‘Jazzmom’ keeps it real this Valentine’s Day
In 2005, Melissa Bledsoe Fischer took top honors in the Anchorage Press Picks as the Alaska city’s “best singer.” Four years later, she returned to claim “Best Local Solo Act” by those same readers.
So what’s her secret?
Homer on target for weekend state dart tourney
Some 50 visitors from around the state will be in Homer this weekend for the Steel Tip Tourney and Masters Regional Dart Tournament. It’s the second time in recent years the statewide event is being held in Kachemak Bay.
“They will be coming from Nome, Anchorage, all over the state. We’re hoping for a good turnout this year,” said organizer Colt Belmonte of the Homer Dart League. “We’re hoping the hotels come through with special rates for the darters. Events like this really boost winter tourism. We’re really fortunate to get it here.”
Helping Santa sort out the gadgets
As Christmas draws closer, searching display cases for the newest digital and electronic gadgets might seem a daunting task to those on the low end of the high-tech scale. Fortunately, there are people adept – and available – to weigh in on what all these gadgets are and what they do.
The Homer Tribune consulted with techie experts, such as our own Ryan Ridge and the folks over at TechConnect, to help us embark on a quest to check out what came after VHS movies and cassette tapes.
Students work hard to raise travel funds
The Homer High School Choir has undertaken an ambitious slate of fundraisers to gain money for a trip to Germany over spring break, culminating in an evening of “Germanfest” Saturday at the Elks Lodge.
A group of students at West Homer Elementary also are working hard to raise money for an end-of-the school year trip to Anchorage involving visits to the Imaginarium, the Alaska Heritage Center and other adventures along the way. They are planning a showing of the newly released movie “Up,” made by the same folks who brought “Toy Story” and “Monsters Inc.”
Murderous weekend highlights winter
Dozens of people gathered around cocktails in a cozy lounge, safe from the stormy, sullen sea scrubbing rocks clean below – sound like “Dark Shadows?”
No. This is a more immediate experience than that provided by a television show. Keith and Margo’s Mystery Weekend presents “A Homer Alaska Weekend to Kill For” Friday through Sunday at Land’s End Resort, and Homer people are invited to take part as the plot thickens.
Scaring up Halloween fun around Homer
Fright night this year is attracting a lot of attention from local groups apparently out to help young and old alike seek a range of activities from the perfectly safe, to the celebratory fall rituals of All Hallows Eve.
The holiday offers a great chance to have some costumed and candied fun, as well as bring attention to worthy causes.
Haunted Hickory plies scary seas aplenty
A haunted ship filled with the ghosts of dead sailors from seas past is a frightening prospect for anyone who happens upon it.
And while scaring old ladies and small children isn’t usually what the U.S. Coast Guard prides itself on, that’s precisely what makes the “Haunted Hickory” so much fun for the crew of 50 U.S. Coast Guardsmen in Homer stationed aboard it. It’s a chance to share the familiar nooks and narrow decks of their ship with the public in a rare glimpse meant to frighten the daylights out of grown men and women.
Jazzing up Homer for 9 years
Jocelyn Shiro-Westphal, directing “Jazzline” in its ninth year, is putting the final touches on this year’s dance performance featuring the talents of Homer youth and adult dancers.
This year’s presentation includes Broadway-inspired musicals, a Michael Jackson montage, the Spirit of the Drum dance and musical numbers from the Phantom of the Opera. Jazzline celebrates community talent and commitment to the arts with proceeds benefitting Bunnell’s youth art programs. Normally produced in the winter months, this year’s show comes in the fall.
Celebrating a century of wildlife refuges
By the end of the 1800s, it became quite fashionable for a woman to not only don hats bearing feather plumes from a variety of exotic bird species, but also to wear the entire bobbing bird atop her head.
“They hunted birds by the tens of thousands and wanted the breeding plumage because those feathers were the coolest,” said Debbie Corbett, an archeologist with the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. “They were killing them while they sat on their nests. The heads would bob and the wings would flop.”
A famous account has it that an ornithologist had only to stand on a busy New York City street corner to count dozens of bird species in a single day.
Alice’s Champagne Palace embarks on new life
In the lively and comparatively brief history of Alice’s Champagne Palace, there aren’t many firsts a new manager can dream up. However, serving a breakfast of homemade biscuits and poached eggs from the oft-rowdy bar might be one of them.
Under the guidance of new manager Cindy Burns, the infrequently open Alice’s will hold more regular hours this winter to offer residents a variety of entertainment options. Starting with 8:30 a.m.-openings on Saturday and Sunday, Burns said much of the focus will be on the NFL Sunday ticket package within a family atmosphere.
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