Out of the Town

Anchorage Bowl Arts & Entertainment

By Robin Rosemond
Turnagain Times Correspondent

Look out Alaska, The 75th Annual Fur Ronde is coming.

From Feb. 26 through March 5, Anchorage get's its groove on. I watched the Frostbite Footrace from my hotel room when I visited Anchorage in 2006. It was the silliest, sweetest, spectacle and it endeared me to Anchorage. The Rondy Grand Parade is a traditional family affair and it follows the Frostbite Footrace Saturday, Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m., and the Rondy Grand Parade begins at 10:30 a.m. at 5th & 6th Avenues Downtown.

If you actually want to participate in an event, you should make it the Third Annual Running of the Reindeer. You can still sign up, so get on it! You can choose to run with men, women, as a couple, or a group. This Fundraiser for ‘Toys For Tots' is Sunday, Feb. 28 4 p.m., 4th Avenue and ‘H' Street.

An interesting new edition to the ‘look' of Fur Ronde is the inaugural year of Rendezvous of Rondy Dogs. Rondy called on local artists to design fiberglass sprint dog molds in the spirit of Rondy. Some of the dogs will be displayed at sponsor locations, or the Egan Convention Center during Rondy, and then they will be auctioned off at the Miner's and Trapper's Charity Ball.

Participating artists and sponsors are: Juno, Alaska Mint, Village Inn, Rodeway Inn, Cake Design Studios. Artists include; Misty Holler, Benjamin Evans, Joni Hamari, Lorri L. Davis, Rebecca Voris and Linda Lucky.

The Alaska Native Sports Association presents the “All Alaska Native Basketball Classic”. It's an all day event on Friday February 26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. The Basketball Classic will be held at The Fairview Recreation Center 1121 East 10th Avenue, 343-4130.

This year's Jim Beam Jam will feature Chili Factor with John Tracy. Come and enjoy the latest in the world of mixed drink concoctions. Friday, Feb. 26 at 9 p.m. at the Egan Center 555 West 5th Ave., 263-2800.

An upcoming event that speaks to me is The Ahn Trio on Friday, March 5 at the Atwood Concert Hall. These amazing sisters were born in Seoul, Korea and educated at the Juilliard in New York City. They are famous for redefining the art and architecture of chamber music. The trio's latest CD, “Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac”, is a showcase of this vibrant and original music, which made No. 8 on the Billboard Charts for 26 weeks in the Classical album category. Friday, March 5, 7:30 p.m. at the Atwood Concert Hall 621 West 6th Avenue.

For Star Wars fans, the Anchorage Museum has a special exhibit with authentic costumes and models from the Star Wars movies. The exhibit opened Feb. 10. It's quite a sight to see Darth Vadar standing in ominously in front of you. The exhibit continues to April 25. It's an extra $10 per ticket to see the exhibit, but well worth it if you're a Star Wars fan.

My restaurant pick of the week is Juno, located on the ground floor of the Crowne Plaza Anchorage Midtown. A friend joined me for dinner on a Friday night.

When we arrived, the bar was empty, but it felt comfortable. The bartender Mike was funny and attentive.

We struck a discussion with a couple of lady's at the bar as I took photos, and discussed the modern décor of the bar and dining area, the flat-screened televisions, and the fine points of the locally produced Permafrost Vodka.

We made ourselves at home by ordering drinks and deciding to dine at the bar. We chose the Prime Rib Buffet, but you can also order off of the menu, which offers casual bar fare like Sliders', Wings and Ribs.

The Prime Rib was decent, the side dishes respectable. I enjoyed the green salad with romaine lettuce that was perfectly fresh.

Juno will be sporting one of the fiberglass Rondy Dogs I mentioned earlier in the column, so drive on over to Juno and say, “Hey” to Mike the Bartender and order a Permafrost Martini with an olive and an onion.

Crowne Plaza Hotel 
Anchorage-Midtown 109 W. International Airport Road Front Desk: 433-4100.

Write to me: rosebud61155@mac.com or check out my blog at www.rosemondpost.com.