Newcastle author pens children’s book after bout with heart failure
May 15, 2012
Carolyn Banguero (right), Newcastle resident and ‘Paolo’s Adventures’ author, signs a book for a fan at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. Contributed
Newcastle resident Carolyn Banguero had just been flown halfway across the United States in a small medical plane to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio after being diagnosed with heart failure — the same hospital where her father had died with the same condition 25 years before.
That was a Wednesday.
She was to be hooked up to an IV with medication, a breathing tube and a medical device that would force her heart to pump.
“It was freaky,” she said. “I had never even broken a bone.”
By Monday, the Federal Way School District teacher was told by doctors to be ready to receive a heart transplant because her heart was only doing about 6 percent of the work it should be doing.
She was only 31.
Student can submit artwork, essays for 1962 World’s Fair celebration
May 15, 2012
Budding Washington student artists and visionaries have the opportunity to showcase their talents at an exhibit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.
Seattle Center and the League of Education Voters are asking Washington’s K-12 students to think about what the classroom of the future will look like. In 50 years, what technology will be used? What are students learning? What will the classroom/learning environment be like?
The deadline to submit a short intent form to participate in Seattle Center’s Classroom of the Future Exhibition has been extended to May 21. The letter of intent is just a short form letting Seattle Center know a project will be submitted. The deadline to turn in the project is June 1. Submissions can be in a variety of forms, including essays, poetry, videos, slideshows or 3D models.
Students can submit their work individually or as part of a team. Selected artists will be showcased at an exhibition in August at the Seattle Center.
Professionals in the fields of education, technology, architecture, art and design will curate the submissions to present common themes apparent in the participants’ visions of future learning environments.
Go to www.educationvoters.org/seattlecenter for information about the letter of intent and exhibition rules.
Kiwanis Club of Issaquah hosts Titanic expert
May 15, 2012
Don Lynch, a historian considered among the foremost Titanic experts on the planet, descended to the wreck in August and September 2001. The noted author is due in Issaquah next month to discuss the Titanic for a Kiwanis Club of Issaquah fundraiser.
The event is June 16 at the First Stage Theatre, 120 Front St. N. Call 392-3598 or 392-4016, or go to www.issaquah.kiwanis.org.
The ticket pricing is arranged similar to the passenger classes on the Titanic — $55 for first class, $40 for second class and $25 for steerage. The first-class “passengers” can attend a meet-and-greet session with Lynch, receive a complimentary glass of wine or beer, and take home a souvenir from the event.
Lynch also served as a consultant on director James Cameron’s 1997 film about the doomed ocean liner.
April 15 marked 100 years since the Titanic tragedy unfolded about 400 miles from Newfoundland.
Even a century after the Titanic departed the surface, the disaster — 1,514 passengers and crewmembers perished in the sinking — continues to capture imaginations. Only about 700 people survived the catastrophe.
Art sought for Salmon Days Festival promotions
May 15, 2012
The Salmon Days Festivals Office is accepting admissions of art for use for various 2012 special/limited edition print, promotions and festival gear.
Subject matter includes Northwest salmon, the salmon lifecycle, the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, local or regional scenery, and the festival itself. This year’s theme is “Thrills & Gills.”
All styles and media of art are welcome, but must be suitable for high-quality reproduction. Submissions must be original, completed artwork not previously used in any commercial reproduction.
Artwork will be selected based on appropriateness and suitability to the Festival Offices 2012 retail and promotional needs and any/all selected art will be compensated directly to the artist by the Festivals Office based upon use and agreement.
Digital submissions must be received no later than 5 p.m. June 15. Email digital art, photos and/or scans with a brief description to lwalker@salmondays.org. Learn more by emailing info@salmondays.org or go to www.salmondays.org.
Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on as ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ returns
May 8, 2012
Jukebox musical revives classic rock ‘n’ roll
The cast of the national tour of the jukebox musical ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ performs a song in the Tony Award-winning show. By Jeremy Daniel
“Million Dollar Quartet” is a multimillion-dollar phenomenon.
The rock ‘n’ roll musical about the “million dollar quartet” — Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis — collaborating for one night at the storefront Sun Records studio led to successful runs at Village Theatre in Issaquah and Everett, and then in Chicago, New York City and London.
The inaugural national tour of “Million Dollar Quartet” reaches the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on May 15 — a homecoming of sorts for a musical shaped a half-dozen years ago at Village Theatre.
The musical is based on a seminal jam session at the Sun Records studio in December 1956.
In the touring production, Christopher Ryan Grant plays rock ‘n’ roll impresario Sam Phillips, the Memphis mogul and Sun Records founder responsible for the “million dollar quartet.”
“You listen to these songs today and they seem simple, but maybe that’s part of the appeal,” Grant said in a phone interview from a stop in Costa Mesa, Calif. “There’s not a whole lot of messy production behind them that you get these days with synthesizers and canned beats.”
Musician’s album captures spirit of aloha, rides wave to award
May 8, 2012
Andy Nazzal (right) plays the keyboard during a Tiki Joe’s Ocean performance with special guest Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid, left, at the Bali Hai in San Diego. Contributed
There can be a hard, cold rain blowing outside, but the atmosphere is always as warm as a tropical breeze at a luau in the basement of Andy Nazzal’s Newcastle home.
With nearly 900 records and dozens of instruments surrounding him and his two young sons, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Nazzal — the winner of the 2011 Best Exotica Album at the 15th annual Hawaii Music Awards for his third album, titled “Under the Midnight Sun” — knows what it’s like to grow up in a music-rich environment.
“I grew up in a musical family,” he said. “My grandfather played drums in polka bands in Milwaukee. My mother played piano. My brother played the saxophone. My other brother played the drums. There was always music around.”
The family moved to the Seattle area from Milwaukee when Nazzal was 10. After beginning his musical roots with the piano at age 5, Nazzal picked up the guitar after hearing one of the most influential rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time — The Beatles.
He went on to form and play in several rock bands in the Seattle area throughout the years, but in 2000, Nazzal knew he was due for a change.
Popular film series pulls into Issaquah Train Depot
May 8, 2012
The popular Films @ the Train Depot! series includes Hollywood classics and stars from a bygone era.
Films play at 7 p.m. at the historic Issaquah Train Depot, 50 Rainier Blvd. N. The program is free, due to support from the city Arts Commission and the King County cultural agency 4Culture.
“Quicksand” starts the series May 12. In the 1950 film, auto mechanic Dan Brady (Mickey Rooney) meets a blonde temptress (Jeanne Cagney) and tries to impress her. But Brady gets into trouble as minor embezzlement escalates into more serious crime.
On June 9, audiences can see “My Man Godfrey” — a 1936 film about a high-society scavenger hunt gone awry. Socialite Irene Bullock (Carole Lombard) stumbles upon a vagabond named Godfrey (William Powell) and offers him a position as a butler. But the bum is, in fact, the heir of a well-to-do family.
“Bluebeard” concludes the series July 14. In the 1944 film, John Carradine stars as Gaston, a puppeteer — and a wanted serial killer. Gaston has high expectations for his models, and he strangles them if they fail to please him. Model Lucille (Jean Parker) vows to bring the monster to justice.
Musèo Art Academy fundraiser draws upon healing power of art
May 1, 2012
Muséo Art Academy teacher Beth Wetzel helps students (from left) Eli Massman, 6, Alli Dandeneau, 7, and Audrey Newbrey, 6, create their versions of George Rodrigue’s ‘Blue Dog.’ By Greg Farrar
Marci Knutsen has seen firsthand the importance of art programs in a child’s life, from her own to those who benefit from public programs.
That’s why the co-founder of Musèo Art Academy is pleased to host a benefit auction for Art With Heart on May 4.
After several years of putting her graphic-design degree to use as head of marketing, she left the workforce to raise her children.
“Being a stay at home mom with kids lasted about five minutes,” she said.
Her daughter, then 3 years old, was enrolled in art classes and really liked it. But when the instructor of the classes didn’t want to come to the plateau any more, Knutsen began offering her own classes. They started at The Plateau Club, but demand soon ballooned, so she opened her own business in Klahanie, Musèo Art Academy. She offers enrichment classes in drawing, painting and mixed media.
Enrollment continued to grow every year. She expanded programming over the years, offering on-site visits to schools for children and businesses for corporate team building.
But then the recession hit, creating a tough time for everyone.
“However, parents told me they were willing to sacrifice other things in their lives to keep their kids enrolled in art classes,” Knutsen said.
Springtime at Village Theatre brings ‘The Producers’
May 1, 2012
The blockbuster musical “The Producers” is poised to storm the Village Theatre stage soon.
The satire from legendary humorist Mel Brooks centers on the titular producers, Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, and a scheme to produce a surefire flop — a musical titled “Springtime for Hitler.”
“I just don’t think there’s a funnier musical out there,” actor Rich Gray, oily producer Bialystock in the upcoming production, said in a recent interview.
The mega-musical closes the 2011-12 season at Village Theatre. “The Producers” opens May 9.
“It’s this really funny, over-the-top, outrageous, offensive, tongue-in-cheek, farcical thing,” actor Brian Earp, timid Bloom in the show, said in a recent interview.
‘Shipwrecked’ Mariners author to appear at Costco
May 1, 2012
Seattle Mariners fans can dig deep into the team’s troubles in “Shipwrecked: A Peoples’ History of the Seattle Mariners” — author Jon Wells’ account.
The author is scheduled to appear at Costco, 1801 10th Ave. N.W., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 5 to sign the book. Fans can meet the author and discuss the book and Mariners baseball.
Wells accuses team executives of shortsightedness and stubbornness, even as results failed both fans and the team’s bottom line. Despite the challenges, Wells sees optimism ahead for the team.
“Despite the heroic efforts of many great players, the Seattle Mariners haven’t been to the World Series because their owners’ relentless passion for the bottom line has repeatedly undercut chances for success on the field,” a passage from the book reads.
Wells, a Seattle resident, is also the publisher of the independent Mariners’ game program The Grand Salami. Learn more about the program and “Shipwrecked” at www.grandsalami.net.
