Fun goes far beyond furs

Published on March 11th, 2010

By TAMMY JUDD

There was no shortage of fun things to do in Dillingham last week while the town celebrated its 52nd annual Beaver Round-Up. The round-up marks days of old when trappers would bring their furs to town to sell or trade. It was a time to relax and celebrate. Most events this year's festival started March 3, although a few were held earlier in the week.

On Wednesday last week the Beaver Round-Up parade meandered down the main streets of town while participants walking and some riding in vehicles threw candy to kids and adults on either side of the road. The wind would sometimes snatch the candy up and send it off in an unintended direction. Never mind that, the kids gathered the candy all the same.

That night was Dilly Capers, a community favorite that gives locals a chance to bring out their talents and perform for their friends and families. The Dillingham Elementary School gym was full when the show opened with the Dillingham High School Choir performed the national anthem and Alaska's flag song. Amber Boykin-Nelson and Maren Lind played two clarinet duets, one by Berr the other from Mozart.

Karen Dearlove, emcee and coordinator of the event, kept the evening rolling along by pulling Beaver button numbers between acts. The winners were told to collect the prize after the show.

Amber Boykin-Nelson performed a piano solo called "Purple Sunrise" by Robert Vandall; it was slow and melodic. She then gave piano accompaniment to Lizbeth Piazza and another girl who sang "Greensleeves."

Jack Davis sang and played "Mood Indigo" on guitar followed by a couple other bluesy tunes, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" and "Great Big Beautiful Eyes."

After about a 15-minute intermission, the show picked up with the guitar duo Samuel Wright and Geneva Hopson who performed "Hero of War" by Rise Against and "Outside" by Staind.

Sounding off

After their first song's vocals came across distorted, Dearlove came out and said she'd made an executive decision as a member of the Dillingham Arts Council that she was, that night, going to start a fundraiser toward a new sound system for the elementary school, which brought an immediate $20 donation from an audience member.

Clint Reigh conducted the drawing for the mushers who were participating in the Western Alaska Championship Sled Dog race by pulling their numbers from oldest to youngest. Each musher was given an opportunity to make a brief statement.

The Dilly Capers talent show came back with a Dillingham newcomer, Tran Smyth, who recited a Robert Service poem.

Brittany Nelson played a piano solo "Prelude in C" by Bach. After a few more button drawings, Monte Brice played guitar and sang several original songs, some funny and some sentimental ballads, such as one honoring fishermen who are dead and gone and another about missing someone who'd moved away.

Brian Venua performed a couple of songs on piano, including "Hall of the Mountain King."

Anthony Early-Krueger, also new to town, finger-picked a smooth, classical sounding guitar song that had a bit of Spanish sounds, and then he strummed and sang a song with an alternative rock feel.

Dearlove later told the audience that Early-Krueger is available to give music lessons on any instrument.

A last-minute addition to the program was Oscar Olson III, who had come back stage and asked to play, "in the entrepreneurial spirit of a musician," explained Dearlove.

Olson sang and played "Yellow" by Coldplay on a guitar borrowed from Monte Brice.

Tran Smyth came back to sing, this time accompanied on guitar by Brice. They played several traditional-sounding songs.

The Christian Youth Center provided concessions at Dilly Capers in a fundraising effort, and program director Nate Stauffer said they thought they'd raised about $800 for the center during the two-hour event.

Blizzard adjustment

A blowing blizzard that moved in that evening dumped and drifted snow causing a few events to be shuffled around including the start of the Western Alaska Championship Dog Sled race which began three hours later than scheduled while they remade the trail. Snowmachine kids races and some shooting competitions moved to other days as did the kids dog sled fun run.

In addition to cheering on mushers at the dog races, Beaver Round-Up aficionados could play such things as Round-Up Bingo, try to find the Mystery Beaver with clues from the radio station, go on a scavenger hunt, kids could do a sack race or go to a carnival, grownups could play 8-ball tournaments, Texas Hold 'em, and everyone had opportunity to enjoy some live music and dancing opportunities such as the Trapper's Ball and the community dance and all week trappers could bring their beaver pelts to be tagged and Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Beaver Round-Up results will be printed in next week's paper.