360 March 5, 2015 by Skagit Publishing

PEARL DJANGO

KATE MCNALLY

BRIAN LEE AND THE ORBITERS

‘CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG’

‘CINDERELLA’

A full weekend of on-stage choices

Pages 8-9

Skagit Valley Herald Thursday March 5, 2015

JIMMY WRIGHT

MOVIES

THIS WEEKEND Penn Cove Musselfest takes place in downtown Coupeville PAGE 3

If ‘Exotic’ gets a sequel, why not these, too? PAGE 4

MOVIE REVIEW Second ‘Hotel’ visit isn’t nearly as ‘Exotic’ PAGE 14

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E2 - Thursday, March 5, 2015

SATURDAY NIGHT STAGE DIVES

CAN HAPPEN DENNIS DEYOUNG

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

Tuning Up / Page 9

SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST • 8PM Tickets Starting at $29.50

Pearl Django plays the Conway Muse

Inside New Meeting Space Coming This Summer.

BOOK YOUR EVENT TODAY!

Phone 360-416-2135

UPCOMING EVENTS

Hand-deliver 1215 Anderson Road Mount Vernon, WA 98274

FRIDAY & SATURDAY APRIL 17TH & 18TH • 8PM

Mailing address P.O. Box 578 Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Tickets Only $25

CHIPPENDALES

Out & About.....................................5-6 Hot Tickets.......................................... 7 On Stage, Tuning Up........................8-9 Music Reviews................................... 10

BUY TICKETS

New on DVD..................................... 10

SilverReefCasino.com

Movie Reviews.................................. 14

I-5, Exit 260 | Ferndale, WA | 866.383.0777

Travel................................................. 15

Online or Over the Phone

EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING

SUBMISSIONS Email features@skagitpublishing.com Deadline: 5 p.m. Friday for the following Thursday edition

Online events calendar To list your event on our website, visit goskagit.com and look for the Events Calendar on the home page HAVE A STORY IDEA? Contact Features Editor Craig Parrish at 360-416-2135 or features@skagitpublishing.com TO ADVERTISE 360-424-3251

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Thursday, March 5, 2015 - E3

THIS WEEKEND in the area LINE DANCE BENEFIT Skagit Valley Gardens will host a Line Dance Fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at 18923 Peter Johnson Road, Mount Vernon. Come and learn basic line dance moves, shop and eat. Proceeds will benefit Camano Island resident Frieda Parker, who lost all of her belongings to a house fire in January. For information, call Darlene at 425-894-3943.

EDISON TOONTOWN The Edison School Booster Club will hold the 36th annual Edison School Carnival from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Edison Elementary School, 5801 Main Ave., Bow/Edison. Enjoy more than 20 activity booths and games, a large inflatable slide, inflatable bouncy house, maze, large silent auction and raffle prizes. Tickets are 35 cents each or 15 for $5. Dinner menu includes pizza, baked potatoes, hot dogs, salad, cinnamon rolls and beverages, ranging in cost from 50 cents to $3. 360-757-3375.

DASH & SPLASH Formerly known as the Anacortes Polar

PENN COVE MUSSELFEST The 29th annual event will take place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 7-8, along the historic Coupeville waterfront. Enjoy chowder tasting, cooking demonstrations, boat rides, live music, mussel-eating competitions and more fun for all ages. The weekend will also include the fifth annual “Mussels in the Kettles” Mountain Bike Poker Ride and the Spring Art Tour featuring artists’ studios from Greenbank to Oak Harbor. Free admission. 360-678-5434 or thepenncovemusselfestival.com.

Plunge for Special Olympics, this year’s event will take place Saturday, March 7, at Seafarers Park, Anacortes. New this year is the AJ-5K Fun Run/Walk, held in memory of Skagit County Deputy Anne Jackson, who was killed in the line of duty in 2008. Registration will begin at 9 a.m., with the Fun Run/Walk at 11:15 a.m. An awards ceremony and costume contest will begin at noon, followed by the group plunge. Run registration: $25. Plunge registration: Raise $50 or more for Special Olympics. Combined registration: $65. Participants will receive commemorative T-shirts. Proceeds will benefit the Skagit Animals in Need Shelter and Special Olympics Washington. Register online at anacortesplunge2015.kintera. org or pick up a form at the Anacortes Police Department, Anacortes Sebo’s, Johnny Picasso’s or request one by email to skagitdashandsplash@yahoo.com.

SLIDE SHOW PRESENTATION “Lance Burdon: A Photographic Journey”: 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at the Skagit County Historical Museum, 501 Fourth St., La Conner. Historian Bret Lunsford will present a slide show celebrating photographer Lance Burdon, who at the dawn of the 20th century embarked on a photographic journey that provides an inside look at pioneer life on Fidalgo Island. Copies of the book “Lance Burdon: A Photographic Journey,” written by Burdon’s granddaughter Nancy Werner Mathews and published by the Anacortes Museum Foundation, will be available for sale. The presentation is free with museum admission. $5 adults, $4 seniors and children ages 6-12, $10 families, free for members and children ages 5 and younger. 360-466-3365 or skagitcounty.net/museum.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E4 - Thursday, March 5, 2015

MOVIES By STEVEN REA The Philadelphia Inquirer

Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”

hey’re called art house films, or specialty films. You know, the ones that never show up at your local multiplex. Except that every once in a while, they do. Look what happened with “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” the saffron-scented rom-com about a group of British pensioners who resettle to cheaper digs, and sunnier climes, in a rundown hostelry on the subcontinent. The John Madden-directed indie, starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Dev Patel (as the eager-toplease young hotel manager), opened quietly in late 2011, only to become a surprise international hit. Ultimately, it earned $137 million, and then millions more in DVD, cable and ancillary sales. No surprise: “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is now in theaters, reteaming most of the original cast, and sending Tamsin Greig, David Strathairn, and Richard Gere to join them in Jaipur. So, what are the production heads at Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, the Weinstein Company, Focus Features, and other specialty houses waiting for? What about following up on other recent classics of indie cinema that also did quite nicely at the box office? Here, then, are a half-dozen hotly anticipated sequels that could be making their way to a theater — in a parallel universe near you. “Birdgirl.” What exactly’s going on when Emma Stone pops her head out that hospital window at the end of the Academy Awardwinning best picture, “Birdman”? She looks down, and appears terribly worried and sad. She looks up, sees something, and a smile crosses her face. In the sequel, “Birdgirl Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Petulance),” Stone’s Sam (for Samantha) Thomson starts hearing voices in her head, finds a winged, beak-masked suit that fits her just so, and flies around New York in search of Edward Norton to play a few more rounds of Truth or Dare. Then she gets the idea to turn a short story by Raymond Carver into a Broadway play. The title?

Guy Pearce in “Memento”

Emma Stone in “Birdman”

If ‘Exotic’ gets a sequel, why not these, too? “The Third Thing That Killed My Father Off.” “Hey, Just a Memento!” Christopher Nolan, disappointed in the receipts for his mega-expensive, mega-ambitious space-time wormholer, “Interstellar,” phones Guy Pearce to ask the Aussie actor if he’d be interested in revisiting the role of Leonard Shelby, the amnesiac sleuth of Nolan’s 2000 low-budget neo-noir mindbender, “Memento.” But Pearce can’t remember who Nolan is, or what their relationship was, so he uses a

system of notes, tattoos, and Polaroid photos to try to track down the filmmaker. Finally, Pearce heads to an abandoned building outside town where he meets with a man who claims he is Nolan. Pearce takes a Polaroid, then burns it, then drives off in Nolan’s Prius, having tattooed the license plate number on his forearm. The director is left standing there, extremely perplexed. “Precious Too.” Gabourey Sidibe returns as Claireece Precious Jones, the Harlem schoolgirl and

fried-chicken fiend, who has not only gotten her GED and her life together but has been accepted into the Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa. There, in a bookstore, she meets “Girls” star Lena Dunham, leafing through a first edition of a Raymond Carver story collection. A deep friendship is born, a hilarious “Thelma and Louise”-ish road trip ensues.

“The Second Grandest Budapest Hotel.” Wes Anderson isn’t done

yet. In the follow-up to his Oscarladen 2014 hit, the artful auteur

brings back most of the original cast, and sends Tamsin Greig, David Strathairn, and Richard Gere to join them in the Republic of Zubrowka, where a teenage girl wanders through a cemetery, stopping at a monument to “The Author.” Taking one of the hotel keys that have been left on the memorial by devoted fans, she runs to the titular edifice and dashes up the stairs looking for the room that matches the number on the tag. Opening the door, she discovers M. Gustave and Zero, the lobby boy, stuffing themselves on bespoke macarons. Then a fox, nattily dressed, enters from the balcony, reading aloud from Stefan Zweig’s “Beware of Pity” — in the voice of George Clooney. Everyone has a hearty laugh, and then a hearty cry, before heading to the snow-crusted slopes for a wild toboggan ride. “Slumdog Billionaire.” Dev Patel, star of the 2009 Academy Award best-picture winner “Slumdog Millionaire,” makes a pact with the Devil: Let him appear in two movies opening the same day and he’ll donate his winnings from “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” to a Mumbai orphanage. So, on March 6, 2015, Patel can be found in the robot-police speculative fiction thriller “Chappie” and in “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” His wily agent having negotiated a profit participation deal with gross, rather than net, profits, Patel sees another windfall. He invests the money in a startup: a customer service center based in Wisconsin, staffed by laid-off union teachers who answer inquiries from consumers in Mumbai and New Delhi. At the end of the film, the entire cast and crew assemble on a platform at the Amtrak station in Madison and do a big Bollywood-style dance number. “Winter’s Bone 2.” Unknown actress Jennifer Lawrence is discovered in Ozark mountain country, hunting squirrel and trying to keep her family clothed and fed, when she volunteers to replace her younger sister in some televised wilderness survival battle to the death. Oh wait. This sequel — “The Hunger Games” — actually happened.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Thursday, March 5, 2015 - E5

OUT & ABOUT ART

PAINTINGS & MORE: “Inscription,” featuring paintings by Anne Martin McCool and works by other gallery artists, will open with a reception during the First Friday Gallery Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 6, and continue through March, at the McCool Gallery, 711 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. The gallery will also show works by other gallery artists, including Tracy Powell sculptures; Stephen Roxborough and Bryce Mann photography; Patsy Chamberlain, Cathy Schoenberg, Marguerite Goff and Barbara Hathaway ceramics; George Way and Art Learmonth wood; Carole Cunningham and Debbie Aldrich jewelry; Martha Tottenham hand woven scarves; Vicki Hampel gourd art and other artists. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday or by appointment. 360-293-3577 or annemartinmccool.com. CERAMIC ART: “The Soul of Clay: Ceramics by Richard Alexander” will open with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 6, and continue through April 2, at Raven Rocks Gallery, 765 Wonn Road, Greenbank. The show features functional and decorative art pieces in a variety of shapes and sizes. The gallery will also showcase a new collection of “Scrapper” dolls by Mary Jo Oxrieder and tapestry wall hangings by Windwalker Taibi. For information, including hours and directions, call 360-222-0102 or visit ravenrocksgallery.com. SLIDE PRESENTATION: Northwest Designer Craftsmen member Layne Goldsmith will speak about the organization and the work of its members from 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Museum of Northwest

SPRING ART SHOW: The annual Spring Show will open with a gala reception from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and continue through May 3, at The River Gallery, 19313 Landing Road (off of Dodge Valley Road), Mount Vernon. This year’s show features an eclectic selection of paintings, sculptures, jewelry and glass. Participating artists include Jacqui Beck, Coizie Bettinger, Brooke Borcherding, Jennifer Bowman, Dedrian Clark, Suzanne De Cuir, Charlotte Decker, Dragonfish&Dale, Pien Ellis, Joan Enslin, Nancy Fulton, Robert Gigliotti, Rita Hornbeck, Stephen Hunter, Gerald Johnson, Maggi Mason, Esther McLatchy, Donna Nevitt, Glen Oberg, Rolf Oversvee, Lavone NewellReim, Marty Rogers, Pat “Nostalgia: A Bittersweet Yearning for the Past” will open with a reception from Sayre, Christine W. Skinner, Sharon Stapleton, Dinah S. 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 6, and continue through March 31, at Scott Milo Gallery, 420 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. The show presents a collection of work by Steveni, Gail Thein, Renate gallery artists that represents “nostalgia” in many forms, whether it be old trucks Trapkowski, Christine Troyer, Dedy Ward and and barns, old signs or other collections of items from days gone by. Featured Lynn Zimmerman. Gallery are photographs on canvas by Dick Garvey, oil still lifes by Melissa Jander, color hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. photographs by Lewis Jones, oils by Lorna Libert and pastels and oils by Donna Trent, as well as a selection of jewelry, glass work, sculptures and tables by other Wednesday through Sungallery artists. The gallery is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through day. 360-466-4524 or riverSaturday or by appointment. 360-293-6938 or scottmilo.com. Pictured: “Vase gallerywa.com.

NOSTALGIC ART

with Hydrangea and Fruit”, 18 x 24 Oil by Melissa Jander. Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner. Northwest Designer Craftsmen (NWDC) was founded in 1954 by some of the luminaries of the postwar crafts movement in the Northwest. Today, there are more than 150 members working in all disciplines, from weaving, quilting and basketry to jewelry and metal arts, as well as clay, glass, wood and mixed media. Free. 360-466-4446 or monamuseum.org. “THREADS”: A show of new work by Kelly Bjork, Phoebe Wahl, Ries Niemi, Hannah Ruth Levi, Hollie Chastain, Jennifer Dranttel and Natalie Novak will open with a reception for the artists from 5 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 7, and continue through March 29, at Smith & Vallee Gallery, 5742 Gilkey Ave., Edison. “THREADS” is a modern take on folk and outsider art — reinterpreting traditional themes and mediums to tell stories that are valid and relevant today. The show focuses in particular on the stories of women and women’s traditional roles in development of art/ craft. The artists explore the craft/fine art dichotomy and the renaissance in reinventing modes and mediums once seen as women’s work through the lens of fine art through paintings, embroideries, collages, poetry, quilts and weavings. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5

p.m. daily. 360-766-6230 or smithandvallee.com. MEMBERS ART SHOW: Allied Arts of Whatcom County will host its annual Members Show Saturday, March 7, through March 29, at the Allied Arts Gallery, 1418 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham. The show will feature work from nearly 100 Allied Arts members, including professional artists, students, and new or emerging artists. Works displayed range from traditional paintings to photography to contemporary sculptures and everything in between. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. 360-676-8548 or alliedarts.org.

JURIED ART EXHIBIT: Check out the Spring Juried Exhibit through May 29, at the Jansen Art Center, 321 Front St., Lynden. The exhibition showcases the work of artists from around the region, including Anacortes artists Caroline Garland and Donna Nevitt-Radtke. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 360-354-3600 or jansenartcenter.org. “THE QUIET OF WINTER”: An exhibition featuring a new collection of oil paintings by Dederick Ward continues through March 3, at Scott Milo Gallery, 420 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. Also showing are color photographs by

John Holtman, acrylics by Larry Heald, watercolors by Larry Mason and oils by Damon Brown, as well as a selection of jewelry, glass work, sculptures and tables by other gallery artists. The gallery is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday or by appointment. 360-293-6938 or scottmilo.com. REPRESENTATIONAL PAINTINGS: A show of representational paintings by Andy Friedlander will continue through March, at Il Caffe Rifugio, 5415 Mount Baker Highway, one-half mile east of Highway 9. For information, contact the artist at 360-420-6171 or the café at ilcafferigugio.com. WOMEN ARTISTS: Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park is showing “Six Journeys” through April 12, at 2345 Blanche Way, Camano Island. The show includes original artworks by Dona Anderson, woven fiber; Lin McJunkin, pate de verre glass/steel; Carol Milne, kiln cast glass; Mary Molyneaux, collage acrylic paintings; Anita Mayer, clothing designer; and Patricia Resseguie, fiber and installations. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends, weekdays by appointment. 360387-2759 or matzkefineart. com. PHOTO EXHIBIT: “SKY,” featuring 18 color photographs by Aldo Panzieri, will continue through April 25, at Ululate Gallery, 924 South 11th St., Mount Vernon. Each image on display connects the sky to earth objects and then connects the viewer to both. Panzieri is a Los Angeles-based photographer with 50 years’ experience in freelance, fashion, street, news and police photography. Free admission. 360-336-3882 or ululate.org.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E6 - Thursday, March 5, 2015

OUT & ABOUT NORTHWEST ART: Three new exhibits will continue through March 11, at the Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Free admission. 360-466-4446 or monamuseum.org. n “Still Life from the Permanent Collection”: Exhibitions Director Lisa Young examines interiors through the historically rich tradition of the still life. Recent acquisitions are featured, along with works by Mark Tobey, Walter Isaacs, Maxine Martell, Spencer Moseley and contemporary artists drawn from the museum’s permanent collection. n “A Tree is a Kind of Big Flower: Flora C. Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick”: Mace and Kirkpatrick present botanical sculptures and sensitive casein paintings that pay homage to their

La Ceneretola Cinderella

Skagit Opera March 6 & 8

MVHS Bands Festival Concert March 10 The Paperboys March 13 Spring Concert FidalgoYouth Symphony March 14 Masterpiece Concert Skagit Symphony March 14 360.416.7727

mcintyrehall.org

deep reverence for the outside world. By capturing the essence of a flower or a tree stump, the artists invite the viewer to witness the elegance of a tiger lily or the husky texture of mosscovered bark. n “Adrianne Smits: Immersion Redux: Buiten (Outside)”: Smits’ painting style invokes similarities to artists of the “Mystic painters” movement in the Northwest, such as Mark Tobey, Morris Graves and Guy Anderson. Smits says, “In larger compositions I interpret and emphasize visual details from my encounters with nature in order to communicate the complexity of natural systems beyond their cursory picturesque value.”

Frederica (“Freddy”) Duffy Moran is known for her unbridled use of bold color and original designs. She considers red to be a neutral. Freddy’s love for quiltmaking began later in life, at age 60, after she had excelled at other art forms. Her quilts have appeared in national and international publications, including magazines, art books, calendars, textbooks and quilt books. She is the author of “Freddy’s House: Brilliant Color in Quilts” and co-author of “Collaborative Quilting” with Gwen Marston. n “Antique Embroidered Quilts”: Crazy quilts, Redwork, Bluework and cross-stitch embroidered quilts are all included in this special exhibition. Crazy quilts were popular from NEW QUILT SHOWS: 1880-1920s; the earlier quilts Three shows continue are often made of silk fabthrough March 29, at the rics and embellished with a La Conner Quilt & Textile variety of embroidery stitchMuseum, 703 S. Second St., es. Redwork embroidery La Conner. became popular for linens n “Night Thoughts with and quilts by the end of the Larkin Van Horn”: A couple 19th century. Embroidery years ago, Van Horn started continued in the 1930s with keeping a notebook near a large variety of patterns her bed to jot down stray made available through ideas in the night. Somenewspapers, magazines and times she’d wake up to find by mail order. After World unintelligible scribblings War II, cross-stitch kit quilts that made no sense, and rose in popularity. These some ideas were just plain quilts were printed with the weird. But what did emerge cross-stitch pattern, and the were some recurring themes quilting design was often that turned into the short printed, too. series presented in this The museum is open exhibit: Shattered Circles, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Labyrinths and Celtic SpiWednesday through Sunday. rals, Gaia/Goddess Figures Admission: $7, $5 students and Trees, as well as a coland military with ID, free lection of non-series works for members and ages 11 on a variety of themes. Van and younger. 360-466-4288 Horn sometimes dyes or or laconnerquilts.org. paints her own fabrics, but also uses commercial batiks. HISTORIC EXHIBIT: Placing design elements on “Death Becomes Her: top of the backgrounds — Mourning Fashions” will whole cloth or fused collage continue through March 15 — she adds stitching and at the Skagit County Historembellishments, often incor- ical Museum, 501 S. Fourth porating fibers or beadwork St., La Conner. This special in the finished piece. exhibit features mourning n “Freddy Moran’s Colitems from the museum’s lage”: Artist and author collection. Included will be

fashion, buttons and hair art. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission: $5 adults, $4 seniors and children ages 6-12, $10 families, free for members and ages 5 and younger. 360-466-3365 or skagitcounty.net/museum. LOCAL MEDICAL HISTORY: “Doctor, Doctor: A History of Healing in Skagit County” will continue through April 12 at the Skagit County Historical Museum, 501 S. Fourth St., La Conner. The exhibit showcases items from the museum’s permanent collection relating to dentistry, surgery, vintage medications and even veterinary medicine. Also on display are a variety of artifacts from Northern State Hospital. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission: $5 adults, $4 seniors and children ages 6-12, $10 families, free for members and ages 5 and younger. 360-466-3365 or skagitcounty.net/museum.

FESTIVALS

TULIP FESTIVAL GALA: “Under the Rainbow,” the 2015 Tulip Festival Gala Opening Celebration will take place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Swinomish Casino & Resort, 12885 Casino Drive, Anacortes. Celebrate the start of the Tulip Festival with a special appearance by vocalist Nathaniel Voth, live music by Mount Vernon High School’s Synergy Choir, a delicious dinner, dessert auction, raffles and more. $65. Advance purchase required. Early bird specials through March 12: $60 individual, $590 table of 10. 360-428-5959 or tulip festival.org.

LECTURES AND TALKS

FALL GARDEN PLANNING: Transition Fidalgo &

Friends will present “Planning for Fall and Winter Planting” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at the Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St., Anacortes. Learn how to garden year-round in our mild climate. Peter Heffelfinger will cover the use of floating row covers, grow tunnels and simple greenhouses, vegetable storage, cover crops and some of Peter’s latest interests — salsify, purslane, pink (inside) potatoes and tomatillos. Free. Donations accepted. transitionfidalgo. org. “100 YEARS OF ANACORTES PARKS”: 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at the Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St., Anacortes. Washington Park Manager Bob Vaux and Anacortes Museum Educator Bret Lunsford discuss the creation of the Anacortes Parks Board in 1914 and give an historic overview of Anacortes city parks. Learn who they’re named for, how they were designed and how they have evolved. Free. 360-293-1910, ext. 21, or library.cityof anacortes.org.

MORE FUN

MUSEUM PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: The Children’s Museum of Skagit County Preschool Program will host an Open House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Museum, 550 Cascade Mall Drive, Burlington. Prospective parents and students ages 3 to 5 are invited to attend. For information, call Cate at 360-770-9746 or 360-757-8888. COIN SHOW: The Stanwood Coin Club’s 54th annual Coin Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Stanwood Senior Center cafeteria, located downstairs at 7430 276th St. NW,

Stanwood. Check out a wide variety of U.S. and foreign coins, currency, bullion and collectibles, coin displays, free appraisals, door prize drawings, gold and silver coin raffles and more. Refreshments available for purchase. Free admission. Non-perishable food bank donations will be accepted. CONSERVATION DINNER: Skagit Land Trust’s “Have Fun, Save Land” Auction & Dinner will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at the St. Joseph Center, 215 N. 15th St., Mount Vernon. Enjoy champagne, appetizers, buffet and dinner, and silent and live auctions featuring hundreds of items and experiences to bid on. Proceeds will help support conservation of local natural lands. $60. RSVP and auction preview at skagitlandtrust.org or 360-428-7878. MUZZLE LOADERS SHOW: The Cascade Mountain Men will host their annual Muzzle Loading Arms and Pioneer Craft Show from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 7-8, at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE, Monroe. Traders and exhibitors from across the country will fill more than 300 tables with muzzle loading firearms, shooting supplies, parts and accessories, leather and fur goods, period clothing, camping gear, Native American crafts, beadwork and beading materials, arts and crafts supplies and more. Check out demonstrations of blacksmithing, wood carving, fire-starting with flint and steel, muzzle loader barrel-making and other pioneer skills. Admission: $5, free for ages 12 and under. Ages 15 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. 206-300-1481 or cascademountainmen.com.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Thursday, March 5, 2015 - E7

HOT TICKETS EARSHOT JAZZ SPRING SERIES: March 1-June 28, Seattle. 206-547-6763 or earshot. org. CARIBOU: March 4, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com. LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO: March 5, 2015, Mount Baker Theatre, Bellingham. 360734-6080 or mountbakertheatre.com. KELLER WILLIAMS, THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS: March 6, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline. com. IN FLAMES, ALL THAT REMAINS: March 7, Showbox Sodo, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com “JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL & LIVING IN PARIS”: March 7-May 17, 2015, The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., Seattle. 888-584-4849 or 5thavenue.org. K. MICHELLE: March 8, Showbox SoDo, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline. com. KIDZ BOP LIVE: March 8, The Neptune Theatre, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or LiveNation. com. 2:54: March 8, Barboza, Seattle. 800-7453000 or LiveNation.com. COAL CHAMBER: March 11, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline. com. MxPx, FIVE IRON FRENZY: March 14, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com. WIDESPREAD PANIC: March 15, Paramount

35 Annual th

Theatre, Seattle. 877-784-4849 or LiveNation. com. TALIB KWELI & IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE: March 17, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-7453000 or showboxonline.com. DANA FUCHS: March 17-18, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley.com. LOS LOBOS: March 18, Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon. 360-336-8955 or lincolntheatre.org. TYCHO: March 18, Showbox SoDo, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com. THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM: March 20, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com. ECHOSMITH: March 21, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com. SHPONGLE: March 22, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com. BAD RELIGION: March 24, Showbox SoDo, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline. com. WAYNE KRANTZ: March 24-25, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle. 206-441-9729 or jazzalley. com. NERDS AND MUSIC: A Night with Joel Hodgson, Pat Rothfuss and Paul & Storm: March 27, The Showbox, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com. DATSIK: March 27, Showbox SoDo, Seattle. 800-745-3000 or showboxonline.com. BURTON CUMMINGS BAND: March 27-28, Skagit Valley Casino Resort, Bow. 877-2752448 or theskagit.com.

Garden

Ciscoe Morris 2pm Sunday

Daily Specials o

Classic Cobb {Tuesday} Woolley Burrito {Wednesday} Bison Hand Pie {Thursday} Pulled Pork on Sweet Potato Biscuit {Friday} Wild Salmon Melt {Monday}

Charity Playhouse Competition

Show

Kid’s Activities

MARCH 27, 28 & 29 • 2015 At the Skagit County Fairgrounds. Also Featuring:

6 ANNUAL PLAYHOUSE COMPETITION Proceeds to benefit four local charities TH

Sponsored by Puget Sound Energy Presented by:

Skagit / Island Counties Builders Association

Major Sponsor:

the Woolley Market is a full-service community grocer, deli and cafe offering regional foods in support of local agriculture.

829 Metcalf Steet, Sedro Woolley www.woolleymarket.com

™

More information & $2 off entry coupon at: www.sicbahomeshow.org

E8 Thursday, March 5, 2015

ON STAGE in the Skagit Valley and surrounding area March 5-11

TUNING UP Playing at area venues March 5-12

Thursday.5

Tuesday.10

THEATER

MUSIC

Friday.6

Katie McNally Band (Celtic fiddle) with Shauncey Ali and Neil Pearlman: 7 p.m., Skyline Beach Club, 6041 Sands Way, Anacortes. $10. 360-416-4934 or celticarts. org.

Anton Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya” (comedy): Western Washington University Department of Theatre and Dance: 7:30 p.m., WWU Performing Arts Center Mainstage, Bellingham. $13-$16, student tickets start at $7, discount for WWU staff and faculty. 360-650-6146 or cfpa.wwu. edu/theatredance.

Mount Vernon High School Festival Concert: MVHS Bands: 7 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $8 adults, $6 seniors, $4 students. 360-4167727, ext. 2, or mcintyrehall.org.

THEATER

Wednesday.11

“Oklahoma!” (musical): BurlingtonEdison High School Drama Dept.: 7 p.m., B-EHS Performing Arts Center, 301 N. Burlington Blvd., Burlington. $5-$7, $22 family of four. 360-757-4074.

THEATER

“The Grunch” (children’s musical): Skagit Family Learning Center: 7 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. Free. 360-336-8955 or lincolntheatre.org.

Reader’s Theatre: “An Evening with Robert Frost”: Prepared for stage by Billy Hendrix: 7:30 p.m., Anacortes Community Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $5. 360293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (musical): 7 p.m., Whidbey Children’s Theater, 723 Camano Ave., Langley. $8-$15. 360-2218707 or whidbeychildrenstheater.org. Anton Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya” (comedy): Western Washington University Department of Theatre and Dance: 7:30 p.m., WWU Performing Arts Center Mainstage, Bellingham. $13-$16, student tickets start at $7, discount for WWU staff and faculty. 360-650-6146 or cfpa.wwu. edu/theatredance.

Thursday.12 THEATER

Saturday.7 THEATER

“Oklahoma!” (musical): BurlingtonEdison High School Drama Dept.: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., B-EHS Performing Arts Center, 301 N. Burlington Blvd., Burlington. $5-$7, $22 family of four. 360-757-4074. Reader’s Theatre: “An Evening with Robert Frost”: Prepared for stage by Billy Hendrix: 7:30 p.m., Anacortes Community Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $5. 360293-6829 or acttheatre.com. “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (musical): 7 p.m., Whidbey Children’s Theater, 723 Camano Ave., Langley. $8-$15. 360-2218707 or whidbeychildrenstheater.org.

THURSDAY.5

FRIDAY.6

Wayne Hayton: 7:30 p.m., Conway The Hoe and The Harrow (Americana, roots): 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Muse, 18444 Spruce/Main, ConAnelia’s Kitchen & Stage, 513 S. way. 360-445-3000. First St., La Conner. 360-399-1805. Broken Trail (top 40 high energy Lloyd Hooper and the Cascade country): 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., Skagit Ramblers (classic country Valley Casino Resort, Winners Nick Vigarino: 7:30 Lounge, 5984 N. Darrk Lane, Bow. dance): 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., SedroWoolley American Legion Hall, to 9:30 p.m., Anelia’s No Cover. 877-275-2448. 701 Murdock St., Sedro-Woolley. Kitchen & Stage, 513 360-855-5111. S. First St., La ConDarla Bradshaw Lobb Jimmy Wright: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 ner. 360-399-1805. & Walt Burkett: 5:30 a.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Scary Monster & The Super to 7:30 p.m., Jansen Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360Creeps: 10 p.m., The Shakedown, Jenny and the TomArt Center Piano 422-6411. 1212 N. State St., Bellingham. $5. Cats: 5 to 8 p.m., The Lounge, 321 Front 360-778-1067. Woolley Market, 829 St., Lynden. No cover. Eric Madis, Paul Anastasio: 8 Metcalf St., Sedro360-354-3600. p.m., Rockfish Grill, 320 CommerWoolley. 360-982cial Ave., Anacortes. 360-588-1720. Open Mic: 7 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. Sign-ups start at 6:30 p.m. 360-4453000.

2649. Dark Time Sunshine, Goldini Bagwell, Rafael Vigilantics, Simple Steven: 9 p.m., The Shakedown, 1212 N. State St., Bellingham. $7-$8. 360-778-1067.

SATURDAY.7 Pearl Django (gypsy jazz): 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, Parlor, 18444 Spruce/ Main, Conway. $20. 360-445-3000. Broken Trail (top 40 high energy country): 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., Skagit Valley Casino Resort, Winners Lounge, 5984 N. Darrk Lane, Bow. No Cover. 877-275-2448.

Uncle Doug Cooper (Neil Young tribute): 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage, 513 S. First St., La Conner. 360-399-1805.

TUESDAY.10 KATIE MCNALLY BAND (CELTIC FIDDLE): WITH SHAUNCEY ALI AND NEIL PEARLMAN 7 p.m., Skyline Beach Club, 6041 Sands Way, Anacortes. $10. 360-416-4934 or celticarts.org. Anton Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya” (comedy): Western Washington University Department of Theatre and Dance: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., WWU Performing Arts Center Mainstage, Bellingham. $13-$16, student tickets start at $7, discount for WWU staff and faculty. 360-650-6146 or cfpa.wwu.edu/theatredance.

Sunday.8 THEATER

“Cinderella (La Cenerentola)”: Skagit Opera: 3 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $25-$59. 360416-7727, ext. 2, or mcintyrehall.org.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY.6-7 JIMMY WRIGHT 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360-422-6411.

SUNDAY.8 Ron Bailey: 5:30 p.m., Edison Gary B’s Church of Blues: Inn, 5829 Cains Court, Edison. Jam night, 6 to 10 p.m., Conway Pub & Eatery, 18611 No cover. 360-766-6266. Main St., Conway. 360-4454733.

“Xanadu: The Musical”: Anacortes High School Performing Arts Dept.: 7:30 p.m., Brodniak Hall, 1600 20th St., Anacortes. $15 adults, $7 students. 360293-2166. Anton Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya” (comedy): Western Washington University Department of Theatre and Dance: 7:30 p.m., WWU Performing Arts Center Mainstage, Bellingham. $13-$16, student tickets start at $7, discount for WWU staff and faculty. 360-650-6146 or cfpa.wwu. edu/theatredance.

WEDNESDAY.11 The Stilly River Band: 6 p.m., Rockfish Grill, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-588-1720.

Sunday Brunch Jazz, with John Savage and Duane Melcher (’40s & ’50s American jazz): 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., North Cove Coffee, 1130 S. Burlington Blvd., Burlington. 360-707-2683.

THURSDAY.12 Kelly Shirey & Co.: 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. $7. 360-445-3000. Cheryl Hodge: 6 p.m., Rockfish Grill, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-588-1720. Prozac Mountain Boys (bluegrass): 5 to 8 p.m., The Woolley Market, 829 Metcalf St., Sedro-Woolley. 360982-2649.

“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (musical): 2 p.m., Whidbey Children’s Theater, 723 Camano Ave., Langley. Family night, all tickets $8. 360-221-8707 or whidbeychildrenstheater.org.

OPERA

Lloyd Hooper and the Cascade Ramblers (classic country dance): 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., Sedro-Woolley American Legion Hall, 701 Murdock St., SedroWoolley. 360-855-5111.

Jessica Lynne: 7:30 p.m., H2O, 314 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-755- Jim Basnight Band: 9 p.m., Longhorn 3956. Saloon & Grill, 5754 Cains Court, Edison. 360-766-6330. Brian Lee & The Orbiters: 8:30 p.m., Jimmy Wright: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Edison Inn, 5829 Cains Court, Edison. Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway No cover. 360-766-6266. 9, Mount Vernon. 360-422-6411.

“The Grunch” (children’s musical): Skagit Family Learning Center: 7 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. Free. 360-336-8955 or lincolntheatre.org.

OPERA

“Cinderella (La Cenerentola)”: Skagit Opera: 7:30 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $25-$59. 360416-7727, ext. 2, or mcintyrehall.org.

Thursday, March 5, 2015 E9

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

SATURDAY.7 PEARL DJANGO (GYPSY JAZZ) 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, Parlor, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. $20. 360-445-3000.

E8 Thursday, March 5, 2015

ON STAGE in the Skagit Valley and surrounding area March 5-11

TUNING UP Playing at area venues March 5-12

Thursday.5

Tuesday.10

THEATER

MUSIC

Friday.6

Katie McNally Band (Celtic fiddle) with Shauncey Ali and Neil Pearlman: 7 p.m., Skyline Beach Club, 6041 Sands Way, Anacortes. $10. 360-416-4934 or celticarts. org.

Mount Vernon High School Festival Concert: MVHS Bands: 7 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $8 adults, $6 seniors, $4 students. 360-4167727, ext. 2, or mcintyrehall.org.

THEATER

Wednesday.11

“Oklahoma!” (musical): BurlingtonEdison High School Drama Dept.: 7 p.m., B-EHS Performing Arts Center, 301 N. Burlington Blvd., Burlington. $5-$7, $22 family of four. 360-757-4074.

THEATER

“The Grunch” (children’s musical): Skagit Family Learning Center: 7 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. Free. 360-336-8955 or lincolntheatre.org.

Reader’s Theatre: “An Evening with Robert Frost”: Prepared for stage by Billy Hendrix: 7:30 p.m., Anacortes Community Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $5. 360293-6829 or acttheatre.com.

Thursday.12 THEATER

Saturday.7 THEATER

THURSDAY.5

FRIDAY.6

2649. Dark Time Sunshine, Goldini Bagwell, Rafael Vigilantics, Simple Steven: 9 p.m., The Shakedown, 1212 N. State St., Bellingham. $7-$8. 360-778-1067.

Uncle Doug Cooper (Neil Young tribute): 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Anelia’s Kitchen & Stage, 513 S. First St., La Conner. 360-399-1805.

Sunday.8 THEATER

“Cinderella (La Cenerentola)”: Skagit Opera: 3 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $25-$59. 360416-7727, ext. 2, or mcintyrehall.org.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY.6-7 JIMMY WRIGHT 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Big Lake Bar & Grill, 18247 Highway 9, Mount Vernon. 360-422-6411.

WEDNESDAY.11 The Stilly River Band: 6 p.m., Rockfish Grill, 320 Commercial Ave., Anacortes. 360-588-1720.

Sunday Brunch Jazz, with John Savage and Duane Melcher (’40s & ’50s American jazz): 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., North Cove Coffee, 1130 S. Burlington Blvd., Burlington. 360-707-2683.

“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (musical): 2 p.m., Whidbey Children’s Theater, 723 Camano Ave., Langley. Family night, all tickets $8. 360-221-8707 or whidbeychildrenstheater.org.

OPERA

Lloyd Hooper and the Cascade Ramblers (classic country dance): 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., Sedro-Woolley American Legion Hall, 701 Murdock St., SedroWoolley. 360-855-5111.

“The Grunch” (children’s musical): Skagit Family Learning Center: 7 p.m., Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. Free. 360-336-8955 or lincolntheatre.org.

OPERA

“Cinderella (La Cenerentola)”: Skagit Opera: 7:30 p.m., McIntyre Hall, 2501 E. College Way, Mount Vernon. $25-$59. 360416-7727, ext. 2, or mcintyrehall.org.

Thursday, March 5, 2015 E9

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

SATURDAY.7 PEARL DJANGO (GYPSY JAZZ) 7:30 p.m., Conway Muse, Parlor, 18444 Spruce/Main, Conway. $20. 360-445-3000.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E10 - Thursday, March 5, 2015

MUSIC REVIEWS KELLY CLARKSON, “Piece By Piece” — “Piece by Piece” showcases a brand new Kelly Clarkson all the while staying true to what makes her an artist who continually finds ways churn out really good pop records. She has more perspective on life than she has ever shown before. With this set, she applies those lessons and that knowledge in a way that makes her appear fresh — yet again. If what doesn’t kill her makes her stronger, and these are the pieces by which she continues to call upon in order to thrive as an artist, well, long live Kelly Clarkson. n Colin McGuire, pop matters.com

GILL LANDRY,“Gill Landry” — Most people would recognize the name Gill Landry as a member

FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY WALK

March 6 6-9pm Anne Martin McCool Gallery Burton Jewelers City Hall Scott Milo Gallery The Majestic Inn and Spa www.anacortesart.com

NEW ON DVD THIS WEEK of the seven-piece folk ensemble Old Crow Medicine Show. On his own, however, Landry is an accomplished singer-songwriter of the individual sense as well, having released two fulllength albums prior to this, his self-titled major label solo debut. From opening number “Funeral In My Heart” to the closing track, “Gill Landry” proves that its namesake still isn’t without a sense of innovation after his thus-far 17 years in the business. Better yet, the album proves that, like a fine wine, Landry has only improved with age and experience. As he prepares to celebrate his 40th birthday in 2015, he can rest easy knowing that his latest release is his most accessible and overall best solo release yet.

Echoes of Lorde’s work can be heard in producer Corin Roddick’s minimalism, one that strips away all but noisy bass wobble, humming low-end percussion, sibilant high-hats and James’ voice (even if it could be argued that Lorde owes a debt to “Shrines”). It can be a beguiling sound, especially on “Flood on the Floor,” a mysterious song about a river, terror and a woman who “knitted lace out of lashes, battered with ashes.” Featuring a dynamic beat that draws on futurerap, trap and crunk, the track crawls along menacingly while the AutoTuned voice of James repeatedly chants, “Don’t forget.” But these new songs are so similar in texture and intention to one another that they start to feel n Jonathan Frahm, pop redundant, as though the matters.com team tackled the quesPURITY RING, “Another tion of hit-making from 10 angles and came up short. Eternity” — As light and wobbly as a feather caught Heard individually, the in a soft breeze, the Cana- tracks can pop; taken as a whole, not so much. dian electronic pop duo Purity Ring takes a grab n Randall Roberts, Los at the (less pure) brass Angeles Times ring on its second album, “Another Eternity.” An LADY LAMB THE BEEunapologetic run toward KEEPER, “After”— “After” the commercial pop charts, is a life-loving, life-affirmthe team best known ing treasure, containing for its 2012 breakout 12 songs of innocence and hit “Fineshrine” moves experience from beyond through 10 introspective the realm of the senses. It’s songs about love, hearta consistently entertaining break and various forms of hour that fizzes with efferemotional drama designed vescent, energetic childlike to resonate with the “Hun- wonder but also grounded ger Games”-obsessed set. with solid, sometimes crypPurity Ring’s first tic, “grandmother-smart” album, “Shrines,” chanfoundations. Whatever neled the sticky melodies horrors your real life is of vocalist-lyricist Megan enduring, give “After” a James through beats some- shot. how both gritty and syrupy The skies will be bluer, to make the whole sound the sun’s embrace warmer, a little dangerous and and the bird’s song sweeta few years ahead of its er. time. “Another Eternity” is firmly placed in the here n Matt James, popmatters. and now. com

“The Hunger Games: “Longmire: Season 3’: Mockingjay Part 1”: Includes all 10 episodes Upcoming Director Francis Lawin the cable series starring movie releases rence, the man behind Robert Taylor. Following is a partial “The Hunger Games: “Believe Me”: Four schedule of coming movCatching Fire,” continues college seniors set out ies on DVD. Release to show an even-handed to scam good-hearted dates are subject to approach to both the churchgoers. change: emotional and big-action “Beginner’s Bible”: scenes. The main thing is Animated introduction to MARCH 6 The Hunger Games: that he is smart enough to the Bible for children. Mockingjay Part 1 boldly display the impres“Da Vinci’s Demons sive work Jennifer LawSeason 2”: Florence is MARCH 10 rence does from start to thrown into chaos in the Night at the Museum 3: mid-finish. wake of the Pazzi conSecret of the Tomb It has one inherent spiracy. Listen Up Philip Happy Valley problem that even Law“A Place to Call Home: Pioneer rence can’t fix. The finale Season 1”: Australian is presented in two parts, period drama full of n Tribune News Service with the wrap-up a later secrets and passion. this year. This structure “Lalaloopsy: Festileaves the first part lackval of Sugary Treats”: ing as the action comes to an abrupt endLalaloopsy friends are back in their ing. sweetest movie yet. Movie making is all about the money, “To Write Love on Her Arms”: Young but this division of a finale creates a sense woman battling depression learns value of frustration that lingers between the of friendship. parts. “Drumline: A New Beat”: Alexandra “Outlander: Season 1 — Volume Shipp stars in this sequel. 1”: The cable series spans the genres “Hill Street Blues: Season Four”: Cop of romance, science fiction, history and drama from Stephen Bochco. adventure as it follows Claire Randall “The Captive”: Man must unravel the (Caitriona Balfe), a married British commystery of his daughter’s disappearance. bat nurse in 1945 who mysteriously falls “Bubble Guppies: Fin-Tastic Collecback through time to 1743 Scotland. tion”: Includes six underwater learning She becomes torn between her husadventures. band Frank Randall (Tobias Menzies) “PAW Patrol: Marshall and Chase On and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), a Scot- the Case!”: Eight rescue missions are tish warrior who comes to her rescue. featured. This is a beautifully written, filmed and “Let’s Kill Ward’s Wife”: Buddies must acted production that brings to life the help when a friend’s wife ends up dead. novels by Diana Gabaldon. Amy Acker stars. “Foxcatcher”: Except for an oddly “Life Partners”: Friendship is tested by interesting performance by Oscar-nomia new love. Gillian Jacobs stars. nated Steve Carell, this is the slow-mov“Blacula/Scream, Blacula, Scream”: ing story of two brothers who, during the Double feature featuring the ’70s movies. late 1980s, become wrestling champs and “The Better Angels”: Examination of the pawns in the life of multi-millionaire the early life of Abraham Lincoln. John du Pont’s life. “The Dog Who Saved Easter”: Zeus’ Director Bennett Miller becomes too daycare is put in jeopardy by a rival busiinvolved with the physicality of wrestling ness. when he should have been dealing with a “Kiss Me Kate”: Restored version of script that never fully embraces the insan- the 1953 Cole Porter musical. ity of the true life events. “Innocence”: Tragic event haunts stu“Transporter TV Series: Season 1”: dent. Sophie Curtis stars. British ex-commando Frank Martin “Understanding Art: Baroque & (Chris Vance) is a high-stakes courier. Rococo”: Documentary that looks at two “Tinker Bell and the Legend of the influential art periods. Neverbeast”: A fable creature comes to “Champions: New England PatriPixie Hollow. ots”: A look at the Patriots win over the “Victori: The Truth Just Can’t Be One Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Thing”: Father, son work together to n Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee bring attention to long art career.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Thursday, March 5, 2015 - E11

TELEVISION Q&A

MacLaine movie; ‘Dallas’ ends By RICH HELDENFELS Akron Beacon Journal

You have questions. I try to have some answers. Q: I saw a promo for a movie named “Elsa & Fred” starring Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer. It was supposed to open in November but it never came to any local theater here in Gainesville, Fla., or seemingly anywhere. What happened? I have not been able to stop thinking about it. A: “Elsa & Fred,” a retooling of an Argentinian film, played in a few dozen theaters around the country, according to Box Office Mojo. But the romantic comedy was not well-received; the few reviews on Box Office Mojo are mostly negative. Still, it has been released on DVD and Blu-ray, and is available for streaming on the subscription service Netflix. Q: I have heard that the networks are not going to return the series “Dallas.” Please tell me this isn’t so!!

A: It is. TNT, which had been carrying the new version of the classic prime-time soap, decided to drop “Dallas” after three seasons. As Deadline.com reported when the show was canceled in October, the series’ audience was “older skewing than some of TNT’s other series such as ‘Falling Skies’ and ‘The Last Ship.’ It also doesn’t fit into the network’s new direction towards edgier fare.” Q: What happened to David Gregory? He was on “Meet the Press” and on the “Today” show at times. I haven’t seen him on anything in a while. A: Gregory left NBC in 2014. He had been replaced on “Meet the Press” by Chuck Todd when the show’s ratings declined under Gregory. Mediate commentator Matt Wilstein wondered recently if NBC had had second thoughts about letting Gregory go in the wake of the Brian Williams scandal. “Gregory was undoubtedly a major force in the NBC News operation and a widely trusted name in news,” Wilstein said.

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E12 - Thursday, March 5, 2015

GET INVOLVED ART

entertaining roster of events, RARE will host educational BOOKMARK CONTEST: workshops, speakers, panel In celebration of National discussions, exhibits and Library Week, coming up in April, the Mount Vernon booths Friday and Saturday, April 3-4, in Bellingham. City Library will hold its 14th annual Create a Book- Applications are available at mark Contest. Kids in grades the Allied Arts Gallery, 1418 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, K-5 are invited to submit or online at alliedarts.org. original bookmark designs Application deadline: Friday, based on the 2015 Summer March 6. Reading Program theme “Every Hero Has a Story.” CALL FOR ARTISTS: The Entries will be accepted Mount Vernon Downtown through 5 p.m. Monday, Association is developing March 23, and winners will be chosen from four catego- a roster of artists interries: Grades K-1, 2-3, 4-5 and ested in showing their art in downtown Mount Vernon Librarian’s Choice/Honorgalleries and businesses able Mention. Each winner will receive a $20 gift certifi- during First Thursday Art Walks, set to restart in April. cate from Easton’s Books. The art walks include more Pick up entry forms beginthan a dozen downtown ning Monday, March 2, at the library, 315 Snoqualmie venues. Applications are being accepted from artisans St., Mount Vernon, or visit mountvernonwa.gov/library. working in all media, including painters, photographers, CALL FOR MAKEUP/FX sculptors and fabric artists. ARTISTS: The Skagit Valley For information, contact Cathy Stevens at 360-336College Drama Department is looking for make-up 3801 or email dep.mvda@ gmail.com. and zombie FX artists for its upcoming production of CALL FOR FIBER ART“Night of the Living Dead,” set for May 8-16 at McIntyre ISTS: “La Conner In Hall. For information, email Bloom”: The La Conner damond.morris@skagit.edu. Quilt & Textile Museum has issued a challenge for CALL FOR ARTISTS/ local fiber artists to create PRESENTERS: “RARE,” small fiber art works using the fourth annual Recycled “Red” as the inspiration. Arts Resource Expo seeks Participants are encourexhibiting artists, performers, aged to experiment with a presenters and instructors variety of fabrics, fibers and with a passion for creating textiles to create a piece no art from recycled materilarger than 24 by 30 inches. als. In addition to a highly All entries will be displayed

in the museum during the Tulip Festival, April 1-30. Work may be donated to the Museum for sale as a fundraiser or returned after the exhibit. Entries are due by March 30. For complete entry rules, call 360-466-4288 or visit laconnerquilts.org.

DANCE

COMMUNITY DANCERS: Creative Process: with Karen Gosetti: For ages 13 and older. 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Mondays, April 20-May 11, at the Burlington Parks and Recreation Center, 900 E. Fairhaven Ave., Burlington. In this four-week session CALL FOR SCULPTURES: participants will add moveSan Juan Islands Sculpture ment combinations using the Park invites sculptors to dance elements they create submit entries through April together. Bring a favorite 1 for its 2015 juried sculpsong and be surprised at the ture review. All sculptures new movement choices you must be deemed “safe” and can make. $50. Some scholshould be suitable for exhiarships available. Preregister bition in an outdoor setting by April 13. 360-755-9649 or and capable of withstanding burlingtonwa.gov/recreation. occasional high winds, rain and possible snow. Accepted FOLK DANCING: Skagitsculptures will be installed Anacortes Folk Dancers for a two-year period (if not meet at 7 p.m. most Tuesdays sold sooner) in the 20-acre at the Bayview Civic Hall, park located near Roche 12615 C St., Bay View. Learn Harbor on San Juan Island. to folkdance to a variety of For complete entry guideinternational music. Instruclines, visit sjisculpturepark. tion begins at 7 p.m. folcom. lowed by review and request

AUDITIONS

“TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD”: Auditions will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday, April 11-12, at Anacortes Community Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. Parts are available for eight females and 10 males ranging in age from 8 to 50 and older. Auditions will be by cold readings from the script. The play will run May 29-June 20. For information or to schedule an audition, call 360-293-6829 or visit acttheatre.com.

dances until 9:30. The first session is free, $3 thereafter. All are welcome. No partners needed. For information, contact Gary or Ginny at 360-766-6866.

musicians will receive audience contributions and a meal. For information, call 360-853-8700 or email info@5bsbakery.com. TIME FOR FIDDLERS: The Washington Old Time Fiddlers played acoustic old time music at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Fridays of each month at the Mount Vernon Senior Center, 1401 Cleveland. St. Free; donations accepted. Information: 630-9494. SECOND FRIDAY DRUM CIRCLE: 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 12, at Unity Church, 704 W. Division St., Mount Vernon. Shake off the energy of the week through drumming, songs, chants. Freewill donation. For information, email heatmiser@ inbox.com. SHELTER BAY CHORUS: Practices are held from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. every Thursday at the Shelter Bay Clubhouse in La Conner. New members welcome. No need to be a Shelter Bay resident. 360-466-3805.

LOVE TO SING? Join the women of Harmony Northwest Chorus from BARBERSHOP HAR6:30-9 p.m. every Monday at MONY: Want to have fun the Mount Vernon Senior singing 4-part Barbershop harmony? Attend a free, no- Center, 1401 Cleveland Ave. commitment rehearsal of the Seeking women who like to sing a cappella music. All An-O-Chords. No experience necessary, no auditions skill levels welcome. required. Learn by rote, you ANACORTES OPEN MIC: don’t have to read music. All ages welcome, 12 to 90+. 9:30 p.m. Thursdays, at the Brown Lantern Ale House, Drop in any Thursday at 7 412 Commercial Ave., Anap.m. at the Northwest Educortes. 360-293-2544. cational Service Building, 1601 R Avenue, Anacortes. OPEN MIC: Jam Night: 9 Rides available. Bob Lunp.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursdays, dquist, 360-941-5733 or svenat the Conway Pub & Eatbob@cheerful.com. ery, 18611 Main St., Conway. 360-445-4733. CALL FOR MUSICIANS: 5b’s Bakery, 45597 Main St., Concrete, is looking for RECREATION musicians to perform easyTRAIL BUILDERS: Mount listening acoustic music from Vernon Trail Builders seeks 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during Sun- volunteers to help with trail day Brunch. In exchange, building and maintenance

MUSIC

at Little Mountain Park in Mount Vernon. Planned projects include a new trail and bicycle skills park. Family-friendly work sessions are held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays, rain or shine. Lunch, snacks, tools and training are provided. For information, call Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation at 360-336-6215 or visit mountvernontrailbuilders.com. Next up: March 14, 28, April 11, 25. SALMON HABITAT RESTORATION: Join Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) to help restore native riparian plants in the Skagit and Samish watersheds. These plants will provide shade and cover for salmon and leaf litter for aquatic insects, which in turn provide food for salmon. These riparian zones also improve water quality by controlling erosion and filtering pollutants. All planting events take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. For information or to sign up, call 360-336-0172, or email sfeg@skagitfisheries. org. Next up: n March 7: Planting along Day Creek Slough. BOATING COURSE: Skagit Bay Sail & Power Squadron will offer its Boat Engine Maintenance Course from 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays, through April 27 at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon. The course includes inboards, outboards and diesel engines, and covers the basics of engine layout and operation, drive systems, steering systems and engine controls, as well as problem diagnosis and do-it-yourself repairs. $150, $175 for two sharing a book. Space is limited. Contact George Johnson at 360-420-0795 or email georgeandsandy@ comcast.net.

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Thursday, March 5, 2015 - E13

DINING GUIDE

AT THE LINCOLN THEATRE 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon 360-336-8955 n lincolntheatre.org

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Whiplash, featuring an Oscar-winning performance by J.K. Simmons, is a riviting film that should not be missed. Andrew Neyman is an ambitious young jazz drummer, single-minded in his pursuit to rise to the top of his elite east coast music conservatory; he hungers day and night to become one of the greats. Terence Fletcher (Simmons), an instructor equally known for his teaching talents as for his terrifying methods, leads the top jazz ensemble in the school. Fletcher discovers Andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer into his band, forever changing the young man’s life. Andrew’s passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher continues to push him to the brink of both his ability — and his sanity. Directed by Damien Chazelle, starring J.K. Simmons, Miles Teller, Melissa Benoist and Paul Reiser. Rated R. $10 general; $9 seniors, students and active military; $8 members; $7 children 12 and under. Sunday bargain prices: $8 general, $6 members, $5 children 12 and under.

‘The Grunch’

7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, March 11-12

Skagit Family Learning Center presents “The Grunch,” its 16th performance since 2005 and presented by the elementary Musical Drama students. Inspired by “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” “The Grunch” tells the story of Ruby Grunch, a grumpy 6thgrader who always feels like she’s an outsider. When the entire school gets excited about the annual school musical, she comes up with a perfect plan to ruin it for everyone. But will the spirit of theatre prevail? Free admission.

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Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

E14 - Thursday, March 5, 2015

MOVIES NEW THIS WEEK The clash of cultures has been rubbed off the marigolds in “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” Maggie Smith in “The Most of the Second Best Exotic characters are Marigold Hotel.” back — those Fox Searchlight via TNS who didn’t die off — in this sequel comedy about British retirees lured to India where their money goes further and the elderly are, as a general rule, revered rather than cast aside. But they’ve all turned so ... nice. Maggie Smith’s once racist retired maid has become the sweet mouthpiece for Exotic Marigold Hotel operator Sonny (Dev Patel) as they pitch their idea of outsourced old folks’ homes to an American conglomerate (David Strathairn is the CEO). Gentle Douglas (Bill Nighy) is finally rid of his shrew of a wife (Penelope Wilton). But he still hasn’t the nerve to confess his love for Evelyn (Judi Dench). Madge (Celia Imrie) is still flirting and dating with a mercenary eye toward being taken care of, Carol (Diana Hardcastle) is still carrying on with Norman (Ronald Pickup) at The Viceroy ex-pats club, though Norman has been thinking about commitment. But the artifice shows, the cuteness strains to not become overbearing in this sequel, an overlong film filled to the rim with pithy advice from the elders. “The distance between what we want and what we fear is the width of an eyelash.” “You only make progress when you stick your neck out.” That’s what Sonny is doing, sticking his neck out. He needs backing to buy a bankrupt second hotel, allowing him to expand. He is closing in on his long-planned wedding to Sunaina (Tina Desai). But a dashing, rich friend (Shazad Latif) of her brother’s is thwarting him at every turn. Sonny needs to impress someone the Americans have sent to inspect his operation. And Sonny is sure this secret inspector is the “writer” who checks in. He’s played by Indo-phile Richard Gere, which is probably why this writer immediately sets his cap for Sonny’s mom (Lillete Dubey). The film is all contrivances, as Norman worries that he’s accidentally put out a hit on Carol with a confused tuk tuk (auto-rickshaw) driver, Sonny “pimps out” his mother and mistaken identities worthy of farce, but not that funny, are introduced. The pall of death is cast aside for this sequel, as Evelyn considers a late-life career as a textile buyer, and Douglas, Madge and others keep their eyes on the future — future love, future security and the like. Director John Madden and his crew make India the most alluring, scrubbing any hint of squalor from Jaipur, and filming in the cooler months. Nobody sweats. That means that this time, this “Exotic” hotel is more a place to check into briefly, in passing, and not the sort of place you’d want to lose yourself in.

2:02. Rating: PG for some language and suggestive comments. HH n Roger Moore, Tribune News Service

MINI-REVIEWS Compiled from news services. Ratings are one to four stars. “American Sniper” — Clint Eastwood directs a powerful, intense portrayal of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, hardly the blueprint candidate to become the most prolific sniper in American military history. And yet that’s what happened. In maybe the best performance of his career, Bradley Cooper infuses Kyle with humanity and dignity. And vulnerability. War drama, R, 132 minutes. HHH1⁄2 “Big Eyes” — As he did with “Ed Wood,” director Tim Burton takes a kitschy slice of 20th-century pop culture — the woman who painted children with huge eyes and the husband who took credit for them — and turns it into a special film. This is the kind of movie that has you smiling nearly all the way throughout at the sheer inspired madness of it all. Biography, 1 PG-13, 105 minutes. HHH ⁄2 “Big Hero 6” — Disney’s animated story about a teenager befriending a healthcare robot is a big, gorgeous adventure with wonderful voice performances, some dark undertones that give the story more depth, an uplifting message and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments. Animation action comedy, PG, 108 minutes. HHH1⁄2 “Black or White” — One of the most complex characters Kevin Costner has played is a hard drinker fighting for custody of his granddaughter in this uneven but provocative movie that dares to raise issues and address situations that still make a lot of people uncomfortable. Drama, PG-13, 121 minutes. HHH “Fifty Shades of Grey” — Director Sam Taylor-Johnson had an impossible mission on her hands to meld the tawdry with the conventional. It’s like trying to mash up the sensibilities of Lars von Trier with Nancy Meyers to create an end product that will be appealing on a mass scale. In trying to please everyone, though, “Fifty Shades of Grey” has stripped away the fun and settled on palatable. Drama, R, 125 minutes. H1⁄2 “Hot Tub Time Machine

AT AREA THEATERS

OAK HARBOR CINEMAS March 6-12 Cinderella (PG): Thursday: 7:00 ANACORTES CINEMAS Chappie (R): Friday: 1:00, 3:35, 6:30, March 6-12 9:05; Saturday: 10:30, 1:00, 3:35, 6:30, Cinderella (PG): Thursday: 7:00 9:05; Sunday: 10:30, 1:00, 3:35, 6:30; Bolshoi Ballet: Romeo and Juliet (NR): Monday-Thursday: 1:00, 3:35, 6:30 Sunday: 12:55 Unfinished Business (R): Friday: 1:20, Focus (R): Friday-Saturday: 1:35, 4:00, 6:40, 9:10; Sunday: 4:00, 6:40; Monday- 3:25, 6:50, 8:55; Saturday: 10:50, 1:20, 3:25, 6:50, 8:55; Sunday: 10:50, 1:20, Wednesday: 1:35, 4:00, 6:40; Thursday: 3:25, 6:50; Monday-Thursday: 1:20, 3:25, 1:35, 4:00 Still Alice (PG-13): Friday-Saturday: 1:25, 6:50 4:15, 6:50, 9:30; Sunday-Thursday: 1:25, Focus (R): Friday: 1:10, 3:45, 6:40, 9:10; Saturday: 10:40, 1:10, 3:45, 6:40, 4:15, 6:50 9:10; Sunday: 10:40, 1:10, 3:45, 6:40; Mr. Turner (R): Friday-Saturday: 1:15, Monday-Wednesday: 1:10, 3:45 3:45, 6:30, 9:00; Sunday: 1:15, 3:50, 6:30; Monday-Thursday: 1:15, 3:45, 6:30 360-279-2226 360-293-6620 STANWOOD CINEMAS March 6-12 BLUE FOX DRIVE-IN Cinderella (PG): Thursday: 7:00 Oak Harbor Bolshoi Ballet: Romeo and Juliet (NR): March 6-8 The Imitation Game (PG-13) and Kings- Sunday: 12:55 man: The Secret Service (R). First movie Chappie (R): Friday-Thursday: 1:00, 4:10, 6:50, 9:00 starts at 6 p.m. Focus (R): Friday-Thursday: 1:20, 3:50, 360-675-5667 7:00, 9:10 The DUFF (PG-13): Friday-Wednesday: CONCRETE THEATRE 1:10, 3:30, 7:10, 9:25; Thursday: 1:10, March 6-8 3:30, 9:25 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R): McFarland, USA (PG): Friday-Saturday: Friday: 7:30 p.m.; Saturday: 5 and 7:30 1:05, 6:30; Sunday: 6:30; Mondayp.m.; Sunday: 4 and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday: 1:05, 6:30 Thursday: 1:05 360-941-0403 Kingsman: The Secret Service (R): Friday-Saturday: 4:00, 9:15; Sunday: 9:15; CASCADE MALL THEATRES Monday-Wednesday: 4:00, 9:15 Burlington For listings: 888-AMC-4FUN (888-262-4386). Still Alice (PG-13): Friday-Thursday: 1:30, 3:40, 6:40, 9:20 360-629-0514 2” — Given the considerable comedic talents of Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Adam Scott et al, and the ragged, what-the-hell charms of the original “Hot Tub Time Machine,” it’s surprising how rotten this movie is from start to finish. Comedy, R, 93 minutes. H “Jupiter Ascending” — A half-man, half-wolf interplanetary hunter (Channing Tatum) rescues a Chicago house cleaner (Mila Kunis) who unwittingly holds mankind’s fate in her hands. This epic, ridiculous and confounding space opera is so bad I almost want you to see it. Almost. Sci-fi action, PG-13, 127 minutes. Zero stars. “Into the Woods” — Adapted from the sensational musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt head an A-list cast. “Into the Woods” rumbles on for too long and has some dry patches here and there, but just when we’re growing fidgety, we get another rousing musical number or

another dark plot twist, and we’re back in business. Musical fantasy, PG, 124 minutes. HHH “Kingsman: The Secret Service” — In a very violent and very silly movie, Colin Firth gives a disciplined, serious performance as a spy from a super-secret British agency. “Kingsman,” a relentless, hardcore spoof of the oldschool James Bond movies, is the craziest movie I’ve seen in a long time. Spy adventure, R, 129 minutes. HHH1⁄2 “Seventh Son” — The last of a noble order of magical knights (Jeff Bridges) trains his new apprentice, as an evil queen (Julianne Moore) summons her supernatural army. Even as a big, loud, roaring B-movie with no aspirations other than to be a cinematic roller-coaster ride, “Seventh Son” is second-rate. Fantasy, PG-13, 102 minutes. H “The Duff” — A socially awkward high school senior (the eminently likable Mae Whitman) ditches her besties after learning she’s

their “Designated Ugly Fat Friend.” This well-intentioned and sometimes quite sharp movie falls just short due to a few way-off-the-mark scenes and too much heavy-handed preaching. Teen romance,1 PG-13, 104 minutes. HH ⁄2 “The Gambler” — This remake gives the James Caan self-destructive gambler role to Mark Wahlberg, as a narcissistic brat, and not the complex kind. Supporting characters played by John Goodman, Brie Larson and others are more interesting. Drama thriller, R, 101 minutes. HH1⁄2 “The Humbling” — Al Pacino is all over the place playing a famous actor who goes to rehab after falling off the stage. As madcap characters keep entering and exiting his life, yelling at him and kissing him and berating him and making strange requests of him, fantasy and reality intertwine in a manner I found more maddening than intriguing. Comedy, R, 113 minutes. HH

Skagit Valley Herald / goskagit.com

Thursday, March 5, 2015 - E15

TRAVEL Local travel

SHORT TRIPS: Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation offers travel SAILING ADVENTURE: Michael J. opportunities for ages 8 and older “Tug” Buse will present “In Search (adult supervision required for ages of Adventure” at 4 p.m. Sunday, 18 and younger). Trips depart from March 8, at the Floyd Norgaard and return to Hillcrest Park, 1717 Cultural Center, 27130 102nd S. 13th St., Mount Vernon. For Ave. NW, Stanwood. Tug will speak information or to register, call 360about building his 14-foot William 336-6215. Garden-designed wooden sailboat Next up: “Adventure” and then launching n Garden & Nursery Tour: 9 it into the Missouri River at Sioux a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 20. City, Iowa, on a solo journey that Visit numerous nurseries and gartook him over 5,000 miles through den stores overflowing with plants, 27 states in 14 months. Hosted by flowers, gardening tools and unique the Stanwood Area Historical Soci- yard art, along with knowledgeable ety. Free. 360-629-6110 or sahsstaff to answer all your gardening fncc.org. questions. Includes time for a nohost lunch. $61-$63. Register by SENIOR CENTER TRIPS: Skagit March 13. County Senior Centers offer short n Historic Port Gamble: 8 a.m. escorted trips departing from to 5 p.m. Friday, April 3. Venture and returning to local Senior via van and ferry to this waterfront Centers. For information, call the jewel situated on the shores of Anacortes Senior Center at 360scenic Hood Canal. Founded in 293-7473 or sign up at your local 1853, Port Gamble is the only senior center. remaining company-owned mill town

on Puget Sound. Explore the 120acre National Historic Landmark complete with picturesque, turn-ofthe-century buildings, a wonderful museum and a self-guided walking tour featuring breathtaking views and New England-style houses. Includes time for a no-host lunch and shopping. $69-$71. Register by March 27.

cliff dwellers and explore how they reflect the regional geology and biota. In addition, students will participate in traditional Navajo life and explore connections between the Navajo and the flora and fauna of the Colorado Plateau. The field experience is offered as part of a 15-credit learning community integrating geology, biology and Native American history for SVC students. KIWIS, KANGAROOS AND YOU: A non-credit option is also availCome see the charming culture and able for community members. A breathtaking scenery of Australia number of partial scholarships are and New Zealand at 6 p.m. Thursday, available, based on financial need. March 19, at AAA Travel and Cruise, For information, contact Chuck 1600 E. College Way, Suite A, Mount Luckmann at 360-416-7696, email Vernon. RSVP: 360-848-2090. charles.luckmann@skagit.edu or visit skagit.edu/news.asp_Q_ “DESERT ODYSSEY”: Skagit pagenumber_E_3662. Valley College will offer a special travel-based course to the Desert STATE VISITOR CALL CENTER: Southwest during Spring Quarter The Washington Tourism Alliance’s 2015. During the Desert Odyssey ExperienceWA Call Center is open course, May 8-31, students will daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., experience 8,000 years of art and except Thanksgiving, Christmas and architecture by Anasazi and Hopi New Year’s Day. 1-800-544-1800

Report projects big jump in Chinese visitors to New York and Los Angeles By HUGO MARTIN Los Angeles Times

The surge in visitors from China will continue into the next few years, with New York and Los Angeles expected to see a nearly 200 percent increase in travelers from the world’s most populous country, according to a new study. New York and Los Angeles are already the top destinations for Chinese visitors to the U.S. and will continue to hold those positions into 2023, according to a study by the Oxford Economics Co. on behalf of the InterContinental Hotels Group. Chinese travelers have already surpassed Americans in total outbound international trips. But with the Chinese middle class continuing to grow, the study predicts that the travel trend will continue. “In total, Chinese travelers made over 67.5 million trips in 2014,” according to the report. “Annual Chinese arrivals are expected to total nearly 97 million by 2023 at an average annual growth rate of 5.1 percent over the ten-year forecast horizon.” The report is only the latest study to document the boom in travel from China. Hotels and airlines in the U.S. have already responded to the growth by hiring Mandarinspeaking staff and offering traditional Chinese foods and drinks. By 2023, New York is expected to host

Some of the largest growth opportunities are evident for U.S. cities, with the major gateway cities of New York City and Los Angeles expected to benefit most from their popularity among Chinese travelers.” — OXFORD ECONOMICS CO. STUDY

1.17 million Chinese visitors, a 196 percent increase over 2013, with Los Angeles on track to host 1.14 million Chinese visitors, a 192 percent increase over 2013, according to the Oxford report. New York and Los Angeles will also lead all American cities in total room nights booked and spending, the report said. By 2023, Chinese visitors will spend $5.5 billion visiting New York, a 289 percent increase over 2013, while Chinese visitors are expected to spend $5.4 billion visiting Los Angeles that year, a 284 percent increase over a decade earlier, the report said. “Some of the largest growth opportunities are evident for U.S. cities, with the major gateway cities of New York City and Los Angeles expected to benefit most from their popularity among Chinese travelers,” the report concluded.

or tourisminfo@watourismalliance. com. Staff members assist travelers who have questions, refer them to specific destination marketing organizations and other travel resources across the state for more detailed information, and take orders for the Washington State Visitors Guide. PASSPORT APPLICATIONS: Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St., Anacortes, accepts passport applications from noon to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Passport forms and information on fees and how to apply are available at travel.state.gov, or pick up an application and passport guide at the library. Oak Harbor Senior Center, 51 SE Jerome St., Oak Harbor, accepts passport applications, by appointment, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 360-2794580.

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