Category Archives: Events

BMSO “Mimes and Marvels” photos…hold onto your hat!

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After a lovely dinner at The Walrus Restaurant this weekend, my wife and I took in a fantastic season finale at the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra. Naturally I’m biased because my favorite violinist plays with the BMSO, but Saturday night held a particular treat.

Performer Dan Kamin (dankamin.com) came to town last week to entertain children and adults alike, including his program “The Classical Clown” with the Symphony. The show itself is wonderfully assembled, and it was a real joy to experience firsthand!

In addition to a variety of music selections and a fun ride with the character of the Classical Clown, the evening took a very colorful tone. It ranged from dancing…

…to a menacing, mime-frightening drama, complete with a walls-closing-in routine…

…to some sweet lullaby relaxation. Mr. Kamin’s character led us through the ups and downs of the selections performed by the Symphony, giving a new context to many familiar favorites.

This is no ordinary clown, however; after a brief trip backstage, he returned with tuxedo and baton, ready to conduct the Symphony! And conduct he did…

…until our conductor, Dr. Beverly Everett, returned with a few tricks of her own! This is a challenging production in that the conductor needs to co-star and deliver a lot of dialogue. Dr. Everett performed brilliantly! She was captivating and a perfect partner for Mr. Kamin. The orchestra was able to get in on the act a few times, too, which I’m told was a real treat for them.

The “cherry on top” for the evening was a not-so-brief Q&A session with conductor and mime, where a bunch of us were allowed to ask questions to our hearts’ content and hear Mr. Kamin describe his craft.

The show’s star performers graciously took questions from the group until almost 9:45! We got to hear Mr. Kamin talk about his experiences teaching Johnny Depp how to do magic and mime routines for movies such as Benny & Joon (which I loved), including a trick he used during the Pirates of the Caribbean. He also taught Robert Downey, Jr. the skills he needed to star in the movie, “Chaplin.”

What a personable fellow! You can tell that Mr. Kamin really enjoys his work. He talked a lot about the history of his craft, relating silent movie stars with mimes and other genres of performing without words. He taught a little boy how to do the “moon walk” and explained how, while popularized by Michael Jackson, the move was actually invented by Marcel Marceau.

Like I said, he hung out with us for quite a while! In addition to talking about the history of mime, he also expounded on my comment about relating comedic timing to music timing in his work. He talked about how he runs into different and similar conventions in humor when performing in different parts of the world, as well as what it was like to perform for a deaf audience.

The art of mime couldn’t ask for a better ambassador than Mr. Kamin. He said so many things I wish I could have written down. The one I was able to type into my phone, one of the best of the evening: “I look at Mime in the greatest sense, as in it’s what happens when you stop talking.” Well said. He compared the stereotypical “mime in white face” to the silent movie stars of old, Cirque du Soleil performers of today, and other styles that have existed for decades (if not longer).

Naturally I wanted to thank Dan Kamin in person for a brilliant show, his gracious gift of time to answer questions, and his warm personality. I think I blurted part of that out as I mentioned how I liked the scenes he brainstormed for the aforementioned movies. Then it was time for a quick photo and good-bye. Now it’s time to go out and rent Benny & Joon again…

(I hope these photos aren’t too grainy. I didn’t take my camera with me, instead relying on my wife’s little point-n-shoot model. It doesn’t perform in low light like an SLR, but I know how to extract the most from it when there’s no room for my big camera.)

Take Back Washington rally a 110% success

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I attended the Take Back Washington rally on Friday, and left energized despite spending the entire day on my feet (with a twenty pound camera pack) and on the move. I wasn’t the only one…several hundred North Dakotans joined me to take part in this synergy between the established Republican Party and the grass roots movement.

I’ve gone back and added a few things to these photos now that I’ve got the time, so check ’em out a little more closely:

“Thomas Paine” and Dakota Beacon publisher Steve Cates were among the friendly faces I found when I first arrived. If you don’t read the Beacon, you should. If you do read the Beacon, please subscribe. If you advertise your business or product, do it in the Beacon. “Thomas” is my friend Lynn, and I’m told that yes, those are rented socks.

Things started at 3pm with breakout sessions consisting of various panel discussions and Q&A opportunities. The topics ranged from family issues to energy to constitutional battles. This session was on taxation and government spending. Some of the sessions were in smaller rooms, others like this one in much larger ones. The only downside was that I couldn’t decide which one to sit in, and I wanted photos of all of them, so I did the best I could to pop in and out without being rude.

Each session had a microphone handy for those who had questions and/or comments for the presenters and panels. This was the family session, hosted by Tom Frier of the North Dakota Family Alliance. It’s also the only one I know of that closed in prayer. Amen!

My friend Rob was on the Constitution panel, and I didn’t even get to hear him! I was too busy running from place to place in search of cool photos. I allowed the organizers access to a bunch of my images to upload to their Flickr stream. This event is important because it can be used as a model for other states, and I want to contribute to that success.

I love this hat, belonging to a sweet little old lady who let me take her picture later on. I agree with the “Draft Ed” button, but now to draft him for a return as North Dakota governor! She waited patiently in her wheelchair for me to take her photo, giving me a little background about the history of many of those buttons on her hat.

Speaking of Governor Ed, he was on a panel with political expert Grover Norquist. I was able to meet Grover at a luncheon earlier in the day and get an autographed copy of his new book, too! Someone later remarked that no matter where or when you meet him, Ed is always Ed…a man of character. I’d wholeheartedly agree. Whether it was helping him get a restored car started at McDonald’s or chatting about getting a new racetrack started outside his ExtendAmerica offices, he’s been the same friendly, genuine person each time our paths have crossed. Mr. Norquist was nothing like I expected him to be, and is another patient and friendly guy. I sure appreciate his sense of humor (as well as the free autographed book).

All the panels were very well attended. I managed to listen in from place to place and really wish I could have been everywhere at once! It was impossible to pick one discussion I wanted to attend. It was hard to find a seat in most of them. I stayed near the back and listened while taking my pictures, moving from place to place.

I lucked into a VIP pass for a chance to meet the keynote speaker, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, and a seat right up toward the front. I’ve never been pranked by a US Congressperson before (aside from the daily backstabbing we North Dakotans get from Earl Pomeroy)! Nice to see she has a sense of humor 🙂 I didn’t really use my seat up front much, though, since I was roaming around with my camera as usual. The first picture we took was serious. I was about to leave when she pulled me back and said, “one more!” This was the result.

Then it was time for the rally to start. As you can see, it was a wildly successful event. There were several hundred attendees and the atmosphere was one of excitement and enthusiasm. Even with my blue VIP ticket, I was lucky to find a place to sit in the section they had reserved for us up front. That’s okay…I was only in it for five or ten minutes before roaming around the room with my camera once more.

The evening was MC’ed by the Chairman of the Common Sense Club, radio personality and event supporter Scott Hennen. I think he coordinated the effort to provide live web streams of the event as well. I keep a link to his radio station, AM 1100 “The Flag,” on the right hand side of this site. You can hear his show locally here in Bismarck-Mandan on News Talk 1270 AM.

Gary Emineth, GOP Chairman, deserves credit for coming up with this idea. I’ve only wanted to get involved in politics in the past year or so, and from the start Gary and other members of the party have enthusiastically reached out to me and others like me who want to make a difference. Republican party organizations in other states had better take note of what happened here tonight, because Gary’s idea was a sure-fire winner in my opinion.

Republican candidates for a variety of offices as well as party leaders took their places at a row of tables at the front of the room. They had no microphones. They were given no opportunity to respond or give a speech. They were there for one purpose Friday night: to listen. And listen they did. I have a really wide lens, but not wide enough to show you that Kevin Cramer was to the left of this shot. Make no mistake, he was there and listening.

Ross Ueckert started off the audience participation part of the rally. Ross is known for his effort to walk to Washington, DC and give our congressional delegation an earful. He made it all the way across North Dakota from Beach last year, and as far as Hastings, Minnesota. He suspended his walk (due to weather, I presume) and will resume on Flag Day. He isn’t going to stop until he gets there.
Ross’s stories of the people he’s met along the way are amazing. I got to chat it up with him at lunch earlier in the day. He proudly wears a bracelet bearing the name of a fallen ND soldier. The bracelet was given to him by a woman he encountered on his walk. Why, yes…he does have a website: www.ourgreatwalk.com.

Yes, I had my turn at the microphone after Ross. When I realized that I had something I wanted to say, I took a cue from a certain vice-presidential candidate and wrote the three points I wanted to mention on my hand. No teleprompters in this house! Naturally I was misquoted in the Tribune.

Then it was time for Congresswoman Bachmann to take the stage as keynote speaker. She was amazing to listen to, and appeals to people like me who value tradition, responsibility, and accountability in our government.

Michele (if I can presume to refer to her by first name…she’s such a charismatic person, it’s easy to think of her in a friendly way) was a superstar, even though Scott and others told the crowd that we’re the stars of the show this time. She was able to present some interesting information while being entertaining, endearing, and encouraging. Can you imagine her teamed up with Sarah Palin? Well, that’s going to happen down the road at a future rally, in Minnesota if I recall correctly.

Then the Johnny Holm Band took to the stage, with an impromptu parody song to the tune of “Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton. He was able to talk some of the evening’s more famous folks into singing along with the crowd, as someone had dashed to a photocopier and made a bunch of lyric sheets for the crowd. I’m told that FOX News took the live web feed when the crowd started singing, but at that point I was packing up my camera gear to rush home to my beautiful wife.

I say again, the entire event was an enormous success from start to finish. The most important thing I got from the event, and this is what I said when I had a turn at the microphone, is that we concerned North Dakotans should not be considered “Tea Party” or “Town Hall” people. We’re North Dakotans who are standing up for our nation, and we are with the Republican Party on the vast majority of issues. If we differ with the party on certain issues, let’s change that from inside! They’re reaching out to North Dakotans who have never been involved in politics before, saying, “Come on in!” Let’s take them up on it, giving strength and direction to the party, and start taking back our nation!

History starts in Bismarck this Friday

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Click the image to visit takebackwashington.net
Forces align this Friday, and you can attend for FREE at the Ramkota. Michele Bachman, conservative spokesperson and US Representative from Minnesota, will be one keynote speaker. The audience will be the other. There will be a public comment period as well as the rest of the festivities listed on the website at takebackwashington.net.

Conservatives involved with the grass roots “Tea Party” movement are aligning with the Republican Party, since we’ve got common ideas. Don’t like something about the GOP? Bring your voice! Change things from within and hold people accountable to the conservative ideals we hold dear.

According to the site home page, there’s a star studded lineup of supporting organizations, including:

The ND Republican Party
Citizens for Responsible Government
The North Dakota Family Alliance
Concerned Women of America
The North Dakota Farm Bureau
The North Dakota Taxpayers’ Association
The National Rifleman’s Association
Campaign for Responsible Health Reform

Hopefully this event is just the beginning of Take Back Washington rallies in all of President Obama’s “57 states!” Come on out, let your voice be heard, help build the momentum, and let’s bring about some real “change we can believe in.”

You can sign up for free at the Take Back Washington website. It starts at 3pm and runs throughout the afternoon and evening with different panels and speakers – the agenda is on the main page. Let’s make history and start taking this country back from the radicals trying to ruin it forever!

Mandan 4th of July events featured on Speed Channel, available on iTunes

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The folks at KTM Cycle Hutt in Mandan gave the community a treat by inviting Jason Britton of the Speed Channel program “Superbikes” to perform and hang out with the Cycle Hutt gang for July 4th last year. He and his friend Tony rode in the parade, gave multiple shows at Cycle Hutt, trained some local stunters, and took in everything Mandan has to offer on Independence Day. He even tried his hand at bull riding at the rodeo!

I was hired to follow and photograph the craziness, including riding on the parade float. It was an incredible blast, and I’m so grateful to Justin and Tammy for everything they did for me and the rest of the community that weekend. Now you can see how Jason and the Speed Channel crew enjoyed their time in Bismarck-Mandan!

The program is available on iTunes by clicking here or by searching for Super Bikes” in your iTunes browser. It’s $1.99 for the episode. Yeah, my ugly mug appears in there a little bit, but it’s still an entertaining episode.

I still have some image galleries online from the event:

July 3rd – training the locals
July 4th Parade – Two wheeled insanity hits Main Street
July 4th – The prime performance
July 5th – The aftermath

Night at the Museum — well, capitol, actually — Part Two

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If you watched any of the local news stations, you probably know that the ceremony held for the lighting of the capitol Christmas tree took place today. Now when you drive by the capitol at night you’ll see the big tree lit up in the windows of the Great Hall.

I couldn’t help but whip together a quick post akin to my first “Night at the Museum” type post from a while back. Here’s a shot of what the tree looks like at night when nobody’s around, from inside the Great Hall. It needs a Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack in there…the acoustics would be really cool!

Christmas is in full swing in my family. Both of our little boys are two years old now, which means they can actually understand what’s going on. That makes Christmas even more enjoyable! I love watching them in their excitement, and I love driving them around town to look at the lights. Taking them places to see and experience different things is one of my greatest joys in life. Yes, they did get to see the giant capitol tree tonight, too!

Signs of the season

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Yep, this was the weekend that rummage sale fanatics wait for. The Folkfest Parade kicked off the morning, the Pow Wow ran all weekend, and the rummage sales were going full blast through it all. I, of course, used it as a perfect opportunity to get as far away from any residential neighborhoods as possible! The rummage sale traffic is characterized by zoned-out gapers who think nothing of coming to a complete stop in the middle of a busy street. I’m not an angry driver, but these people try my patience. Therefore, my camera and I spent the weekend shooting photos in the periphery.

I did see this sign near downtown Bismarck. I thought it was kind of inventive, even if it wasn’t even remotely true. While it made me smile, it wasn’t nearly as outrageous as the first photo above, taken at a street corner in Mandan. Most of the signs posted thereon were unreadable because of the more recent arrivals! It summed up the weekend pretty well, that’s for sure.

I had such an amazing weekend with my camera, and you can expect the results of my adventures to trickle in from day to day. Stay tuned!

Capitol A’fair and a new perspective on a familiar subject

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We visited the Capitol A’fair this weekend for some sunshine, kettlecorn, and frisbee in the grass this Saturday. My two year old is getting pretty good with a frisbee! He also found some other little kids to play with. It seemed there were fewer participants on the exhibitor side of things, but there were plenty of visitors enjoying the day.

I took some photos of my family on the front steps, then saw this angle on the building after following one of my boys to the top of the steps. As many times as I’ve photographed the capitol building, I don’t think I’ve ever tried this one! I guess there’s always a new perspective available.

I also managed to spend ten hours on the road this weekend, go underground into a Minuteman missile launch control facility down in South Dakota, visit the emergency room back here at home, and spend Sunday sedated. There’s never a dull moment around here, it seems…

Minot Air Force Base hosts Northern Neighbors Day 2009

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I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the Minot Air Force Base’s “Northern Neighbors Day” this weekend. I believe this show runs every two years, but it’s been a while since I’ve been able to make it to one. I have been looking forward to this day for two years, and I was not disappointed. Boy, did I take a lot of pictures. Here are a few…and there’s a link to a gallery of more at the bottom of this post.

Starting with the star of the show, the B-52 Stratofortress.

Check out the riflings on the barrel of this A-10’s 30mm gun! That’ll get those depleted uranium shells spinning.

Of course, there were plenty of aerobatic demonstrations.

How’s that for a ribbon cutting ceremony?

Various planes and helicopters were available for people to inspect, including a peek into the cockpits of some such as the F-15 and F-16. Pilots were on hand to chat.

Don’t get any funny adventurous ideas. You’re still on a nuclear weapon facility. I need one of these for my property, at least the last line anyway.

Yes, attractive women DO fly deadly planes.

I’m sure I’d have even more photo opportunities if my truck did this.

If I couldn’t attach these to my motorcycle, I bet I could make a monster go-kart with them!

The Barack Obama fighter. Hopeâ„¢! Changeâ„¢!

As some of the Army’s “Golden Knights” parachute team spiral toward us, the Pietsch brothers circle in their stunt planes.

These jets can fire up at a moment’s notice. They have explosive charges on the engines that can be detonated to spin the turbines up instantly, negating the use of an APU. They can be airborne and ready to go make some mayhem in a matter of minutes. We got a demo.

Something you don’t see every day: an F-16 Fighting Falcon alongside a P-38 Lightning!

Something else you don’t see every day: a B-52 Stratofortress next to a B-25 Mitchell!

This was my first experience with the B2 Spirit stealth bomber. I came away from it very pleased. All radar invisibility aside, the thing is just darn near impossible to see or hear when it’s coming or going! Only when it flies by is it detectable, and then it’s too late. It’s quite BIG, too.

U2 flyby. No, not Bono…he only THINKS he can fly. I was stunned at just how loud this aircraft is, and it was a real hoot to see it peel off and head to 60,000 feet. I don’t think they’ve ever let on how high it can REALLY go. Space, pretty much.

Uniform-01, the missile training facility. It’s an exact replica of a Minuteman III silo and launch facility. Through a stroke of luck my friend Jerry and I got a personalized tour of this thing, with the better part of an hour to just have the instructor to ourselves and ask questions. This alone made the trip worthwhile. No, I was NOT allowed to take my camera with me when we went down the hole.

Beauty.

Amen, brutha. I know the pusillanimous, sissified PC crowd thinks that this statement is imperialist and overbearing…but it’s not. America has been the greatest stabilizing force in the world. It’s because of the folks serving here at Minot Air Force Base, and all over the world, that we enjoy peace. If there’s a war, they win it for us. If there’s peace, it’s because people are afraid to mess with them. They stand by our allies and defend our nation and its friends.

Want more pics? I took a TON of them. These were just some of my favorites. I took the opportunity to make an online gallery of the ones I like the best. You can find it by clicking here. I hope you enjoy. Thanks to the friendly (and I do mean FRIENDLY) folks at the Minot Air Force Base for all that they do and all their hard work and hospitality in making this Northern Neighbors Day one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life!

Friends & Neighbors Day at the NGPRL

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I took my family to the Friends and Neighbors Day at the NGPRL again this year, and we had a blast! We barely had time to take in a fraction of everything going on out at “the Lab” because of all the scheduled events. We did so much and had such a good time that my little boys (ages 1 and 2) went straight to snoozeville after their baths tonight. And there was plenty going on when we left after a couple of hours’ worth of adventure!

There were fun activities and toys for the kids. Coloring, face painting, free flying discs and other attractions. Plus there were my boys’ favorite…snacks!

The boys got their first school bus ride today, until we figured out that the bus tour was going to take two hours. We hopped off at the first stop and got a ride back to rejoin the rest of the festivities. Next time I’ll ask first…thankfully we didn’t inconvenience anybody. Oops!

This exhibit teaches kids what they might find if they burrowed under ground; roots, bugs, critters…and even a hole to poke one’s head out and see what’s going on above the surface!

While the big kids perused the presentations highlighting the work being performed at the facility, little kids like my PJ started honing their disc-throwing skills. Even at only two years old, I think he’s starting to show signs that he’s inherited Daddy’s “mad skillz” with a frisbee!

Of course, the highlight of any little boy’s day, other than the free swag, is going to be the big machinery available for climbing. When my boys are a little bit older, I’m going to take them for some tractor rides and Bobcat training. I have friends who have volunteered to let me use their machines, so the boys are already looking forward to it.

He looks right at home in a skidsteer, doesn’t he? It’s a good thing they take the keys out of these machines, because the kids thought they were better than a playground. My two boys were NOT the ones who couldn’t take their hands off the horn buttons.

My one year old was pretty sure that the hubs needed servicing on this tractor!

Thanks again to the folks out at the NGPRL for putting on an incredible event. I didn’t even get to talk about the free Cloverdale hot dogs and pop, or the evening BBQ with Chuck Suchy performing! Nor did I get a chance to talk about the various seminars about trees, gardens, lawn care, Garden JEOPARDY, or that kind of thing. There were horse-drawn wagon rides, exhibits, and dozens of friendly faces. I can’t do it all justice, other than to say that the folks at “the Lab” have continued a tradition of fun, hospitality, and education at this year’s event. Next year, when you see those signs around town, make sure you save the date and attend the next Friends and Neighbors Day!

July 4th 2009 in pictures

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My little two year old is learning early on to love his country, honor the soldiers who fight for him, and respect the flag he was given to wave. He took to it like second nature.

These kids are future marketing majors…taking a crappy job (pun intended) and branding it “Free Fertilizer.” They just need to find a way to charge a nominal handling fee.

Old car body in the bushes? Usually I burn time and gas looking for this kind of thing, but today someone was nice enough to bring it to my camera on a trailer.

Two of the coolest seats in the house, today. Talk about a fun point of view! That haircut reminds me of my mohawk, only mine was nineteen inches long. Seriously. I have pictures.

He assures me he bagged all those deer himself. This was by far one of the most creative displays this year, so I salute his effort.

Later it was time to attend the Bis-Man Symphony playing at the capitol. A friend’s daughter plays in the Symphony, so I got some pictures for them…then it was time for the fireworks. A friend and I arrived early to play some intense frisbee on the lower part of the capitol mall, then hoofed it up to the top with our cooler full of Dew.

I tried a different approach this time around for capturing the fireworks, and for many of the shots it worked perfectly. For others it didn’t turn out so well, with the intensity of the fireworks overpowering the camera sensor. I still prefer the look to that of past attempts.

The night that the “4th” was put in the windows, I actually go to spend some time with the man who walks around and pulls the window shades to make it happen. He also turns on the correct office lights to make sure that the “4th” shows up properly. He has a map of the front face of the capitol with the windows he needs highlighted. It’s really cool! When he does the Christmas windows, I may ask to tag along and write a short feature about him.

Happy Independence Day! I was able to capture what I wanted with the camera but otherwise left it behind. I got family time in, motorcycle riding, frisbee, the Symphony, fireworks, tacos, and much more crammed into this single day. Friday our office grilled at noon and then shut down for the day, so I was able to attend Art in the Park as well with my family. I then took one of the little boys to the capitol to look out the windows up top, then to the glass elevator in the Logan Building, and some other local attractions. We got a LOT out of this weekend…I hope you did, too.