Alaska State Troopers
May 15
Troopers responded to a motor vehicle collision with injury at Mile 163 of the Sterling Highway. Investigation revealed Phillip Jainese, age 69, of Anchor Point, lost control of his vehicle, ran off the road and hit a tree on the east side of the highway. Anchor Point EMS responded and transported Jainese to South Peninsula Hospital, where he was flown to Providence Hospital in Anchorage in critical condition.
May 15
Found Property: A caller reported finding a large bucket of tools and a tool belt on the road. The tools were returned to their owner.
Suspicious Circumstances: A caller reported a suspicious man checking doors to buildings. An officer went to the scene and gave the suspicious man a ride home.
Intoxicated Pedestrian: A caller reported a man passed out on a trail on Klondike Avenue. An officer responded and the man was transported to the hospital by a medic.
Animal Related Complaint: A caller reported two eagles stuck together in a tree on Ben Walters Lane. A message was left with US Fish and Wildlife.
Drug Investigation: An officer conducted a traffic stop on E. Pioneer Avenue, and had the vehicle towed for drug investigation.
May 16
Animal Related Complaint: A woman reported a dead sea otter near Mariner Park. The Sealife Center was advised.
Public Assist: A caller requested a welfare check on an agitated female on East End Road. An officer responded and found the woman to be OK. She left the facility, but is trespassed from it for a year.
May 17
Harassment: A caller reported a woman harassing her at work, and requested information on how to get a restraining order.
Traffic Warning: A driver was warned for driving against the flow of traffic.
REDDI: A 911 caller reported a vehicle spinning doughnuts and the driver possibly under the influence. An officer went to the area and made contact with the driver and found they were not intoxicated.
Trespass: A caller reported a suspicious man trying to enter locked buildings on Jenny Way. An officer responded and arrested the man for criminal trespass. He was housed at Homer Jail.
May 19
Theft from Building: A woman reported her roommate had called, stating her bicycle had been stolen from their residence on Early Spring Street. An officer went to the residence, but no one answered the door and he was unable to locate the women.
Theft: A woman called to report someone had gone through her unlocked car on East End Road, but nothing was missing.
Welfare Check: A caller reported he couldn’t reach a hitchhiker he had given a ride to Homer a few days ago. She stayed at his trailer on the Spit. He returned to Anchorage, but now she wouldn’t answer his calls.
Traffic: A caller reported a white pick-up truck with an excessively loud muffler speeding up and down Ben Walters Lane. The driver was contacted by phone and he stated he planned to fix the muffler when he has the money to do so.
Threats: A caller reported someone had picked up a pipe to defend themselves against him, then threw down the pipe and walked away.
Civil Problems/Assist: Safeway manager called to report a petitioner refusing to leave the front of the store. An officer responded, made contact with the petitioner, who was trespassed from Homer Safeway property for one year.
Animal Related Complaint: A man reported a dead sea otter on the beach off Spit Road. Fish and Wildlife were notified.

May 20
Burglary/Force/Non-Residence: A caller reported a burglary at an office on Hillfair Court. An officer went to the scene.
Theft from watercraft: A man reported a theft of items from a boat after the fact.
Theft from Building: A caller reported a theft of medication from residence on E. Bunnell.

Indictment
Dylan C. Ely, 20, tampering with physical evidence
Coy E. Kirby, 25, assault in the third degree
Constantina L. Landt, 46, felony driving under the influence
Bruce C Larson, JR., 53, felony driving under the influence, assault in the third degree
Sheila J. Jenson, 60, felony driving under the influence

Felony
Donovan J. Lee, 39, assault in the second degree, burglary in the first degree, criminal mischief in the fourth degree
Karla A. Lee, 58, hindering prosecution in the first degree
Richard William Foley, 51, vehicle theft in the first degree
Dylan C. Adkins, 24, burglary in the first degree, theft in the second degree, vehicle theft in the first degree
Julie A. Quales, 46, burglary in the first degree, theft in the second degree,vehicle theft in the first degree
Dakota Kelly Tennison, 18, two counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth degree
Zachary Thomas Fraley, 18, terroristic threatening in the first degree
Robert Dean Webb, 28, misconduct involving weapons in the second degree, misconduct involving weapons in the third degree, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth degree

Judgment
Dale D. Vaughn, 50, driving while license was revoked, guilty
Georgina Guarin, 18, minor consuming alcohol, guilty
Machenzie D. Wood, 19, minor consuming alcohol, guilty
Terry Craig Morasci, 50, driving while license was suspended, guilty
James M. Mumsy, 49, attempted tampering, guilty
David M. Hoversten, 47, driving while license was revoked, guilty
Billy C. Brown, 24, assault in the fourth degree, guilty

Misdemeanor
Jedidia C. Gautier, 24, no motor vehicle liability insurance
Scott E. Hillman, 38, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the sixth degree
June Walker, 35, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the sixth degree
Kimberly L. Caley, 20, driving without a valid operator’s license
Derek R. Dour, 22, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the sixth degree
Jennifer A. Beaucage, 28, driving while driver’s license was cancelled, driving a motor vehicle without insurance
Alan Tucker Blatchford, 66, criminal trespass in the second degree
Richard William Foley, 51, driving under the influence, driving while license cancelled
Jesselee D. Altman, 21, misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth degree, driving while license was revoked
William Todd Johnson, 46, driving while under the influence
Kathleen V. Haywood, 75, driving while under the influence
Petr V. Reutov, 19, failure to give immediate notice of an accident
Angelo H. Martin, 30, assault in the fourth degree

Civil
Wells Fargo Financial Alaska Inc vs. Vanessa M. Bock
Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC vs. David Teufel
Drew L. Turner vs. Beau E. H. Turner

Sandra Lauretta Jensen

Homer resident, Mrs. Sandra Lauretta Jensen, 71, died Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at her home in Homer. 
Memorial services will be held at a later date. 
Mrs. Jensen was born Jan. 26, 1942 in Minneapolis, Minn. She graduated high school in Minnesota and in1984, she moved to Alaska, living in Fairbanks, Nome and finally Homer. Before she moved to Alaska, she worked as a bartender in Ideal Corners Minnesota for about five years. Sandra loved to garden, collect antique tools and reading history about Alaska. 
The family wrote, “Sandy had wonderful stories to share and a lot of charisma. She enjoyed beach combing and the great outdoors. Sandy was a generous loving mother and friend. She was an awesome cook and will be dearly missed by friends and family in Minnesota, Fairbanks, Nome and Homer.”
Sandy was preceded in death by her parents, Belmont and Lauretta Oddson and siblings, Malcolm and Terry. 
She is survived by her daughters, Michele Jensen of Pequot Lakes, MN and Denise L. Reed of Fairbanks, AK; granddaughter, Amber Lea Nelson of Fairbanks; great grandkids, Alanna, Kresslynne and Tavis all of Fairbanks; sister, Mary Jane Johnson/Olsen and brother, Jeff Oddson both of Ideal Corners, MN. 
Arrangements were made by Peninsula Memorial Chapel & Crematory. Please visit her obituary and online guestbook at AlaskanFuneral.com.

Photo Provided - A 10-pound halibut currently sits atop the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby leaders’ board.

A 10-pound halibut currently sits atop the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby leaders’ board, thanks to the angling aptitude of Janet Baldauf. And, while she’s not exactly expecting her fledgling fish to remain in the top spot, it certainly doesn’t hurt that the little guy was also wearing a tag!
The Homer Derby started May 15, and already, two other tagged fish have been landed.
“We had one tagged fish caught prior to the derby’s start, and one that didn’t want to buy a derby ticket,” said derby organizer Paula Frisinger.
Baldauf will have to wait until Sept. 15 to find out whether her tagged fish is worth $50,000, or $10,000 or even a truck.
As summer continues to creep into Homer’s ongoing winter, the halibut are sure to start lining up for their chance to gnaw on some kind of snack affixed to your line. So don’t take any chances, and buy a derby ticket before you go out.

Cabana, Bowe pick up athletic honors

Homer High School juniors Tayla Cabana and Tommy Bowe were named Mariner Athletes of the Year for the 2012-2013 season. The awards were presented Monday night at the school’s award ceremony.

Razor clam limits decreased

The bag and possession limit for razor clams harvested from the Eastside Cook Inlet beaches, extending from the mouth of the Kenai River to the southernmost tip of the Homer Spit, is reduced to the first 25 clams dug per day and only 25 clams may be in possession.
This bag and possession limit reduction is effective beginning 12:01 a.m., Thursday, May 23, through 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 31.
Assessment of razor clam abundance on the Ninilchik Beach has shown a substantial decline in abundance of exploitable clams (clams greater than 3.14 inches). Abundance of exploitable razor clams decreased from approximately 1,500,000 clams in 2011 to about 79,000 clams in 2013. The 2013 abundance is the lowest on record for the Ninilchik Beach based on periodic surveys of razor clams conducted since 1990. The cause of the decline is unknown but is thought to have resulted from poor spawning and/or settling success.

Weather doesn’t daunt brave sailors

Stiff northwest winds, snow and rowdy seas greeted Homer Yacht Club sailors who gathered in the harbor on Saturday to launch their first race of the season, the “Cheechako Cup.”
Brave captains and crews manned four boats for a short race around the green can that marks the shoal southwest of the end of the Spit. The order of finish was Ron Downing’s “Morning Star;” Kevin Walker’s “A Dawg’s Life;” Eric Pullman’s “Nereus;” and Mark Hemstreet’s “Duit.” Six to eight foot seas were a challenge they met head on.
A Dawg’s Life crossed the finish line in one hour, 55 minutes and three seconds. According to her captain, Kevin Walker, the “worst part of the race was the 11 a.m. meeting on the dock in the snow.”
And these were more than just a few isolated flurries. This was real snow; at sea level, on May 18.
The skippers wavered about leaving the harbor in the cold with northwest winds forecasted to build to 20 knots. However, Duit Captain Mark Hemstreet showed up and tipped the scale in favor of having the race.

Soccer teams end season at Regions

Both Homer girls and boys soccer teams finished their season following elimination in Regional play last weekend. The third-seeded Lady Mariners fell 1-5 to the Grace Christian Grizzlies.
The Mariner boys were seeded second in tournament play, and opened with a 3-0 win over Grace. Homer got goals from Carson Duggar, Drew Brown and foreign exchange student Manuel Spigno.
With the win, the M’s had two more chances to advance to State, but had to beat SoHi (last Friday) or Colony (last Saturday) in order to do so. Despite a valiant effort, Homer did not win either game, thus ending their season.

Photo by Amber Cabana - The Lady Mariner 4 by 400 relay team, Aurora Waclawski, Cassidy Soistman, Tayla Cabana and Azizza Shemet-Pitcher, celebrate after winning their event at the State meet in Fairbanks over the weekend. The entire Lady M’ team placed second overall, and won the academic award for having the highest overall grade point average with a GPA of 3.9.

After weeks of complaining about winter’s tenacious grip on Alaska’s spring season, perhaps another reference to the unorthodox and unneighborly May snows of 2013 would be redundant.
Still … blowing snow and 18 degrees at a track meet? That’s just wrong.
“It certainly was freezing cold, but we’ve been competing in conditions like that all year,” said Homer Track Coach Bill Steyer of a freezing Fairbanks. “We worked to find a way to reframe the frigidness as a positive thing.”
Steyer’s “reframing” strategy proved successful — especially for the Lady Mariner 1600 relay team. Homer runners Azizza Shemet-Pitcher, Tayla Cabana, Cassidy Soistman and Aurora Waclawski took first in the 4 by 400 event, finishing the race in four minutes, 21.69 seconds. Homer’s next closest finisher, Grace Christian, came in a full five seconds later.
“Being part of such an awesome 4 by 400 team and winning State is definitely something I will always remember,” said junior Tayla Cabana. “I am very very proud of my teammates. We all worked hard to get here and at State, it showed.”
Waclawski, a freshman who ran the final leg of the 1600 relay, said she feels her strong finish was helpful to the team’s success, as she started pulling away from the pack in the last few seconds.
“I think our team did so well, because we were all very psyched up and ready to go hard,” Waclawski said. “We knew we had to go all out — and we did.”
In fact, according to Steyer, the HHS relay team posted the second-fastest time in the state; right behind powerhouse Dimond High School.
“The girls were one full second faster than they were at Regions.” he said. “Our Lady Mariners were so fast, if they had raced against the large schools, they would have come in second.”
And, while theirs would be the only gold medal for the Mariner squad, Steyer said all 14 athletes medaled in at least one event.
Senior Casey Farrell turned in two stellar individual performances, taking second place in both the 1600 and 3200 events.
“I think I did very well, even though it was so cold outside,” Farrell said of her performances. “When I was running the last 200 meters of my mile, I felt like I was flying. The wind was like a wall, but I powered through it like in practice.”
Farrell said she felt like she was able to use the cold weather to her advantage.
“I trained all winter with my dad, but had no idea I would be training for the weather conditions like what we got at State,” she explained. “I used the cold to keep myself awake and sharp. I think I ran faster to keep warm.”
Second-place finishers included the 3200m relay team, as well as Waclawski in the individual 400m. Cabana took third in the long jump, stretching out to a leap of 15 feet, .05 inches.
“The snow and cold weather made everyone work a little harder, even if just to keep warm,” Cabana said. “I’m happy with everything I did, and I know our coaches are proud of us. They believed in us the whole way and pushed us to get where we are now.”
And, not only did the Lady Mariner team prove their prowess on the track by finishing second overall, they also won the academic award for having the highest grade point average with an overall team GPA of 3.9.

Homer boys represent

In boys State track action, senior standout Mark McGregor took second in the 110m hurdles with a time of 16.6 seconds. He took fifth in the discus.
“Mark is just a really strong competitor overall,” Steyer said. “The hurdles are a very mental event, and he has the ability to stay focused and get things done.”
Third-place finishes came for sophomore Connor Seay in the 300 hurdles, as well as the boys’ 800 relay team.
Senior Sam Reinert successfully completed his first year of track with a fourth-place finish in the 400m.
“The weather was pretty awful, but the 400 really came down to the last 20 meters,” Reinert said. “I was in sixth place, but didn’t want to accept that finish for my last race ever. So, I just kept pushing and never gave up.”
Distance runner Pedro Ochoa also kept pushing. The junior had the flu and spent most of his time throwing up during the lengthy drive to Fairbanks.
“Pedro doesn’t focus on obstacles,” Steyer said. “He didn’t let his illness get in the way of his goals, and finished strong.”
Ochoa said he found his track experience to be a positive one overall.
“It was perfect for me to join track this year,” he said. “I learned a lot from the seniors and have set some serious training goals for the summer.”
Steyer said the team exceeded his expectations for both the season, and the State meet.
“They worked really hard all year long and deserve these wins,” he said. “Everything just came together and people peaked at just the right time.”
Reinert called the season a “blast.”
“I’m glad I finally decided to run track this year, because it was totally worth it,” he said. “I’m proud to have ended my high school career with this team.”

Wolverines wind up season

Senior Jack Wheeler continued to turn in strong performances in the jumping events, tying for fourth in the high jump, and pacing sixth in both the long and triple jumps.
He had some not-so-nice things to say about the conditions for competition.
“The weather was absolutely horrible,” he said. “Doing my triple jump was the worst, because it was 18 degrees and snowing.”
Teammate and Lady Wolverine Robin Riley said she found the cold weather challenging, but worked hard to keep herself warm right up to her events. The promising freshman placed fourth in the high jump with a leap of 4 feet, eight inches.
“It was a really great experience for me, as a freshman, to get to compete with the best in the state,” she said. “Everyone there was very nice, and teams cheered for other teams, encouraging each other to do better. I am already looking forward to the next three years.”
And, while Wheeler’s days of high school track are now finished, he said his experience was worth all the hard work.
“Track was really a mess this year, but it was still fun,” he said. “I enjoyed every bit of it.”

ASAA State Track Meet

Class 1-2-3A

GIRLS
400: 2. Aurora Waclawski, Homer, 1:03.86. 5. Tayla Cabana, Homer, 1:06.07.
800: 4. Molly Mitchell, Homer, 2:30.46.
1,600:.2. Casey Farrell, Homer, 5:34.49.
300 hurdles: 5. Tayla Cabana, Homer, 51.15.
800 relay: 3. Homer, 1:58.21.
1,600 relay: 1. Homer (Azizza Shemet-Pitcher, Tayla Cabana, Cassidy Soistman, Aurora Waclawski), 4:21.69.
3,200 meters: 2. Casey Farrell, Hom, 11:58.37; 4. Barae Hirsch, Hom, 12:10.45;
3,200 relay: 2. Homer, 10:12.98;
High jump: 4. Robin Riley, Nin, 4—8;
Long jump: 3. Tayla Cabana, Hom, 15—1-2;

BOYS
400: 4. Sam Reinert, Homer, 53.91.
800: 4. Pedro Ochoa, Homer, 2:08.01.
1,600: 6. Pedro Ochoa, Homer, 4:49.79.
110 hurdles: 2. Mark McGregor, Homer, 16.60.
300 hurdles: 3. Connor Seay, Homer, 44.54.
800 relay: 3. Homer, 1:38.68.
Discus: 5. Mark McGregor, Hom, 104—00;
High jump: 4. (tie) Jack Wheeler, Ninilchik, 5—6.
Long jump: 6. Jack Wheeler, Nin, 17—4 1-4.
Triple jump: 6. Jack Wheeler, Ninilchik, 36-04.50

HOMER TRIBUNE/Sean Pearson - The Lady Mariners break from their huddle on the mound to start another inning of defense against Kenai. Homer will finish up regular-season pay this week before hitting the road for postseason play at State.

The Homer Lady Mariners kept fairly busy last week, cramming six games of softball into four days in an effort to getting some playing time in before the regular season ends.
The Lady M’s started with a 8-0 Northern Lights Conference win over the Soldotna Stars last Wednesday. The victory extended Homer’s winning streak to eight games.
Hannah LaRue pitched the entire game for Homer, striking out six SoHi players. McKi Needham went 2-for-2 to lead Homer, while teammate Maggie LaRue picked up two runs and a triple. Senior shortstop Miranda Beach added a triple of her own.
Homer moved on to host Kenai on Thursday, and dominated the Kardinals with consistent hitting throughout the game. The M’s opened with two first-inning runs, and then added seven more in the top of the second. For Kenai, it was all downhill from there.
Hannah LaRue was again the winning pitcher for Kenai Homer, and helped out her cause with two hits and two RBIs. Teammate Kyla Pitzman added two hits and three RBIs.
On Friday, the Lady M’s picked up their first losses of the season against East Anchorage, dropping their doubleheader 0-14 and 1-10.
The Thunderbirds came out strong, scoring four runs in both the first and second innings, and adding five more in the third. McKi Needham would pick up Homer’s only hit in the game that saw six Lady M’s strike out. Defensively, Homer gave up 15 hits and committed four errors in the non-conference loss.
The Lady Mariners managed to punch out five hits in their second game against East, but still fell 1-10 in five innings. Solid hitting from Katie Kirsis and a double from Beach weren’t enough to offset the 11 Homer batters who struck out.
“It was good for us to get out there and play East, because they really are that good,” Hannah LaRue said. “They give us something different to look at when all we’ve seen are the Peninsula teams.”
LaRue said the second game against East was better because the Lady M’s didn’t commit as many errors and hit the ball better.
“I’ve been kind of off this season with my hitting,” she said. “I wasn’t seeing the ball very well and thus getting bad contact.”
This comes from someone who is hitting .500 with 20 hits and 13 RBIs so far this season.
Saturday started out a little rough again for the Lady M’s, as they opened against Service High School and struggled defensively. Homer outhit the Cougars 12-6, and scored 13 runs, but committed nine errors to let the Cougars slip by with the14-13 win.
Hannah LaRue picked up three hits, two of them triples, and knocked in two Homer runs. Kirsis punched out two hits and three RBIs, while
Kayla Hutt and Needham each added two hits.
“I got my bat back in the game against Service, so that felt great,” Hannah LaRue said.
The Lady M’s got things back under control in their second game against the Cougars, pummeling them 15-6. Mikayla Morrison led with three hits and four RBIs, and Hannah LaRue picked up another three hits. Kirsis, Hutt and Pam Jantzi each added two hits in the Mariners’ win.
Leading the way for Homer hitters are Kirsis and Beach. Both are hitting .522 with 24 hits. Kirsis edged Beach in RBIs, picking up 25 to Beach’s 24. But Beach is the only Lady Mariner to hit a home run so far this season. Maggie LaRue is batting .486 with 17 hits and 11 RBIs, while Needham sits at .484 with 15 hits and 16 RBIs.
Kirsis leads the team in stolen bases with 18.
The Lady Mariners travel to Soldotna to take on Skyview Wednesday afternoon, before returning to host Kodiak on Thursday at 6 p.m. Their final regular-season game will be at Kenai on Saturday at noon.
Hannah LaRue said she is feeling confident on the mound and isn’t scared that the other team will hit.
“I know I have a fantastic defense behind me,” she said. “We are really looking forward to going to State.”

HOMER TRIBUNE/Sean Pearson - Lucas Schneider pitches to a Kenai Kardinal in the Mariners’ 10-12 loss at home. Homer enters post-season play with a 3-3 record in the Northern Lights Conference.

The Mariner baseball team held their 2013 home opener against the Soldotna Stars last Wednesday. They played their last home game against Kenai the very next day.
Some might call it a short season.
Homer gave up three runs to SoHi in the first inning of the conference game, but those would be the only runs pitcher Zach Haning and the Mariner defense were willing to give up.
The M’s answered with four runs to take the lead in the bottom of the first, thanks to hits from Zac Bynum, Lucas Schneider, JJ Sonnen, Derek Johnson and Tommy Bowe. Johnson picked up two hits, while Bowe nailed a double that skirted under the outfield fence.
Defensively, outfielder Brian Rowe gunned down a runner trying to score on a base hit to center field. Senior catcher Willy Deaver made the tag at home plate. Sonnen contributed a diving catch at second to shut down the Stars’ scoring threat.
Homer Head Coach Lary Kuhns said the win was, “a good team effort, and credited “great pitching from Zack Haning” as a huge factor in the team’s success. The 10-3 win put the Mariners at 3-2 in the Northern Lights Conference.
In junior varsity action, Homer fell 11 to 7 to the Soldotna JV. Johnson and Brandon Beachy both pitched solid games for the younger M’s, while Greg Smith turned in a consistent performance behind the plate. A third-inning Homer rally featured four straight hits by Sheldon Hutt, Derek Johnson, Dick Perez and Kyle Johnson. Patrick Cashman also contributed a hit in the Mariners losing effort.
The Mariner varsity team would host the Kenai Kardinals in their last home game of the season amid a steady, cold drizzle. And, despite a formidable Homer effort and a few ties, Kenai came up with the 12-10 win.
After the Kards took an early lead, Homer came back to tie the game twice, but could never pull ahead. Bowe, Schneider and Nahoa Jette pitched. Jette and Brian Rowe each picked up a triple for the game, and a 4.3 magnitude earthquake rattled the field in the sixth inning.  
The Mariner JV team won by four runs in an earlier game.
With their regular season already complete, Homer will travel to the Valley to start Regional play on Thursday.
The Alaska baseball season has been challenged by wet and snowy field conditions this season, limiting Homer’s varsity to only six of their nine scheduled games. All six games were compressed into a nine-day time frame.
And, if they didn’t already have enough of a fight on their hands with the uncooperative weather, the Ms also found some uncooperative opponents in the Wasilla Warriors.
Wasilla elected to forfeit instead of traveling to Homer to play the game, and declined to stay in Kenai to play Homer on another opportunity because they would arrive back in Wasilla too late. The Mariners travel regardless of their sleep schedules, recently arriving back in Homer at 2:15 a.m. after a weekend of play up in the Valley.
Junior first baseman Tommy Bowe said he thinks things are starting to come together for the Mariners as they head into post-season play.
“We are playing really good team baseball, turning lots of double plays and throwing runners out from the outfield,” he said. “I think we are hitting the ball well, but need to swing at fewer balls. I think if we pay attention and actually see the ball better, we won’t see as many strike-outs.”

Tumbledown House

Billed as “Modern Speakeasy Music,” the Tumbledown House musicians, Gillian Howe and Tyler Ryan Miller, are traveling to Alaska from their home in San Francisco again this month for their fifth Alaskan tour, with four performances booked in Homer.
On their web page they write: “As the days grow longer and the temperatures begin to climb, we begin preparing for our fifth Alaskan Tour. We can’t wait to see all of our Alaskan friends, play with some of our favorite musicians and perform in some of our favorite venues.”
Called a “Sultry Song-writing Duo” they usually recruit other musicians to join in their performance, and they know they will find plenty of willing talent here to join them on stage.
Here are the song titles from their two albums:
Midnight at The Openly Lewd (intro), Right Hand Man, Sweaty Tennessee, Brothers McGhee, Poor Man’s Song, My Papa’s Waltz, Old Potosi, St. James Infirmary, After A Fire, Jug O’ Rossi, Windy City, Little Castaway, The Thief, Master Cherry intro, Master Cherry Finds A Strange Piece of Wood, The Race Track Song,One Mistake Will Do, T-Bone Cologne, The Help and The Great Escape.
A Bozeman Montana reviewer summed up one album:
“Fables and Falsehoods is the brilliant, sepia-toned soaked offering from Tumbledown House that starts off like a black and white silent film and keeps rollicking along into a colorful tapestry of clever tales of woe and object lessons wrapped in a crushed-velvet punch. Gillian Howe and Tyler Ryan Miller, the duo who are Tumbledown House, spared no expense; left no rock unturned and climbed every mountain high to unearth a sweet, tasty, little gem of an album.
Lyrically speaking, the turns of phrase, puns and stories told are intriguing and clever — like the nod to Pinocchio on “Master Cherry Finds a Strange Piece of Wood,” or the obscure reference to the jazz innovator Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke in “Windy City,” which is the same song sporting the lyrics “dirty feet” and “kettle corn” — interesting in a 1920’s, Jazz Age kind of way. My favorite in this collection of lyrical acrobatics is contained in the song “One Mistake Will Do.”
Miller’s production work and talents on this album remind me of going to a steakhouse and having a perfect meal with impeccable service to boot! The musicians bring forth a vibe and stout musicianship that conjures up images of dancing girls, revelers and assorted shady characters, as flappers and gangsters parade to their soundtrack.
Howe supplies the narration with her pipes. Her vocal work is pure artistry; gorgeous in delivery and flow, dazzlingly original. Sometimes her voice is throaty and thick, like the taste of chocolate late at night; other times, it’s well-toned, muscular and breathy like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. And there are moments when her voice rises like fire roaring from a white-hot furnace, launching the lyrics into a meaningfulness which carries the music along and wraps around it in a sultry grand serpentine fashion; bringing the arrangements, tempos, verses and choruses into a splendid mix of camp and pomp that is both chillingly deadly and warmly seductive in the same breath. The song “T-Bone Cologne” is a great slice of what I describe. Gillian’s performance, far above solid, captures your attention again and again throughout. It’s enough to make the Rocky Mountains do the Charleston.”
They play Friday, May 24 and Saturday May 25 at Kharacter’s Bar on Pioneer Avenue. Both shows start at 10 p.m. Then Sunday and Wednesday they perform at AJ’s Old Town Steakhouse on Bunnell Street. There is no cover charge at either club.

Gary Sloan

Alice’s Champagne Palace is bringing blues guitarist Rick Brooks to town Friday evening and the harmonica man Gary Sloan (more Alaska bluesmen) Saturday night.
Brooks accompanies himself on acoustic guitar as he sings blues, rock and classic songs and more. He says he took his first guitar lessons at age eight in Oxford, Mississippi. His father wanted him to be Johnny Cash and his teacher favored Chet Atkins but he took more interest in blues, jazz, classical and folk music. In the late 80s he played in a series of rock, rhythm and blues and top-10 bands traveling around Alaska from Nome to Homer. He started on electric guitar but then switched to acoustic in the late 90s. He has also toured and played the west coast states California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada.
Bluesman Gary Sloan got his start in Alaska in the 1970s playing with a series of blues bands. His resume includes gigs with Bo Diddley, Jimmy Rogers, Maria Muldaur, Mary Welles and more. When asked if any of those jam sessions stuck out, he didn’t hesitate.
Like many musicians, he started in bands and even had his twin sons accompanying him for a time. Originally a southern Californian, he came to Alaska in 1964 to help clean up the Good Friday earthquake wreckage. He was a teenage enlisted Air Force man and when his service ended he stayed to get involved in the music business here. Besides leading his own band, Proof, he also brought well-known musicians to Alaska to tour towns that weren’t then on the road system at that time, including Homer. He moved to Arkansas in 1995 and discovered blues at the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival. He competed, playing his harmonica, and took first prize.
Now 68, he has played some pop/rock through the years, but he is best known as “that harmonica blues player from Alaska.” He teams with Jim Lasiter and between them they play a variety of instruments to accompany their singing.
“I’ve had a lot of fun times, and it’s all been around the music,” he said.
Both the Friday and Saturday night shows begin at 8 p.m. and there is no cover charge.

An enthusiastic and appreciative crowd packed Alice’s Champagne Palace on Saturday night to enjoy the music, stories and poetry presented by numerous performers for the sixth-annual Cowboy Cabaret.
The show started with a two-hour “concert” by the Homer Ukulele Society. Singing and playing mostly familiar country songs were Sunrise Kilcher, Tim Quinn, Daniel Wysocki, Michael Murray, Jim Hornaday, Deb Schmidt, Olga von Ziegesar and Gayle Claus.
Presented by the Equestrian Society, the show (and silent and live auctions), raised approximately $8,000 toward the $40,000 left of the note for the purchase of the Cottonwood Horse Park. The facility is a multi-use park on the downhill side of East End Road at mile 1.5. Equestrian Society president, Roberta Highland said the society’s next payment of $30,000 is due June 1.
The other group that was pre-booked for the show, the S-Curves, Sally Wills, Sharon Schultz, Sue Butler and Sunrise Kilcher (hence the name “S-Curves”) performed more country songs.
Then, volunteers took the stage, one at a time, to recite their poems and sing. Tim Quinn read Atz Kilcher’s poem, “Up at Five,” because Atz was stuck somewhere at the head of the Bay beyond a flooded river with his herd of cattle. Interestingly. the poem was about the challenges of herding cattle at the head of the Bay.
Bruce Willard recited the poem, “The Old Hound,” and Milli Martin told a story in poetry form about acquiring a horse named “ReadyGo” to keep her “Rebel” company. Dave Girard played and sang about love south of the border, accompanied by Sunrise and Tim. Then, three of the ukulele team, Sunrise, Sharon Shultz and Tim Quinn sang “Cheatin’ Heart,” “Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds” and several more westerns.
Floyd Seekins, accompanying himself on guitar, sang “The Fightin’ Side of Me,” while Troy Jones recited “Pert Near Perkins” and Emcee Mark Marette recited a selection of his own poems. Several performers added aonther song or poem at the end of the show.
Opening day festivities for the Cottonwood Horse Park begin at noon on May 27. Activities include mounted and unmounted horse demonstrations, games, food (chili and cornbread), face painting and prizes. There is no admission charge.