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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Linda Drake
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Start the New Year fiddling around at the Ely Stage Stop.
The Old Time Fiddlers Association continues its monthly First Sunday Fiddlers’ Jam sessions hosted by the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum on Sunday, Jan. 4.
Fiddlers will meet in the Ely barn to perform their wonderful Americana music.
Donations benefit both the Ely Stage Stop, helping to fund a blacksmith shop that volunteers will soon be building, and the Old Time Fiddlers Association, who uses it to partially fund their scholarship programs.
The fun begins at the museum at 11 a.m.
Enjoy the old-timey holiday decorations still on display in the house and in the barn. Take this opportunity to purchase selected pieces of French beading/bead weaving on display from Ellen’s Beaded Designs.
Musicians will play from noon through 2 p.m.
There will be raffles and information about an upcoming contra dance planned for early spring.
This is a free, family friendly event for all to enjoy, so bring young and old alike.
Enjoy the music with hot beverages and tasty treats. Bring your own wine and sip it in Ely Stage Stop wine glasses that will be available for purchase. Clap your hands, tap your toes or get up and dance.
The stage stop is located at 9921 Soda Bay Road (Highway 281) in Kelseyville (near Clear Lake Riviera, just north of Highway 29-Kit's Corner).
Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
Fiddlers’ Jams occur the first Sunday of every month.
Visit www.elystagestop.com or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.
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- Written by: Ted Kooser
We are never without our insect companions, even in winter, and here’s one who has the run of the house.
Roger Pfingston lives in Indiana.
December
Lodged tight for days
in a corner of the wall,
ladybug can’t resist the tree,
crawling now over cold
light, ceramic fruits,
tinsel lamb and sleigh.
Flies out of the tree
to try rum cake on a
plate of caroling cherubs.
Ends up on her back,
wings flared, silly girl
spinning over the kitchen floor.
Later, between the blinds,
tiny bump of silhouette:
a stillness against the falling snow.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2013 by Roger Pfingston and reprinted from Poetry East, Nos. 80 & 81, Fall 2013. Roger Pfingston’s most recent book of poems is A Day Marked for Telling, Finishing Line Pr., 2011. Poem reprinted by permission of Roger Pfingston and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2014 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.
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- Written by: Tim Riley
The holiday season brings more films than usual, and not one of them, as far as I can tell, has anything to do with Christmas.
For the seasonal spirit, one needs to reconnect with “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or even “The Christmas Story.”
Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” which is rated PG-13, is the last leg of the trilogy of film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece. It appears that filmmaker Jackson wants to go out with a big bang, and he succeeds.
More than the previous chapters, this concluding segment is certainly explosive in terms of violent battles.
“The Battle of the Five Armies,” which follows upon the conclusion of “The Desolation of Smaug,” adheres faithfully to the premise of its title.
During the fiery opening sequence, the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town are attacked mercilessly by the terrifying Dragon, Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), as he breathes fire upon the village, laying waste to everything in his wake, even though Bard (Luke Evans) proves heroic.
Seeking refuge at the Lonely Mountain, the Lake-town refugees find that the King Under the Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), has succumbed to what Tolkien called the “dragon-sickness,” a condition of greed that causes Thorin to hoard his vast resources of gold and other treasures.
Thorin and the Dwarves of Erebor must now face the consequences of desperate people fleeing their homeland.
Worse still is that Sauron, the Dark Lord (he’s the really ugly one), has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain.
Our Hobbit hero Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is flustered that he can’t get Thorin to see reason. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends as five great armies go to war. Even the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) is helpless.
For the nonbelievers, “The Battle of the Five Armies” might be the best of the trilogy for the relentless action scenes.
The Tolkien faithful at least get the end of the continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings.”
Family entertainment is comfortably obtained with “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” rated PG and the third and final installment of the comedy series about a night watchman at New York’s Museum of Natural History who deals with exhibits that come alive after sundown.
Ben Stiller’s Larry is still working the night shift at the museum, but trouble looms when a big gala dinner event turns to disaster and the museum director (Ricky Gervais) loses his job.
But even bigger trouble is afoot when Larry discovers that the deterioration of an ancient Egyptian tablet puts all the exhibits into jeopardy.
This is also the last film for Robin Williams, reprising his role of the wax figure of Teddy Roosevelt, who as a result of short-circuiting from the malfunctioning tablet starts quoting other former presidents, even those succeeding him.
The fate of the New York museum wax figures appears to rest with another exhibit at the British Museum in London.
So Larry packs up his crew, including the roughrider chief executive; Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan as the miniature cowboy and Roman soldier, respectively; Attila the Hun; and the Capuchin monkey, and they head for England.
Once inside the British Museum, after Larry convinces the bored night guard (Rebel Wilson) to open the gates, the hunt is on for Ben Kingsley’s Egyptian pharaoh, who may possess the key to reversing the tablet’s disintegration.
Naturally, new mayhem is unleashed, especially from less than cuddly animals.
The most amusing new wax figure is Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens), who once animated becomes obsessed with finding Guinevere.
His opportunity comes when he storms the stage of a West End theatre showing a production of “Camelot,” starring Hugh Jackman and Alice Eve.
Let’s just say that he’s very insistent in his claim to the stage version of Guinevere and wants to slay Hugh Jackman’s King Arthur.
“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” is familiar turf, though Stiller adds a new dimension to the comedy by also playing a Neanderthal who proves irresistible to Rebel Wilson’s security guard.
The third installment lacks any pretense; it’s just simple fun and amusing entertainment.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Editor
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The ever-popular LC Diamonds play at the Soper Reese Theatre New Year’s Eve party on Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Dance the night away to vintage rock n' roll, rockabilly with a British Twang, soulful blues and surf tunes by these talented Lake County stars.
Ticket price includes savory appetizers, refreshing beverages and a glass of champagne to ring in the new year.
Doors open at 8 p.m.
All seats are reserved. Tickets are $40 loge; $50 for a single ticket at a table and $250 for a table for four.
Table seating is limited. Early reservations are recommended.
Tickets are available online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com ; at the Theatre Box Office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport on Fridays 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; or at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
