Author: Rich McClear

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Radio Days Europe, Dublin, 2014

Rich McClear

How could it have been better?  Radio Days Europe are over.  These three days are working themselves into being one of those annual celebrations that mark my calendar, in a way like the Winnipeg Folk Festival or the Sitka Festival.  It’s a celebration of many things I hold close; radio, free press, good journalism, storytelling, meeting friends and, this year, Ireland. A celebration it was, but with a sober start.  We all stood for a minute to honor the 200 journalists killed in the line of work since the last Radio Days.  Twenty seven of them have died in the … Continue reading Radio Days Europe, Dublin, 2014

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Sitka Wearable Art Show

Rich McClear

The Sitka Wearable Art show was a fantastic community event.  Artists designed clothing made from discarded or unused stuff found around the house.  Some of the costumes were made from empty beer and pop cans, there was a chain mail suit made of pop can pop tops, a suite made of old Kodachrome slides, plastic packing material, magnetic recording tape, spare napkins, cloth remnants, kids’ art taken from the fridge, old movie tickets, orange bait bags, old tire tubes, plastic cutlery, beer bottle tops, tire inner tubes, taco shells, money, unused neckties, and clothes pins. Some of the costumes were … Continue reading Sitka Wearable Art Show

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A Letter to the Editor

Rich McClear

Letter to the editor, To the Editor, Fifteen years ago I led a project to train Roma journalists in Slovakia.  My students were honest and hardworking, but a stereotype followed them, limiting their opportunities.  The Roma are an ethnic group commonly called Gypsies.  My students were constantly confronted with discrimination based on the stereotype “thieving Gypsy.”  At the end of a day’s training, we wanted to have a dinner at a local restaurant, but my students were refused entrance.  After the training, I had trouble placing my qualified students as interns because of the fear that they would steal. It … Continue reading A Letter to the Editor

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Iditarod ! Can Spring be far off?

Rich McClear

When Alaska sled dog racers boot up they are not starting up a computer.  They are putting protective booties on their dogs to protect their feet.  This week is the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.  The actual race starts in Willow, but on the first Saturday of March the ceremonial start of the race takes over Anchorage’s 4th Avenue amid ceremony and celebration.  IditaRiders win auction bids to ride in the basket of a sled for the first 11 miles of the trail with a musher.  The auction helps support the race. The first 11 miles don’t count … Continue reading Iditarod ! Can Spring be far off?

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Rondy Snow Sculptures, 2014

Rich McClear

In January it is ice carving, February it’s snow sculptures.  The Fur Rondy snow carving competition starts with huge blocks of concrete colored snow.  As the sculptors work the snow seems to become whiter, although the emerging sunlight may help.  My favorite was “Arctic Bowling” although I rather like the homey cabin.  Minions seemed a favorite among some of the folks.  KNBA has a radio, when you go around back you see tubes.  More than one kid asked his parent “what are those things?”  They all knew what the London Police Call Box meant. Continue reading Rondy Snow Sculptures, 2014

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They Put the Fur into Fur Rondy.

Rich McClear

The Anchorage Fur Rendezvous (Rondy) is a festival designed to drive PETA mad.  There is the running of the reindeer, safer than running with the bulls. There are horse drawn carriages.  They’re bad, just ask New York’s new mayor.  There is a fur auction, “Where it all began” according to the banner over the auction stage.  Trappers, many of them kids, have their caches auctioned off.  A red tagged fur was trapped by someone under 15 earning pocket money or funds for school.  Along the street you can buy fur items, hats, coats, stoles, or pelts. The streets are lined … Continue reading They Put the Fur into Fur Rondy.

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Anchorage Fur Rondy Sled Dog Races.

Rich McClear

Suzi and I started going to sled dog races in the early ‘70s when we covered the All American Champion Sled Dog Race in Ely, MN for NPR.  Alaska’s George Attla, the Husila Hustler, finished second.  Other sprint race greats like Dr. Roland Lombard from Massachusetts met in Ely for that race.  In the late ‘70s we covered the Northern Minnesota sled dog circuit for KAXE and I actually got to run George Hewitt’s team in a short race.  But everyone in Minnesota tipped their hats to the granddaddy of all sprint races, the North American Championship Race, at the … Continue reading Anchorage Fur Rondy Sled Dog Races.

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Two Mornings On Jamestown Bay

Rich McClear

Saturday night we had a power failure.  Snow brought down a tree onto a power line between Blue Lake and Green Lake.  Suzi had just pulled dinner out of the over so we had a candle light dinner.  And just in case the power didn’t come back we ate all the ice cream. The view of the snow along Jamestown on Sunday Morning made the power outage worth it.  (Although I am sure the Sitka Electrical Department may disagree.)  This morning we had a beautiful moon set over Jamestown Bay and Mt. Edgecumbe after another night of fresh snow.  By … Continue reading Two Mornings On Jamestown Bay

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Chinese Lantern Festival, Sitka Style

Rich McClear

This is the first full moon of the Chinese New Year, the year of the Horse.  That means it’s the Lantern festival.  Sitka celebrated in style with a parade down Lincoln Street.  The Dragon Dancers formed up under the totem pole and danced past the Russian Orthodox Church.  The Celebration included performances by groups like the Celtic Kittens dancers.  Hank, our local bluesman, learned a song in Chinese and sang it.  Mt. Edgecumbe High School had its own dragon dance and students in the Chinese language program sang Chinese songs.   A Mt. Edgecumbe student in a kilt sang Auld Lange … Continue reading Chinese Lantern Festival, Sitka Style

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Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi

Rich McClear

I’m back in Sitka now but on my last Saturday in Tbilisi I went to my favorite gallery to look at some gorgeous textile art on UN Circle (Known locally as Round Square) and walked back to the hotel for a couple of miles, mostly along Rustaveli Avenue.  It was a clear, cold day and I took some pictures.  The Cafe Elvis is in the Philharmonic Hall, I like that.   At the end of Rustaveli is Freedom Square with the column with a gold St. George slaying the dragon on top.  The Art Nouveau bank building is around the … Continue reading Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi

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Tbilisi Through My Window

Rich McClear

IREX is kind enough to put me up at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel on Freedom Square.  The front rooms have a wonderful view.   I get to watch the traffic circling around and around the monument in an automotive ballet of near misses and skillful maneuvers.   The monument had the cable skeleton of a Christmas Tree.  The lights were gone but the ice frosted the cables so they formed a delicate spiderweb around St. George’s column.  I got to watch the workers climb on that latticework to take it down once the ice melted.  I was able to watch … Continue reading Tbilisi Through My Window