The Comet - October 2018

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THE COMET

everything will be fine

wednesday, OCTOBER 3, 2018

vvbJAIME’S kvb art TATTOO GARDEN

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EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE

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THIS issue editor: Ron Evans publishing assistants: Cy Peterson, Sarah Sims contributors: Holly Thorpe, Cory Calhoun, Dustin Hays, Jamie Howell, Allegra Hart. Cover: Fatherland by VvB WEB: thecometmagazine.com facebook.com/thecometmagazine instagram: @thecometmagazine twitter: @cometmagazine info@thecometmagazine.com

B-SIDES...................................PAGE 4 THE DOCTOR IS IN....................PAGE 6 crossword..........................PAGE 7 events..................................PAGE 8 FLANNEL FOX ENT..................PAGE 14 VVB KVB................................PAGE 16 HOWELL AT THE MOVIES.........PAGE 20 comet tales.........................PAGE 22 THE SPACEPOD.......................PAGE 26 EDGAR RUE COMIC..................PAGE 28 WHISPERS OF WENATCHEE.....PAGE 30

SIX ASPECTS OF A DREAM BY VvB

Vvb kvb art


THE COMET

wednesday, OCTOBER 3, 2018

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COMET HEADQUARTERS OCTOBER 3, 2018 Note From The Editor Life just isn’t fair. It’s October. The grandest of all the months. The good news is everything is happening. The bad news is EVERYthing is happening. I mean, are you REALLY supposed to be able choose between horror movies in a haunted gallery and a soul-wrenching acoustic music set or a classic airplane and car show? Just three things happening in one night this month and it gets even wackier. Ah, but choose you must. We present our humble little road map to aid you in your decision making. But choose wisely. For one of these events is a complete ruse and nothing but a madman wearing tighty whities and wielding a large kitchen knife awaits you. Why would we do such a thing? Well...life just isn’t fair. I thought we covered this. If you do manage to avoid the knife weilding maniac we hired (hint: I’m totally not gonna pay him. I’d like to see him try to report me to the police. I mean...I guess he COULD just kill me. Probably better think more on this. Will report back.) then you should have little trouble filling your October with all sorts of great happenings. Grab some pals, dress up like goobers and rip the event pages out as you head out the door. True you could just take the whole mag with you. But... why not razzledazzle said pals with a bit of dramatic flair? It’s October! Up first is in this issue is Dustin Hays’ exhaustive and entertaining feature 12 ISSUES OF BLOOD, SWEAT, ART, TYPOS AND EVENTS. PHOTO BY SARAH SIMS. on local punks Not All There. I maintain that Dustin is a galldurn Wenatchee treasure and we are spoiled with his passion and quality writing for the local and I think if you are doing it properly you will feel a bit naked once you usher your inner-most darlings into the troubling light of the public forum. It also music scene, past and present. takes courage and tenacity to compile, edit and publish a collection of said Dr. Hart returns for an article on something near and dear to my heart. Shitty darlings. My hat is off to Conner for seeing a need and stepping up to see that sleepin’. I have taken some of her advice and already found improvements. In need filled. This book is a remarkable achievement and I highly encourage the age where we can watch cartoons (hint: it ain’t cartoons we are watching) you to support it. Odds are you know someone that’s involved with it. under the blankets on a three inch screen at 3:45 in the AM, sleep is becoming more and more scarce and until we evolve away from needing sleep, we had Well, happy October my lovely weirdos. Godpseed out there in the corn field mazes, pumpkin patches and haunted mansions. Drink every last bloody drop probably better start making some adjustments. of this glorious month up because as it turns out, we only get ONE October Our cover feature this month is on Victor and Kellie von Beck AKA: VvB KvB a year. Art. These two are creating some of the kookiest, most compelling and most original art I have seen in the area. Their work continues to be a huge inspira- Life just isn’t fair. tion on me as an artist and on the local art scene in general. Their insight is Happy trails, fun and...insightful. Jamie Howell’s article this month focuses on a little phenomenon he’s calling The Dump Months. It’s a funny and informative read, but also useful. Nobody wants to be caught off guard during The Dump Months. Read on to stay safe.

Ron Evans Editor, The Comet Magazine

Finally, Holly sits down with local poet, artist and publisher, Connor Dahlin to talk about his new printed collection of writings by locals. This is a bold project on several levels. It takes courage to submit your writings to a public venue of any sort. I believe that writing is the most soul-revealing art form

Ron Evans is the owner of RadarStation art gallery at 115 S. Wenatchee Ave., host of the Tales from the Spacepod podcast, author of “Edgar Rue,” and creator of many other things, many of which have robots in them. He is editor of The Comet and lead designer.


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B-SIDES: 20 Years of Local Punk Wenatchee bands come and go. Even the good ones don’t always last. Over the past 50 years very few bands or solo acts have lasted a decade without breaking up, moving, or quitting music all together. East Wenatchee punk rockers, Not All There have successfully survived the last two decades only lightly scathed, and stronger than DUSTIN HAYS ever. Musician/Music Historian In the summer of 1998, recent Eastmont High School graduates Matthew Smith and Albert Hair (on guitar and vocals respectively) recruited bassist Jason Pearce and drummer Joey Forster to play in a punk rock band. Neither Smith nor Hair had ever performed with a band, while both Pearce and Forster had been members in the Eastmont High School Pep Band, with Forster also previously playing in the East Wenatchee band Dama. Some of the band’s first shows were at Wenatchee’s Centennial Park, while several other early appearances were made at house parties across the valley. The band’s name was ultimately decided after no one could agree on a moniker. Suggested by Smith, Not All There stuck after no one could think of a better name. Forster had initially proposed “Joey and the Boppers” along with suggesting random objects scattered throughout their rehearsal space. During high school, Smith had been privately writing songs while actively going to punk shows at the Franklin House, but both Pearce and Forster weren’t familiar with the genre or the local scene. Just before their first recording session (booked with Wenatchee engineer Darik Peet) Hair moved to Bellingham, forcing Smith to fall into the role of the band’s singer and main songwriter. “Not Fit For Parents”, the band’s first album was recorded in 1999 at the local FP Studios (ran by local musicians and engineers Eric Frank and Brad Petit). While still remaining in the group, Smith joined competing local punk rockers Wayward Youth as a second guitarist in the latter half of the year. During the early years of the internet, the band posted their material on mp3. com - an early music file sharing website that predated Napster. The band soon be-

PHOTO BY JOEL MYRENE gan being featured on radio stations on the website and were featured on punk rock compilations “Time For A Change Vol. 1 “(Unified Records) and “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” (Evil Midget Records). In November of 2000 the group had four songs featured on the “Evil Gnome Attacks” compilation released by the local Evil Gnome Records, ran by members of the Wenatchee High School punk band Perfect Flaw. A brief online dispute between other US Not All There bands ‘caused the band to bill themselves as We’re Not All There before removing the “We’re” for the release of their third album “Toilet Humor.” The band’s followup releases “Communist Party” (2000) and “Toilet Humor” (2001) were again recorded at FP studios. Supporting the punk aesthetic, Petit recorded the band in a shed-converted-live room, recording all the instrumentation live without click-tracks, covering the guitar amplifiers with blankets and pillows to stop sound bleeding into the drum microphones. Now a signature element of the band’s sound, Smith’s unhinged and sometimes unintelligible shouts were initially used to cover up his insecurity with being an inexperienced singer. Several early songs about partying and beer were written while Smith was still insecure and unsure of his writing ability. He added “There was no real substance to those words,” continuing “I’m just gonna scream really loud and they won’t even be able to understand my lyrics. Everyone wins.” “When you’re 16.. 17.. 18.. There’s not a

whole lot of deep shit going on in your life. For the most part.. I guess, if you’re lucky there’s not deep shit goin’ on.” Along with the angst and snark ingrained into their early recordings are several comedic moments, perfectly showcased on the Communist Party track “Mad Matt” in which Smith plays the character of a crazed salesmen, hustling the band’s merchandise and ultimately the entire band. Falling victim to Smith’s songwriting, an unlucky ex-girlfriend was inadvertently immortalized in three of the bands early songs “Lisa” (Not Fit For Parents 1999), “The Stripper” (Communist Party 2000) and “Lisa’s Back” (Toilet Humor 2001) . The third composition tells the fictional story of Lisa’s life following the diagnosis of a sexually transmitted viral infection. 18 years after the track’s release, it has become one of their most well-known and the band frequently closes their sets with the song. “ Toilet Humor” features a slowed-down version of “Stupid Things”, a song that first appeared on the band’s first album. Originally clocking in at one minute and 19 seconds, the “new wave” version (as it’s referred to on the band’s bandcamp site) is an almost half-speed performance, yet only lasts two minutes and four seconds. The song’s reinvention came from Forster and Pearce jokingly performing their songs at slow speeds during rehearsal, with Smith deciding that track being worthy of re-recording. Since the departure of their original singer in 1999, the group had operated as

a trio, excluding a short period in 2000 when guitarist Tom Kastilitz played with the band. Around the release of Toilet Humor in 2001, Pete Schubert (formerly of The Losers) was added as a second guitarist with fellow Loser Tony Graham replacing Pearce on bass when he left the group in 2001 to attend college in North Dakota. Within a year of Pearce leaving for college, Forster soon followed, leaving only one original member in the group. By the following year the group stopped playing shows. Smith stayed active in the music scene, booking shows around town at East Wenatchee’s Tradewinds Coffee Company (595 Grand Road in East Wenatchee) and the Breakwater Book Lounge (23 S. Mission Street in Wenatchee). In 2007, Smith and Forster reunited to perform in the short-lived punk band The 30 Bombers. Only playing a few house shows, the combo featured Smith & Forster with guitarist David Savage and singer Jeremy Logan. Logan abruptly left the group, so Forster and Smith started relearning their old material. With original members Smith & Forster, Not All There’s fourth album and return release You Suck (2009) featured new members Dave Savage on guitar, and Daniel Travis on bass. As Snatchee Records started recording bands and hosting shows in 2009, Not All There began playing on bills sponsored by the label at Cashmere’s Pioneer House, Monitor’s Outpost Saloon and Wenatchee’s Wally’s Tavern. The band soon recorded with label founder Raymond Malstead and had the tracks included on Snatchee’s “Sounds of the Apple Underground: Vol. 1” CD compilation released in 2010. After Savage left the group in 2009 the group was forced to record their 2010 four song EP These Are Not The Songs You’re Looking For as a three piece. Halfway through the recording of their next full length album Got Gremlins (2011), founding member Jason Pearce returned to the group, after a brief departure by Travis. Soon after the albums release, Travis was added back to the band as the second guitarist. Drummer Sean McKay (formerly of Wenatchee bands Drama Kills, Good Trees Bears & The Skinny) was recruited in 2011 to replace Forster who had plans to move to California. McKay wasn’t featured on any recordings until the band’s eighth release Thank You For Not Pressing Charges (2014). In 2012, Smith partnered with Andy Peart and Jasmine Hall to purchase Snatchee Re-


THE COMET

cords from Malstead. The label had spent the last three years booking shows across the state, along with recording several area bands and releasing short D-I-Y CD runs of the material. Since the change in ownership, the label has released almost 20 vinyl records of bands from across the country, as well as releasing the last three Not All There albums. Seeming to be tradition at this point, the band’s lineup again changed in the middle of recording their ninth album Holy Crap! It’s Not All There. Recorded with veteran Wenatchee musician and engineer Eric Frank, both McKay and Travis appear on multiple tracks on the album, even though both left the band before the album’s release. In 2014, with just under half the album recorded, McKay moved to China, quickly being replaced by beloved local musician Tiffany Shaefer. Active in the local scene since the mid2000s in the Wenatchee punk duo Bitchy Vicky, Shaefer grew up playing music in a family band and performed in multiple groups with her brother Brandon, before moving to Wenatchee in 2003. With Shaefer on vocals and guitar and her brother on drums, the two performed several shows with Not All There, with Shaefer even booking them for an acoustic set at the East Wenatchee Hot Topic in 2009. After Bitchy Vicky, Shaefer played drums in the early Snatchee Records group Virgin’s Thorn (that also featured Not All There’s Dan Travis) and next played bass in the ska trio Panic Bomb. Familiar with their catalog from years of seeing them perform, Shaefer quickly learned the songs from Not All There’s current set list and even before McKay’s departure was recording backup vocals on their newly recorded tracks. In 2014 Everett, WA’s 48th Ave. Studios and BonerenoB Records included the 32 second “Casey’s Whoa Song” (Thank You For Not Pressing Charges) on a 7” vinyl compilation Carefull What You Step In 3. The following year “Dirty Trick” (eventually released on Holy Crap! It’s Not All There) was included on “N.O.W.T.H.I.S.” a 7” compilation released by the Everett companies along with Next 7 Exits Records. Shortly before the December 2016 release of Holy Crap! It’s Not All There, Travis again exited the group. 2018 marked the 20th year of the group and on February 9th they performed at the final “First Friday” event for the Apple Capital Records exhibit at the Wenatchee Museum and Cultural Center. The band

performed three career-spanning sets, with all their “adult material” saved for their last half an hour set. When asked about their two decade local legacy, Smith stated definitively “We’ve shunned fame” with Pearce adding “We’re not in it to make money, we’re (just) playing the music we enjoy.” Pearce also reflected on that outlook keeping the band together for all this time, “To me it’s really about the friendship… We’ve turned it into a hobby. We’re in it to have fun… If we’re not having fun, there’s no point in doing it.” Adding, “As long as we’re still having fun... we’ll do this until one of us keels over, and we’ll replace them with somebody else!” Speaking on learning from past members of the group Smith said “I’ve learned how to be a better band-mate and just fuckin’ relax. The key to success is learning how to be a better friend and just staying with it.” Not All There recently recorded a new set of songs for a planned 7” vinyl release on Snatchee Records. A separate 7” celebrating their 20th anniversary is set for release on the label featuring four tracks from their extensive back catalog. The trio is booked to play with The Generators (Los Angeles, CA) at Wally’s House of Booze on November 16th. Tickets are available from Snatchee Records at facebook.com/SnatcheeRecords509

wednesday, OCTOBER 3, 2018

PHOTO BY TIM SMITH

PHOTO BY JOEL MYRENE

Follow Not All There on Facebook at facebook.com/notalltherewa or on bandcamp at werenotallthere.bandcamp.com. C PHOTO BY ALEX YOUNKIN

NOT ALL THERE DISCOGRAPHY Not Fit For Parents (1999 Self Released - CD) Communist Party (2000 Self Released - CD) Toilet Humor (2001 Self Released - CD) You Suck (2009 Self Released - CD) TheseAreNotTheSongsYou’reLookingFor (2010 Self Released - CD) Got Gremlins (2011 Self Released - CD) We’ve Got A Live One (2012 Snatchee Records - CD) Thank You For Not Pressing Charges (2014 Snatchee Records - CD) Holy Crap! It’s Not All There (2016 Snatchee Records - CD) Compilation Appearances: Time For A Change Volume 1 (2000 Unified Recordings - Cassette)

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em (2000 Evil Midget Records - CD) Evil Gnome Attacks (2000 Evil Gnome Records - CD) Sounds Of The Apple Underground Volume 1 ( 2010 Snatchee Records - CD) Rotting Apple Zine #5 (2011 Snatchee Records - CD) Sounds Of The Apple Underground Volume 2 (2011 Snatchee Records - CD) Sounds Of The Apple Underground Volume 3 (2012 Snatchee Records - CD) Carefull What You Step In 3 (2014 48th Ave. Studios - 7”) N.O.W.T.H.I.S. (2015 48th Ave. Studios - 7”) Apple Capital Records (2017 Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center - CD) Sound Of Us Volume 6 (2018 Melodic Punk Style - CD)

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the doctor is in: GETTING YOUR ZZZZZZZ’S

Q: I sleep horribly. What can I do? A: Sleep is simple, powerful medicine. Many people struggle with not only getting enough sleep, but quality sleep. Sleep is often one of the things that is first to decrease when stress increases. Many people think that they are fine without a full night’s ALLEGRA HART sleep. And for a Naturopathic Physician while they are. I remember while I was in medical school laying in bed with all the things that I have learned that day, that quarter, that year, running through my head. Sometimes it would be deafening. I had to learn many different tricks and tips and ways to help myself through the transition from the extremely busy day, into a state where I could actually relax and sleep.

has a chance to heal. It is important to get sleep hygiene a priority. A good nights enough deep sleep in order to be able to rest can make the chaos of life much easrebuild. Here are 5 ways to support opti- ier to manage. mal sleep. Ask yourself the following questions: Dr. Allegra Hart is a naturopathic physician, speaker, author of Nourishing Space 1. Do you need coffee or caffeine to 1. Keep a regular bedtime: go to bed and Within: Essentials of Self-Care, founder of wake up in the morning? 2. Do you look for sweets or more caf- wake-up around the same time every day. Naturae Naturopathic Clinic and Dr. Allegra’s Apothecary and works with patients feine later in the day to pick up that 2. Sleep in total darkness: shutting worldwide. late afternoon fatigue? 3. Does it take you a while to peel your- off lights helps the melatonin your body makes to keep functioning through the Dr. Allegra specializes in helping women self out of bed? cultivate natural self-care and rebuild their night. 4. Are you tired all the time? health from the inside out. If we as indi5. Do you wake more than once in the 3. Avoid electronics: Keep TVs, com- viduals can do the work necessary to set a night? puters, tablets, and phones out of the bed- healing foundation on our own- the ripple 6. Are you able to fall asleep quickly? room. Put your phone on airplane mode if effect will inevitably ignite others to do the same. If you answered yes to any of the above you need to use it as an alarm. questions, it is likely that you have some Avoid screen time before bed: Turn If you have a question for Dr. Allegra, please sort of sleep disturbance. These issues 4. may come and go through life and tend off your screens at least 1-2 hours before send it to info@naturaeclinic.com with the subject “The Doctor Is In Question”. to get worse when there are higher levels bed. of stress, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. You can use these tips to help 5. Create a routine: have a bedtime rou- This column is for informational purposes you sleep a little better in these times of tine like meditation, stretching, or journ- only and is not intended as a substitute for stress and to make sure that these tenden- aling to help relax and unwind before bed. professional health care. C cies do not turn into habits. When we get proper sleep, our body I recommend you make creating better How do you know when you’re not getting enough sleep?


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wednesday, OCTOBER 3, 2018

THE COMET

TBD, october ??, 2018

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CORY CALHOUN'S PUZZLE CORNER Crosswords & more made exclusively for The Comet

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PUZZLE DEBUT: ANACROSTIC CHALLENGE HOW TO SOLVE: Your goal is to spell out a QUOTE. First, fill in the ANSWER dashes, using the crosswordstyle CLUES as hints. Then, transfer their letters to the QUOTE dashes with identical numbers. Work back and forth between the ANSWERS and QUOTE until all dashes are filled. When complete, complete the first letters of the ANSWERS (in grey) will spell the last name of the QUOTE's author. Good luck!

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SOLUTION TO LAST EDITION'S PUZZLE, PUZZLE "SHIFTY MOVES"

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Hooks, lines, and sinkers, collectively

15. Super-intense media coverage 21. Neck feathers feathers 22. Make ___ (exploit) 23. Real Madrid adrid sscores cores uno with every goooooooal 24. Enthusiasm 25. Blitzed 29. "Ciao!" 30. One way to finish off rice? 31. Destroy 32. Server item 34. Cult-hit fantasy comic book series, 1978-2017 36. What she is in Italy? 38. Canadian light-beer brand 39. Got in a fight 41. Weather Channel meteorologist Maria 42. Winter driving hazard 43. Too much, musically 44. Darth Vader's funeral site 45. Gussy upp 46. Stable worker? 51. Must pay 52. Snapshot, casually 53. Dockworkers' labor org. 54. Peak spot

Oscar for portraying Bela Lugosi 48. Racing org. 49. Destroyed 50. 2016 film with a DMV run by sloths 55. Inventories 56. Reply to doubters, say 57. Charlotte player 58. Loan limitation

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COMING IN NEXT MONTH'S EDITION:

THE DEBUT OF THE

META CROSSWORD

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wednesday, Wednesday,OCTOBER OCTOBER3,3,2018 2018

THE COMET COMET THE

GTFO: EVENTS WORTH LEAVING YOUR HOUSE FOR

The FURNITURE GIRLS

All Month Long... Live Music at Stein

Stein Public House • Leavenworth OCT 4 & 21: Twin Skinny, 7:00pm OCT 7 & 28: Nic Allen, 7:00pm OCT 11: Kevin Jones Band, 7:00pm OCT 14: Gina Belliveau, 7:00pm OCT 18: Paradigm Shift, 7:00pm OCT 27: Shongo Bongo, 8:00pm OCT 28: Twin Skinny, 8:00pm OCT 31: Halloween Bash w/ Kevin Jones Band and Mugsy’s Groove, 7:00pm

Oktoberfest music at Der Hinterhof

der Hinterhof • Leavenworth Oct 5: Twin Skinny, 7:00pm Octomalien, 10:00pm Oct 6: Kayleigh Ann & the Lost Boys, 1:00pm Wonder, 4:00pm Champagne Sunday, 7:00pm Naked Luck, 10:00pm Oct 12: The Adarna, 7:00pm Furniture Girls 8:30pm Oct 13: The Adarna, 1:00pm Furniture Girls, 4:00pm

Ye Olde Bookshoppe

11 Palouse St • 6:00pm Open Mic Nights, every Wednesday. Poetry, spoken word, short stories, music!

Live Music at Wally’s House of Booze

Presented by Snatchee Records • Wenatchee OCT 12: Ten Pole Drunk, Chupra Cobra; Dustin Hays

OCT 13: Marbles, Trillion Jacks, Dylan Morrison Oct 26: Punk Tribute with Children In Heat, Sponsored by the CIA, The Crushers Oct 27: Acid Teeth, Good Touch, The Nightmares Music at 9:30pm • $5 cover • 21+ • Details at facebook.com/pg/SnatcheeRecords509

Live Music at club crow

Club Crow • Cashmere OCT 6: 3rd Annual Junktoberfest, with Junkbelly and James Counts Band, 8pm Oct 13: Brett Benton, 5pm OCT 20: Junkyard Jane, 8:30pm Oct 26: Billy Don Burns, 7pm Oct 27: Halloween at the Crow! with Twin Skinny and Devil’s Gulch & the Missionaries, 8pm

Fright Nights at RadarStation!

RadarStation • Wenatchee Five classic spooky films to get you in the mood for the most glorious of days, Halloween. Tickets are available for each film, or grab a master ticket and hit all five, if you dare... Oct 6: Sleepy Hollow, 7:30pm Oct 11: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, 7:00pm Oct 19: Psycho, 7:30pm Oct 25: The Shining, 7:00pm Oct 26: An American Werewolf in London, 7:00pm Tickets: www.radarstationart.com • 18+

Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center

Details: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org/events/ OCT 5: First Friday Free Opening: Edward S. Curtis, 10:00am-8:00pm

OCT 6: Ice Age Floodng: Columbia Valley Geology Tour, 9:00am-5:00pm OCT 7: Film: The Epic Journey of Miss Veedol, 2:00pm OCT 10: Rock Island Rapids of the Columbia, presented by Bill Layman and Randy Lewis, 7:00pm OCT 13: Yakima Canyon Geology Tour, 9:00am5:00pm OCT 13: Tule Mat Workshop, led by Wanapum master weaver, 9:00am-4:00pm OCT 16: Andy Dappen: Journey to Alaska, 7:00pm OCT 20: Coyote’s Corner Free Art Class, 11:00am

Movies at the Library

Wenatchee Public Library OCT 5: Zootopia, 3:30pm OCT 19: SOLO: A Star Wars Story, 3:30pm OCT 26: Halloweentown, 3:30pm Scream, 7:00pm

Scare-Crazy in Cashmere Scarecrow Tour

Organized by Cashmere Chamber of Commerce Cashmere, WA is being overtaken by scarecrows! See over a hundred scarecrows and vote for your favorite. Scarecrows will be up during daylight hours (9:00am-5:00pm) the whole month of October. Stop by the Chamber office and participating businesses for a free scarecrow tour map.

Class with a Glass

10 S. Columbia • classwithaglass.com Weekly events Thursday through Saturday evenings. Check our website for details on all classes throughout the month of October.


THECOMET COMET THE

LOW HUMS

DAY AFTER DAY... Oct 4: Low Hums / Red Ribbon / The Of

Old Skool’s • Ellensburg • 7:00pm-10:00pm Early show with: Low Hums (psych and garage jams and Gary Lee Conner inspired wah-wah freakouts); Red Ribbon (Seattle super-group purveyors of gracefully haunted, unabashed pop); and The Of (foil-clad colander-wearing toilet-busting barbecue-banging lunatics from Roslyn).

Oct 4: Terry Brooks Book Tour

Wenatchee Public Library • 6:30pm New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks returns to discuss his new book, Street Freaks, a futuristic science fiction novel that is every bit as compelling as his famous fantasy works like the Shannara series.

Oct 4 & 18: Open Mic at RadarStation

Hosted by Luke Ziegler Atkinson • RadarStation • Wenatchee It’s baaack! Open Mic! Every other Thursday at RadarStation. Musicians, comedians, poets, writers and all the rest of you, be there. This is a blast, seriously, don’t miss out. Sign up at 7:00pm • Show starts at 7:30pm

Oct 5: Carlene Carter

Wallenstein Theater • Moses Lake Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Carlene Carter, daughter of country music legends June Carter and Carl Smith, stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, and granddaughter of “Mother” Maybelle Carter of the original Carter family started her career singing with her family at age 17 and continues to make new music while honoring the old in her own style.

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DAR WILLIAMS 7:00pm • Tickets: www.facebook.com/pg/ColumbiaBasinAlliedArts/events/Moses Lake

Oct 5: Dar Williams

Pybus Public Market • Wenatchee • 7:00pm Singer/songwriter and bestselling author Dar Williams will host a music event as part of her week-long residency in the Wenatchee Valley. Mariachi Huenachi will kick off the event, followed by Williams sharing her music and her thoughts on community resilience.

Oct 5: Generations: the work of Joe, Carly, & RYAN! Feddersen and William Passmore

Gallery One • Ellensburg During October, Gallery One will exhibit the works of four related artists from the Confederated Tribes of Colville Nation including Carly Feddersen, Joe Feddersen, RYAN! Feddersen and William Passmore. In addition to celebrating a range of mediums and voices from this family, RYAN! will create an interactive mural for the audience to engage with. Opening Reception 5:00pm-8:00pm • Gallery hours M-F 8:00am-5:00pm • www.gallery-one.org/ events/2018-october-exhibition/

Oct 5: Comedy at Campbell’s with Phillip Kopczynski

Campbell’s Resort on Lake Chelan Rotten Apple’s comedy series continues this fall as headlining comedian, Phillip Kopczynski, takes the Park Room stage. 7:30pm • Tickets: rottenapplepresents.com/events/ comedy-at-campbells-phillip-kopczynski/

OCT 5 & 6: Eddie Manzanares McGlinn’s Public House • Wenatchee • 7:30pm Eddie Manzanares is a special treat with his soothing combination of Latin-Jazz, Bossanova and Rumba Flamenca.

CARLENE CARTER

Oct 6: Dar Williams

Icicle Creek Center for the Arts • Leavenworth Dar Williams has been called “one of America’s very best singer-songwriters” by the New Yorker. She’s released a dozen albums and is the author of a new book, “What I found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musician’s Guide to Rebuilding America’s Communities - One Coffee Shop, Dog Run and Open-Mike Night at a Time.” She will be performing solo as well as reading from her book. 7:00pm • Tickets: https://icicle.org/find-events/

Oct 6: Wings and Wheels 2018

Pangborn Flight Center • 10:00am-2:00pm Eastmont Community Park • 10:00am-6:00pm Come and see Miss Veedol on the ramp at Pangborn Flight Center during the 2018 Wings and Wheels Festival! And don’t miss the Car Show at Eastmont Park. Admission is free!

Oct 6: Rylei Franks

Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market • 9:00am1:00pm The Wenatchee Valley Farmers Market will be coming to an end soon. Come down and check out the booths one last time as I play my songs to fill the fall air.

Oct 9: HUNKS the Show - Male Revue Troupe A

Club Crow • Cashmere HUNKS the Show is the world’s foremost male revue on tour. The production is an electrifying, high-energy performance showcasing some of the sexiest men alive. Come and see what all the fuss is about. We recommend that all tickets be purchased in advance. 7:00pm doors • 8:00pm show • 21+ • Tickets available at the venue: $20 in advance; $35 VIP


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Oct 12: Reheated: Baked, Mashed or Fried

Moses Lake Museum & Art Center • Opening reception 5:00pm-8:00pm One of Washington’s most unusual art shows returns in 2018. Our quirky annual art show returns for a reboot, as Reheated: Baked, Mashed or Fried. Participating artists might create an original “dish” or recreate famous artworks in a spud-theme. Get ready to dig in. Exhibit runs October 12 - November 9.

Oct 12: The Hottman Sisters

RadarStation • Wenatchee Flannel Fox Entertaiment presents: The Hottman Sisters, with Ruby Force, Rylei Franks, and Paul Graves 6:00pm doors • All Ages • Tickets: www.eventbrite. com/e/the-hottman-sisters-tickets-47942568513

Oct 12: Jay Larson

Numerica Performing Arts Center • Wenatchee Jay Larson returns with Mostly Crowd Work, an experience in stand-up, crowd work, and conversation. Intended for a mature audience. 7:00pm • Tickets: www.numericapac.org/event/ jay-larson/2018-10-12/

Oct 12: The 509s are going wild!

Town Toyota Center • Wenatchee Your favorite music madmen are going to play at the Wenatchee Wild’s home opening game. Come for the music, stay for the hockey! 5:00pm (exact time may change)

Oct 13: Are You Afraid of the Dark? (Drag Show)

RadarStation • Wenatchee A spooky halloween drag show with HAUS OF VOODOO! 18+ Show #1: 6:30pm doors; 7:00pm show Show #2: 9:00pm doors; 9:30pm show Tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/are-you-afraid-ofthe-dark-drag-show-tickets-49761357560

The Hottman Sisters

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OCT 17: Meet the Poet: Stephen Pitters

Wenatchee Public Library • 6:30pm Join us for a fun presentation by poet, visual artist, and KYRS radio host Stephen Pitters!

OCT 18: Film Screening: LIFE, Animated

Numerica Performing Arts Center • Wenatchee The remarkable story of a family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney movies into a language to express love, loss, and kinship. 6:00pm • 12+ • Tickets: https://lifeanimatedwenatchee.eventbrite.com

Oct 18: Inspiring Stories with Lisa Stanton

Julie Aynn Photography • Wenatchee Hear advice from a strong woman in her fourth year of business about being true to your vision, trusting your decisions, changing careers, and how to grow your social media accounts without paying for followers or likes. 5:30 - 6:30pm • Free • Tickets limited: www. eventbrite.com/e/inspiring-stories-from-lisa-stanton-owner-of-lisa-bees-tickets-50560440639

Oct 19: Jayme Stone

Icicle Creek Center for the Arts • Leavenworth Two-time Juno-winning banjoist, composer and instigator Jayme Stone returns to Icicle Creek. Stone’s award-winning albums both defy and honor the banjo’s long role in music, turning historical connections into compelling sounds. 7:00pm • Tickets: https://icicle.org/find-events/

Oct 19-20: Wells House Nooks & Crannies Tour

Wells House • Wenatchee Valley College Have you ever wondered what the rest of the Wells House looks like? This exclusive tour includes floors usually restricted to the public. Tours will be conducted Friday 1:00pm-4:00pm and Saturday 10:00am–3:00pm. Advance tickets required: wenatcheevalleymuseum.org/event/wells-house-nooks-crannies-tour/

Oct 20: Pride Show/Moxie Rose’s Dirty 30

Wally’s House Of Booze, Wenatchee The Radar Dames Pride Show is back by popular demand—and this time we’re at Wally’s! We’ll also be celebrating my Dirty 30! This is gonna be WILD! Tickets are $25 and proceeds go to Wenatchee Pride. (We are almost sold out!) 8:30pm • eventbrite.com/e/the-radar-dames-atwallys-house-of-booze-tickets-49764750709

Oct 20: The Kathy Kallick Band

Cashmere Riverside Center • 7:00pm Get your bluegrass on! Cashmere Community Concerts proudly welcomes The Kathy Kallick Band to our stage. Kathy’s exceptional career includes winning a Grammy and co-founding internationally-acclaimed Good Ol’ Persons. $3 at the door plus suggested donation for the musicians • Info: www.cashmereconcerts.com

OCT 21: Soweto Gospel Choir

Numerica Performing Arts Center • Wenatchee Formed to celebrate the unique and inspirational power of African Gospel music, the 20-strong Soweto Gospel Choir draws on the best talent from the many churches in and around Soweto. 7:30pm • Tickets: www.numericapac.org/event/ soweto-gospel-choir/

OCT 25: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Numerica Performing Arts Center • Wenatchee Monthly movies on the big screen for only $3! 6:30pm • Rated PG • Tickets: www.numeripac.org/ event/et-the-extra-terrestrial/

Oct 31: Radar dames ‘Fright Night’ halloween show

RadarStation, Wenatchee Come get spooky with Wenatchee’s only local burlesque troupe! Tickets are already on sale, and they will go FAST. Costumes encouraged! 18+ • $25 • eventbrite.com/e/the-radar-damesfright-night-halloween-show-tickets-50879811887


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Wenatchee first Friday Robert Graves Gallery

Sexton Hall • Wenatchee Valley College • 9th Avenue entrance • Mon-Thurs: 9am-1pm (closed Fri-Sun) • Or by appointment: 509-663-0100 • Opening reception: Friday 5-7pm, with Artist Talk at 6pm Robert Graves Gallery is excited to present the work of acclaimed artist Joe Feddersen to start the 2018/19 season. The show runs September 24–October 25. Pictured: Joe Feddersen, Wyit View, 2003, 6-color lithograph, 40” x 30”, edition of 16. Printed at Crow’s Shadow Institute of Arts with Master Printer Frank Janzen. Photo credit: Rebekah Johnson.

MAC Gallery

Wenatchee Valley College Music and Art Center • 1300 Fifth Street • Mon-Fri 9am-5pm • First Friday 5pm-7pm Abbey Freed: Sweet Spot, October 5-26 The MAC Gallery is proud to exhibit WVC Alumna Abbey Freed’s captivating installation of sculptures and wall pieces dealing with the preservation, possession, and memorialization of human existence. Using quotidian materials, she transforms seemingly banal domestic objects into moving expressions of life and loss.

Mission St. Commons: A Coworking Community

218 S. Mission St • Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm • www.missionstcommons.com • meet@missionstcommons.com We are a new coworking space in Wenatchee which opened at the beginning of

Joe fedderson

September. Email for more information on how to be involved. Local artist C.G. Dahlin presents a collection of his abstract paintings and graphic photography for Mission St. Commons’ debut First Friday. Dahlin’s abstract paintings are made to solicit various interpretations from person to person. His newly made graphic design work has been made in an attempt to mix both natural and artificial beauty.

Ye Olde Bookshoppe

11 Palouse St. • Mon 11am-7pm, Tue-Thur 10am-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-8pm • First Friday Art Walk: 5pm-8 pm AnaMaree Ordway and Barbara Tremblay are teaming up to bring you fun hand-crafted creations. Journals and dolls! Mini albums to junk journals in a variety of themes. Hand-made dolls with characters from your favorite Fairy Tales and Spooky Stories.

Lemolo Cafe & Deli

114 N Wenatchee Ave. • Sun-Mon 11am-4pm, TueSat 11am-6pm • First Friday until 6pm Lemolo is happy to host the art of Kari Hertzog. Kari’s art is inspired by the great outdoors. She paints with all mediums but has recently developed a passion for painting with Epoxy Resin. She loves how the resin brings colors to life and adds a stunning 3D effect to her paintings.

Julie Aynn Photography

15 Palouse Street #103 • Business Hours: By appointment only • First Friday Art Walk: 5-8pm Julie Aynn Photography welcomes: Wenatchi Sweets: Specialty made treats for all occasions. Decorative sugar cookies, delicious cupcakes, pies, cakes and more. Barn Cat Creations: Artisan soap and body product made in small batches by hand to ensure quality, design and unique styling.

Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce

137 North Wenatchee Avenue • 509.662.2116 • First Friday Reception 5pm-8pm Meet the winemakers—and taste the wines— from one of the newest wineries in Wenatchee: Dead Crow Vineyards “In 2003 all species of birds that normally entertained us around our estate were disappearing. It didn’t take long to find out that crows were the villains. Now we realized where the expression “Scare Crow” originated. There are many ways to “scare crows” but a dead crow worked for us. We are not sure if he had a name, but he is a legend at Dead Crow Winery.” Deadcrowvineyards.com Dead Crow Winery

Abbey Freed

Wenatchi sweets

C.G. Dahlin

AnaMaree Ordway+Barbara Tremblay

Barn Cat Creations

Kari Hertzog


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Kasey Koski with Wenatchee First Fridays helped put together this list of shows, along with their First Friday hours. Remember, while most places have special events, artists receptions and free admission during First Friday, the art itself is on exhibit all month long in most locations.

Tumbleweed Shop & Studio

105 Palouse • Tue-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm • First Friday 5pm-8pm Inspired by the depths of darker beauties of the world, The Darkest Moon; Devon Rae brings its light to the ever illuminating surface with every creation. Her divine ways of mixing elements of earthly material with bones, feathers, wood, as well as recycled metal originates a story full of magic, elegance, and power all its own.

Two Rivers Gallery

102 N Columbia • Wed-Sat 11am-4pm, Sun 1pm4pm • First Friday Reception 5pm-8pm Pacia Dixon’s show, “Rabbit Trails,” illustrates the dilemma confronting artists who are pulled in too many intoxicating directions. Creatives, who hone a personal media and style, thrive. Pacia’s figural sculptures, watercolors, acrylic, oil, graphite and charcoal works, and poetry, all tell a story, as catalysts for conversation with viewers. Beware: Embracing “Rabbit Trails for Life” can be contagious. They do multiply. (That’s what rabbits do.) Jack Tishner and Steve Sanders will provide music. Wines from Ryan Patrick Winery and complimentary refreshments. 2riversgallery.com

Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center

127 South Mission Street • Tue-Sat 10am-4pm • First Friday 10am-8pm (FREE) Beyond the Frame: Inland Bounty, the work of Edward S. Curtis in the Columbia River Basin. From 1907 to 1930 photographer Edward S. Curtis took on the colossal task of documenting the Native tribes of North

Devon Rae

America. The resulting work, The North American Indian, contains twenty volumes of photographs and ethnographic text. The Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center will recognize the 150th anniversary of Edward Curtis’ birth by presenting an exhibition displaying images selected from Volumes 7 and 8 of Curtis’ work. In conjunction with institutions around the state and as part of an effort to present more than 40 events throughout North Central Washington. wenatcheevalleymuseum.org

RadarStation

115 S. Wenatchee Ave. • First Friday Reception 4pm-10pm • Performances at 8:30pm (FREE) Nevermore: An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe, Part II Our second annual tribute to the dark one himself. New original paintings will be featured in the gallery and to round out the evening The Radar Dames Burlesque troupe will take to the stage for a Poe-themed performance with some live readings of Poe’s works in the mix. Tiny Poe paintings will be in the Dish of Fate as well. This is a free event; 18 and over suggested.

Class with a Glass

10 S. Columbia • Thur-Sat 6:30pm-9pm • First Friday Reception 5pm-8pm Class with a Glass welcomes local artist, Jose Hernandez whose art features nature, the human form. The pieces explore themes of beauty, heritage and culture, and all are in-

pacia Dixon

Edward S. Curtis

spired by the Pacific Northwest. Jose’s Mexican American roots are fully exposed in the flamboyant paintings. The collection focuses on the use of acrylic, marker and ink on canvas. Class will be in session during the exhibit, from 6:30pm to 9pm. Visit www.classwithaglass.com and sign up to create your own masterpiece!

Pans Grotto

3 N Wenatchee Ave, Suite 2 Pan’s Grotto Voodoo Showcase Voodoo has an interesting and rich tradition surrounding it and is filled with stunning visuals. Come check out what our talented local artists have come up with this month for our spin on Voodoo, from dolls filled with pins to the rich images of the Loa. We’ll be showcasing Voodoo all of October, come take a look! don@pansgrotto.com

pan’s grotto

Ron Evans

Jose Hernandez


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8 QUESTIONS: FLANNEL FOX ENTERTAINMENT

HAUS OF VOODOO DRAG QUEENS

AMERICAN IDOL WINNER LEE DEWYZE

by ron evans Chelsey Heidenreich of Spokane-based production company Flannel Fox Entertainment has been bringing some exciting events and big names to Wenatchee lately, with more coming up soon. We asked her 8 Questions. Tell us about Flannel Fox Entertainment? I formed Flannel Fox Entertainment in 2015. We book all kinds of genres of music and entertainment. The focus of the shows is creating fun events that are safe and entertaining for everyone! What do you hope to bring to Wenatchee with your bookings? I hope to bring a sense of community by getting everyone together to enjoy shows. I would also love to see the locals of Wenatchee realize that there are some amazing artists right in their town.

How did you get involved with American Idol winner, Lee DeWyze? Lee Dewyze was associated with a booking agent I had worked with for quite some time. I had started to book some shows through him and everything fell What can people expect from your into place from there. I am sure we will upcoming events at RadarStation - do many more fun shows with Lee. The Hottman Sisters/Halloween Drag Show? Where can people find/follow you onThe Hottman show is an Alternative/Ex- line? perimental trio with two sisters singing facebook.com/flannelfoxentertainment beautiful harmonies that lead the band. I Who have you worked with? Secondhand Serenade, Metrostation, Red love listening to The Hottman Sisters, es- Flannel Fox Entertainment on Instagram. Jumpsuit Apparatus, Otep, DevilDriver, pecially live. Their music sends positive C Lee Dewyze, and many more. On average messages and is upbeat. I would highly encourage seeing them live. The Halwe run 3-4 shows per week. loween Drag show (Are you Afraid of the Tell us about the Pin and how you Dark?), is something you just can’t miss. came to this venue? Seeing these amazing queens will give The Pin is an all ages venue located in you a good start to Halloween month with Spokane, WA. I bought this venue in 2018 a spooky twist of a drag show! How did you get involved with booking/talent management? I started playing music (singer-songwriter) when I was 14 years old. I quickly realized that there was a lot more to the industry that I was unaware of‌all of the work that goes into making these events happen. I decided to just start booking my own shows and it built from there into booking for others, and now running a full on entertainment company.

to grow it into a safe, all ages space for everyone to enjoy. We do live music, drag shows, private events, etc. with pride and a commitment to treat everyone with as much respect as possible.


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Vvb kvb art: the wonderfully wacky world of the von becks

by ron evans My first experience with Victor and Kellie von Beck AKA: VvB KvB Art, was back in 2016. I was holding the first nude show at RadarStation gallery and I was receiving some pretty interesting submissions of all types of art forms. And then...in walks Victor and Kellie von Beck and my idea of what RadarStation could and/or should be was made all the more clear. The piece, in tow - and I do mean tow - the thing was strapped to a fifth wheel trailer and wrapped in a tarp. They looked at me with knowing eyes and carefully rolled back the tarp revealing a six foot tall structure. A serene ocean scene painted with a hint of impressionism revealed itself with a wooden cutout of blue waves layered on top. There was a captain’s wheel at the bottom. I knew something grand had arrived, but I had no idea the

glory that awaited me until they got the massive piece in place in the gallery. “Did I mention this piece is interactive?” Victor asked. He then proceeded to crank the captain’s wheel clockwise, causing a nekkid gal to slowly rise over the waves, smiling and holding a glass of wine. “It’s called ‘Sandy Bottom’.” Victor proudly stated. I knew these were two artists I needed to stay abreast of. Ahem. I recently had a chat with the von Becks on their history, present and future. Have either of you had any formal art training or schooling? V: I went to Cornish Institute ( Go Game Hens!) and received a BFA in Graphic Design. K: I am self-taught after years of wandering around life with very little direction.

I decided in my mid 30’s to take time off from work to lock myself in an extra room in our house and teach myself to draw and paint. It all took off after those few months and I haven’t stopped. However, I did have to go back to work. How did you two meet? V: After I graduated from Cornish I immediately got a job as a janitor at the Art Institute of Seattle (most likely they still counted that as working in my field, and I did work among a few of my former instructors from Cornish, so I count this as graduate school credits…) K: …which is where I was working as a receptionist. It was my very first job after moving to Seattle from the Midwest. We got along immediately, but we hooked up about 2 years later.

V: Yeah, turns out I really cleaned up! What are some of your artistic influences? K: I’m a huge Salvador Dali, Federico Fellini and Egon Schiele fan. V: I’m a big fan of the German Expressionists, art deco, nouveau and Tom Thompson. I find new inspiration by looking through our libraries for an Artist to study. What do you hope to achieve through your art? K: I get some weird thought or image in my head and I have to get it out into the world. No statements or grand ideas, just weird shit in my head.


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V: When people see my art I hope they see a story and follow their imagination. I like to make up stories when I paint, but I don’t typically need someone to get my meanings from the art. I’m more interested in seeing my work from another’s point of view.

THE COMET occasional critique. How have people responded in general to your output? K: We have luckily had great responses from people when they see our work, and if they haven’t liked it, they have successfully kept it to themselves. My work is definitely not for everyone and they typically walk on by, especially some of my paintings and dioramas. A lot of people look at some of my more elaborate dioramas and say “wow” in an uncomfortable way. They can kind of get out there. My glass work seems to be more interesting to most people. V: I’ve had a lot of positive response from people. And it’s great when you get a chance to chat with them about a particular piece. You cannot predict what someone will get from a piece of art. It can make you wonder.

You both clearly have distinct styles and separate paths concerning your art, but you often collaborate on pieces so seamlessly. What does that process typically look like? K: A big mess. We usually work on very elaborate pieces together that ends up taking over not just the studio, but the entire house. We do work well together and the ideas usually come from a late night discussion after a couple of cocktails about either a RadarStation theme or some other weird thing one of us has come up with and then we have to do it. This only works if one of us makes notes Any favorite positive critique? for the next day. We have notebooks all K: My favorite critique, and I think of it over the house as posifor this. Victive, was “It’s fun to be diverse. I don’t like tor usually when my figures out creating repetition in art very much.” very conservative the logistics ~VvB mid-westie: building the surface it ern Aunt is going to be on, wiring it and then we said “you’re kind of weird” when she saw each work on separate parts and usually some of my dioramas on my website. Anend up giving each other ideas as we go, other favorite was a woman who saw one plus we’re both really good Art Directors. of my paintings in a group show in Seattle and liked it because it was, as she put You make “traditional” art as well as it, “Very intimate.” It was a simple thing things that almost defy classification. to say and it showed she got what I had Wind-up naked women that pop up intended, which is not always the case. over a wooden row boat, Edgar Allan Poe dioramas nestled in Altoid tins and lit with Christmas lights, 3D Any favorite negative critique? aquatic scenes housed in gum cans K: The uncomfortable “wow” mentioned etc. What compels you to the weird above. V: Someone said she didn’t like my paintside of the tracks? K: It’s the only side of the tracks I know. ings because it looked like the colors V: It’s fun to be diverse. I don’t like creat- were straight out of the tube. She was ing repetition in art very much. It is nice wrong of course, I used a brush! to have a style but so much nicer to have a lot of styles I think What projects are you currently Have you done joint shows? working on? K: We’ve done several joint shows in Ev- We are both working on our own sepaerett and here at Lemolo Café and Two rate paintings at the moment and we Rivers Gallery. We have also done some are making a large paper mache Solstice window displays and installations to- Star/Sun. Trying to get it done before gether. Winter Solstice. Are you strictly “in the studio” artists, or do you create things out and about as well? K: We’re pretty much in studio. Victor does sketching out and about and is looking to more public art works. Your work can be playful, compelling, sexy, confusing or all of those at once and this must surely bring the

What’s up next? This winter we are starting on a calendar in the same vein as the Edgar Allan Poe Box and the Day of Dead Advent Calendar. We celebrate everything we possibly can and bastardize all holidays and festivals to fit our way of life and we want to


THE COMET build a calendar we can use each year to open and keep track of all our celebrations. We usually have a few projects going at once and depending on what RadarStation is coming up with for themes we try to use that as a springboard to create new art even if it is from old art. We also have a band called The Lover Bees that we are contemplating putting the band back together to play a gig with our friends Oliver Elf Army sometime in the Spring. Hint hint Ron. K: I’m also obsessed with cloud formations and I can’t stop taking photos of them. We’ll see what happens with that. V: We also do commission work with Fused and Stained Glass, and have an order for some fused glass plates we’re working on this fall. Your crazy rich aunt that you never knew you had, dies in a freak puppet-related incident and leaves you a tidy sum. What dream art project would you pursue with her blood money? K: I would pay off the house and let my mind wander 24/7 to make a ton of Art and travel for inspiration. If the money ran low I would hopefully have enough left to open a teaching studio/gallery. V: I would finance the filming of the story of how I tracked down the puppet that killed her and cut its strings. If I survive, I plan to join up with Kellie and travel, etc. Where can people follow you online? Our websites have been hacked and we have on our list to fix it and get them back up and running. However, you can go to vvbkvbart. com and see a few things and should, in the near future, see everything again. And please, just look, no hacking. C

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howell at the movies: The Dump Months

hollywood’s regular crap The movies out right now are largely crap. That’s intentional. I don’t mean that anybody sets out to make a crap movie (save perhaps the late Ed Wood), but the BY jamie howell truth is that, even once you’ve gotten the green light to make a movie, the odds that you’re going to actually make a good one are still against you. More than 700 new movies a year make it to theatrical release. Say you grade all of those movies on a simple curve where anything that doesn’t clear the halfway mark is a fail. That means more than 350 crap movies hit the silver screen every year - nearly one every single day. Hollywood knows this. But the studios have already spent their money. Johnny Depp’s made off with his wad of cash for voiceover work on “Sherlock Gnomes” and don’t think for a second that John Travolta is planning to refund his wages from “Gotti” just because the focus groups are adamant that it’s the worst mob movie of all time (an opinion later confirmed by the New York Times). Nope, a dog is just a dog, and it’s got to

go out. Somebody’s bound to buy a ticket. And because somebody always does, the studios either cut their losses or, more commonly, make a shit-ton of money anyway. But, after decades of cranking out stinkers, Hollywood has refined its approach when it comes to evacuating the bowels of its film vaults. They’re called “The Dump Months.” Most commonly defined as January/ February and August/September, the Dump Months are when Hollywood drops its load of sub-par cinema with limited commercial prospects. This winter, for example, we were treated to New Year’s yankers like one teddy bear movie too many with “Paddington 2,” Bruce Willis dying harder than ever in “Acts of Violence” and some obligatory, old news erotica with “Fifty Shades Freed.” And right now, as round two of the Dump Months draws to a close, you’ve got the dregs of summer with flicks like “The Nun” featuring (surprise!) a demonic nun; a waste of Jennifer Garner in “Peppermint”; a Jaws ripoff in “The Meg”; and diminutive comedian Kevin Hart losing still more stature in “Night School.” What’s that smell? It’s the movie theater. I couldn’t bring myself to go to a single movie in September.

Hollywood goes No. 2 during these months for a variety of reasons. The winter dump comes right on the heels of the holiday blockbusters. Nobody’s got any cash left anyway after gifting it all away through Amazon. Plus, there’s the February Oscar chase to be considered. If you release a movie in January, it’s not eligible for an Oscar award until the following year. So many studios trot out their best bets for the bare minimum 7-day run in L.A. or New York just before the end of the year, which makes them eligible to be nominated. Then if they land an Oscar nom or, better yet, an actual golden statuette, they market the bejeezus out of it with a wide release from March onward. Oh yeah, and then there’s that damn Super Bowl dragging away people’s dollars and attention in late January. The Dump Months we’ve just endured seem to have more to do with school. Students make up nearly 41 percent of the moviegoing audience, so summertime is a big opportunity to extract the cash from all those allowances. But you want to do that in June or July to get the longest run for the money. By August and September, people are spending their dough on silly things like school supplies. And there again is the start of the football season. The NFL has a way of sucking the mojo out of the box office. So, say the movie

moguls, why not roll out the crap until some of the teams start losing? On the bright side, now we can get out the Febreze because it’s October and, at the very least, you can expect some reasonable horror flicks to start hitting the screen. Personally, I’m looking forward to the fresh scent of a trip to mars with “First Man” (Oct. 12); and a couple big, gay debauches with Oscar Wilde in “The Happy Prince” (Oct. 10) and Freddy Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Nov. 2) (that is, if they clear the big red hurdle into Eastern Washington). The romantic in me is even excited to watch Lady Gaga get all shmarmy with Bradley Cooper in a fourth take on “A Star is Born” (Oct. 5). Walk it back with me here: Take One - 1937 with Janet Gaynor and Fredrick March, aka actors you’ve never heard of; Take Two - 1954 with Judy Garland and Jack Carson; and Take Three - 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. The point is, you’ve got three months now before Hollywood takes another dump, so get out there and enjoy the show! C


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COMET TALES: rEADER SUBMITTED WRITINGS THE KEEPERS by kyle farmer And the bones come marching in. Closeted skeletons holding railroad pocket watches that never stop, crying out: “Sleep only when you’re dead.” Slipping beneath your skin, making home deep inside, altogether denying the improbable escape. They are the time-keepers, the watchers, the dream eaters that consume like insatiable beasts. The life-taking, death-giving holders of all that is sacred. And the bones come marching in. They dance slowly like a second hand, smoking and drinking to no avail. The clink-clinking of their bones keeps perfect 4/4 time. Sand slowly slides through hour-glass eyes, while another notch is carved into the wood. One for each day, us never knowing which is last. Their bones a stained and tired yellow, they knock like the infamous Raven at the door. Created not by God nor devil, our request solidifies their existence. Vomiting chaos and giving birth to order and control. An eternal enemy controlling us, telling us who and where to be. And the bones… come marching in.

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Are you a writer? Send your short story, poetry, essay or excerpt to comettales@thecometmagazine.com and we may publish it in the next issue.


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t and a q and a: with skylar hansford

PHOTO BY CHRIS (PISS) NICHOLS

by ron evans Earlier this summer the Radar Dames Burlesque troupe premiered its first show to a sold out, and very enthusiastic, crowd at RadarStation. Since then, the group has continued to grow a following while honing their stage prowess with subsequent performances. I sat down with Radar Dames director Skylar Hansford for a chat about her experiences with leading the troupe over the past year. What came first for you? Pin up, burlesque, Suicide Girls? Pin up, definitely. I started getting drawn to the pin-up/vintage look when I was still in high school- always wearing red lipstick and black dresses… which I’ve still never given up. I got interested in Suicide Girls and burlesque around the same time. I applied for the Suicide Girls when I turned 18 and always loved burlesque but didn’t really pursue it until my 20’s. What drew you specifically to burlesque? I love the freedom of it, especially the sexual freedom. Women especially are told to be “ladylike,” be modest, not too prideful, and I love that burlesque gives you a space to be sexy, be seductive, to be free in yourself and think you’re hot shit and sets it all to an old jazzy tune with a vintage look. Burlesque doesn’t care what size you are, how big your bust or waist

line is, how tall you are, if you have dyed hair or tattoos (or none at all)- it lets you revel in your body, perfect as is, and lets you absolutely own your sexuality in the most fun way!

attended all our shows. Being able to perform as part of this year’s Wenatchee Pride helped as well. It helped connect us with the same crowd that are big supporters of burlesque and performing arts in general. Birds of a feather type thing. What has been your experience in Social media has also helped us connect leading/directing this troupe? with people as well- both in this commuIt’s been a wild ride and I’m loving every nity and out. second of it. When we began with this, it was originally just going to be this one In a tricky environment (with hopeshow and just see how that went. Each of fully obvious and good reasons) when the dancers had only loose connections it comes to all things concerning sexuto me through mutual friends, which is ality - how do you approach putting how they knew about the auditions for on an event where people are drinkthe show. This has truly been the great- ing, getting excited about flesh on est bonding experience - we became our stage in a sexually charged room? own little family. I’m beyond proud of the My safety and the safety of my dancers is work they’ve done and all they’ve learned definitely always on my mind when we’re and taught themselves. They get so cre- planning a show (this is in part why we ative with all their dances and costumes, have a bodyguard/bouncer in attendance it’s so fun to watch. I couldn’t ask for a at shows). Because we interact with the better group to lead. crowd, sometimes physically (like having them help remove a thigh-high stocking), Describe the overall reaction what’s “appropriate” is done sort of on a Wenatchee has given you and the “play it by ear” basis. Dames? When the dancers are interacting with So far it’s been well received! Which has you, they make it very obvious - doing been great because we don’t just perform things like taking your hands in theirs and here- we live here, our kids go to school guiding you on taking off a stocking or givhere, we’re your neighbors, friends, mem- ing you directions like “hold (or pull) on bers of the community. So, it’s been really this.” Let the dancers approach you, don’t incredible to then also be welcomed, with approach them. We can tell most often by open arms, as the (only) local burlesque someone’s body language whether or not troupe. We even have “regulars” who’ve they are okay with having that attention

on them- we try to pay attention to that as well because we’re not interested in making anyone uncomfortable. Reaching out to grab us as we walk by is also a “no, no” not only because we weren’t expecting to be grabbed, and that can be a little jarring, but it can actually trip us up. Tipping is another area where we walk that line. It’s absolutely okay (even encouraged) to tip your dancers- this is done in a way that’s meant to be fun. People can wave money at us, showing us they have a tip for usthe dancer is able to make that decision, based on their own comfort level with that person, if they want to just take the money by hand or make it part of their act. Doing things like pulling back the top of their stocking or bra to allow you to place your money there- but if that’s what you’re doing then that’s the extent of it, placing the money- you’re not paying for closer access so the tip doesn’t allow you to grope us when tipping us. I usually tell people that if they cant tell the difference between interacting with a dancer as part of her performance, that she brought you into, and groping/assault…. You probably shouldn’t be at a show as risqué as a burlesque show to begin with. If you’re unsure, it’s absolutely okay to ask and make sure. I’ve had people who’s hands I took and placed on my leg to help me remove a stocking look at me and yell (the music’s loud) or mouth “am I okay?” and I’ll tell them “yes absolutely, just fol-


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low my lead.” If we feel uncomfortable in anyway, the dancers are able to move themselves away or exit the stage altogether. Because I prioritize their safety over professionalism or the performance itself, my dancers have also been given permission to protect themselves by any means necessary if they feel threatened. So far we’ve been very fortunate that we’ve never had an issue and our audience always has fun with us, interacts, tips, all of it- but has never done anything to scare or assault us. Our crowds have been there for the entertainment as much as we’re there to entertain and everyone has a good time! The word burlesque conjures up many images for a lot of people along with many misconceptions. Tell us what burlesque IS along with what it ISN’T? We get the “so you’re a stripper?” a lot. It IS a striptease but it’s NOT “stripping.” Now let me clarify: I love strip clubs, love the exotic pole dancers, wish I had those abs. But we just aren’t the same. Like jazz and ballet- both beautiful forms of dance, both take time and work, but definitely aren’t the same show. Stripping is about the flesh, so to speak. The crux of the show is the amount you get to see whereas a burlesque dance is all about the tease, the tension you build throughout the number. Burlesque com-

bines elements of theater, comedy, satire, music, and adult entertainment- it’s meant to be sexy, but also fun and light hearted. Burlesque doesn’t take itself very seriously. It is true that burlesque and stripping began in a similar way. The original burlesque dancers of the early-to-mid 1900s are sometimes known as the original strippers, and the pole that is used during stripping performances is known as a burlesque pole. However, burlesque had its origins in literature and satire; burlesque was originally meant to make fun of certain social conventions and events, and modern burlesque performances reflect this. Stripping, on the other hand, was generally never meant to have a wider meaning beyond the exotic dancer removing his or her clothes. Exotic dancers’ shows are seen as a display of sexiness or sexuality, burlesque is a celebration of those same things. I feel like we have more glitter too. It’s a tight race but I think we’re winning that one. What can people expect from a RadarDames performance? A great time! What to expect depends largely on the show itself. We’re an improvisational burlesque troupe which means, aside from group numbers which have to be choreographed ahead of time, all our solos are

made up on the spot. My dancers have memorized their songs so that they are aware of the amount of time they have left in their dance, but that’s it. Sometimes even what they wear for a certain number changes with the very next show as they decide to switch it up. I think this is one of the things I love most about The Radar Dames- I’m the founder and the director but even I don’t know what to expect from their solos…. and they blow me away every time. We do have traditional burlesque shows as well as “specialty shows” like our Pride show or our Halloween show. In those cases we keep all the key elements of burlesque- the way we do our striptease, the style of dance, the costumes- but we change up things like the music. When we were asked to be performers at this years ‘Wenatchee Pride’, we took those traditional style burlesque dances and set them to “pride songs” from today (like songs by Queen or Kesha or Lady Gaga). That was really fun to figure out how to marry those two factors and still keep the same vintage feel of traditional burlesque. It was so well received that we’ve been asked to bring back our Pride show to perform at Wally’s House Of Booze on October 20th (with the proceeds going to Wenatchee Pride). Similarly, for our Halloween show, we’re combining those same traditional burlesque elements and setting them to songs

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that have a Halloween-ish feel (“werewolves of London,” “I put a spell on you,” “Devil woman,” etc). It will be fun to see how many Halloween references they can spot in the dances- we’ll even have a little “trick or treating” at our Halloween show with the dancers handing out candy to the audience! The audience is also welcome, even encouraged, to dress in their Halloween costumes for the show! Upcoming shows: October 5th - RadarStation Edgar Allan Poe themed art displays, Poe-try readings, burlesque. This one is free admission and it’s sort of a mini “teaser” to our two upcoming, full length shows. October 20th- Pride Show/Moxie Rose’s Dirty 30 at Wally’s House Of Booze. Our Pride show is back by popular demand and we’ll also be celebrating my Dirty 30! This show is gonna be WILD! There are only 5 tickets left and all proceeds will go to Wenatchee Pride. $25.00/ticket October 31st Halloween night at RadarStation: Ticket sales for this one just went live on October 1st and they go FAST! Tickets are $25.00, costumes are highly encouraged! C


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the spacepod: THE LEGEND OF STINGY JACK

by ron evans As the leaves turn yella’ and begin to fall along the gum-stained sidewalks, we start to see the tell-tale signs of October all about town. Inflatable witches, giant paper candy corn window displays and the most iconic of them all...the jack-o-lanterns. Where did this lovable (and messy) tradish begin? There are a few schools of thought, and all of them come complete with their own legends. Let’s light this bepumpkinned candle, shall we? My favorite version of the origin of lighted pumpkins begins with a lighted turnip. Actually, many researchers agree that hollowed and carved turnips illuminated with candles predated the pumpkin versions by centuries. Experts do, however, argue as to whether or not Satan had anything to do with it. Enter the tale of Stingy Jack. Jack could fairly be summed up as an unsavory character wandering the streets of Ireland a few hundred years ago. His only real goals were to lie, cheat, steal and use all the winnings to fund his favorite pastime.

Devil, Jack said “Listen, I get it. I’m a dick. And I’mma goin’ to hell. But do a poor soul one last kindness. Allow me one final beer for the road. Then I’ll happily go along with you. You know...to eternal torture and whatnot.” The Devil rubbed his pointy goatee and said…”D’alright.” And the two made their way to a nearby pub. I enjoy the image of the clovenhooved red master of hell just chillin’ SATAN: Mirror, mirror on the wall. at a table while he watched this goober drink his room temp lager. Probably lookWho’s the biggest douche of them all? ing around at all the random farm impleMAGIC MIRROR: Why, of course the ments nailed to the wall. Seriously, why biggest douche of them all is Stingy Jack. do we always nail random shit to our pub walls? Anyway, after his pint, Jack patted SATAN: Yes, that’s what I thou...wait, his pockets and said “D’oh! I don’t seem to have any money in me pockets. But who?? you’re a magical being, right? Could you Either way, Satan hopped a train to turn yourself into a coin so I can pay for Ireland and waited for Jack in a dark- my ale?” Satan rubbed his pointy goatee and ened alley behind a bar. Sure enough, out stumbles a typically drunken Jack. When said… “D’alright.” Rather agreeable for the Lord of Darkhe realized he was face to face with the Drinking. In fact, Jack’s reputation was so well-known that the Dark Lord himself caught wind of it and had to go see this master of sin with his own peepers. The legend is unclear just how Satan found out about Jack’s doin’s. Likely a couple of demons were chatting about it around the hell water cooler. But, I rather prefer to think of Satan having a magic mirror that broke the bad news to him.

ness and Wrath, right? I feel like if I asked Satan to walk my dogs he’d do it. I mean he wouldn’t be thrilled about it, but he’d do it. And so Satan coined himself and Jack quickly shoved said coin into his pocket where a crucifix was conveniently being stowed. This prevented Satan from turning back into his natural form of course because...science. Stingy Jack said, “I will release you back to your true self if you let me go for ten more years.” Now, Jack had the Devil right where he wanted him, and I think if it were my choice I would have asked for a little more time than ten years. Like for-fucking-ever for example. But then, this isn’t exactly a duel of mental titans we are talking about here. Satan predictably said… “D’alright.” The two left without paying which makes you wonder why they didn’t just start with that and bypass the whole, “Sure I’ll turn into a coin for you, buddy.” business. Although, I do like the idea of


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Satan not being cool with drinking and dashing. The Devil is kinda precious in this legend, isn’t he? Ten years later Satan comes looking to make good on his arrangement. Jack agreed that his time had come. On the way to hell they walked by an apple tree and Jack begged Satan to climb up and grab him a fresh snappy apple to tide him over for the 8,000 mile walk to eternal damnation. Satan rubbed his pointy goatee and... well, you know what he said. And so the Lord of Dumbness climbed the fucking tree. While up there, Jack surrounded the base of the tree with crucifixes, which he apparently buys at Costco. The Devil was trapped. And probably sighing loudly. This time Jack was a little smarter and demanded that he never goes to hell in exchange for letting the Devil out of the withered little apple tree. This time the Devil bypassed the goatee rub and went straight to the “D’alright.”, and Jack was free. Years later, when the hard livin’ finally caught up to ol’ Jack, his recently departed body approached the gates of heaven still reeking of booze. But, he was denied entry for obvious reasons. So...what’s a poor soul to do? He headed south to beg entry into hell. But Satan quickly pointed out that a deal is a deal. No entry for Jacky boy. He would be doomed to walk the Earth in the netherworld of the spirits for all eternity. Which sounds a few clicks better than hell, right? However, Satan wanted the world to be warned (he’s fucking precious, this guy) that they are witnessing a damned soul. So he took an ember from the hellfire, shoved it into a hollowed out turnip and sent the cursed Jack on his way with the illuminated radish from hell in tote. Jack’s lantern served as a warning to the land of the living. A warning that you better not mess with the Devil. Because he will make you feel bad for taking advantage of his overwhelming gullibleness. Of course other legends exist. Lighted turnips to ward off witches. Or to attract witches ect. But, most legends are traced back to old Ireland, where pumpkins did not grow. Hence the likelihood that people were originally setting carved turnips on their stoops at night. At some point we figured out that gourds are better for the job at hand and the rest is Halloween history. I do feel bad for all the tortured souls in hell right now. They have no way to know that if they just asked Satan to let them out he’d probably rub his goatee a minute, say “D’alright” and they’d be home in time for The Simpsons. C

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by ron evans


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CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE COMET

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whispers of wenatchee: connor dahlin

New writing collection features dozens of Wenatchee writers. by holly thorpe In September, “The Whispers Of Wenatchee: A Collection of Natural Expression” was published. It contains more than 200 pages of local writing, in an effort, said publisher and curator Connor Dahlin, to reveal more about Wenatchee and the people who live there. “I want to read something genuine, something that is not altered, something that is true to each of the people who made it,” Dahlin said. “If you look throughout the whole thing, it really speaks to what the culture is like.” Dahlin is a published poet, and he regularly attends and facilitates open mics and poetry readings in the area. He said the idea for the book stemmed from a desire to read more local writing that wasn’t edited or changed by the typical publishing process. “First and foremost, it was the sort of book I wanted to read. By virtue of running poetry nights around here for a while… it’s really plain to see how many people write and are creative. Basically all you have is you’re either dealing with

mainstream publication, which is a bitch,” he said, “or academic literary journalists which edit writing until it’s unrecognizable.” He wanted to curate a collection of poetry, short stories and other forms of fiction and nonfiction and include as much of it as possible. “The idea was to make something very human. So it was hard for me to curate a lot of this stuff,” he said. “I didn’t want it to look too formal, or too academic, because that’s antithetical to what I’m trying to do.” Dahlin put out the call for writers in January, with a deadline of April 2. He had nearly 40 people submit work, and ended up publishing the short works of 34 different authors. The book is divided into seven sections, which are roughly organized by theme. “Everybody who submitted to it, there was no theme. It was ‘Throw everything that you have at me,’ ” he said. “The themes that are in it are what people naturally write about, it’s not forced in any

way.” A few themes occurred naturally, Dahlin said. Many wrote about nature and death. “Personally, the back section is the one that gets me the most,” he said. “It’s what I call the dreamers section. It was kind of the grab bag of all the weirdest stuff.” Dahlin said he loved the editing process. He read through hundreds of pages of submissions. “I was a kid in a candy store. This is the stuff that you can’t look at. This is the stuff that never reaches print. So it was great! It was like access to a secret book collection,” he said. “The way that some of these people crafted these short stories amazed me.” He said the writing sheds a whole new light on the people of Wenatchee. “These people are raw. These people “You’ve got people who write like are real, man,” he said. “You can see that they’re Jack London and you’ve got people there’s so much more going on, there’s so who write like they’re Charles Bukowski,” much depth to their characters.” The topics and the writing styles are Dahlin said. It took five months from the April deadwide-ranging. line till the book was published for Dahlin


THE COMET to read, select the material, layout the book and design the cover. “I was looking for the stuff that was offensive. I was looking for the stuff that was challenging,” he said. “The upsetting and the absurd and the challenging and something that gets some fucking panties in a rustle.” Only a few of the authors who submitted weren’t included, Dahlin said. He could not manage to make their pieces fit within the seven sections. “As my poetry professor once put it, I had to kill some of the darlings in order to make it happen,” he said. Only a few of the authors had ever had work published before, Dahlin said. For many, this was their first time seeing their writing in print. “The first swath of people [who submitted] were the ones that were so ready to be published and be heard,” Dahlin said. “I imagine they had tried to publish, but were running into how convoluted that system is.” After the first wave of submissions, Dahlin began reaching out to writers he knew, especially those who he knew wrote but never shared their work. “So many people who are great — this is true of artists, this is true of anyone whose creative — do not believe they’re great, and that’s what makes them great,” he said. “They won’t put it out there because it’s not good enough in their minds, and that’s a damn shame.” Despite having his own book of poetry and being named the first poet laureate of the Honors College at University of Wisconsin-Stout, Dahlin chose not to include his own work in the book. “To include myself feels like it would have tainted the whole thing… I wanted to keep the objective of it pure,” he said. Instead, he is the curator, editor, marketer, publisher and graphic designer for the project. “I am everything that is the book, aside from the author,” he said. To see it in print last month was a victory. “I exclaimed into the air when I finally held it. It was absolutely like bunga bunga shit,” he said. “I had to serve tables and shit to make this happen, you know? It’s something that I care about, it wasn’t work. I never resented getting back to it.” For Dahlin, it was rewarding just to see all of those local authors in one place and give them a place to share their work. “There was just this giant gap to be filled,” Dahlin said. “It was completely inspired by everyone from around here.” You can find “The Whispers of Wenatchee” at local businesses around Wenatchee and Leavenworth. Dahlin said that he would love to do another collection, time and funding allowing. Ideally, the collection could become an annual publication

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Get “The Whispers of Wenatchee” at: Ye Olde Bookshoppe RadarStation Gypsy Lotus Full Bloom Arlberg Rhubarb Market Wenatchee Natural Foods A Book for All Seasons It’s also available on Amazon. Look for “The Whispers of Wenatchee” by C G Dahlin. For the most up to date list of locations, contact Connor Dahlin at cgdahlin@gmail.com.

Have questions or feedback about the book or want to help out? Contact Connor Dahlin at cgdahlin@gmail.com or (612) 558-4317. C

November 9-24 Tix at numericapac.org

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Jay returns for a special evening of improvised stand-up comedy! Two different shows packed into one unforgettable night. Limited seating intended for a Mature Audience! AS SEEN ON

OCT 12, 2018 at 7PM & 9PM


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