At a time when a relationship is falling apart, sometimes the news of its failure doesn’t come out of a mouth but from gestures. Claudia Emerson, who lives in Virginia, here captures a telling moment.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Three young fiddlers from Lake County made a fantastic showing at the recent Cloverdale Fiddle Contest.
Fiddlers travel from many parts of northern California to attend this large contest and there is much competition.
Rafael Contreras, 8, of Lower Lake played with such energy and precision that he received cheers from the audience and won first place in the Pee Wee division.
He won a medal and a cash prize, and even got his picture taken with the mayor of Cloverdale.
He is the student of Sue Condit and is a member of the Konocti Fiddle Club and the Clear Lake Performing Arts Youth Orchestra. He was accompanied by Sue Condit and Andi Skelton on guitar.
Clayton Rudiger and Lars Tisell entered in the Junior Division (13-17) and played amazing sets of three tunes each.
Both boys made the finals to play in the second round. Lars placed fourth and Clayton sixth, with only a few points difference in their scores. They also teamed up to enter the Twin Fiddle class and did not make the finals, but played well.
These fiddle contests offer a great challenge to fiddlers, since each contestant must be prepared to play a possible six to seven tunes in each division.
In addition, the Twin division required a possible four to five tunes. Tunes must be memorized and cannot be repeated, so it represents much preparation by these talented contestants.
Clayton was accompanied by Mark Rudiger and Lars by Austin and Jeanine Ison (guitar/accordion).
Clayton and Lars are students of Andi Skelton and are also members of the Konocti Fiddle Club and the CLPA Youth Orchestra. Clayton is the current concertmaster of the orchestra.
These fiddlers are all members of the Konocti Fiddle Club, which is a Lake County group for all ages and all levels of fiddle players.
This group plays lively danceable folk tunes at festivals and other venues in Lake County. This group also works with Clear Lake Performing Arts to present in-school educational assemblies.
For info about the Fiddle Club, call Andi Skelton at 707-279-4336.
Most of the young fiddlers also play in the CLPA Youth Orchestra which will be playing at the Lake County Symphony Concert on May 13 and presenting a Spring Concert on June 10 at the Soper Reese Theatre.
Clear Lake Performing Arts is offering string instruction to all levels and ages in this county-wide orchestra.
If you are interested in joining the group or just want to learn to play a string instrument, call conductor Sue Condit at 707-533-9431.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The next performance of Lake County Live! will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26.
Lake County Live! is a musical variety show presented on the last Sunday of each month at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.
The Feb. 26 show will be broadcast before a live audience on KPFZ 88.1 FM as well as streamed over the Internet. The link can be found at the station’s Web site, www.kpfz.org.
Each performance showcases local musicians, singers, poets, actors and good humor.
The hourlong show begins at 6 p.m. The live audience is seated by 5:45 p.m.
Admission is free. Due to seating limits, tickets must be obtained at the theater box office or at the Travel Center in Lakeport.
When I first learned of the upcoming movie “Journey 2,” I wondered what became of the first “Journey,” such that it did not ring a bell.
Only upon digesting the complete title of “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” was my mind nudged ever so slightly by the thought of Jules Verne.
The problem, which remains for this film as well, is that the first film, titled “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and released in 2008, is entirely forgettable.
“Journey 1,” starring Brendan Fraser, now nowhere to be found and not even lost on a mysterious island, was a Jules Verne-type adventure, one that may have pleased kids.
The sequel is equally designed to satisfy the adolescent filmgoers, such that the teen hero remains Josh Hutcherson’s Sean, who’s been given permission by his mother (Kristin Davis) for another globe-trotting quest.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who flexes his pectorals as if he were hanging out at Venice Beach, plays the role of Hank, stepdad to the peripatetic Sean.
In what is expected to be a bonding experience, Hank takes Sean on a journey to a mysterious island, following secret clues that Sean believes Jules Verne left behind.
Curiosity runs in the family because it is apparent that Sean’s missing grandfather Alexander (Michael Caine) was so obsessed with the writings of Jules Verne that he invented the familial craving for wanderlust.
Once in the South Pacific, Hank, in what appears to be a dubious idea, hires goofy, excitable helicopter pilot Gabato (Luis Guzman) to locate the island.
On the upside, at least for Sean, is that Gabato’s pretty daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) tags along for the ride. This, of course, sets up the film’s only love interest subplot.
Meanwhile, a crash landing on an island immediately brings to mind that “Journey 2” could detour into a missing episode of “Lost.”
Alas, that is not to be, for our intrepid travelers are exposed to the mystery of an upside-down world, where elephants are small and bees and lizards are giant prehistoric beasts.
Naturally, grandpa Alexander, who was busy sending out radio signals with his coordinates, is found on this exotic South Pacific island, which is notable for the fact that it is rapidly sinking into the sea like Atlantis.
The soon-to-be extinct tropical paradise is a wonder of special effects, none more thrilling than watching Sean riding bareback on a giant bee.
Since the story is family-friendly, “Journey 2” lacks the inherent menace of prehistoric threats found in “Jurassic Park,” though giant iguanas appear threatening.
To be sure, “Journey 2” is a formulaic adventure story relying heavily on special effects, which is as satisfying as a giant tub of popcorn and a big cone of cotton candy. It’s fun in the moment for the adolescent crowd.
The pairing of Dwayne Johnson and Michael Caine is interesting for some of the back-and-forth dialogue. The film benefits from the presence of these two titans of natural charm.
One good reason not to be late to the screening of this film is that it should be preceded by a funny animated short called “Daffy’s Rhapsody,” an adventure with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.
Oh, just one more thing, you should know that both the Warner Brothers cartoon and the feature film are in 3-D.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
This column has often extolled the virtues of British television programs that may find their way to BBC America and eventually to a DVD release.
“Northern Lights: The Complete Collection,” featuring all 12 episodes and two movies of this comedy series, is being released on DVD by Acorn Media, to go-to outfit for British imports.
The series followed lifelong friends and rivals Colin Armstrong (Robson Green) and Howard Scott (Mark Benton) on a hilarious series of misadventures – really classic British wackiness.
As schoolboys, Colin and Howard fought over girls, soccer teams and clothes. Now married men in their thirties, their competition has shifted to more important, if mundane, matters like jobs and cars.
The comedy comes from insane rivalry of one-upmanship, where they try to outdo each other, even with Christmas decorations. Meanwhile, their long-suffering wives endure the collateral damage.
“Northern Lights” is the kind of classic comedy that “The Guardian” rightfully called “warm and witty comedy drama.”
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
Jaimee Kuperman is a poet living and working in the Washington, D.C., area, and she shares with many of us the experience of preparing one’s self for a visit to the dentist.
Do you, too, give your teeth an especially thorough brushing before entering that waiting room?
The New Dentist
Driving to the new dentist’s office
the slow drive of a new place
with the McDonalds that I don’t go to
on the left, the mall two miles away.
The Courthouse and the Old Courthouse
road signs that break apart, the fork in the road
that looks nothing like a fork or a spoon, in fact
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