original versions of most of our songs you'll find they've changed a lot and we put our own spin on things,” says Tranquila. “Kind of like bronze-plating on a gold record.” It’s humor like this that shines through, whether you’re watching I Like Robots on stage or chatting with them all in a Facebook Messenger group. The stories they tell are pretty epic, too. “One thing that has yet to be determined, and hopefully it never will, is who can take the most Jager shots and still function as a band

member,” said Tranquila. “Justin and I are equally matched, but he may have a slight edge as Nervis Rex provides a better training platform for this sport.” “Greger and Lisa also make good hummus,” he added, deadpan. Ballard jumped in to help take Tranquila down a peg, of course. “At Koots one time, JJ leaped back onto the stage and clipped (former bassist Colleen Coadic’s) mic and almost broke her nose. All we saw was Colleen gone and a trail of giant drops of blood leading away from the stage (she's fine now).” Tranquila responded, “If you're going to make a rock omelet you need to break a few things.” It’s not just the front man who destroys things, either. Ballard said that Wright (a graphic designer by day) assembled a stage prop they called Grobot out of a mannequin and part of a lamp. Unfortunately, the bulbs got too hot at Koots one night and almost caught fire. Still, the crew has a blast doing what they do. “We’re playing music with our best friends and it’s just super fun,” said Ballard. “And the most aggravating,” said Rood. “But,” he added, “Rock omelet is a great band name.” “I’ve never puked on anyone in the band,” said Tranquila, for some reason. “Robb (Rood) will pay you if you puke on someone,” said Ballard. Wright brings the conversation back to a more serious tone. “Robots is a galaxy beyond anything I’ve done in terms of fun, and all the hard work of past prog bands makes it incredibly enjoyable,” he said, soberly (maybe). “But, my secret to enjoying this is to finally have decided that relationships come first, music second.” You owe it to yourself (and all your friends) to check out I Like Robots at the Williwaw on August 26, and be sure to head to the band’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ilikerobotsak/) for all their future dates. “I do have a standing vomit offer,” Rood concluded. “$20 if you intentionally throw up on someone. Double pay if the person is sleeping or is a baby.” August 24 - August 30, 2017

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IF YOU:

6) GOT CASH BURNING A HOLE IN YOUR POCKET

FROM PAGE 1

5) GOT GUESTS IN FROM OUT OF TOWN URBAN AGRICUL-TOUR COMMUNITY RIDE Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. What better way to show off your town, than by showing the beauty that can be grown here. This route will showcase surprising examples of backyard agriculture in our urban town. While all of these gardens are past their youthful beauty, they are in their productive prime. The total distance of the ride will be 11 miles, visiting four gardens in Airport Heights, Turnagain, South Addition and Fairview. Free. (2530 E. 16th Ave.)

STANDUP PADDLEBOARD TEACHER TRAINING/ INTENSIVE

Aug. 24 HOME FREE VOCAL BAND 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

Unravel, Friday through Sunday This course is appropriate for anyone who wants to take their paddle boarding experience to the next level by preparing to teach/guide or who just want to spend a weekend honing their skills and knowledge of standup paddleboarding. Tickets and more information at unravelak. com. $550, 6 p.m. (2208 Douglas Dr.)

Aug. 25 PAPA ROACH 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer Aug. 26 JOSH TURNER 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

7) GOT AN URGE TO GET OUTTA TOWN

Aug. 27 IGGY AZALEA 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

MUSHROOM HIKE Girdwood, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join the Sierra Club Alaska Chapter as they discover which mushrooms you can eat and which ones should you should just take incredible pictures of. This hike is for you. Visit the Girdwood Forest Service station for information on the mushrooms, and then enjoy the hike. They’ll be meeting at the Carrs Huffman parking lot at 9:30 a.m. in the SE corner by the roundabout to carpool. Free. (Girdwood, AK)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 Until recently, artists ground rocks and plant life, adding water, oil and egg to make inks and paint. When Isaac Newton (1643-1727) figured out that a rainbow’s hues complemented each other (red to green; blue to orange; purple to yellow) color took a giant leap forward which is why Impressionism is so vibrant and popular. In the nineteenth century, processes for making artificial dyes, invented to improve the feasibility of

Aug. 28 THE FAB FOUR - THE ULTIMATE BEATLES TRIBUTE 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

cloth manufacturing, found their way into tube paints, another novel invention. A ‘must have’ in your art library is Sarah Thornton’s Seven Days in the Art World. Thornton takes readers through the major aspects driving today’s art: a Christie’s auction, an art school critique and the famed art fair, the Venice Biennale. These mechanisms impact even the weekend mall painter and make looking at any level of exhibition more enjoyable. Listening to the chatter of visitors milling

Aug. 29 AARON WATSON 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

Sept. 4 DNCE 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

Aug. 30 JUDAH AND THE LION 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

Sept. 14-15 MELISSA ETHERIDGE 7:30 p.m., Atwood Concert Hall, Anchorage

Aug. 31 LECRAE 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

Sept. 25 MIRANDA LAMBERT IN ANCHORAGE 7:30 p.m. George M. Sullivan Sports Arena 1600 Gambell Street, Anchorage Tickets: $89-$260

Sept. 1 THIRD EYE BLIND 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer Sept. 2 TERRY FATOR 7 p.m., Alaska State Fairgrounds, Borealis Theater, Palmer

about at the Anchorage Museum gift shop, it seemed Alaska to them was the ‘other’ or a foreign place even though they were standing in it. By ignoring the bookshelves, they were missing out on experiencing the wide variety of Alaskan authors who verbally burst when relating adventures or just quietly retell life in the fortyninth state as voyeurs. Sadly, tourists seemed to also miss out experiencing Alaskan artists who balance line, color, form and content in the museum and in print. One couple came to use

Sept. 30 STRAIGHT NO CHASER Atwood Concert Hall, Anchorage

the restrooms and left. So when starting an art library, don’t forget to include books by Alaskans who garden, cook and yes, produce great paintings and photography. Keep on sleuthing for art. Note: The book shop sells a map of Indigenous Peoples and Languages of Alaska for fifteen bucks—a great gift. Books in this essay can also be purchased on Amazon. Jean Bundy is a writer/painter living in Anchorage. Email: 38144@alaska.net

XNLV341795

LIVE IT UP

August 24 - August 30, 2017

XNLV343146

BigWildLife.com

Get in on the action! Find summer events like Music in the Park, Alaska State Fair, Anchorage Market & Festival and more at BigWildLife.com/press

ANCHORAGE’S OWN JESSICA MICHELLE SINGLETON STANDS UP FOR BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS AT THE HARD ROCK BY MATT HICKMAN

t’s entirely possible we’ll look back at this era of comedy as a Golden Age for the female comic. Represented at the fore by the likes of Amy Schumer, Iliza Shleshinger, Sarah Silverman, the quintessential comedienne of the early 21st century speaks in full throated bombast about sex, and even more taboo, joking with pained sincerity about the absurd insecurity of having to compete with other women for the attention of dumb and easily impressed men. Though she doesn’t yet have the same name recognition of those just mentioned, Anchorage native Jessica Michelle Singleton is absolutely cut of the same cloth, lurking just under the surface on the L.A. comedy scene, with every bit the edge, material and delivery it takes. She returns to her hometown for the first time in a year, playing at the Hard Rock Café on Friday and Saturday night with a couple of new feathers in her cap. Her album, ‘Please Don’t. Leave. Me.’ climbed to No. 1 iTunes in 2016, and she’s been ‘made’, as it were, on the walls of The Comedy Store in Hollywood. “I always said I wanted to be a comedian, but it was always sort of a distant dream when I was living up (in Alaska),” Singleton said. “I thought I wanted to be a sketch actor on SNL; I was the funny girl in my sorority with little competitions did stuff on variety show competitions. But I didn’t know how to get into sketch acting, so in Florida, I just decided to try standup comedy, and as soon as I got my first laugh on stage — as corny as it sounds, I was just, ‘oh, I’m supposed to do this,’ and I realized standup was what I wanted to do.” Singleton moved to Anchorage in sixth grade and attended Service High School where she was every bit of the ‘it girl.’ “I was a really active student… I was homecoming queen,” she said. “I was always the funny kid in class. In high school I ran the assemblies and I hosted the talent show and did lots of funny stuff, but it wasn’t until I went

off to high school that I started stand-up.” Nevermind comparisons to the style of other acts, Singleton was flat-out aping in her first few runs on stage. “Early on, I think my very first set I was a little like Chelsea Handler meets Dave Attell,” Singleton said. “The idea I had as a female comedian was that I had to have sex when I get drunk, because that’s what people at the time were laughing at. I overplayed into that, more than being true to who I am. I’ve always been a fan of actual jokes, and always rapid-fire squeezing in as many punchlines as I can.” Being true to herself includes sharing presumably true stories including stories of her grandmother dying the same night she had sex with a black man for the first time, being conceived artificially and then being left forever by her father at a Waffle House. “It took a couple years of just getting up and writing every day and getting up on stage at open mic,” she said. “Like most comics you start out inadvertently mimicking… It took four years but I found my own voice and I have my own voice on stage. It’s all about trying to figure out who you are off-stage and a lot of that comes from the writing and getting up on stage. The more you get up there, the more comfortable.” Having gotten to that level of comfort, where she makes light openly of issues as traumatic as being abandoned by her father at a Waffle House, and then titles the track on her ‘Please. Don’t. Leave. Me.’ album, ‘A Female Comedian with Daddy Issues? Shocking!’ Singleton couldn’t give one solitary shit about what acts she might be compared to. She’s walked through enough coals to claim her on-stage persona her authentic self. “I feel like I’m myself up there,” Single-

ton said. “I can’t even tell you how many times people have told me, ‘I love that character you do on stage,’ and I’m like, ‘yeah, a character, that’s what it was…’ I don’t know, I guess they figure nobody’s going to be that open in front of strangers.” She said that commitment to telling the most personal stories is the best way to avoid being globbed into an archetype. “I think the best way for anyone to stand out is to be true to who they are,” Singleton said. “I think it’s that, before people listen to you, there’s a tendency to write people off. I’ve seen it. It’s important to do your best, set yourself apart organically and the people who do that are the ones who are setting themselves apart.” Though she didn’t begin performing stand-up comedy until her days as a star of her sorority house at the University of South Florida in Tampa, the seeds of comedy were planted in her back in Alaska. “I don’t like to perpetuate the stereotype of the Alaska wintertime, but that’s the way my personality works,” Singleton said. “I don’t do well in the cold, so I was indoors a lot, a sort of organically based depression that I went through. That, combined with being indoors, you spend a lot of time in your brain and thinking, for better or worse is good comedy — critical thinking and exploring ideas looking at things from multiple sides.” Touring at comedy festivals in Europe opened doors for Singleton to headline her own shows in South Africa, but every chance she back to Anchorage to perform in front of friends is unbeatable. “I travel all over now but there’s nothing like performing for the hometown crowd,” Singleton said. “Sometimes I’m a little awkward with strangers and I’m not good at taking compliments. But when I’m in Anchorage it’s like time hasn’t even passed. We’ll probably just go out drinking downtown after the show. And I’ll definitely hit up the state fair.”

FORMER SERVICE HIGH ‘IT GIRL’

BACK HOME

THIS WEEKEND

August 24 - August 30, 2017

BELLY DANCE FOUNDATIONS—Designed for complete beginners, or students who want a technique refresher, series focuses on beginning belly dance movements and proper alignment. Veil work, finger cymbals and basic rhythms will also be introduced. $75 for full series or $15 drop-in, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Alaska Dance Promotions, 300 E. Dimond Blvd., #11a) THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL—Join Florida’s most hilarious trailer park for love and craziness. What to do with an unhappy toll-collector, his agoraphobic wife, a stripper on the run and the crazy ex-boyfriend headed their way. If you like your flamingos plastic and humor a little raunchy, this will be right up your alley. Tickets at cyranos.org, on stage through August 27. $23 - $25, Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. (Cyrano’s Theatre Company, 411 D St.)

MUSIC OPEN MIC WITH CONWAY SEAVEY, 7:30 p.m. (Aviator Hotel, 239 W. 4th Ave.) #TBT FEAT. DJ SPENCER LEE, 8 p.m. (Tequila 61, 445 W. 4th Ave.) ACOUSTIC DINNER SERIES: EMMA HILL, 8 p.m. (Hard Rock Cafe, 415 E St.) DJ JAMES, 9 p.m. (Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House, 610 W. 6th Ave.) SATURDAY CINDERS, 9 p.m. (Avenue Bar, 338 W. 4th Ave.) THE ETERNAL COWBOYS, 9 p.m. (Williwaw, 609 F St.)

FRIDAY NIGHT DANCE LOUNGE—Every Friday night dance the night away to some of your favorite Salsa, Bachata, Merengue and Kizomba songs. $10, 9:30 p.m. (Alaska Dance Promotions, 300 E. Dimond Blvd.)

ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE FAMILY STORYTIME—A half hour of stories, songs and more to build early literacy skills; a blend of fun and education for children birth through kindergarten & their caregivers. Free, 11 a.m. (Muldoon Library, 1251 Muldoon Rd. #158)

MUSIC KARAOKE WITH RONNIE MAC, 7:30 p.m. (Aviator Hotel, 239 W. 4th Ave.)

LITTLE EXPLORERS—A short walk to explore nature at the pace of a preschooler. Bring a snack or lunch to eat with new friends after the walk. No registration is needed; sign in at the front desk 10 minutes prior. Free; $5 parking for non-members, 11 a.m. (Eagle River Nature Center, 32750 Eagle River Rd.)

ACOUSTIC DINNER SERIES: BECKY KOTTER, 8 P.M. (Hard Rock Cafe, 415 E 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.)

LIVE MUSIC FEAT. DANGER MONEY, 9:30 p.m. (Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House, 610 W. 6th Ave.)

COFFEE WITH A SCIENTIST—What goes great with coffee? Science, obviously. Join a scientist each week for a special program about various Alaskan science topics including, but not limited to; glaciers, volcanology, wolf biology, archaeology, climate change, plant physiology, water quality and wildland fire science. Refreshments will be served. Free, 2 p.m. (Alaska Public Lands Information Center, 605 W. 4th Ave.) 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.)

)DVKLRQ bIRU :LOG *LUOV $QFKRUDJH 7HG 6WHYHQV ,QWHUQDWLRQDO $LUSRUW

DONOVAN LEE, 8 p.m. (Williwaw, 609 F St.) FRIDAY NIGHTS WITH DJ TICO, 9 p.m. (The Whale’s Tail, 939 W. 5th Ave.)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 ARTS, OUTDOORS, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE POTTER MARSH BIRD WALK—A guided walk on the Potter Marsh boardwalk to learn about the area’s wildlife. This family-friendly event is for the beginning birder as well as those that know their way around a bird’s wing. Binoculars, spotting scopes and guide books are available for loan. Plan for rain-or-shine and dress accordingly. Meet your guide at the boardwalk entrance kiosk at Potter Marsh (MP117 Seward Highway). Sponsored by Alaska Department of Fish & Game and Audubon Alaska. Kids encouraged, wheelchair accessible. Free, 8 to 10 a.m. (Potter Marsh boardwalk, 2880 E. 154th Ave.) MULDOON FARMERS MARKET—The Muldoon Farmers Market is the happiest market in town with the best vegetables in the state. Free, 9:30 a.m. (Begich Middle School, 7440 Creekside Center Dr.) ANCHORAGE MARKET & FESTIVAL—Enjoy the largest outdoor market in Alaska with over 300 vendors spread out on 7 acres. Watch the swarms of tourists walking around, eat lots of food and enjoy

local music each weekend through September 10. Free, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday’s and Sunday’s. (Anchorage Market & Festival, 255 E St.) BOOK & BLOCKS—Stories, songs and construction fun with blocks, gears and other building materials. Ages 5 & under with their families. Free, 10:30 a.m. (Mountain View Library, 120 Bragaw St.) AUDITIONING WORKSHOP—From walking in the door to performing the cold reading, learn how to begin auditioning for local theatre. Get the basics on choosing a monologue. Learn how to make bold choices in a fun, energized environment that is perfect for the beginner. Please bring a one minute monologue. $50, noon. (Midnight Sun Studio, 203 W. 15th, Ste. 101) SATURDAY AT SOUTH: LEMONG’O PROJECT—The Lemong’o Project provides free school lunches daily to over 400 students in the Maasai town of Lemong’o in rural Kenya. They also support teacher salaries throughout the school year and sponsor two free medical clinics each summer. ShuzyQ will be featuring their gorgeous jewelry that was just hand carried back from Kenya to Anchorage. Free, noon to 3 p.m. (ShuzyQ Shoes, 11124 Old Seward Hwy.) AERIAL SILK CLASSES—Cirque Boreal offers a drop-in aerial class every week at the Alaska Moving Arts Center. The Drop-in classes are open to all levels whether you're new to aerial or been doing it for years. The class is followed by an Open Hang time for aerialists to practice. $10 - $30, 12:30 to 3 p.m. (Alaska Moving Arts Center, 10901 Mausel St., #104, Eagle River) YOGA + BEER—Free one hour of yoga hosting in the Williwaw Social Hall every Saturday through the summer months. Free, 1 to 3 p.m., yoga starts at 2 p.m. (Williwaw, 609 F St.) NUTCRACKER AUDITIONS—Come be a part of Anchorage Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Auditions for ages eight to 12 will be from 1 to 2 p.m., ages 13 to 18 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and adults, all levels from 4 to 5 p.m. $15, 1 to 5 p.m. (501 W. International Airport Rd.) For a complete list of events visit anchoragepress.com

XNLV345040

ALASKA OUTDOORS WEEKLY EVENING HIKE; ARCTIC VALLEY—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. (Arctic Valley, Ski Bowl Rd.)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25

XNLV345034

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Shop at: LovedItInAlaska.com August 24 - August 30, 2017

Ready to headline

After a summer touring with 21 Pilots, Incubus and Jimmy Eat World, alt-rock upstarts Judah & the Lion excited to top the ticket at Alaska State Fair

BY MATT HICKMAN

very year in the alt-rock world, where winners aren’t quite as pre-auditioned as they are in top 40, there’s always one or two bands that come out of nowhere to get on everyone’s radio. In 2016 and into 2017, that band was unquestionably Judah & the Lion, a Nasvhille-based quartet of dudes, touching all the bases on their home run trot from Christian to bluegrass, to rock and hip-hop. Their unabashedly meta single ‘Take it All Back’ soared to No. 1 on the alternative charts and to No. 10 on the Billboard 100. “It’s one of those things where it seems like every week there’s a phone call or an e-mail of some new thing we get to do,” said band member Nate Zuercher during a sound check in a show in St. Louis where the band was set to open for Jimmy Eat World and Incubus. “It’s hard to believe this is all happening. We’ve definitely put in all the time and effort to get here, but it’s all still very surreal.” When Judah & the Lion takes the stage at the Borealis Theater at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer on Aug. 30 it will be the first time the band has performed in Alaska, and, to the best of Zuercher’s knowledge, the trip marks the first time any of the members have been to The Last Frontier. Not only that, the Aug. 30 show will mark the band’s first performance at a fair. Zuercher said the band was as surprised as anyone by the way ‘Take it All Back’ blew up. “The song was written in about the least amount of time — about 30 minutes,” Zuercher said. “We first played it on our ‘Kids These Days’ album tour before and it really, obviously had a special vibe to it. We loved playing

and we play it live at every show since then, a year-and-a-half before it got recorded.” The hit is nothing so complex, but with a chorus backed by what sounds like untrained school children, an Eminem-esque grunting rap, a catchy hook and lyrics that tell of maybe pining for an ex-girlfriend even as imminent success beckons, a superfluity of self-consciousness that gives itself away in the lines: ‘Cause the people they dancing along, they dancing along to the mando’ and some sort of hip-hop beat… and later: And it feels so nice when the people sing along, they’re singing along with the banjo That banjo is the handiwork of Zuercher, who follows the path laid by Mumford and Sons to deliver the driving rhythm in a world bored with guitar heroes. “For me, in particular, Mumford and Sons was huge. They were the first band with the banjo that made it seem obtainable. I’d listened to other bluegrass music and I thought, they were just too good. I think ‘The Cave’ was the first Mumford and Sons song I heard and I thought, ‘man, that doesn’t seem so complex or impossible,” Zuercher said. “I’d got a banjo about a month before that and started really playing because of that. A year-and-a-half later I met Judah, but Mumford influenced a lot of how we got started and the way I played. We get compared to them a lot and I definitely look up to what they’re doing.” The band owes its roots to the music department of Belmont University in Tennessee where Zuercher and Brian MacDonald, who plays said ‘mando’’ first met Judah, who’d grown up in a musical world mostly hip-hop, and who, when rapping as a young child was told by his mother that when he started a band it should be called

‘Judah and the Lion’. Judah Akers’ influence got Zuercher and MacDonald to move a bit out of their academic musical sphere and experiment with more genres. “Judah wanted to try some of his songs he’d written with folky instruments to see what it’d be like,” Zuercher said. “We had a mutual friend, brought Brian along to see if it would fit, had lunch, played together at the Bell Tower on campus. That was five and a half years ago and we recorded our first EP ‘Hit the Ground’.” The show in Palmer affords the band to headline for a night after a summer spent touring with Jimmy Eat World and Incubus and before that 21 Pilots. Zuercher said touring with veteran rock stars has been educational. “It’s not necessarily them giving advice so much as watching how they handle themselves; they’ve been doing it so long… No one has a big head, they treat everyone with respect and it’s cool to be able to watch and learn how they handle themselves. They don’t get too worked up about anything —

it’s kind of refreshing,” Zuercher said. “When we were out with 21 Pilots, they were closer to our age and they seemed a little more tense and stressed out (pun intended, maybe).” Zuercher said the band is ready to play for fans coming out expressly to hear them. “When we’re playing clubs, headlining our own show , ourown party, everyone is more familiar with who we are,” Zuercher said. “It’s fun to get to win over new fans in a new environment playing on stages we only ever dreamed about playing on.” Before they end the touring season and head back into the studio, now suddenly with heavy expectations to produce more hits, Judah & the Lion hopes to take a little perspective in

playing Alaska. “The banjo and the mandolin is relatively new for Brian and I,” Zuercher said. “We play folk instruments really influenced by everything — EDM, rap, classical, jazz… It’s cool to try to figure out new ways to mix the banjo, guitar and mandolin. We really have no limits.”

XNLV342180

August 24 - August 30, 2017

XNLV333460

STATE FAIR KICKS OFF THURSDAY

Scotchgard â&#x201E;˘ by Crizal eliminate the glare found on ordinary lenses and Crizal eliminates scratches and smudges.

Eye exams Tuesday & Thursday Call 563-5118 for appointment. We proudly service what we sell.

Frame sale on now! /DNH 2WLV 3NZ\ Â&#x2021; Â&#x2021; www.lakeotisoptical.com

Alaskans serving Alaskans.

New online oďŹ&#x20AC;erings allow attendees to personalize daily calendars, buy event tickets

Oxford is proud to be the only gold refiner and bullion dealer to maintain two locations in Alaska for more than 35 years. We offer maximum returns on gold and silver, whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a miner or an investor. Buying, selling, or trading â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Oxford provides the service, value, honesty, and integrity that Alaskans have counted on for generations. #6: : 4&-- : TRADE "-"4," 4 0/-: -0$"- 3&'*/&3 "/$)03"(& t '"*3#"/,4 t /0.& t /&8 :03,

1.800.693.6740

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

AFTER 12 YEARS OF TRYING

enacity pays off. It could be the theme of a country western song. Instead, it is the mantra with which Anchorageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Andrea Harris takes the ConocoPhillips Borealis Theatre stage at the Alaska State Fair as the opener for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home Freeâ&#x20AC;? on the fairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first night. It took Harris 12 years of competing in the Country Idol competition sponsored by KBEAR radio. She was 18 in her first lyrical rodeo. Now, at age 30 and the mother of a two-year-old daughter, Harris has a real-life example to share with her child about how to keep chasing a dream.

August 24 - August 30, 2017

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

Playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice (10) $1000 Games Mon-Sat (5) $1000 Games Sun

Sunday FREE Buffet 6pm plus Drawing (1) Trip to Vegas Doors open 5pm, Bingo starts 7:30pm

ANCHORAGEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ANDREA HARRIS TO OPEN FOR HOME FREE When she heard her name announced on Aug. 16 as the 2017 winner, all the years of practicing in the shower, in front of her bedroom mirror at church plus listening to and watching countless hours Youtube versions of her favorite country music paid off. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The whole thing felt like it was in slow motion,â&#x20AC;? Harris said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That moment still seems kind of like a dream. As Matt Valley was announcing the winners, my heart raced faster and faster and when I heard him say my name, as clichĂŠ as it sounds, the world seemed to stand still. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe it.â&#x20AC;? Reality will once greet Harris tonight as an anticipated packed-out crowd

www.oxfordmetals.com

7 Nights a Week

SINGLE MOM SINGS HER WAY TO STAGE BY AMY ARMSTRONG

XNLV342189

meâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, take one last puff off their cigarettes and put them out. This year, one thing we had to do is make smoking areas outside the (entrance) gates bigger. There wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough room last year.â&#x20AC;? Phipps said another change to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s schedule is the big fireworks show. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We moved it to the second Saturday of the fair. Primarily it was done around the horse schedules,â&#x20AC;? Phipps said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They tend to get scared by the loud noises.â&#x20AC;? Those who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get enough of the carnival midway rides hosted by longtime Alaska State Fair staple Golden Wheel Amusements might want to mark their calendars for Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 30-31. Phipps said fair organizers opted to make â&#x20AC;&#x153;buddy daysâ&#x20AC;? an all-day affair. The event also allows participants to purchase one fair admission ticket and receive one of equal or lesser value for free. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ordinarily it ran from 12-4 on one

165 S. Bragaw Street 278-4027 â&#x20AC;˘ www.playersbingo.com

8QH[SHFWHG OHJDO TXHVWLRQV DULVH HYHU\ GD\ :LWK /HJDO6KLHOG RQ \RXU VLGH \RXÂśOO KDYH DFFHVV WR D TXDOLW\ ODZ ILUP IRU FRYHUHG HPHUJHQF\ VLWXDWLRQV IRU DV OLWWOH DV D PRQWK )URP UHDO HVWDWH WR VSHHGLQJ WLFNHWV WR :LOO SUHSDUDWLRQ DQG EH\RQG ZHÂśUH KHUH WR KHOS \RX ZLWK DQ\ SHUVRQDO OHJDO PDWWHU â&#x20AC;&#x201D; QR PDWWHU KRZ WUDXPDWLF RU KRZ WULYLDO LW PD\ VHHP )RU 0RUH ,QIRUPDWLRQ &RQWDFW <RXU ,QGHSHQGHQW $VVRFLDWH

7ULVK 1HDO FHOO 7ULVK/6$ODVND#JPDLO FRP ZZZ 7ULVK1HDO$ODVND FRP

XNLV345029

rom top-name concert performers to midway carnival rides to a chance to strut your stuff to your favorite music, the 2017 Alaska State Fair has it covered. The fair officially kicks off Thursday morning and continues through Labor Day â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sept. 4. Fair Director of Marketing and Communication Dean Phipps noted this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online presence at the 12-day event includes a daily schedule allowing those attending the opportunity to personalize the day or days they plan to attend. Those wishing to buy tickets for any of the main headliners will also find the fairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online mobile offerings to their liking. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most up-to-date schedules will be on the website,â&#x20AC;? said Phipps. Phipps said the fair averages about 475 vendors spread across the grounds. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offerings includes a new face

amongst the sea of boothsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crepes de Parisâ&#x20AC;?. Proprietors Ghenadie and Marina Trocin are natives of the Republic of Moldova but have called Girdwood home since 2014.The couple specializes in sweet and savory crepes made from scratch. They will be located on the green trail across from the mail fair office. Phipps said new food vendors donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just pay for a space and set up shop. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They had to compete to get a spot,â&#x20AC;? he explained. Phipps said admission fees are unchanged from last year and those ordering tickets online have until up to midnight Wednesday to save 30 percent. This year also marks the second the event has been tobacco free. Phipps said the inaugural run-through in 2016 went off pretty well but this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fair will provide additional space for tobacco users to imbibe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all ran into smokers behind a building,â&#x20AC;? said Phipps about the 2016 run. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They would usually say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;you got

XNLV342280

BY CHRIS FORD

XNLV343240

Lake Otis Optical

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always something to do for everyone at the Alaska State Fair! Many of the events require nothing more than an admission fee. Sometimes, all thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needed is a good mud puddleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and a pair of boots or sandalsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to while away a sunny afternoon.

TRAIL DOG IMAGES ARE COURTESY OF THE AFRICAN ATTACHMENT

THE BOW WOW FILM FESTIVAL A BONE-AFIDE DELIGHT BY INDRA ARRIAGA

on’t miss the 3rd annual Bow Wow Film Festival to benefit Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue. The film festival is structured in two parts with an intermission. Each segments features an assortment of short film that run the genre gamut, from animation, to documentary, to just plain ol’ silly. It’s hard to beat a film festival about dogs (Yes, cats are great too, but they’re different). Canine’s hold a special place in the evolution of humankind and are an important part of individuals’ lives; after all, dogs are people too. Both science and the courts can speak to the humanity of dogs. Earlier this decade, scientist discovered through the use of M.R.I. technology that dogs, and probably other animals, have emotions similar to those of human beings. Dogs’ ability to emote calls into question not only their function but also their rights. In 2016, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that pets are not mere property and that their owners have responsibilities, making abuse and neglect of animals actionable offenses. But enough about that, the Bow Wow Film Festival is about celebrating the bonds between humans and dogs, and what a treat it is! The short films in the Bow Wow Film Festival vary in contents and quality, with some being slightly better than amateur and others being of stellar quality, still all are worth seeing. Some of the ones that are memorable include the likes of the CGI animated Laika and Rover by Lauren Mayhew, which pays homage and reimagines the fate of the first dog in space. Kristina Jaeger also contributes a memorable CGI film called Dustin, about a pug and his

relationship with his frenemy, the vacuum robot. A notable film in the documentary genre is For the Love of Dogs. In this documentary Tim O’Donnell tells the story of Corey Gould, a pre-teen with Asperger’s and his love of dogs that provides a way for Corey to interact with the world. Elvis, the Lonely Hunter of Circle Beach, by Matt Hulse, is a light look at a postapocalyptic New York beach where bagels still roam and Elvis, a determined canine must hunt them to survive. The Bow Wow Film Festival launched in Telluride, CO this past June and is making the rounds across the nation. Its mission is to “celebrate, educate, and inspire all things doggie. (with or without their human) through the art of short film”. The festival collaborates with local nonprofits to raise funds for their respective focus. In the present case, proceeds go to Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue, which was originally formed as a Rescue organization to help meet the needs of the Mat-Su Valley and its pet overpopulation problem. Although the organi-

AKITA IMAGES ARE COURTESY OF BIG RIVER FILMS

zation focuses heavily on rescues in the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage, it also works with village rescue groups and air freight companies, thus helping save dogs across remote areas of the state, including Bethel, Dillingham, Aniak, Dutch Harbor, Mountain Village, Kipnuk, Alakanuk and Toksook, and other locations. The Bow Wow Film Festival is an opportunity for humans to be dogs’ best friend.

Art House Monday

1230 W. 27th Ave

907-276-4200

For a complete listing of this week’s movies, visit beartooththeatre.net

B10

Art House Monday August 28th 5:30pm 5:30 pm The Bear Tooth,XFBI andMOVIE DEA present: ULTRAMAN THE 2016 CHASING THE DRAGON: When reality TV host Carlos THE LIFE OF AN OPIATE ADDICT. Kurozaki breaks into a Each day in America, 44 people die mysterious underground from a drug overdose. That’s two pyramid a television event, people dyingfor every hour. Despite he enforcement removes atrying special gem... law to fight the problem, heroin hasSmade ULTRAMAN GINGA THE MOVIE a2014 resurgence among space our youth. - A sinister warrior, According to the CDC last year, one in Etelgar, forces a beautiful five high school students have abused young alien princess, Alena, a prescription drug. to use her magical mirror to

Admission of Charge. trap everyFree Ultraman hero in Tickets available now at the Bear the Galaxy! Tooth box-office. 2 tickets per ENGLISH DUBBED. person, first come first served.

Saturday, Aug 26, 2017 at 2:30 PM The Bear Tooth Theater Pub, Anchorage, AK

Tribute Presentation

WESTWORLD (1973)

55THHERO ANNIVERSARY THE

EXTRAORDINARY STAN LEE TRIBUTE BEER HUNTER: THE MOVIE 10:30pm Tribute Thursday 8/31 10:30 pm

Art August(1962) 28th TO House KILL A Monday MOCKINGBIRD 8:00 10:30pm The legendary Sam Elliot stars as an aging actor confronting mortality Small-town Alabama, 1932.in THE HERO,Finch a beautiful a poignant Atticus (played by celebration of life and legacies Gregory Peck) is athelawyer we all leave behind. and a widower. He has two young children, Jem

Director Brett Haley manages to is and Scout. Atticus Finch take an underused subject,Tom i. e. a currently defending character over 70, and make a Robinson, a black man movie that’s deeplyofsoulful andasweetly accused raping white easygoing. woman. Meanwhile, Jem and Scout are intrigued by their

-Jeffrey M. Anderson neighbours, the Radleys, and Common Sense Media the mysterious, seldom-seen Boo Radley in particular.

XNLV345249

ULTRAMAN

CHASING THE -DRAGON DOUBLE FEATURE!

The Bow Wow Film Festival

InAn commemoration of park the 10th amusement for anniversary of Michael Jackson’s rich vacationers. The park passing (March 27, 1942-August 30, provides its customers a way 2007), Bear Tooth and Broken Tooth to liveare out their fantasies Brewing proud to present: BEER through use‘Beer of robots HUNTER: THEthe MOVIE Hunter’ is a documentary film anything about the beloved that provide they and influential beer and whiskey journalist want. Two of the vacationers Michael Jackson. This is the story of choose a wild west the ‘other’ Michael Jackson: his rise adventure. However, after a to fame, his numerous contributions they tocomputer the world ofbreakdown, beer, whiskey, and food ﬁnd thatand they being journalism, hisare secretnow struggle stalked by a disease. rogue All robot with Parkinson’s box-office proceeds will be donated to a local gun-slinger. Parkinson’s Support Group.

August 24 - August 30, 2017

Bring A Friend Your friend’s Indigo brewed tea drink is FREE with your drink purchase! Offer good thru Sunday, Sep. 3, 2017.

Phone: 907-222-1619 • www.indigotealounge.com

Offering expert advice on exceptional beauty brands and providing salon services for hair, skin and nails that will enhance and complement each customers’ natural beauty.

907-276-4543 • www.mariesbeautysalon-hub.com

Boutique specializing in stylish, high end and unique lines of active wear, dance footwear and clothing, performance gear and yoga/ workout apparel. Phone: 907-276-1464 • www.bodyphlo.com

Locally owned and operated for over 33 years, The Look carries sexy lingerie, women’s and men’s clothing & shoes, adult novelties, body jewelry, costumes, and pipes!

An intimate café with a selection of the best Belgian and local beers available. Their everchanging menu includes unique selections for both omnivores and vegetarians. We HIGHLY recommend the Eggs Benedict!

Phone: 907-278-5665 • www.thelookak.net

Phone: 907-274-0074 •www.cafe-amsterdam.com

A clean, modern piercing and tattoo studio featuring Alaska’s premier artists. Their courteous staff is there to serve your needs, whether it be a new piercing or tattoo, questions about existing work or selecting a piece of top-of-the-line body jewelry. Phone: 907-563-4653 • theholelook.com

Your LOCAL ski shop! Ski AK carries over 50 different brand and has a top-notch back shop that will mount, tune, and ﬁx just about anything you can imagine! Come in and check out the huge savings on ‘16/’17 gear!

Phone: 907-561-2445 • http://skiak.com/

The secret to baking the best bread - every day Great Harvest bakers start with the highest quality wheat kernels and mill them into fresh ﬂour to produce their wonderful selection of delicious, fresh breads. Drop by for a free sample! Phone: 907-274-3331 • www.greatharvestanchorage.com

Carrying an extensive selection of the world’s best kitchen brands, Metro Cooks is a shopping paradise for professional and home chefs alike. If you don’t cook, Metro is the perfect place to ﬁnd a great gift for the person in your life who does.

Phone: 907-274-4455 • www.metrocooks.com

Alaska owned and operated, The Trek Store of Anchorage is your top stop for quality sales and service of performance-oriented Trek road, mountain, and fat bikes.

Phone: 907-743-6000 • www.trekstorealaska.com

Anchorage’s Independent Optical Boutique

Anchorage’s premier libations shop, La Bodega offers craft beer & wine from all over the globe, specialty spirits, plus dedicated sections of cider, mead and sake. Something to please every palate!

Phone: 907-677 9985 • www.moderndwellers.com

Phone: 907.569.3800 • www.labodegastore.com

The premium brand of purpose built work footwear for today’s modern craftsman.

530 E. Benson Boulevard Anchorage, AK 99503 ACROSS FROM THE SEARS MALL

Phone: 907-258-5799 • stores.redwing.com/anchorage-ak

August 24 - August 30, 2017

www.facebook.com/MetroMallAK/

A customer service driven, optical boutique carrying the best in unique, original eyeglass frames and sunglasses. No licensed brands carried here! Eyestyles specializes in artisan eyewear as unique as you. Phone: 907-272-2234 • www.eyestylesinc.com

Coming soon to Metro Mall. Authentic Neapolitan style pizza – right here in Anchorage! XNLV343473

Featuring in-studio produced artisan trufﬂes and chocolate bars, rich drinking chocolate, and a full espresso bar - all served in Alaska’s only chocolate lounge amidst contemporary works of art and gifts.

B11

mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter

DON’T FUCK NAZIS

Savage Love. By Dan Savage A few years ago, my dad was busted by the cops for using an online forum to solicit escorts. The arrest and infidelity destroyed his marriage to my mom. My brother and I were in our mid-teens at the time and were angry enough with him that we asked him to not seek custody. He obliged, and neither of us has seen him since. I miss my dad—or the man I thought he was. I know part of my anger comes from how badly he hurt my mom. As I mature, I’m wondering if I was unfair to my dad by cutting off all contact. I don’t think sex work is immoral. I don’t think people who see sex workers are bad. But because my dad was involved in this bust,

and because I had to become aware of the double life he led, I felt uncomfortable around him. It doesn’t help that some of the girls were not much older than I was at the time. I think I’d like to get to know my dad again, but I’m not sure what kind of relationship I’m ready to have. He was a wonderful father—and on some level, I recognize I cut him off when he showed me he was human. How do I reach out to him? Please Help Each of us is a writhing mass of contradictions, PH. We all have public personas and private personas, and there are always gaps between the two. And while those gaps, when exposed, can be mutually negating, that’s not always the case. It is possible for someone to be a good dad and a shitty husband. The good dad you knew your dad to be? That wasn’t a lie. It was one of your father’s truths. That he failed as a husband and hurt your mom—with an assist from laws criminalizing sex work—is another of your father’s truths. You don’t say why your dad was seeking sex outside the marriage, PH, and I can’t imagine that was a conversation you wanted to have with your dad in your mid-teens—and it may not be one you ever want to have. But it’s possible your parents’ marriage was more complicated than you know. (“The victim of an affair is not always the victim of the marriage,” as Esther Perel says.) But you’re

not an awful daughter for refusing to see your dad during a contentious, confusing, and most likely humiliating time. (I imagine there was press). As for how to reach out, I think e-mail is the best way to reestablish contact after an estrangement. You can take your time crafting what you want to say, and your dad can take his time crafting a response. And you’ve already written a good opening line for your first e-mail to your dad: “I’d like to get to know my dad again, but I’m not sure what kind of relationship I’m ready to have. But I’d like to start talking—via e-mail, for now.” Give your mother a heads up, PH, so she doesn’t feel blindsided. Good luck. I’m a female masochist and super subby—I see nothing wrong with that. For the last couple of months, I’ve been pursuing “death wish” fantasies. When I start feeling low, I seek out guys on hookup sites who are sadistic enough that they might potentially help me carry it out. I’ve even gone so far as to put together a “blackmail package” for them, in case they start feeling like I might tell on them. I honestly wouldn’t want anyone to get in trouble just because I’m not thinking right. My therapist knows about the masochist end of things, but I’m afraid to tell her this other part because I don’t want to be put on any crazy pills. Is there a way for me to switch my brain

BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): "We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems," said businessman Lee Iacocca. You are currently wrestling with an example of this phenomenon, Aries. The camouflage is wellrendered. To expose the opportunity hidden beneath the apparent dilemma, you may have to be more strategic and less straightforward than you usually are -- cagier and not as blunt. Can you manage that? I think so. Once you crack the riddle, taking advantage of the opportunity should be interesting. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Close your eyes and imagine this: You and a beloved ally get lost in an enchanted forest, discover a mysterious treasure, and find your way back to civilization just before dark. Now visualize this: You give a dear companion a photo of your face taken on every one of your birthdays, and the two of you spend hours talking about your evolution. Picture this: You and an exciting accomplice luxuriate in a sun-lit sanctuary surrounded by gourmet snacks as you listen to ecstatic music and bestow compliments on each other. These are examples of the kinds of experiments I invite you to try in the coming weeks. Dream up some more! GEMINI (May 21-June 20): On its album Jefferson's Tree of Liberty, Jefferson Starship plays a song I co-wrote, "In a Crisis." On its album Deeper Space/Virgin Sky, the band covers another tune I co-wrote, "Dark Ages." Have I received a share of the record sales? Not a penny. Am I upset? Not at all. I'm glad the songs are being heard and enjoyed. I'm gratified that a world-famous, multi-platinum band chose to record them. I'm pleased my musical creations are appreciated. Now here's my question for you, Gemini: Has some good

B12

thing of yours been "borrowed"? Have you wielded a benevolent influence that hasn't been fully acknowledged? I suggest you consider adopting an approach like mine. It's prime time to adjust your thinking about how your gifts and talents have been used. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Author Roger von Oech tells us that creativity often involves "the ability to take something out of one context and put it into another so that it takes on new meanings." According to my analysis of the astrological omens, this strategy could and should be your specialty in the coming weeks. "The first person to look at an oyster and think food had this ability," says von Oech. "So did the first person to look at sheep intestines and think guitar strings. And so did the first person to look at a perfume vaporizer and think gasoline carburetor." Be on the lookout, Cancerian, for inventive substitutions. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When famous socialite Nan Kempner was young, her mother took her shopping at Yves Saint Laurent's salon. Nan got fixated on a certain white satin suit, but her mean old mother refused to buy it for her. "You've already spent too much of your monthly allowance," mom said. But the resourceful girl came up with a successful gambit. She broke into sobs, and continued to cry nonstop until the store's clerks lowered the price to an amount she could afford. I don't usually recommend resorting to such extreme measures to get what you want. But now is one time when I am giving you a go-ahead to do just that. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the miraculous communication system that we know as the World Wide Web. When asked if he had any regrets about his pioneering work, he named just one. There was no need for him

from thinking about this and somehow find my way back to normal BDSM or something else entirely without turning off my sexuality completely? Rather Not Say My Name There are fantasies that are simply too dangerous to realize, RNSMN, even with a willing victim/sub and a reckless perp/ Dom. And any person who pushes a woman’s “death wish” fantasy into potentially-carrying-it-out territory deserves whatever trouble comes their way. Murder is wrong, even if the person wants it. And taking advantage of someone who clearly isn’t in their right mind doesn’t magically make manslaughter not criminal— “blackmail package” or no “blackmail package.” You must open up to your therapist about the risks you’re taking, RNSMN. Some people with extreme and/or dangerous sexual obsessions have been successfully treated with talk therapy and low-dose antidepressants—meds, not “crazy pills.” A good therapist and/or the right low-dose medication could help you find your way back to safer and saner BDSM practices without shutting off your sexuality completely. I’m a woman in my early 30s having sex with a guy in his early 20s. The sex is more than casual, and we really care about each other. My concern is this guy has some alt-right sympathies that reveal themselves in our political discussions. He’s

a Trump guy, but hesitates to admit it because he knows I’m anti-Trump. He shares memes created by Mike Cernovich and Milo Yiannopoulos, he gets his news from hard-right publications, and his sister and brotherin-law are Holocaust deniers. This concerns and confuses me because he’s such a sweet guy and, honestly, so goddamn good in bed. He might be the best lay I’ve ever had. I can’t reconcile these two sides of him, but I also can’t help trying to enlighten him a little bit. One of his best features is his open-mindedness. He’s read books and watched documentaries I’ve recommended. I feel a responsibility to this young, confused, and frankly not-too-bright person who’s surrounded by bad influences. I want to be understanding and gently guide him in a better direction, but sometimes his ignorance is aggravating. I can also sense that he’s beginning to feel a little judged, which can only make things worse. I keep thinking of your Campsite Rule, and I wonder at what point does one give up throwing logic and articles at someone who thought Hillary Clinton ran a child sex ring out of a pizza parlor? Can I continue to have sex with someone who thinks the left is conspiring to turn everyone communist? Conflicted Lover Don’t fuck Nazis. If someone you just met tells you they’re a Nazi, don’t fuck that Nazi. If you’re already fucking someone and they

to have inserted the double slash — "//" — after the "http:" in web addresses. He's sorry that Internet users have had to type those irrelevant extra characters so many times. Let this serve as a teaching story for you, Virgo. As you create innovations in the coming weeks, be mindful of how you shape the basic features. The details you include in the beginning may endure. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The sadness you feel might be the most fertile sadness you have felt in a long time. At least potentially, it has tremendous motivating power. You could respond to it by mobilizing changes that would dramatically diminish the sadness you feel in the coming years, and also make it less likely that sadness-provoking events will come your way. So I invite you to express gratitude for your current sadness. That's the crucial first step if you want to harness it to work wonders. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Don't hoot with the howls at night if you want to crow with the rooster in the morning," advised Miss Georgia during the Miss Teen USA Pageant. Although that's usually good counsel, it may not apply to you in the coming weeks. Why? Because your capacity for revelry will be at an all-time high, as will your ability to be energized rather than drained by your revelry. It seems you have a special temporary superpower that enables you both to have maximum fun and get a lot of work done. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): During this phase of your astrological cycle, it makes sense to express more leadership. If you're already a pretty good guide or role model, you will have the power to boost your benevolent influence to an even higher level. For inspiration, listen to educator Peter Drucker: "Leadership is not magnetic personality. That can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not 'making friends and influencing people.' That is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, raising a person's performance to a higher standard, building a personality beyond its normal limitations."

reveal themselves to be a Nazi, stop fucking that Nazi. If someone tells you they’re a Nazi and you fuck that Nazi anyway and keep fucking that Nazi because they’re good at sex (for a Nazi), your effort to “gently guide” that Nazi away from being a Nazi doesn’t make it okay for you to fuck that Nazi. Okay, okay: This guy might not be a Nazi at all—although it sure as fuck sounds like his family is, and they probably have more influence over him than you do. It’s possible this young, confused, and not-toobright boy is merely a Trumpsupporting conspiracy theorist and maybe I’m still too upset about Charlottesville to be impartial. Or, hey, maybe this guy is already a Nazi and hasn’t revealed the full extent of his odious political beliefs to you, CL, because the sex is good and he’s hoping to fuck the Nazi into you before you can fuck the Nazi out of him. Finally, good people don’t worry about making Nazis “feel judged.” Nazis should be judged—à la Judgment at Nuremberg, an old film with a feel-good ending that’s worth watching right about now. Another thing good people don’t do? They don’t fuck Nazis. On the Lovecast, women in gay bars—we have a problem: savagelovecast.com.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "One should always be a little improbable," said Oscar Wilde. That's advice I wouldn't normally give a Capricorn. You thrive on being grounded and straightforward. But I'm making an exception now. The astrological omens compel me. So what does it mean, exactly? How might you be "improbable"? Here are suggestions to get you started. 1. Be on the lookout for inspiring ways to surprise yourself. 2. Elude any warped expectations that people have of you. 3. Be willing to change your mind. Open yourself up to evidence that contradicts your theories and beliefs. 4. Use telepathy to contact Oscar Wilde in your dreams, and ask him to help you stir up some benevolent mischief. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A modern Israeli woman named Shoshana Hadad got into trouble because of an event that occurred long before she was born. In 580 B.C., one of her male ancestors married a divorced woman, which at that time was regarded as a sin. Religious authorities decreed that as punishment, none of his descendants could ever wed a member of the Cohen tribe. But Hadad did just that, which prompted rabbis to declare her union with Masoud Cohen illegal. I bring this tale to your attention as a way to illustrate the possibility that you, too, may soon have to deal with the consequences of past events. But now that I have forewarned you, I expect you will act wisely, not rashly. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Want to live to be 100? Then be as boring as possible. That's the conclusion of longevity researchers, as reported by the Weekly World News. To ensure a maximum life span, you should do nothing that excites you. You should cultivate a neutral, blah personality, and never travel far from home. JUST KIDDING! I lied. The Weekly World News is in fact a famous purveyor of fake news. The truth, according to my analysis of the astrological omens, is that you should be less boring in the next seven weeks than you have ever been in your life. To do so will be superb for your health, your wealth, and your future. August 24 - August 30, 2017

CROSS WORD & SUDOKU

ANSWERS TO SUDOKU ALASKA SUDOKU - CHEECHAKO

close to 15%

/(9(/ &+((&+$.2Čź _ 3,21((5 _ 6285'28*+

HARRIS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 gathers to hear Home Free in its first appearance in Alaska as the a cappella band returns to the United States fresh off its town of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get to sing at least two songs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; possibly as many as four. She wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know for sure until right before her performance begins. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ready with four. Carrie Underwoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Renegade Runaway,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with which she won the Aug. 16 finals at Eddieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sports Bar in Anchorage â&#x20AC;&#x201C; tops her performance list. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pour Me,â&#x20AC;? by Trick Pony, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Strongerâ&#x20AC;? by Faith Hill and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love,â&#x20AC;? by Trisha Yearwood are tunes Harris is ready to perform if given enough time. Openers for the state fair performers never really know for sure how much time or how many songs they will be allowed to perform, Valley explained. He is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mattâ&#x20AC;? of the early morning on-air combination of, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dawson, Matt and the Get Up Gang,â&#x20AC;? on KBEAR at 104.1 FM from 5 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Serving as the emcee for the Country Idol contest for five weeks in the summer on Wednesday nights cuts into his sleep time, but he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind the extra gig. He enjoys the local talent the contest brings out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a low-key competition in a friendly

August 24 - August 30, 2017

environment that lets people spread their wings a little bit and try something they might not otherwise do,â&#x20AC;? Valley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And it gives us the opportunity to promote the country performers that are coming to the fair.â&#x20AC;? Valley noted that Harris has been a longtime competitor in the local event. He was pleased to see her win. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She is going to be a terrific opener,â&#x20AC;? Valley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope she gets to do more than two songs.â&#x20AC;? Harris describes her voice as â&#x20AC;&#x153;country, soulful and strong,â&#x20AC;? but she has no idea what range â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether that is alto or soprano â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she is as she has never taken any professional voice training. But that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stopping the assistant corporate finance director of an Anchorage-based child care center from pursuing her dream of singing under the big lights. She intends to audition for NBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Voice,â&#x20AC;? in the next couple of years. Until then, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep singing karaoke â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 2014 she won a competition sponsored by Chilkoot Charlieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and went on to a national competition in Laughlin, Nevada â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and finetuning her vocals at the Alaskan Inn. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When my daughter is a little older, I am considering starting a band,â&#x20AC;? Harris said. Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Amy Armstrong is co-owner of alaskafamilyfun.com. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home Freeâ&#x20AC;? is scheduled for a 7 p.m. appearance tonight at the Alaska State Fair.

STATE FAIR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 day and 2-6 on the next. This year, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all day. So if you buy a carnival ride ticket, your buddy rides free,â&#x20AC;? Phipps explained. Phipps said Buddy Days gate admission coupons are available at all area Holiday Station Stores from now through Aug. 31. No coupon is required for carnival rides, just bring the friend along. From noon until 2 p.m. opening day, gate admission is $2. Friday, Aug. 25, kids under 12 get in free. A donation of two nonperishable food items is encouraged for both offers. Those wearing official â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alaska

Grownâ&#x20AC;? apparel will get $2 off admission opening day. Among the new offerings with general admission this year is the 501st Legion featuring a Star Wars themed event, western trick roper Loop Rawlins, the World of Music, and Clifford the Big Red Dog meet and greet for the kids. A complete rundown of all events can be found in the 2017 Alaska State Fair magazine available in many locations throughout Southcentral, or by visiting the Alaska State Fair website at alaskastatefair.org. Daily fair hours are noon-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Labor Day.

Do it All in One Day!

Find some fun here - www.nova-alaska.com

XNLV341539

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CROSSWORD

ALASKA SUDOKU By John Bushell

B13

Furnished/Unfurnished Turnagain Area

VAIL ESTATES 1 ACRE LOTS All Utilities, Paved roads, 5 minutes from Trunk & Bogard $52.5K 907-354-1215 FOR SALE 5 ACRES Best 5 acres parcel in the valley At the best price 295K 907-745-3474

$80,000 AK MLS# 16-18777 47284 S Merlin Drive Willow, AK 99688 Vacant Land 2.2 Acres for your Beautiful Alaskan retreat, Mat-Su’s finest riverfront areas, automated coded gate, private maintained year round roads & private boat ramp. Call Shelly Woodke 907-232-3327

HOUSE FOR RENT Large 3 bedroom, south Palmer. Inexpensive, quiet, and relaxed living. $990/month Call 746.3783 230 Homes. for Rent/Mat-Su Quiet 1 Bedroom House mile 7 KGB rd. 1 Acre w/d custom gas kitchen storage shed 907-355-6000 SMALL CABIN FOR RENT at Big Lake turn off Has Water, sewer, elect., 229-4910 Wasilla Near down town 3 bd/2 Ba, VIEW, huge gar., Rec rm, Sunny deck, Laundry rm with W/D, $1300 + gas, lights, trash. Cats ok 232-0808 or 376-3171

XNLV340611

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 walking/bike trail. 907-376-5650

256 Commercial/Office publish dates 7/23 thru 8/30

200 Apts. for Rent/Palmer 2 BEDROOM APT. IN PALMER EASY ACCESS TO ANCHORAGE $850 A MONTH + ELEC. $900 DEPOSIT NO PETS NO SMOKING IN BUILDING CALL 907-355-0211

Willow Pointe Apartments

XNLV341664

For persons 62 and over or disabled regardless of age: Spacious one-bedroom apartments for comfortable living. Security building. 925 S. Chugach St. Palmer, AK 99645 (907) 746-1005 TDD: 800-770-8973 Rental Assistance available for income eligible residents provided by USDA Rural Development. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Professionally Managed by North Star Management.

210 Apts. for Rent/Mat-Su 2 BD, 1BA UPSTAIRS $825 mo. + deposit. No Pets. No smoking. Approx Mi. 5 KGB. 231-330-5156

A to Z Realty

$295,000 AK MLS# 17-8385 25307 W Speedway Road Willow, AK 99688 Commercial Building Closest Town: Willow SALE TO INCLUDE AK BEER AND WINE LICENSE. Capitol Speedway Café and Motel sold together. Call Susan 907.232.0040 XNLV340618

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. To file a complaint, call HUD at 1-800-669-9777.

Valley Business Come where the shoppers are! Wasilla Carrs Shopping Center 1,100 to 5,000+ sq. ft. at $1.35/ sq. ft. Contact Cycelia Gumennik Call 376-6300 or visit denalicommercial.com

FR#6407 PUBLISH DATES AUGUST 23, 30, 2017 AND SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

325 Legals AK BEST BUDS LLC is applying for a limited cultivation license under B AAC 306.400 License number 30922 doing business as AK BEST BUDS, LLC located at 9551 Star light lane, WASILLA, ALASKA 99523 UNITED STATES Interested persons should submit written comments or objections 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 no later than 30 days after this notice of application FR#6401 PUBLISH DATES AUGUST 16, 23, 30, 2017

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH #18-004P DES COOP SOFTWARE The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is seeking proposals from qualified firms to provide a continuity of operations plans (COOP) software solution to help Emergency Management Division better manage their projects. This software will allow the Emergency Management Division to plan for, respond to and recover from all types of disasters that would affect delivery of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s day to day business, as well as provide for our partners to utilize the program for their specific needs in delivery of service to the Borough. Proposal documents are available beginning August 23, 2017 in the Purchasing Division, Matanuska- Susitna Borough, 350 E. Dahlia Ave., Palmer, AK 99645. Info: (907) 861-8601, Fax (907) 861-8617, e-mail purchasing@matsugov.us. No solicitations documents will be available for pickup. This proposal document will be available on the internet at www.matsugov.us/ contractopportunities.Proposal closing: September 13, 2017 @ 4:00PM Proposals must be received in the Purchasing Division prior to the time fixed for closing of the RFP to be considered. Time of receipt will be determined by the time stamp in the Purchasing Division. Persons needing accommodation in order to participate should contact the borough ADA coordinator at (907) 861-8404.The Matanuska-Susitna Borough reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, waive any and all technicalities or informalities it deems appropriate. Award of this project is subject to the availability of funding. FR#6408 PUBLISH DATE AUGUST 23, 2017

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH #18-032P FIREWEED RESTROOM UPGRADES The Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB) requests proposals for Architectural/Engineering (A/E) services to design restroom renovations in the Mat-Su Borough Fireweed Building located at 533 E. Fireweed, Palmer Alaska. The selected A/E will be required to perform all calculations, studies, research and code analysis to ensure full compliance with state laws governing the practice of architecture and engineering. The A/E will produce new drawings and specifications and a statement of probable construction cost (SPCC) with updates at each phase of design. All work must be in full compliance with the most recent MSB Facility Design Criteria Manual, current International Building Codes, as well as all other pertinent federal, state and local codes. Proposal documents are available to download for free beginning August 21, 2017 from the MSB Purchasing Division’s website, https://www.matsugov.us/contractopportunities. No documents will be sold at the Purchasing Division. For more information call (907) 861-8601, Fax (907) 861-8617, or e- mail Purchasing@MatSuGov.us. Proposal closing: September 7, 2017 @ 4:00 PM Proposals must be received in the Purchasing Division prior to the time fixed for closing of the RFP to be considered. Time of receipt will be determined by the time stamp in the Purchasing Division. Persons needing accommodation in order to participate should contact the borough ADA coordinator at (907) 861-8404. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, waive any and all technicalities or informalities it deems appropriate. Award of this project is subject to the availability of funding. FR#6406 PUBLISH DATES AUGUST 23, 2017

XNLV344876

150 Lots/Acreages

3 Bedroom Mobile Home huge built on room, in country. Quiet & Private. Located in the Butte of Palmer $1000 per month 907-746-3783

ALL PERSONS take notice that Christina Powell, has been appointed Personal Representative of the Estate of Gregory J. Knapp, Sr. All persons or entities having claims against the Deceased or his Estate must present their claim within 4 months after the date of the first publication of this notice or the claim will be forever barred. Claims must be presented in writing to the Estate of Gregory J. Knapp, Sr., c/o Christina Powell, 1305 N Montana Circle, Palmer, AK 99645, or a claim may be filed with the Palmer Superior Court, 435 S. Denali Street, Palmer, AK 99645

AUDIT SERVICES RFP 17-02F CITY OF PALMER, ALASKA

XNLV345174

XNLV340617

Publish dates 7/23 thru 8/30

B14

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT FOR THE STATE OF ALASKA THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT AT PALMER In the matter of the estate of Gregory J. Knapp, Sr., Deceased. Case No.: 3PA-17-00182PR NOTICE TO CREDITORS

2 bdrm $1050 & 1 bdrm $850 Huge units close to Coastal Trail W/D in building Free basic cable No pets Call Trey at (907) 947-1157

220 Homes. for Rent/ Palmer

325 Legals

Please check your ad: We ask our customers to check their ad on the first day of publication.If you have any questions call us at 352-2250.

The City of Palmer is soliciting proposals for Professional Audit Services. The RFP is available at the Finance Depart. City Hall, 231 W. Evergreen AVe., Palmer, AK, (907) 7453271 or on the internet at www.cityofpalmer.org. Sealed responses for the RFP will be received until 2:00 p.m., Local time, September 21, 2017 at the Palmer City Hall. FR#6405 PUBLISH DATES AUGUST 20, 27, 2017

325 Legals

400 Employment

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT FOR THE STATE OF ALASKA THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT AT PALMER In the Matter of the Estate of: Frederick Joseph Robrecht, Jr. Date of Birth: March 20, 1951 ) Date of Death: March 1, 2017 ) Case No. 3PA-17-00129 PR NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE is hereby given that the court has appointed Della Patricia McGuire as personal representative of decedent’s estate in the above-captioned proceeding. All persons or entities having claims against decedent’s estate must present such claims, in writing, to the personal representative in care of her counsel of record or filed with the clerk of the court, within four months after the date of first publication of this Notice, or else such claims will be forever barred. Scott A Sterling Sterling & Dearmond 851 E. Westpoint Dr., Ste. 201 Wasilla, Alaska 99654 Telephone: 907-376-8076 Bar No. 8706053 Counsel for Personal Representative Della P. McGuire

Outreach Associate Position Part-time w/flexible schedule Part-time w/flexible schedule 15-20 hr/wk $15-18 hr DOE The Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ACBVI) is looking for an Outreach Associate to identify Mat-Su residents with uncorrectable vision loss and provide them access to vision rehabilitation services. The outreach associate will work from home and/or the ACBVIs Mat-Su location and travel throughout the Mat-Su Borough making presentations to community groups, developing relationships with eye doctors, senior providers, local businesses, organizations and others in a position to refer prospective clients. For a full job description, go to www.alaskabvi.org. Please email a cover letter and resume to: Robert Tasso, Program Manager at rtasso@AlaskaBVI.org.

400 Employment

TECHNICAL SUPPORT II Alaska Power & Telephone is looking for A Technical Support II position in Wasilla, AK to assist in the maintenance, monitoring and troubleshooting of DSL and Wireless Broadband networks. 1-2 years related experience working with DSL, Wireless Broadband, and WiFi required. Apply at: www.aptalaska.com or https://careers-hrpmsi.icims.com/ jobs/2057/technical-support-ii/login EEO Employer/Vets/Disabled and Drug and Alcohol-free workplace

500 Bulletin Board LOOKING FOR MARRIED COUPLES between the ages of 18-65 who have been married for at least 5 years to participate in a research project on stress and marriage. Participation includes being interviewed to discuss the topic. Please contact Cheryl V. Puryear at (907) 746-2250 for more information. 617 Computers/ Electronics "COMPUDOC” In home repair since the 90’s. Off hours OK, 376–8285. Used Computers 633 Firewood

XNLV345003

$329,000 AK MLS# 17-10049 7030 W Gruening Place Wasilla, AK 99654 Single Family New Stainless Steel Appliances w/Lowes warranty, cul-de-sac road location, fenced in back yard and seller will pay up to $5000.00 in buyer's closing costs. Bonus room above the garage or as a 4th bedroom, the septic tank is rated for a three bedroom. Views, relaxing and fun! Call Shelly 907.232.3327

305 Business Opportunities

XNLV345008

216 Homes for Rent/Anc

XNLV344863

107 Homes for Sale/Wasilla

XNLV307038

marketplace

NOW HIRING IN PALMER ALASKA FOR FULL TIME PARTS DELIVERY APPLY ONLINE TODAY! WWW.OREILLYAUTO.COM/ CAREERS THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS ALASKA MAT-SU COMMUNITY IS LOOKING FOR BOWLING VOLUNTEERS coaches needed with bowling experience and assintant coaches as well. Practices will take place onTuesday and Sundays at North Bowl in Wasilla. Season will run mid-August to midNovember. For more information please contact Mat-Su Community: 907631-8591 or matsu@specialolympicsalaska.org NIGHT ATTENDANT 32 hrs per week oversee residents, and building safety during the evening nighttime hrs, cleans facility, able to follow directions, work independently,clean driving record and pass background check. Drug & Alcohol free workplace. Nugen’s Ranch 26731 W. Pt. Mackenzie Rd 907-376-4534 Open until filled

FIREWOOD Tree length Birch Saw log Spruce Contact Bond Bros Logging at 715-4019 FIREWOOD & LAND CLEARING Birch and SpruceCut, Split or Log length for sale 907-242-2529 gotwoodalaska.net 695 Misc. for Sale Airline Approved Medium Dog Kennel (Valued at $60) $20 • 907-631-3773 LIKE NEW 2 MENS RECLINERS VALUED AT ($600.00EACH) $150.00 EACH MISC. ITEMS FOR SALE Genarator, Jobsite Gang Toolbox & Tools etc., Men & Womens clothing Boots, LG Airline Kennel & Pet Items, 2 Solid Wood Antique Dressers Excellent Shape, Furniture, Wrought Iron Lawn Furniture Call for Items 907-376-3350 907-354-5050 2 LADIES DESIGNER PURSES Dooney & Bourke($800 Value) $61.00, Charlie Lapson ($350 Value) $52.00 X-CELL! 907-631-3773 Brand New Bowling Ball with Bag $30 907-631-3773

August 24 - August 30, 2017

At Your Service Tree & Stump Removal

24 hour access &

24 hour rental online or at our Kiosk

Residential / Commercial Licensed, bonded, insured Over 42 years of experience!

1-877-571-3394 Mon-Fri 8:30-5:30

Mat-Su Valley 376-8733 Anchorage 345-8733

631-3683

4150 East Snider road, conveniently on the Palmer Wasilla Highway StorageCache.net

XNLV324995

XNLV331825

Free Estimates • Safe, Insured Professionals

• Video surveillance, gated entry • Well lit for security • Regular and heated units •On-Site Restrooms

AMROCK SEPTIC H S Same Owner Since 1989

GrassHopper Lawn Maintenance & Landscaping

Pat & Charlotte Murray

Septic Pumping Septic Pumping Mat-Su Area Mat-Su Area

www.shamrockseptic.net

Dillon Shear

907.841.4345

dmshear@gmail.com

376-7448

Fax:357-4141

BY K & H CIVIL CONSTRUCTORS, LLC

Residential & Commercial

CRUSHED D-1 CRUSHED E-1 DELIVERY 1-3" SEWER ROCK FILL DIRT

14/TN 16/TN $ 110/HR $ 10/CY $ 5/CY $ $

(Mobile Flea Market, Handmade Items, Local Veggies - Herbs - Plants Handmade Items Crafted by Alaskans) Summer Saturdays - Downtown Palmer $20 Per Space Per Week

Located on S. Clapp Road Open M-Sat. at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CALL 841-1652 OR 229-8558

XNLV334141

Info/Reservation Contact: (907) 770-3532 Email: GTJOOTT@gmail.com

24-7 365 Service

New Construction & Existing 40+ Years of Service • Water Heaters

• Pressure Tanks • Conversions • Remodels

All types & brands of equipment

Certified-Licensed-Bonded-Insured (907)746-5190 advplumb@mtaonline.net

XNLV340997

XNLV339932

Fax:357-4141 www.shamrockseptic.net

Advanced Plumbing & Heating, Inc. 357-4140

S. ClAPp GrAVeL PIT RUN 6/CY $ 3" MINUS 10/CY $ 8/CY 3/4" MINUS 3/4"-1½" SEWER ROCK $12/CY 1½-3" SEWER ROCK $12/CY

With Our• 357-4140 Love & Thanks 376-7448

XNLV301367

XNLV335128

Licensed & Insured Commercial & Residential

XNLV329340

is a company that makes “You” the customer, our top priority with a satisfaction guarantee!

XNLV268911

LIBERTY CLEANING SERVICES

SERVICE DIRECTORY Get a business card size ad in our Service Directory for $180 per month *Color included* Ad Runs in The Frontiersman, online at Frontiersman.com, in the Arctic Warrior, the Anchorage Press & The Eagle

XNLV320021

PLACE AN AD TODAY!

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 *All ads are non-refundable*

CALL TODAY! 352-2264

Call today to place your ad 352-2279 Frontiersman M at- S u V alley

classads@frontiersman.com

August 24 - August 30, 2017

B15

XNLV343868

WE WILL NOT BE SILENT!

Monday : Cl Tuesday osed -F Saturda riday: 11 am - 6 pm y: 10 am - 5 pm Sunday: 12 pm - 5 pm

341 E. Benson Blvd • 277-0404 • 2friendsgallery@gmail.com w w w. 2 f r i e n d s g a l le r y. c o m B16

August 24 - August 30, 2017