360 March 14, 2013 by Skagit Publishing

Ready to get your Irish on this weekend? PAGE 3

Skagit Valley Herald Thursday March 14, 2013

Reviews

Tuning Up

At the Movies

Music: Bon Jovi, David Bowie Video Games: “Crysis 3”

Campbell Road plays Empire Ale House in Mount Vernon on Sunday

“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” turns out to be only credible

PAGES 6-7

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E2 - Thursday, March 14, 2013

NEW ON DVD THIS WEEK “Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away”: A young woman is pulled into a magical world of acrobats and artists. The film uses a rather standard boymeets-girl plot to take the audience on a fanciful journey to a land of acrobats and artists who look at gravity as more of a suggestion than a law. “Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away” should be appreciated like an abstract painting. It’s beautiful to look at, but it isn’t fully appreciated until you add in your own ideas about what all of the images are trying to say. There are positive and negatives of bringing the stage performance to DVD. It opens up the stage show to an audience who may have never had the opportunity, or the finances, to see one of the live shows. And it’s the best seat in the house as the director often sends the camera flying through the air with the greatest of ease to put the viewer as close as possible to the incredible acrobatics. Seeing these acts on screen takes away the fear factor that always exists with a live production when there’s at least a chance performers could slip or fall. “Hitchcock”: The director’s softer side is revealed during his filming of “Psycho.”Anthony Hopkins stars. Like walking into a dark movie theater from a sunny day, it’ll take your eyes a little while to adjust to director Sacha Gervasi’s “Hitchcock.” Both the story and Hopkins’ performance as the groundbreaking director Alfred Hitchcock can’t be judged at first glance. The casting and story show that any thoughts that this is a typical Hollywood biopic is for the birds. Gervasi has created a fascinating love story played out against an even more fascinating career. “Rise of the Guardians”: The film, based on “The Guardians of Childhood” books by William Joyce, reveals that North (Alec Baldwin), better known as Santa Claus; the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman); The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher); and the Sandman (no talent as he never speaks) have a bigger calling than just providing gifts, eggs, quarters and sweet dreams. They’ve been charged by the Man in the Moon with the task of watching over all children. They need help when Pitch (Jude Law) — better known as the Bogeyman — shows up to bring misery to children everywhere. There are too many distractions to make this a treat for the entire family. It’s a dark tale that is too intense for young viewers and maybe even a few older movie-goers.

YOUR ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION GUIDE TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN SKAGIT COUNTY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS

Upcoming movie releases Following is a partial schedule of coming movies on DVD. Release dates are subject to change: MARCH 19 Rust and Bone -- Sony Bachelorette -- Anchor Bay Zero Dark Thirty -- Sony

This Weekend / Page 5

MARCH 22 This Is 40 -- Universal MARCH 26 The Collection -- Lionsgate Killing Them Softly -- Anchor Bay Parental Guidance -- Fox APRIL 9 Hyde Park on Hudson -- Universal Planet Ocean -- Universal APRIL 16 Django Unchained -- Anchor Bay APRIL 23 Gangster Squad -- Warner A Haunted House -- Universal

Catch Dervish in concert on Sunday at the Lincoln Theatre

APRIL 26 The Impossible -- Lionsgate/ Summit

Inside

APRIL 30 The Guilt Trip -- Paramount

“Life of Pi”: A man and a tiger must find a way to survive a shipwreck. “Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Season 10”: Vincent D’Onofrio stars in the final season of the NBC TV series. “The Mob Doctor: The Complete Series”: Jordana Spiro plays a doctor who works with the mob as a way to save her brother. “Doctor Who: The Ark in Space”: The Tardis lands on a space station orbiting the Earth. “Samson and Delilah”: Director Cecil B. DeMille’s masterpiece is re-released. “Black Eagle”: Rain stars as a demoted pilot who must save a comrade. “Lost Angels: Skid Row is My Home”: Eight individuals make a life for themselves within the homeless community. “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp: The Complete Season Two”: Hugh O’Brian stars in the ’50s TV series. “The Mind of a Chef”: Anthony Bourdain takes viewers inside the mind of chef David Chang. “Pioneers of Television: Season 3”: Includes Carol Burnett, Lynda Carter, Joan Collins, Larry Hagman and Adam West. n Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee

SUBMISSIONS Email features@skagitpublishing.com vrichardson@skagitpublishing. com (recreation items) Phone 360-416-2135 Hand-deliver 1215 Anderson Road Mount Vernon, WA 98274 Mailing address P.O. Box 578 Mount Vernon, WA 98273 Online events calendar To list your event on our website, visit goskagit.com and look for the Events Calendar on the home page

Music, Game Reviews..................6-7 Travel............................................8-9 On Stage........................................ 10 Tuning Up..................................... 11 At the Lincoln Theatre.................. 13 Movie Listings............................... 17 Movie Mini-Reviews..................... 17 Out & About.............................18-19

HAVE A STORY IDEA? w For arts and entertainment, contact Features Editor Craig Parrish at 360-416-2135 or features@skagitpublishing.com w For recreation, contact staff writer Vince Richardson at 360-416-2181 or vrichardson@ skagitpublishing.com TO ADVERTISE 360-424-3251

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Thursday, March 14, 2013 - E3

COMMUNITY FIDALGO FLING

DINNER AND LIVE MUSIC

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Fidalgo DanceWorks’ second annual gala benefit from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 15, at The Lodge at Swinomish Casino, 12885 Casino Drive, Anacortes. Enjoy music by The Weatherheads, heavy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, dancing and more. $75. Tickets are available at Fidalgo DanceWorks, 901 Third St., Anacortes, or by calling 360-299-8447.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at South Camano Grange 930, 2227 S. Camano Drive, Camano Island. Enjoy corned beef and cabbage with all the fixings, beer and wine garden, live music by the Allen Hatley Band and more. $15 adults, $7 ages 10 and younger. Proceeds benefit the South Camano Grange. Tickets available at Elger Bay Store and Camano Plaza, or call: Pat (360-629-3276), Diana (425-356-7014) or Janet (360-387-6398).

WEEKEND IRISH EXTRAVAGANZA

Friday through Sunday, March 15-17, at Leatherheads Pub & Eatery, 10209 270th St. NW, Stanwood. Friday: Rich Rorex & Friends: 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday: Katie Hoag & Friends, 4 to 5:30 p.m.; South End String Band, 6 to 8 p.m.; The Boneyard Preachers, 9 p.m. to midnight. Sunday: Jumbled Pie, 4 to 5:30 p.m.; South End String Band, 6 to 8 p.m.; Alien Culture, 9 p.m. to midnight. No cover. 360-629-5555.

“FINNEGAN’S FAREWELL”

Shakespeare Northwest presents the interactive dinner show “Finnegan’s Farewell,” by Kevin Alexander, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 15-16, at Moose Lodge No. 1640, 813 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $40 individual or $230 for a table of six, includes performance, dinner and drink vouchers. Advance tickets only, ages 13 and up. www.shakesnw. org, 206-317-3023 or eal@ shakesnw.org.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY FUN RUN/WALK

The 5K/10K Fun Run/Walk will get under way at noon Saturday, March 16, at Challenger Ridge Vineyard & Cellars, 43095 Challenger Road, Concrete. Prizes for best St. Patty’s costume. Enjoy live Celtic music by Carolyn Cruso from 2 to 4 p.m., wine tasting, Irish nibbles, brandy and apple pie tasting. Wood-fired pizza available. $20 entry fee, includes a bottle of wine at the finish line. 425-422-6988 or www. challengerridge.com.

TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC

Dervish, the preeminent traditional band in Ireland’s wild west, will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at the Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $15-$35. 360-336-8955 or www. lincolntheatre.org.

ST. PAT’S CONCERT

Celtic group Campbell Road will perform traditional Irish music from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at Empire Ale House, 314 W. Gates St., Mount Vernon. No cover. 360-336-9944.

Irish – and non-Irish – eyes will be smiling this weekend

IRISH COMEDY

Check out The Irish Comedy Tour at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at the Wa-Walton Event Center, 12885 Casino Drive, Anacortes. Four Irish-American comedians will offer a humorous look at Irish myths and stereotypes. $15. 888288-8883 or www.swinomish casinoandlodge.com.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION

Enjoy the music of MacArra and Peadar Macmahon at 8:30 p.m., Sunday, March 17, at The Shakedown, 1212 N. State St., Bellingham. $5 cover. 360-7781067.

Skagit Valley Herald staff @360_SVH

St. Patrick’s Day this year falls on Sunday, March 17, and we figure that’s all the incentive needed to get your Irish on. Whether your tastes run toward corned beef and cabbage, a strong adult beverage with possible medicinal benefits or something related to driving out snakes, the events listed here present a glorious and festive menu from which you may choose.

Matthew Mead / AP

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E4 - Thursday, March 14, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

EW YORK — Mila Kunis’ stardom went up a notch last week, and you would think it’s because she stars in the biggest movie of the year so far. But “Oz the Great and Powerful,” which debuted with $79.1 million at the box office, had little to do with the sudden rush of adulation that engulfed Kunis. Instead, it was a seven-minute viral video that’s been watched more than 10 million times and blogged about the world over. The “Great and Powerful” isn’t Oz, but the Internet, which can burnish a star’s image just as it can destroy it. The video is from a press junket interview for “Oz” with a young BBC radio personality, Chris Stark. Stark begins by announcing he’s “petrified” at doing such an interview for the first time. But he’s obviously quite comfortable as his own version of Hugh Grant, charmingly peppering Kunis with questions about pub drinking, his local soccer club in Watford and a theoretical day out together. He expects to earn “massive lad points,” he says. Kunis is exceptionally winning: She happily goes along, eager for a break from a day of monotonous TV interviews promoting the film. When Stark moves to return to more normal questions, she protests: “Why? This is such a better conversation.” The clip was roundly greeted online as proof of Kunis’ “awesomeness.” (Google “Mila Kunis is awesome” and you’ll get countless links rhapsodizing about the interview.) New York Magazine’s Vulture blog hailed “a brand-new inductee into the mostadored-actress-ever club.” What’s emerging is a new

On the Web n Mila Kunis junket video: http://bit.ly/WItAf4 n Jennifer Lawrence meeting Jack Nicholson: http:// bit.ly/YslUtn n Ryan Gosling breaking up a fight: http://bit.ly/viI6DB

a fight in the street. There was Gosling, wearing a baseball hat and carrying groceries, humbly playing the role of hero, just as he MILA KUNIS sometimes does in the movJoel Ryan / Invision via AP ies. Stars aren’t just like us, we think; they’re just like their screen personas. Jennifer Lawrence most recently experienced a similar surge after her best actress Oscar win. You would expect the award — a mountain peak for any actress — would have been the dominant conversation the next day about the 22-year-old Lawrence. But more than the Academy Award, she was lauded online for her backstage demeanor. Facing reporters, she confessed to taking a shot beforehand, flashed the middle finger and laughed at herself for falling on the stairs on her way to the stage. She was perfectly self-deprecating and unpolished. Millions watched videos of her backstage, and more than 5 million viewed an ABC News interview with Lawrence from later than evening. It captured Lawrence’s astonished reaction when Jack Nicholson introduced himself to her. A Lawrence mythology was in full flourish. Another Oscar-winner, the director Ang Lee, was captured after the Academy Awards in an Instagram photo. The tuxedo-clad director of “Life of Pi” was real life as she does in the romantic comedies in which candidly spied clutching his statuette in one hand, and she stars. chomping on an In-N-Out It was the same when, burger in the other. Vanity in 2011, Ryan Gosling was Fair declared “Even houscaptured in a cellphone ing an In-N-Out Burger is video on a New York City intersection helping to stop adorable when Ang Lee

Viral videos stoke celebrities’ images By JAKE COYLE / AP Entertainment Writer

kind of stardom propelled by glimpses of authenticity circulated on the Web like evidence of a star’s real nature: guileless snapshots of their innate coolness. Internet videos are known for elevating anonymous

people to renown, but they can greatly enhance the reputations of the famous, too. Kunis went viral because the interview confirmed her image: She’s funny, sarcastic and game. She banters just as well in

does it.” Seemingly candid moments have long been manufactured for good publicity, and it’s likely some stars will try to take advantage with their own fake Zapruder-like videos. And for every genuine video that stokes a star’s image, there are dozens of embarrassing cellphone clips and TMZ “gotcha” moments that make most celebrities more cautious. Becoming a meme holds a lot more risk than reward. Certainly, Tom Cruise would rather certain Scientology videos hadn’t hit the Internet. It’s unlikely Angelina Jolie was pleased her right leg became a star in its own right after the 2011 Oscars. Alec Baldwin detested that private phone messages from him to his daughter leaked online. (Charlie Sheen appeared to love every bit of his “Winning,” but few stars desire the same kind of publicity.) Even Gosling, who also became a meme that flaunted his sensitivity with photo captions beginning “Hey Girl,” is ambivalent about the Internet. In a recent interview, he said the experience of the street video made him hesitant to get involved, “even if it’s the right thing to do.” “The Internet has just become a bit of a minefield,” he said. “I try not to go in there. “It’s funny, I think about that time Fabio was on a rollercoaster and got hit in the face with a pigeon. I think about that a lot. I feel like that pigeon. I’m the pigeon and the Internet is Fabio’s face.”

Thursday, March 14, 2013 - E5

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

THIS WEEKENDin the area

Dervish in concert

The acclaimed sextet plays the music of northwest Ireland at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at the Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $15-$35. 360-336-8955 or www.lincoln theatre.org.

FASHION SHOW Friendship House

FIDALGO POOL Celebrate St.

EXPLORE THE NIGHT SKY View

CHEER EXHIBITION Skagit County

DINNER& AUCTION The sev-

and tulees eco-fashions will present En Vogue, a runway show and benefit, at 6 p.m. today at McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. The runway show will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets: $25 general admission, includes hors d’oeuvres; $50 VIP, includes drink ticket and runway seating; both at the McIntyre box office or mcintyrehall.org. All proceeds will benefit Friendship House homeless shelters in Mount Vernon. 360-336-6138.

Patrick’s Day at the Fidalgo DanceWorks’ second annual gala benefit from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 15, at The Lodge at Swinomish Casino, 12885 Casino Drive, Anacortes. Enjoy music by The Weatherheads, heavy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, dancing and more. $75. Tickets are available at Fidalgo DanceWorks, 901 Third St., Anacortes, or by calling 360-2998447.

distant galaxies, planets and nebulas beginning at dark Friday, March 15, at Fort Nugent Park, 2075 SW Fort Nugent Road, Oak Harbor. No telescope is needed and all ages are welcome. Dress warmly. Canceled if cloudy. Free. For information, call Dan Pullen at 360-679-7664 or visit www.icas-wa. webs.com.

Parks and Skagit County Fair will host the Skagit County High School Cheerleader Exhibition at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 16, in the Burlington-Edison High School gym, 301 N. Burlington Blvd, Burlington. Cheerleaders from Burlington, Darrington, Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley will demonstrate their skills and abilities. Trophies will be awarded to schools for best stunt group and team routine. Free.

enth annual Camp Fire Samish Birthday Dinner & Auction will celebrate the 90th year of Camp Kirby on Saturday, March 16, at the Swinomish Casino & Lodge, Anacortes. The silent auction and cocktails begin at 5 p.m., followed by the grilled beef tenderloin dinner. Bid on a week at a beachfront condo in Mazatlan in Mexico, Mariners All-Star Club seats and many other items. Advance tickets: $50 at www.campfiresamishcouncil.org or call 360-733-5710.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E6 - Thursday, March 14, 2013

REVIEWS MUSIC CDS Compiled from news services

Eric Clapton “Old Sock”

Imagine a jam session at Eric Clapton’s house. He’s not likely to trot out “Layla” for the 3,478th time. Instead, he and pals with names like Paul McCartney, Chaka Khan and Steve Winwood would probably deep dive into a tasty bag of cover tunes that inspires and delights them. Such is the cozy feel one gets listening to “Old Sock,” Slowhand’s 21st studio album and his first on his own Bushbranch record label. Recording primarily with three other musicians, Clapton gives the Gershwin Brothers’ “Our Love Is Here to Stay” a sultry, bluesy feel, while Winwood’s Hammond B3 Organ-dominated “Still Got the Blues” takes the Gary Moore classic into roller skate rink territory — and delight-

years, announced the imminent release of “The Next Day” on his 66th birthday in January, and has said nothing about its contents publicly. Absence has clearly made the heart fonder, judging by the prerelease raves fully so. Both Taj Mahal’s “Further on for his first new music in 10 years. SimDown the Road” and Peter Tosh’s “Till mer down. This does not auger a return to Your Well Runs Dry” boast unsurprising Bowie’s 1970s glory days, although “The reggae tinges. Next Day” is certainly more focused than Clapton’s guitar wizardry is understated his string of forgettable work in the late but elegant here, especially on the lilting 1980s and 1990s. “Angel” and the muscular “Gotta Get The album cover and song “Where Are Over,” one of the intimate set’s two origi- We Now?” harken back to Bowie’s fruitful nals. period in Berlin. The moody, atmospheric This “Old Sock” wears well. song has Bowie, in a voice rendered fragile by age, wandering the German streets n Melinda Newman, Associated Press again. Like “Heroes,” it ultimately soars and is life-affirming. David Bowie It also sounds like nothing else on the “The Next Day” disc, not only in tempo but in the personal glimpse it offers. As a songwriter, Bowie Many people wonis a reporter, and sings of medieval evil, dered if there would the shamed offspring of a prison warden, be a next day for a soldier wasted by his work, a gleaming David Bowie, profesyoung girl in a rotting world. And, unexsionally speaking. Bowie retreated after suffering a heart pectedly, Bob Dylan, in the roaring rocker “(You Will) Set the World on Fire.” attack in 2004, leaving many of his fans Producer Tony Visconti and Bowie to wonder if he had retired. He recorded steer the band toward a muscular rock secretly in New York the past couple of sound. Bowie sounds refreshed, happy to be working at his own pace, and Visconti is one of his best collaborators. Most compelling are “The Stars (Are Out Tonight) that addresses celebrity as both necessary and an evil, and “Dancing Out in Space.” The track is no space oddity, but a thrill ride with a swinging beat and trippy guitar. The balance is more solid than spectacular. While a welcome return for those who know him, “The Next Day” isn’t likely to get more than a shrug from a new generation of fans. n David Bauder, Associated Press

Bon Jovi

“What About Now” Why does Bon Jovi crank out an unending string of relentlessly upbeat, unavoidably catchy songs in the style that made the Jersey boys famous 30 years ago and kept them there ’till now? Because they can. The band’s 12th album, “What About Now,” fairly bursts with the encouraging self-help anthems that have long defined the Bon Jovi sound and style, from the

early days of Tommy and Gina “Livin’ on a Prayer” to keeping the faith and realizing “It’s My Life.” One listen to “Because We Can” and its chorus will be burned into your brain forever. It’s one of many Bon Jovi odes to faithfulness, trust, perseverance and a belief that no matter how bad things get, it’ll be OK as long as we hold on tight to each other and don’t lose hope. Richie Sambora adds a harmonic guitar solo adapted from “Capt. Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars” from their 2000 album, “Crush.” The title track literally sounds like a session with a self-help psychologist and it’s a sure guarantee you’ll hear this song blaring at Democratic presidential rallies in 2016. But the most interesting is “Room at the End of the World,” where Bon Jovi sings of heaven as a calm, unhurried place where dead roses bloom again, where truth has its turn, where young love never dies, where there’s no sin and “where we never said goodbye.” n Wayne Parry, Associated Press

Holly Williams “The Highway”

The granddaughter of Hank Williams and the daughter of Hank Jr., Holly Williams has forged her own musical path apart from the honky-tonk of the former and the country rock of the latter. But like her forebears at their best, she knows how to connect with the listener, as she does throughout her third and most accomplished album. Thematically, “The Highway” takes most of its cues from country. Williams’ songs cover cheating and drinking, death and family, the push and pull of the road, with a clear eye for life’s realities and a full heart. The closest she comes to sentimentality is on the closing saga, “Waiting for June,” but by that point she has earned a moment of sweetness and light, and anyway the song is too finely wrought to resist. A couple of numbers with a rocking edge are the least effective. Fortunately the set is dominated by acoustic-textured country-folk arrangements with a slower pace that enhance the emotional power of Williams’ crisply involving storytelling. n Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

CONTINUE THE CYCLE – PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER

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Thursday, March 14, 2013 - E7

REVIEWS VIDEO GAMES Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard News Service

‘Crysis 3’

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC Genre: Shooter Publisher: EA Games ESRB Rating: M, for Mature Grade: 3 stars (out of 5) You can’t fault a franchise for slipping a little with its third game. Many franchises do just that, and as long as the game is more of a stumble and not a freefall, no one is worse for the wear. “Crysis 3” appears content to rest on what made it great while not taking the final step to outshine its predecessors. One can’t complain about the visuals. You once again play as Prophet, who retains his grit and mettle from the previous two games. Oh, and he still has that wicked nanosuit. He’ll need it, because when he awakes from his slumbers he finds that New York City has been placed under a dome by the shadow military company CELL. This turns the city into a luscious botanical hunting ground, with perky Ceph aliens lurking around trying to rip your head off. Sadly, the action doesn’t match the impressive visual landscape created by the developer, Crytek. One setpiece has you wading through neck-deep grass while aliens stalk you. You can’t see what is coming at you until it’s almost too late, and a sense of dread grips you throughout the sequence. But

New video game releases n God of War: Ascension (PS3, rated M) n Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 (Xbox 360 and PS3, rated M)

once it ends, so does any lingering feeling of fear, as you return to the normal actions of exploring buildings until a shootout arrives. The tension weakens because Prophet has too many toys to play with, and even the most challenging of gunfights and boss battles don’t get you terribly concerned. The nanosuit can take an awful lot of damage, and your weaponry easily dispatches most foes with well-aimed shots. Once you are given a high-tech bow, all bets are off since you can use it while remaining cloaked, which gives you more of an advantage that you really don’t need. (A side note: Seriously, a bow? Is this the 2013 gaming weapon of the year? After playing this and “Tomb Raider” back to back, were we gamers in dire need of putting arrows into the hands of our enemies? I’m kinda bowed out for the next few months, thanks, unless Mario wields one against Koopas, then I’m all in.) Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled review ... ah, yes, online multiplayer. It’s here, and though it mostly treads on familiar “capture the flag” or “king of the hill” turf, the Hunter mode is a particularly smart standout. Cloaked hunters face off against heavily armed CELL soldiers, and when a hunter picks off a soldier, that soldier then joins the hunter team. It’s a smart, time-based mode brimming with tension, and teamwork among the CELL soldiers remains paramount as invisible assassins lurk all around. “Crysis 3” would have needed a pretty big leap to outshine the previous two franchise entries. It doesn’t get there. Amazing to look at, yes, but the game ends too quickly and lacks a true challenge to keep you emotionally invested. n Follow Chris Campbell @campbler or email game_on_games@mac.com.

n Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm (PC, rating pending) n Monster High Skultimate Roller Maze (3DS, rated E) n Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.)

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E8 - Thursday, March 14, 2013

TRAVEL

Amtrak via AP

Left: The California Zephyr is shown near Truckee, Calif. Middle: Passengers relax in a lounge car. Right: The California Zephyr stops at the Emeryville Station 11 miles east of San Francisco.

A scenic, historic route for California Zephyr train San Francisco Bay area to Reno, Nev., offers beautiful views and a tangible sense EMERYVILLE, Calif. of history on the route over — The journey east on the Sierra Nevada mountain Amtrak’s California Zephyr range that helped bring train is as good as the desti- America together after the nation. Civil War. Riding the rails from the Marking 30 years of serBy MELANIE CARROLL Associated Press

vice this year, the Amtrak train leaves Emeryville, Calif., every morning. The Zephyr’s ultimate destination, 51 hours later, is Chicago. Between Sacramento and Reno, a five-hour trip, it follows the same course as the

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historic Transcontinental Railroad, according to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. The rail path through the mountains was a 19th century engineering feat that bolstered the nation’s western expansion. A hundred and forty-four years after the Transcontinental Railroad’s completion, train-loving children and picture-happy tourists pack the train’s observation car to take in the Sierra Nevada and the mountain passage known as Donner Pass, which was once thought impossible to cross by locomotive. Prior to federally subsidized Amtrak taking over the route in 1983, the California Zephyr was privately run by three train corporations. From 1949-70, the socalled “Silver Lady” boasted five sightseeing cars topped by semicircular glass domes, with fine china and real silver in the dining cars. It also featured young hostesses in uniform, known as Zephyrettes, tasked with making the trip between Chicago and California more pleasant by doing everything from helping families with young children to announcing scenic spots along the way. “Amtrak is nothing like

If you go Zephyr: Amtrak train from Emeryville, Calif., near San Francisco, to Chicago. Rates: Vary for unreserved coach fare for the California Zephyr route (Emeryville to Reno, Nev.), with fares as low as $49 and $61 depending on time of year. Some trips do sell out. Online: tickets.amtrak.com

the historic Zephyr,” said Cathy von Ibsch, 63, who worked as a Zephyrette when the private service came to an end in 1970. “It (Amtrak) didn’t have the same class or same feel. They modernized it.” The original train traveled a different eastward route through California and Nevada on its way to Salt Lake City called the Feather River Route, which did not offer views of the bays north of San Francisco. From Salt Lake City to Chicago, the routes of the original Zephyr and the modern Amtrak trains remain the same. I recently rode the Amtrak train for the first time. My husband and I were enthusiastically led onto the platform by our 4-year-old son, a train fanatic. We boarded the train just after 9 a.m. in the small city of Emeryville, 11 miles east of San Francisco. It’s the Zephyr’s departure point

on the 236-mile journey to Reno. The train wasn’t packed, which meant we could occupy a few extra seats, spread out and relax. This made for a much better experience than air travel (no airport security either), which is often crowded and uncomfortable. During the 2012 fiscal year, the Zephyr’s ridership increased to 376,459 passengers as compared to 355,324 in 2011, according to data from Amtrak. The first leg of the sevenhour journey to Reno took us along the water northeast of San Francisco. We witnessed the morning light dancing off San Pablo Bay, a tidal estuary that extends north from the San Francisco Bay. Roughly an hour into the journey, while crossing the Benicia-Martinez bridge, we saw the so-called “mothball fleet” in Suisun Bay. There, dozens of World War II-era decommissioned warships are still afloat.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Thursday, March 14, 2013 - E9

TRAVEL By midmorning, we were rolling across flat farmland and orchards. We arrived in Sacramento, the state capital, just after 11 a.m. There, volunteer docents from the California State Railway Museum — who serve in pairs from Sacramento to Reno and back every day — boarded. Later we heard their voices over the public address system, detailing the history of Donner Pass and the Transcontinental Railroad. Donner Pass, the passage over the Sierra Nevada, received its name from the infamous group of pioneers from the Midwest who attempted to reach California during the winter of 1846-47. The pioneers were stranded on the eastern side of the pass, obstructed by snow. Of the 87 travelers, only 48 survived, with some resorting to cannibalism. The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad over Donner Pass got under way after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. It took six years and the labor of more than 12,000 Chinese workers who laid track eastward from Sacramento, according to the Harvard University Library Open Collections Program. The Central Pacific Railroad blasted 15 tunnels through the Sierra Nevada, and the Union Pacific Railroad laid rails heading west from Omaha, Neb. Finally in 1869, the 1,776 miles of track, one from the east and

Local travel RETIRE ON A BOAT: Jessica Stone, Ph.D., will present “How To Retire On A Boat And Enjoy The Best Time Of Your Life” at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St., Anacortes. Stone retired after 30 years and lived aboard and sailed her own boat from Desolation Sound to Mexico. She has authored six books, including “Doggy on Deck: Life at Sea with a Salty Dog.” Free. 360-293-1910, ext. 21, or library. cityofanacortes.org. THAILAND ADVENTURE: Friends of the La Conner Library will host a presentation by the Scarboros on their adventure in Thailand at 9 a.m. Monday, March 18, at the La Conner Retirement Inn, 204 N. First St., La Conner. lclib.lib.wa.us/content/friends-library.

Amtrak via AP

Passengers look out a window on the California Zephyr, which runs between Emeryville, Calif., and Reno, Nev. the other from the west, joined together in Promontory Summit, Utah, and the Transcontinental Railroad was born. Riding through the tunnels toward Reno, it was hard not to imagine the backbreaking labor that went into creating them. “Tunnels were pushed forward using hand drills to create the holes in which to load black powder (and later, nitroglycerine),” said Paul Hammond, California State Railroad Museum director. “Working in very hard granite still meant that progress was often measured in inches per day.” Lucky for us, in the 21st century, all we have to do is hop onboard and enjoy.

33rd Annual

ESCORTED TOURS: The Whatcom County Tour Program offers a variety of day trips and “A CELEBRATION IN ITALY: From Venice longer tours, with most trips departing from to the Sole of the Boot”: 7 p.m. Wednesday, and returning to the Bellingham Senior Activity March 20, Anacortes Public Library, 1220 Center, 315 Halleck St., Bellingham. For infor10th St., Anacortes. Gary and Karen Bruno share their experiences as they traversed Italy mation or to register: 360-733-4030, press seeking the small town where Gary’s grandfa- #, ext. 47015, or wccoa.org/index.php/Tours. Next up: ther was born. Free. 360-293-1910, ext. 21, Baroque Painting Classics: 9:30 a.m. to 5 or library.cityofanacortes.org. p.m. Tuesday, March 19. Travel to the Seattle TRAVEL SEMINARS: The AAA Mount Vernon Art Museum to see the works of Rembrandt, office, 1600 E. College Way, Suite A, will offer Hals, Reynolds, Romney, Turner and Van Dyck. $65 ($10 additional for nonmembers). the following seminars: “Down Under Answers”: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Includes transportation, museum admission March 20. Learn about travel options to Ausand escort.

Show

™

MARCH 22, 23 & 24 • 2013

Friday 11-6, Saturday 10-6, Sunday 11-4 Skagit County Fairgrounds 1410 Virginia Street • Mount Vernon, WA $4/Person or $6/Family Tickets Available at the Gate FREE PARKING!

tralia, New Zealand and more. “World Tours”: 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10. Learn about world travel opportunities with Tauck World Tours. RSVP: 360-848-2090. TRAVELOGUE: “K2, Monarch of China’s Karakorum Mountain Range”: 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 21, Whatcom Museum’s Old City Hall, 121 Prospect St., Bellingham. Follow a group’s 18-day trek to K-2, rising 28,251 feet above the Chinese/Pakistan border. Surrounded by the immense Khartoum mountains, with its glaciers and perpetual snowfields, 15 adventurers climbed a 16,000-foot pass and across ice-fringed streams to reach the rarely visited north face. $3 suggested donation, free for museum members. 360778-8930 or www.whatcommuseum.org.

Garden

Graham Kerr • 2 pm Friday

Speakers Presented By:

Andy Wappler

• 2 pm Saturda

More information & $2 OFF ENTRY coupons at www.sicbahomeshow.org

Ciscoe Morri

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Also Featuring:

4 ANNUAL PLAYHOUSE CHALLENGE Proceeds to benefit six local charities TH

Presented by:

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Major Sponsor:

For more information, visit www.sicbahomeshow.org

E10 Thursday, March 14, 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013 E11

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

ON STAGE in the Skagit Valley and surrounding area March 14-21

TUNING UP Playing at area venues March 14-21

Thursday.14 MUSIC

Geoffrey Castle in concert: 7 p.m., Concrete Theatre, 45920 Main St., Concrete. $25, $20 seniors, $15 youths. 360-941-0403 or www.concrete-theatre.com.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY.14-17 THURSDAY.21

THEATER

“A Rotten Demise”: 1920s murder mystery dinner theater, 7:30 p.m., 1st Street Cabaret & Speakeasy, 612 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $45 dinner and show, $30 dessert and show. Reservations required: 360-336-3012 or www.riverbelledinner theatre.com. “Monty Python’s Spamalot”: musical comedy, Anacortes High School Performing Arts Department, 7:30 p.m., Brodniak Hall, 1600 20th St., Anacortes. $15 adults, $7 students. 360-293-2166 or www.anacortes drama.com. “Ain’t Misbehavin’”: musical, 7:30 p.m., Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midway Blvd., Oak Harbor. $14. 360-679-2237 or www. whidbeyplayhouse.com.

VARIETY

Deadman Wonderland Circus: 7:30 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $12.50, $10.50 seniors and students, $5.50 ages 11 and younger.

Friday.15 MUSIC

Karina Mitchell: 1st Street Cabaret & Speakeasy, 612 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $5, 360-336-3012 or www.riverbelledinner theatre.com.

THEATER

“MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT” Anacortes High School Performing Arts Department, Brodniak Hall, 1600 20th St., Anacortes. $15 adults, $7 students. Check individual listings for times. 360-293-2166 or www.anacortes drama.com.

Saturday.16

Sunday.17

COMEDY

Geoff Lott, Susan Jones: 8 p.m., Max Dale’s Martini Lounge, 2030 Riverside Drive, Mount Vernon. $10, 360-424-7171 or www.maxdales.com.

MUSIC

Cascade Chamber Group: Dan Sabo, pianist; Jennifer Weeks, oboist; Deborah Gaudette, alto; and James Gaudette, French horn: 7:30 p.m., Jansen Art Center, 321 Front St., Lynden. $15. 360-354-3600 or www.jansenartcenter.org.

THEATER

“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”: Lyric Light Opera, 7:30 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $19-$45. 360-416-7727, ext. 2, or www. mcintyrehall.org.

“Finnegan’s Farewell”: interactive dinner theater, Shakespeare Northwest, 7 p.m., Mount Vernon Moose Lodge, 813 S. First St. $40, includes dinner, show and complimentary drink. Advance purchase only. 206-317-3023 or www.shakesnw.org.

“Monty Python’s Spamalot”: musical comedy, Anacortes High School Performing Arts Department, 7:30 p.m., Brodniak Hall, 1600 20th St., Anacortes. $15 adults, $7 students. 360-293-2166 or www.anacortes drama.com.

“Ain’t Misbehavin’”: musical, 7:30 p.m., Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midway Blvd., Oak Harbor. $14. 360-679-2237 or www. whidbeyplayhouse.com.

“SEEDS OF CHANGE: Superhero Boy Band”: musical comedy, 8 p.m., Bellingham Circus Guild, 1401 Sixth St., Bellingham. Come in a superhero costume for postshow dance party. $15-$20, free for babies. www.superheroboyband.com.

Irish Comedy Tour: 8 p.m., Wa-Walton Event Center, 12885 Casino Drive, Anacortes. $15. 888-288-8883.

MUSIC

Dervish: Music of West Ireland: 7 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $15-$35. 360-336-8955 or www. lincolntheatre.org. Early Music Series: “A Classic Odyssey” with pianist Tamara Friedman, 3 p.m., Croatian Cultural Center, 801 Fifth St., Anacortes. Preconcert lecture at 2:15 p.m. $15, free for ages 12 and younger. 360-2934930 or www.anacortesartsfoundation.org. Jazz at the Center: Miles Black Trio: 4 to 7 p.m., Camano Center, 606 Arrowhead Road, Camano Island. $20, $10 students. 360-387-0222 or www.camanocenter.org.

THEATER

“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”: Lyric Light Opera, 2 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $19-$45. 360416-7727, ext. 2, or www.mcintyrehall.org. “A Rotten Demise”: 6:30 p.m., 1st Street Cabaret & Speakeasy, 612 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $45 dinner and show, $30 dessert and show. Reservations required: 360-336-3012 or www.riverbelledinner theatre.com. “Monty Python’s Spamalot”: Anacortes High School Performing Arts Department, 2 p.m., Brodniak Hall, 1600 20th St., Anacortes. $15 adults, $7 students. 360-293-2166 or www.anacortesdrama.com. “Ain’t Misbehavin’”: musical, 2:30 p.m., Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midway Blvd., Oak Harbor. $14. 360-679-2237 or www. whidbeyplayhouse.com.

SUNDAY.17

Monday.18

CAMPBELL ROAD 6 to 8 p.m., Empire Ale House, 314 W. Gates St., Mount Vernon. No cover. 360-336-9944.

No events submitted

Tuesday.19 VARIETY

Betty Desire: 9 p.m. to midnight, 1st Street Cabaret & Speakeasy, 612 S. First St., Mount Vernon. 360-336-3012 or www.riverbelledinnertheatre.com.

Wednesday.20

THURSDAY.14

FRIDAY.15

Hans Brehmer, John Anderson and Geoff Cook: 6 to 9 p.m., Rockfish Grill, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360588-1720.

Steve Rudy (jazz): 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Jansen Art Center Piano Lounge, 321 Front St., Lynden. No cover. 360-3543600.

Sardines: 9 p.m., Varsity Inn, 112 N. Cherry St., Burlington. No cover. 360-755-0165.

Steve Meyer, Ben Starner (piano): 8 to 10 p.m., Edison Inn, 5829 Cains Court, Edison. 360-766-6266.

Jammin’ Jeff: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360-422-6411.

THEATER

“Radio Rhythm”: Skagit Learning Center, 7 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. Free. 360-336-8955 or www.lincolntheatre.org.

Thursday.21 THEATER

“A Rotten Demise”: 1920s murder mystery dinner theater, 7:30 p.m., 1st Street Cabaret & Speakeasy, 612 S. First St., Mount Vernon. $45 dinner and show, $30 dessert and show. Reservations required: 360-336-3012 or www.riverbelledinner theatre.com. “Monty Python’s Spamalot”: musical comedy, Anacortes High School Performing Arts Department, 7:30 p.m., Brodniak Hall, 1600 20th St., Anacortes. $15 adults, $7 students. 360-293-2166 or www.anacortes drama.com. “Radio Rhythm”: Skagit Learning Center, 7 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. Free. 360-336-8955 or www.lincolntheatre.org.

Amanda Winterhalter, Courtney Marie Andrews & Erin Rae McKaskle: 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. $7-$10. 360445-3000.

Glen and the Girls (folk): 9 p.m., La Conner Pub & Eatery, 702 S. First St., La Conner. No cover. 360-4669932.

Rich Rorex & Friends: 8 to 11 p.m., Leatherheads Pub & Eatery, 10209 270th St. NW, Stanwood. No cover. 360-6295555.

Snug Harbor, The Drop Squad, Galactic Cirque Performance Troop: 9 p.m., The Shakedown, 1212 N. State St., Bellingham. $6. 360778-1067.

SATURDAY.16 Palmer Junction: 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., Rockfish Grill, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-588-1720.

Jim Basnight Band: 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., H2O, 314 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-755-3956.

Randy Norris & Jeff Nicely: 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. $7 cover. 360-4453000.

Barefeet: 9 p.m., Longhorn Saloon, 5754 Cains Court, Edison. No cover. 360766-6330.

Smokewagon: 8:30 p.m., Edison Inn, 5829 Cains Court, Edison. 360-7666266.

Jammin’ Jeff: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360-422-6411.

Stilly River Band: 7 to 9 p.m., The Porterhouse, 416 W. Gates St., Mount Vernon. No cover. 360336-9989.

SUNDAY.17 Gary B’s Church of the Blues (blues, classic rock): 6 to 10 p.m., Castle Tavern, 708 Metcalf St., SedroWoolley. 360-8552263.

Prozac Mountain Boys: 8 to 11 p.m., Trumpeter Public House, 416 Myrtle St., Mount Vernon. No cover. 360588-4515.

Katie Hoag & Friends, South End String Band, The Boneyard Preachers: 4 p.m. to midnight, Leatherheads Pub & Eatery, 10209 270th St. NW, Stanwood. No cover. 360629-5555.

WEDNESDAY.20 Smokewagon: 5:30 p.m., Edison Inn, 5829 Cains Court, Edison. 360-766-6266.

Campbell Road: 6 to 8 p.m., Empire Ale House, 314 W. Gates St., Mount Vernon. No cover. 360-336-9944.

Knut Bell & The Blue Collars: 5 to 9 p.m., Conway Pub & Eatery, 18611 Main St., Conway. 360-4454733.

MacArra, Peadar Macmahon: 8:30 p.m., The Shakedown, 1212 N. State St., Bellingham. $5. 360-7781067.

Jumbled Pie, South End String Band, Alien Culture: 4 p.m. to midnight, Leatherheads Pub & Eatery, 10209 270th St. NW, Stanwood. No cover. 360-6295555.

Spoonshine Duo: 6 to 9 p.m., Rockfish Grill, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360588-1720.

Scratch Daddy: 7 p.m., Birdsview Brewing Co., 38302 Highway 20, Birdsview. 360-8263406 or www. birdsviewbrew ingcompany. com.

THURSDAY.21 Girl Guts, Full Moon Radio, Caparza: 9 p.m., The Shakedown, 1212 N. State St., Bellingham. $5. 360-778-1067.

Jerri Mercer (jazz, rock, blues): 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Jansen Art Center Piano Lounge, 321 Front St., Lynden. No cover. 360-3543600.