2011 Eagle River Bear Paw 5k and Parade (Carl Auer)

Photos from this years 5k race and parade at the Eagle River Bear Paw festival in Eagle River, Alaska are up in the Bear Paw 5k and Parade Gallery

2011 Eagle River Bear Paw 5k and Parade (Carl Auer)

I have lived in Alaska 7 year this go around.  Before moving to Eagle River in 2003, I lived in the Seattle area (North Seattle and Edmonds) for almost 20 years.  Before that 3 years in Valdez, and 6 years in Fairbanks.  My first 9 years in Alaska, when Christmas came around, my family was all into the go out for Christmas events stuff.  Going to local churches (mainly the ones my dad was the pastor at), schools, peoples houses for various musical performances, tree lightings, Santa, and parties.  I remember some years it seemed like every night during the holidays something was going on.  I especially remember the Messiah performances in Valdez.  After moving back to Alaska and living here in Eagle River for 7 years, I have been to two or three Messiah performances in Anchorage (the last directed by my sister, the previous ones she sang in), I have been to the Anchorage tree lighting once, been to Girdwood during the holidays for their festivals at least once, but I never went to a Eagle River Christmas event.  I knew about the Merry Merchant Munch… well, I knew it took place, but I did not really know what it was.  So, on Friday night I decided to grab my cameras and head into downtown Eagle River to see what the Merry Merchant Munch was.  I know what I saw was just a little part of it, but it surprised me.  I had no idea it would be so fun and so disturbing at the same time.

The fun part was everyone was in the holiday mood.  Kids from the local elementary schools were singing carols, people were really in the Christmas spirit, local businesses had stands set up with hot cocoa, hot apple cider, coffee, all waiting in anticipation of Santa Claus and his reindeer showing up and the lighting of the town center Christmas Tree.

And then the disturbing part.  Santa showed up.  It was pretty amazing at first.  People swarmed over to one side of the park when local representatives of the Eagle River Rotary Club and their families carried torches as they escorted Santa and his reindeer into what was going to instantly turn into total chaos.

People started crowding around Santa’s sled, before it stopped moving.  I saw kids being dragged by their parents and thrown onto Santa’s lap, people pushing in to get a photo of Santa, whether their kid was on his lap or not.  The photo above of Santa, and the next two I used a slow shutter speed and dragged the flash to give a feeling of the constant movement going on around Santa and his reindeer.

Some of the kids were smiling at Santa, some were screaming, I actually felt claustrophobic as I waded in to the crowd to grab a couple shots.  I decided that as long as Santa is mobbed, I will get some nice shots of his sleigh pullers.  They should not be as mobbed as St. Nick.  This is where I was heartbroken.  Not for myself, but for the poor reindeer.  Now let me first say, I am a strong believer in PETA (People Eat Tasty Animals, right), I am all for hunting for food, and I do not like teasing animals, domestic or wild.  But I saw kids all but hanging on antlers, mobs of hands reaching out to pet the reindeer, a couple kids almost being speared by an antler or two, parents shoving kids in front of a body part of one of the animals to get a snapshot.  It was out of control.  

Trying to get a clean shot without someone just standing in front of me was nearly impossible.  But once I got a couple shots, I decided to call it a night.  Hot apple cider was not keeping me warm anymore.  I was not in a real Christmassy mood any more, and my toes were cold.  So I left.

Will I go back?  You bet.  I had a lot of fun before Santa arrived.  It is a lul for me between high school football and basketball, and I saw a lot of parents and kids that I know from shooting high school sports, so it gave me a chance to chat with them, there really was a holiday feeling in the air, and if there is a chance of me getting a shot of a reindeer revolt, I will be there.

West High have recently been renovating their auditorium and the work is almost complete. The renovations have helped to make it a much nicer venue for not only school plays, but community events like the Messiah performance. However, I discovered one thing that will drive photographers crazy. It appears that each light on stage have different gels on them. This is fine for viewing a performance, but for photography, not so much. On the edges of the stage I saw a variety of different colors in my images, mainly reds, but some blues and greens mixed in. Now, where these different colored lights came together, the look was fantastic. It will probably be ok for photographing plays, but when you have almost 200 people (community chorus, soloists and an orchestra) taking up the entire stage, ugh, no two pictures side by side had the same look I wanted. But that was my problem. The singers, the musicians, and the audience did not have to worry about my issues, and they all seemed to enjoy the performance.

I have photographed the chorus before, but this time was special for me. My sister, who started college when I first moved to Alaska (before I started kindergarten), was this years conductor.

To view all the images from the Messiah performance or to buy copies, please visit the 2010 Messiah Gallery

And I predicted it.  But I did not know for sure until the final pitch thrown in the 2010 MLB World Series.  The World Series?  What does baseball have to do with a senate race?  What do the San Francisco Giants have to do with an Alaskan senator?  Well, more than you know.  The San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers in the fall classic to win their first World Series in San Francisco.  The last time the Giants won the World Series they were the New York Giants and they beat the Cleveland Indians.  The year was 1954.  56 years ago.  56 years ago the late Strom Thurmond won a write in election for US Senate in South Carolina.  No one else has ever mounted a successful write in campaign for US Senate since then, until Lisa Murkowski beat the Sarah Palin backed, Tea Party candidate, Joe Miller.

The photos here are of Senator Murkowski as she campaigned during the Eagle River Bear Paw parade in July of 2010.

***UPDATE***

It was confirmed today that former Alaskan Senator, Theodore “Ted” Stevens did die in the crash this morning.  He was 86 years old.  These images are available for media use from Zuma Press.

Garrett Balen signs a letter of intent to Western Oregon University to play baseball for the 2011 season.

Garrett Balen, senior catcher/pitcher for the Chugiak Mustangs signed his NCAA Letter of Intent to play baseball for the Western Oregon Wolves next year.  The signing took place in his parents home in Eagle River, Alaska on Sunday, May 30th, 2010.  Balen will stay in Alaska during the summer and continue playing baseball with the Chugiak Mustang American Legion team.

Garrett Balen signs to play college baseball with the Western Oregon Wolves next season.

Balen will not be the only Alaskan participating in athletics at Westen Oregon.  Justin Ore from Diamond High School, Tanner Grover from Palmer, Mike Petrovich from South Anchorage, and Max Harvey from Eagle River High are on the football team (Harvey was injured last season but says he is ready to go this season), Amber Walker, from Juneau Douglas is with the Volleyball team and fellow Mustang graduate Lorrie Clifford from Chugiak High will be a sophomore on the Women’s Basketball Team.

Balen will be playing catcher for the Wolves, and with both catchers this season being seniors, he will be sliding into one of their spots on the roster.

And yes, Garrett is the son of my sister, making him my nephew.

One of the many graves at the Ft. Richardson National Cemetery

On the last Monday of May, throughout the United States, people gather at their local National Cemeteries to remember those who have given their lives in protecting the people of the United States, their allies, and those unable to defend themselves.  People of all backgrounds, active and retired military, their families, friends, politicians, foreign dignitaries, and more gathered at the Fort Richardson, Alaska National Cemetery on Monday, May 31st in recognition of Memorial Day 2010.  Congressman Don Young of Alaska spoke, Alaska Senator Mark Begich delivered the Presidential Proclamation, and  Alaska Governor Sean Parnell delivered the State of Alaska Proclamation on a beautiful day in Alaska.

The above photo (actually 5 photos stitched together to make a panoramic shot) shows from left to right, Darius Horton, Brandon Metzel, Ben Kozak, Buron Bell, and Travis Ahlgren preparing to sign their letters of intent to play football in college in 2011.  This signing took place in the library at Eagle River High School on April 29th, 2010.

Ben Kozak signs his letter to Benedictine College, a NAIA college in Kansas.

Brandon Metzel signs his letter to play football for the Upper Iowa Peacocks, a NCAA Division II school.

Wide Receiver Darius Horton signs his letter to Valley City State University in North Dakota.

Buron Bell (r) and Travis Ahlgren sign their letters of intent to Mayville State University in Mayville, North Dakota.

It was an emotional signing for many of the parents, but the boys all signed a football and presented it to 1st year head football coach at Eagle River, Kenny Ray.

With the exception of Travis, I have shot these 4 guys through their entire high school careers, and it was nice to be able to close out their high school football careers with this letter signing. Who knows, maybe I will get another chance to shoot some of these guys as they take the college gridiron over the next 4 years.

To view more photos from the signing, please visit The Wolves Sign Their Letters Gallery