Your locally owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
Mount Si Wildcats are overrun by Eastlake Wolves Page 6
October 16, 2014
North Bend woman competes for 2014 Miss Washington USA By Sam Kenyon A few years ago, if Chelsea Kearney were told she would be competing in the Miss Washington USA pageant, she wouldn’t have believed it. “I would’ve thought that it would have been a little crazy,” she said. “I am not that kind of person. I am not that confident.” Clearly, her confidence has grown as she prepares to represent North Bend at the 2014 Miss Washington USA pageant Oct. 18-19 at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien. This is Kearney’s first experience with any kind of pageant, although her mother, Elizabeth, was third runner up for Miss New York USA. “It was a really neat experience,” Elizabeth Kearney said. “I’m so happy that she’s doing it, because it will be something that she’ll hold on to for her
Contributed
Ignite Dance & Yoga dancers perform ‘Thriller’ during a previous year’s Night On a Dark Trail. Ignite will be joined by dancers from Cascade Dance Academy to perform at this year’s Night On a Dark Trail Oct. 24-25.
Chelsea Kearney entire life.” Kearney was approached by her coach, Christine Serb, through Facebook earlier this year. Serb convinced Kearney to enter and she has been preparing ever since. Serb is a former Miss Washington contestant and is currently competing for Miss California.
Frantic freestyle
See PAGEANT, Page 5
By Greg Farrar
Emma Gieseke, Mount Si High School senior, drives through the water during the 500-yard freestyle race at the Oct. 9 swim meet against Skyline and Interlake. Gieseke finished fourth in 7 minutes, 33.31 seconds, and also swam the 200-yard freestyle in 2:46.92. For more images from the tri-meet, see Page 6.
WALK THIS WAY Night on a Dark Trail offers scary good time By Sherry Grindeland The best compliment Mark Hennig receives comes from reluctant participants after they’ve been through Night on a Dark Trail. “They tell me they came because it is a fundraiser,” he said. “They leave saying this was good, very good.” Hennig, the organizer and producer behind what has become known in the Valley as NODT, faced a new challenge this year. The Halloweenthemed fundraiser that benefits the Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank has moved. The fourth annual Night on a Dark Trail, Oct. 24-25, will be held at the Snoqualmie Community Park instead of its original location on an empty lot and trail on Douglas Street. The new site presents additional challenges to the allvolunteer group. Members need to clear the park after Friday night’s event for community soccer games Saturday and then reset each of the eight scenes before the 6:30 p.m. opening Oct. 25. “What seems like insurmountable challenges aren’t,” Hennig said. “We have optimistic people who just pull it off.” In typical theatrical produc-
If You Go Night on a Dark Trail q 6:30-9:30 p.m. Oct. 24-25 q Snoqualmie Community Park q 35016 S.E. Ridge St., Snoqualmie q $10 per person q Not suitable for young children q nightonadarktrail.weebly.com
tions, scene changes are handled onstage and the audience sits in the auditorium. In NODT, the audience walks a trail from scene to scene. Each year’s show is different — partially because Hennig, who writes the scenes and skits, doesn’t like to repeat things. Second, the volunteer actors change from year to year, which means characters change. NODT keeps Hennig busy much of the year as he begins planning the next year’s event while he cleans up from the previous one. Why does he devote so much time to a community event? “The stock answer is I hate golf,” he said. “But productions — they are magic, they bring excitement and fear and fun, and I get to write this one.” Some things remain the same. Unlike most Halloween hauntings, NODT has no gore. “I don’t go for gore,” Hennig said. “Why would I want to do gore if everyone else does?”
Hennig involves as many local groups as possible — including the Cascade and Ignite dance schools. Their troupes entertain audience members as they wait their turn on the trail. While he guarantees nothing will touch people, Hennig doesn’t recommend NODT for young children because it is scary — what with haunted trails, ghosts, zombies and clowns. Clowns? “Yes,” he said. “Clowns can be really scary.” No flashlights are necessary because the trail will be well lit. That reassures organizing committee member Julie Jones. She’s the outreach manager for the Snoqualmie Ridge ROA, one of the sponsors. “I’m scared of the dark,” Jones said. Both Jones and Hennig said they could always use a few more volunteers. “We’re building a performing arts legacy for the valley,” Hennig said. “We’re inspired by Danny Kolke. Look what he’s done for music in the Valley. We just need to expand that to all the arts.” Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER