We have previously reported at length on Alaska Air Guard pararescue jumper Roger Sparks for his action under fire in Afghanistan, the Silver Star he received for those actions and any number of daring rescues in Alaska. Previous dispatches have noted his increasing interest in tattooing and work as an emerging tattoo artist.
Local photographer Joe Yelverton has been taking photos of Sparks as he inks clients for the past year, during which he's noticed "a compelling story emerge about adaptation."
The result is a photo exhibit that will be on display for one night only at The Studio, formerly Treft Punkt, in downtown Anchorage.
Yelverton likens Sparks' concentration to that of a concert pianist, "unaware of his audience." The sessions create "an intimate connection with the person lying on his table. Many of his clients have faced traumatic, life-altering events. I've witnessed sessions that lasted up to 12 continuous hours, often involving painstaking detail and physical duress for both Roger and his client. Roger's tattooing is both a physical and spiritual practice, where concentration is paramount.
"I suspect Roger is capable of tattooing for 12 straight hours for two main reasons: because he's a warrior, and because art is his salvation."
Hence the name of the exhibit of some 35 photos, "Salvation: A Human Portrait." The photos will be on display from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at 245 W. Fifth Ave.
Back from the dead
The Stories from the Cemetery folks are back for one last presentation this summer. Actors in costume will reprise the roles they presented last month, telling life stories at graves of famous, notorious or just plain quirky Alaskans buried in the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery. This incarnation may be easier on your legs because all of the performers will deliver their parts at a temporary stage set up on the grounds. Bring your own chair and catch the whole show. It will probably be a more effective way to hear the complete tales than the usual spread-out format. If you want to see the graves in person afterward, they'll be marked with flags.
The stories will start at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9. Enter by the gate at Seventh Avenue and Cordova Street. As always, the performance is free but donations are requested to recompense the actors.
Art Bell back on the air
From the realm of radio, we hear that Art Bell is back on Alaska airwaves. Bell gained a national reputation from his "Coast to Coast" syndicated talk radio show that filled the overnight hours, but Alaskans may remember him as a KENI radio DJ who organized the airlift rescue of babies from Vietnam as Saigon was falling in 1975.
Bell theoretically retired in 2007. But once a radio guy, there's no turning back, which led to the latest incarnation, "Midnight in the Desert."
"Originally (Bell) was just going to stream the show" on the Internet, said Anchorage ad man Peter Eberhardt, who is the show's national sales rep. "But once the word got out, we started getting requests from terrestrial stations all over the U.S."
A couple of weeks into Bell's return, "Midnight in the Desert" is being carried on 25 stations including KOAN, 1080 AM, from 8-11 p.m. Monday-Friday. Fans wanting to hear the podcasts at their own convenience or who may be out of the station's range -- or want to get around the pre-emptions for Anchorage Bucs Baseball -- can still subscribe to the online edition at artbell.com.
Opera reaches funding goal
Anchorage Opera has announced that the company has reached its Ed & Cathy Rasmuson "Soar to New Heights" goal of $482,000 for the 2014-15 season. With the goal reached, the Rasmusons personally donated an additional $100,000, said General Director Reed Smith. In addition, the Penney family supplied a matching grant "challenge" of $60,000 to honor opera singer and producer Gloria Allen.
In the same press release that addressed the fundraising successes, we read the first information we've seen for a Native Alaskan adaptation of "Hansel and Gretel." The production, in conjunction with the University of Alaska Anchorage Opera Ensemble, "will infuse the traditions of opera with indigenous Alaskan culture and storytelling." It will be presented at the UAA Fine Arts Building from Dec. 11-13.
Productions of "Carmen" (Oct. 23-25), "Maria de Buenos Aires" (Jan. 21-24) and "The Mikado" (April 15-17) had been previously announced.
Mat-Su old-timers speak
A new publication, "The Life and Times of Matanuska Valley Pioneers," includes interviews with 55 Valley old-timers, vintage photos, recipes and "a few jokes."
While Anchorage is celebrating its centennial this year, the same railroad that founded the city also spawned a homesteading boom along the route north of Brandenburg Butte, well in advance of the Colony Project that brought yet another batch of settlers to the Valley in the 1930s. So, even though mining and trade was established out of Knik in the late 1800s, 2015 is also very much a 100th anniversary mark for the Mat-Su.
Some of the people in the book will be on hand to meet readers at a book-signing event at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at Fireside Books, 720 S. Alaska St. in Palmer.
Happy birthday, Sandy
Sandy Harper of Cyrano's will celebrate her 75th birthday at a party being thrown in her honor on Thursday, Aug. 13, at the playhouse, 413 D St. following the presentation of "Anchorage Comes of Age -- and So Do the Attorneys Behind the Headlines," the latest installment in the theater's decade-by-decade account of the city's history. The party will start around 9 p.m., with cake, entertainment and an announcement regarding the upcoming season. Donations to Cyrano's are requested.