Incoming freshman share their expectations of the “college life” on move in day.
Category: Life & Arts
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Annie’s serves up excellence
Located on the 101 North headed out of Eureka, you can spot Annie’s Cambodian Cuisine nestled on the side of the road next to the Sizzlers. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but once you step inside your worries are lessened immensely.
Annie’s is family owned and a recent winner of North Coast Journal’s 2018 Best of Humboldt award for “Best Chinese Restaurant,” even though Cambodian is in the name of the restaurant.
Their menu is centered around Cambodian style cuisine but could be considered more of an Asian Fusion of Cambodian,Thai, and Vietnamese food. The interior has an old world ambiance and the art on the walls had a native look.
My friend Kim Coates and I arrived at 5 p.m. and were greeted by a friendly server. Just as we put in our orders for drinks the place began to fill up quickly with hungry looking customers.
For drinks we ordered the Jasmine tea ($1.50) and Avocado smoothie ($3.50). The tea was served hot and couldn’t have been smoother and I’m not usually a big tea fan. My friend mentioned I would “stay young and beautiful” if I drank it. Bottoms up!
The avocado smoothie was exactly how it sounds. In a tall smoothie glass filled to the rim is a green avo slushie with black boba and it tastes like pure avocado heaven. If you’re head over heels for avocado you should try this.
We ordered the pork spring rolls ($4.75) for an appetizer which was sauteed ground pork, lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, mint, cilantro, carrots and vermicelli noodles, rolled up in rice paper. Pretty basic but the veggies were fresh and deliciously crispy. I will have to try the highly recommended Annie’s cheese puffs on my next visit.
If you’re trying to warm your tum-tum make sure to try the chicken Tom Yum ($10.95). Served with a side of steamed white rice, Tom Yum is a delicious mushroom and tomato soup with lemongrass, lime leaves, and green onion, topped with fresh basil. It’s a perfect mix of tang and spice that hits your senses as soon as you lift the lid off the steaming hot bowl. The chicken was juicy and filled with flavor.
A different, yet pleasantly enjoyable dish was the pineapple fried rice ($9.95). I wasn’t sure if the mix would work but I would be put at ease as soon as the taste hit my tongue. The pineapple gives a feeling of authenticity and you could easily be eating a dish traveling in south east Asia.
The meal would not have been complete without trying the Khmer sticky rice ($4.95) for dessert. The steamed sweet rice is drizzled with a tasty coconut sauce and is served with fresh, perfectly ripened mango slices. These two delicacies together are a force to be reckoned with.
“Imagine having a stand at every corner selling this stuff for a dollar.” Coates said, “I got so fat living in Asia.”
I would recommend this restaurant to any hungry people out there looking for some place different. Just bring your appetite and make sure to share plates so you can try more of Annie’s delicious selections.
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In constant motion
Susan Connors knew no matter what her daughter Gabby decided to pursue, she would never give up.
“A lot of people don’t follow their dreams, they say I can’t do it or I can’t make it. She’s not like that,” Susan Connors said. “She tries her hardest to make sure it happens. She has a strong sense of self and a strong character.”
Gabby Connors, a 19-year-old dance major at Humboldt State University, is set to teach advanced ballet at North Coast Dance next fall.
Gabby Connors has spent 13 years of her life dancing, a talent she inherited from her grandmother.
While reflecting on her journey, the young dance major said dance is a never-ending journey.
“You have to keep working no matter what,” Gabby Connors said. “You can only advance so much in one day and then the next day you’re just off.”
Gabby began dancing when she was in the second grade after her best friend’s mother opened a dance studio.
“Dance is a very vulnerable artform,” Connors said. “You are asking your body to do crazy stuff, and you are asking your mind to let you release yourself and show those emotions and be vulnerable in front of strangers.”
Gabby said that in spite of compliments from others and all the years she has put into dancing, she does not always recognize her talent.
“I perceive it more as hard work than I do natural talent,” Connors said.
Susan never danced growing up and was surprised by Gabby’s ability to pick up dance so effortlessly.
Gabby has been dancing from the age of six, but said her path was never simple.
“It hasn’t always been easy choosing dance as what I want for my life,” Connors said. “It’s really difficult when the one thing that brings you the most fulfillment and peace is also the root of a lot of your self-doubt and criticism.”
It can be very difficult to manage the stress that comes with participating at such a high level in dance.
Susan said that while she does not know much about HSU, she does know that Gabby is trustworthy when it comes to making the right decisions for herself.
“Gabby is very independent so we didn’t have much of an input into where she would go,” Susan Connors said. “She was accepted into UC Irvine’s dance program, but they focused on pointe and she wanted to go with contemporary. I think Humboldt is a good fit for her.”
Regardless of where Gabby chose to attend college, Susan said that she knew she would thrive wherever she went.
“As long as she stays healthy, I think she could go very, very far,” Susan Conners said. “I am proud of her and glad that she followed her dreams.”
Gabby transferred to HSU with over two and a half years completed in credits because of her advanced placement classes, and is already expected to graduate in the fall of 2019. She felt that she had gotten everything she could out of her high school experience, and that it was time for her to move on and grow.
Connors said she moved from Washington to study dance at Humboldt State, not only because she loves the ocean and the trees, but also because of the smaller learning environment.
“One of the many perks about the dance program here is that we are a smaller school so it’s a smaller program, which means you get a lot more individual attention.” Connors said “[It] is important for any major, but is very important for dance.”
HSU Dance Program Lead, Linda Maxwell, is one of Gabby’s professors. Maxwell has been teaching at HSU for 12 years. Out of those 12 years, she said Gabby Connors stands out.
“Gabby is probably the most talented student that I’ve ever had at Humboldt State University in the 12 years that I have been here,” Maxwell said. “She never talks during class. She does everything full out, and she is very supportive for students that are not of her level.”
Maxwell said she remembers when a guest dance company traveled to HSU and taught a master class on HSU’s campus.
“She picked up every detail. A lot of students were struggling and she was able to do it full out,” Maxwell said. “She has that ability to pick up anything.”
For Gabby, dancing comes down to her ability to manage and transgress her emotions on the stage.
“Having danced so long, I have gotten very comfortable wearing all of my emotions very openly on my face at all times,” Connors said. “I am a very emotional person so dancing is very comfortable for me.”
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Drop the BEET
A simple vegan recipe to try this summer.
Ingredients
2 large beets
1 purple onion
5 cloves of garlic
2 bell peppers (whatever color, I used green)
Spinach
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds
Red pepper flakes to taste
Green onions, cilantro, and lime for aesthetic appeal (and taste!)
For the Sauce
¼ c soy sauce
¼ c coconut milk
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 cloves garlic
1 inch of ginger
Squeeze of sriracha
Squeeze of honey
Sprinkle of black pepper
Chef it up
Mince your garlic, slice onions and peppers. Peel and dice beets.
Pour 2-3 tbsp of sesame oil in a hot pan (coconut oil works well too)
Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and onions, then fry until onions start to get soft. Next, the diced beets go in the pan with ¼ c of water.
Cover and steam until beets are mostly cooked through (about 20 minutes, adding more water if needed)
Now is a good time to make the peanut sauce: Put soy sauce, coconut milk, and peanut butter in a mason jar. Shake it up!! Add garlic, ginger, sriracha, honey, and black pepper. Shake it up some more!
Refrigerate until thick and beets are cooked.
At this point, add more red pepper flakes and sesame oil to the beets for more flavor.
Then, throw in bell peppers and sesame seeds. Cook uncovered to the end (about 10 more minutes).
If you want your spinach cooked, add it in now too!
Serve cooked beets over spinach and rice. Drizzle peanut sauce generously. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions, cilantro, and lime! Enjoy!!
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Word on the street
HSU Students emerge from hibernation
Monday, April 23 was the first actual warm, sunny day in quite some time, and our resident vitamin-D-deprived students utilized the rare sunlight to its fullest extent. With temperatures reaching a high of *GASP* 78 degrees, it was only natural to flock to the sunlight and spend as much free time as possible in our great outdoors, especially following Earth Day.
Scattered on any available patch of illuminated lawn, students lazed languidly, completely various homework assignments, eating lunch, hanging out with friends or simply just laying. It seems as though Humboldt residents will get the cure for our seasonal depression soon enough.
I found HSU sociology major Erin Hansen studying outside the library in the sun during the first sunny day in recent memory. “I have class until 5 today, so I won’t be able to hang out much,” Hansen said, “but tonight after class I’m going to go to the beach with my boyfriend and watch the sunset before I have to start homework.” Photo by Isabel Beer. 
Everyone was pretty motivated to spend even a little bit of time outdoors on this sunny Monday. HSU sophomore and applied mathematics major Martin Zamarripa works on campus with maintenance and spent a little bit of his break enjoying the sunshine. “I get a 30-minute lunch break during work, and it’s normally too rainy to do anything besides sit in my car,” Zamarripa said, “but today it’s almost 80 degrees and I’m gonna absorb as much vitamin D as I can.” Photo by Isabel Beer. -
Queen Bee of CBD body care
Natural soap line Queen Bee Naturals’ biggest fan is Shannon Kraucyk. Kraucyk met the creator of Queen Bee in high school, where the two became friends and have kept in touch ever since. When she learned her friend was starting a soap line, she was one of the first to try the soaps and she loved them.
“I’m personally in love with her bath bombs,” Kraucyk said. “It hasn’t affected my eczema, unlike those with harsh fragrance.”
Violet Crane, 23, started making soap and a plethora of other body products in 2016.
Crane uses natural materials and fragrances, but her line is known for its CBD oil. Cannabidiol, according to Project CBD, “is a cannabis compound that has significant medical benefits […] and can actually counteract the psychoactivity of THC.” Crane heard and read of its many benefits and healing abilities, and wanted to try it in her products.
Starting with soap, Crane’s products expanded to bath bombs, shower gel, bubble bars, massage oil, lip balm and other fun products like shower frosting (a fluffy moisturizing shower soap) and “sugar daddy,” which is a body scrub.
“I think that’s it,” Crane said, speculating the vast varied line of products she has made over the past two years.
Crane then remembered her face and hair masks, nearly all products made with CBD oil from Humble Roots Medicinal.
Currently, she sells Queen Bee Naturals at Zen in Arcata, Blue Ox Boutique and Otto + Olive in Eureka. She also has a Facebook page with over 1,100 fans and a group with 1,750 members, where she can directly sell her products, as well as share sneak peaks of her upcoming products. In addition, her fans can post their hauls of her items and bathtub pictures of her bubbly colorful products.
Having a lot of fans takes dedication and help. Crane not only has a successful small business, she also has two children. Her partner, Danny Corrales, helps her balance her work and family life.
“I make everything,” Crane said. “He delivers everything and helps with the kids.”
Their 3-year-old daughter, Ariel, is used to sitting in the car on their weekly ride from Ruth Lake to Humboldt for product delivery. Crane recently had her son, Benjamin, two months ago, and quickly went back to making new products.
This included a collaboration with Lost Coast Roast, a local coffee roasting business known for their cold brew coffee that she loves. She contacted them, and after talking, she started making soap with their coffee grounds.
One of the obstacles Crane faced when making her products was copycats. She brought her items into a former friend’s shop to sell. Later, that person started making nearly identical items with CBD oil and using the name Crane put on her items, “CBDQUEEN,” as the name of her product line.
Crane was then accused of not using legal CBD oil in her products by that person. To prove to that person and her customers, Crane took the CBD oil she uses to the Leaf Detective, a Eureka business that tests cannabis potency. She learned that it contained less than 3 percent THC, and a second test proved to be nearly 0 percent THC.
“I was hurt at first,” Crane said, “but I’m focusing on bigger things for myself.”
Crane wants Queen Bee Naturals to grow, not just in Humboldt, but possibly beyond Northern California.
She wants to have a warehouse with employees to make her products so she could spend more time with her family.
With the legalization and acceptance of cannabis in California, Crane would like to expand her line to legally put THC in her products and put them in her future dispensary. Queen Bee Naturals is only growing from here.
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International festival reels universal film into Humboldt
Student-run Humboldt International Film Festival hosts film from across the globe for 51 years.
The longest running film festival entirely managed by students is hosted in the heart of Humboldt every spring.
Humboldt International Film Fest is open to any film submissions from around the world and combines international film with local film lovers and artists.
Screenings will begin Wednesday, April 18 and will continue for four days with the Best of the Fest screening on Saturday, April 21. Four final categories include experimental, narrative, documentary and animation.
A reappearing character in the animation category has been The Bum Collective’s 10-foot, one-eyed, orange monster, Lilly. Lilly Monster was originally drawn up in Calgary, Canada by Xstine Cook’s kids and has developed into a family-run series.
Cook’s three children, along with her sister’s three daughters, have been making animated shorts since 2010 and have participated in the festival for seven years. The first animated short of the series, Lilly’s Big Day, was drawn and voiced by Cook’s 3-year-old at the time.
This year, they submitted the film Lilly and the Baby, the most recent adventure of the monster babysitting a human child.
Cook said she was pleased by the reaction to the previous films by the Humboldt audience.
“There were all these stoned people and they all got the jokes,” Cook said. “It’s for kids, but they all were laughing.”
Aside from a class in the film department at Humboldt State, the festival is a campus club that anyone can join and contribute to. Students in the FILM 260 class and club participate in pre-screenings of festival submissions, judge each one and decide on which ones make the final cut.
Over its 51 years, the Humboldt International Film Festival has moved venues. Held for the first time in 1967 at the Sequoia Theater (currently the John Van Duzer Theatre), the festival has expanded to a yearly, four-day celebration of international film at Minor Theatre.
Maddy Harvey is a senior film major at HSU. Harvey has been involved in the International Film Fest since 2016 and this year, she is the co-director of entries.
Harvey says this year, the festival received more than 195 films from 22 countries around the globe.
“It’s really interesting to see how different countries and cultures express themselves through film, how different stories are told,” Harvey said.
French exchange student Joanna Cottel is part of the film class at Humboldt State and has loved her experience planning the festival.
“I have been part of organizing other film festivals in France, so I when I saw this one, I was like, hell yeah!” Cottel said.
Cottel says as an exchange student, she is proud to be participating in the festival.
Screenings will be divided into four days based on categories, and will begin at 5 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for each day and $10 for the Best of the Fest screening on Saturday, April 21.
“Even though the festival is international, the heart of it is in the Humboldt community,” Harvey said.
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“Divergence” dancers amaze audience
The audience at the John Van Duzer Theatre were fortunate enough to witness a cacophony of kinetic expression in the form of HSU’s annual spring dance concert on April 15, this year titled “Divergence.”
Students of intermediate and advanced levels were given an opportunity to work in tandem with other students and alum choreographers. They chose music and themes to collaborate in the creation of 10 beautifully executed dances.
The performances were varied both thematically and visually, yet all seemed to perfectly complement each other. While some dances were more lighthearted and obviously purely for fun, other performances emphasized the many social issues we as college students and young people have, and may experience in our communities.
One of the more poignant pieces in the performance was titled “1 in 4. It’s been 5,” a dance deriving some inspiration from the recent #MeToo movement and personal experience, and was choreographed by HSU dance professor and choreographer Kyleigh Carlson.
Carlson derived much of the performance inspired by her own experiences, and wanted the piece to be as empowering as it was a reflection of the horrible abuse and oppression many women experience in their lives, particularly on college campuses.
“One in four women on every college campus has been sexually assaulted and it has been five years since my attack,” Carlson said, discussing her title choice for the piece. “I believe in dance as a tool for advocacy and as a healing art form. When combining both of these motivators, I believe it can create real change and that is what inspired me to create this work.”
The audience was initially confronted by the 12 female dancers walking in unison, illuminated by low-level stage lighting until they reached a spot so far downstage that they seemed nearly atop the front row of the audience.
They spent a good amount of time there just waiting and looking directly at audience members before delving into more movement. Even throughout their choreography, the dancers continually glared in synchronized confrontation toward the audience, forcing us to pay attention, to watch and to be cognizant of them.
It was intentional to cast solely female dancers as well, as Carlson wanted to reflect her own experiences and was reflective of them, yet still inclusive of every survivor and their own experiences.
“It was important to me that while I was creating this piece that it be reflective of my story, and yet give room to allow my dancers to grow and develop their stories and experiences too,” Carlson said. “We opened up to each other during our twice-a- week rehearsals and shared our experiences, creating a safe space and community. The bond was important for performing this piece together as a group of strong unified women on stage.”
Following “1 in 4. It’s been 5,” was a far more lighthearted piece with dance collective “The Dizzy Delightful Dazzling Dancers,” presenting “Friends on Fire,” a piece inspired by “inspiration itself,” according to choreographer Serena Mann, and all set to the iconic power bop “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.
Dancers whizzed around stage in jazzercise-themed choreography, all while clad in outrageously fabulous multi-colored unitards and leotards.
After intermission, the audience was entertained by the amazing choreography and dance, both executed by HSU dance major, Austin Silavong. Both of Silavong’s pieces in “Divergence” were selected to represent HSU at the western conference of the American College Dance Association that occurred March 14-17 this year.
Silavong’s solo performance “Asunder” was inspired by the “forced conformity so many of us adhere to,” Silavong said, and he encouraged viewers to “break free” of these conformities.
In preparation for both “Divergence” and showcasing his two pieces in the western conference, Silavong had to extensively rehearse for nearly five hours a week with HSU dance professors and “Divergence” faculty advisor, Sharon Butcher.
“Dance is a discipline,” Silavong said. “Talent is always a bonus, but to really connect, you need to show up and practice.”
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A Quiet Place
When the guy from “The Office” makes a horror movie.
What makes a scary horror film is sound production. A jump scare doesn’t make you jump unless there’s a loud “DUN” at the right moment, but it has to be justified for the story. If the jump scare is abused and happens too frequently, it isn’t scary. Sometimes, silence can be used to induce fear.
That’s what “A Quiet Place” is about, forced silence for the sake of survival.
A creature of some sort takes over New York and other major cities and kills any living thing that makes noise. A family must survive in this world silently to live another day.
Living in this post-apocalyptic world isn’t hard for this working farm family, who grows their own food and fishes for the seemingly, only surviving source of meat, since cows mooing would be the first to die by this creature.
Lee (John Krasinski) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt) are loving parents that are determined to protect their children, including Evelyn’s unborn child.
The two children, Regan and Marcus, work with their parents for food and household chores in silence. Regan is deaf and doesn’t hear any small sounds. The whole family communicates by sign language, rarely having the chance to speak aloud.
The creature they hide from doesn’t have an origin or a story.
The story starts with these creatures roaming the Earth and seeking sound to kill the noise-maker. It’s a fast six-legged beast with sharp claws like a beetle or a spider. Its exoskeleton is black, shiny and bulletproof. The creature’s face doesn’t appear to have eyes, it rather has a face full of ear drums that picks up the faintest sounds from far away, surrounding a mouth full of jagged teeth like broken nails.
The family knows when the creature is close by its fast clicking sounds and the way it affects electricity, making lights flicker and disrupting T.V. signals.
It’s a mixture of the aliens in the movie “Alien” and a conglomerate of creepy bugs that shouldn’t be the size of a car or running super fast. It’s appearance is rare, but the looming fear makes these things terrifying.
What makes the movie effective is the sound production and the world built around the lack of sound.
The film opens in a quiet empty store where the family is raiding for medicine. The only food left at the store are chips, crackers and other snack foods that have noisy packaging. The family leaves the store on sandy paths to mute their footsteps that follows all the way to their farm. Their farm is soundproof, from the sandy pathways to egg carton walls to even felt pieces for Monopoly.
The movie is mostly in silence, with an occasional soft piano score, and it makes any noise disturbance sudden and jarring. The jump scares are met with loud music, but not all the time. Some of the sudden scares are completely silent and they are more scary than the screeching violin or loud “DUN.”
When the story shifts to Regan’s perspective, the movie is completely silent and it’s almost deafening. The most anxiety-ridden scene was when Evelyn goes into labor.
Earlier, she’s seen doing her own pediatric diagnostics and sound-proofing the baby crib with a soft lid to cover the coffin-like crib. After accidentally stepping on a nail and making a noise, Evelyn is forced to give birth by herself without screaming in agony as the creature lurks blindly in her house. She’s in labor for a long time as the creature slowly searches for a sound, not being able to see her in the bathtub, trying to give a silent birth as she’s still in pain from the nail in her foot.
Directed by actor John Krasinski, he gives the spotlight to his real-life wife Emily Blunt. Krasinski is the strong father figure who is determined to find the creature’s weakness and fix his daughter’s hearing aid.
Blunt is the loving and goofy mother, but is giving a chance to show her strength in her birth and fighting off the creature from her children after her birth.
This is not just a horror movie, but an apocalyptic movie. It’s a family that is trying to move on after a terrifying event.
It’s not easy living in silence when you can’t express every emotion and live your childhood in silence. It doesn’t offer a solution or a way to return to ‘normal’ life, silence is their lives.
As long as you have your family, you can live your life.
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Alchemy Distillery holds its monthly Saturday open house
Alchemy Distillery is located at 330 South G St. in Arcata, across from the Arcata Marsh.
On March 31, owners Amy and Steve Bohner held their monthly Saturday open house tour of their distillery. This open house includes free tours every hour from 2-6 p.m., along with complimentary drinks for visitors 21 years or older.
The typical tour shows visitors how their signature BOLDT spirits are made, as well as the distillery process starting from grain section to bottling and labeling.
The Lumberjack reporter Dajonea Robinson takes you behind the scenes.
Video by Dajonea Robinson.
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Struttin’ the walkway internationally
An international fashion show
Participants were invited to come dressed to represent their own cultural background or other cultures that interested them. Seven countries and cultures were represented with attire from China, India, Japan, Mexico, West Africa and Hawaii, as well as culturally significant and traditional dances from Mexico, Hawaii and Korea.
Guests were greeted by Global Connections Club member and secretary Amanda Madden for the International Fashion Show at the Kate Buchanan Room on April 4. Her introductory speech highlighted the importance of inclusion and disregarding preconceived notions.
“It is important that we sit here and keep in mind that this is a safe space,” Madden said. “We need to ignore cultural assumptions and preconceived notions regarding culture and tradition.”
Representing her culture in dance and fashion was Humboldt State sophomore and Global Connections Club member Mikayla Kia, 20, dancing Hula ‘Aauna from Hawaii.
“We just really wanted to put on another big event from the Global Connections Club for all the students involved, just before everyone leaves to go back home,” Kia said. “A lot of students are here with the IELI program from Japan, but it’s really sad because we just found out the program is getting cut after 30 years, and so this is the last group of students we get to host.”
The IELI, or Intensive English Language Institute, was a foreign exchange program aimed to assist exchange students from 11 countries in acclimating to American culture and education, as well as becoming proficient in the English language. After HSU’s financial crisis was brought to light, the administration decided that defunding this program would help allocate funds to other exchange and international programs.
“Even though it is really sad that this is the last group of IELI students, I feel like we are going out with a bang and they are all representing Japan today on the runway,” Kia said.
Models on the runway strutted their stuff to the beat of legendary drag queen RuPaul’s hit single “Supermodel,” before stopping to talk about the cultural and familial significance behind their dress and presenting a brief powerpoint about the history.
In addition to the fashion show, some models also took the opportunity to perform traditional or traditionally-inspired dances representative of their cultures.
Anastina Steiber, Danny Flores, Caroline Mora and Dom Richards, members of the Global Connections Club, performed K-Pop-themed choreography to the song “As if It’s Your Last” by Korean girl group BLACKPINK. The group spent several weeks cultivating and rehearsing the choreography, which they debuted at HSU’s Lunar New Year celebration. They were inspired to do so by their love for dance and Korean culture.
“We actually first performed this at this year’s Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 16,” Steiber said, “and there weren’t too many people there so it wasn’t that intimidating, but today there were more people and the runway was pretty unnerving to dance on.”
“I’m so sweaty, but that was awesome!” Richards said. “We all did so great, no obvious mistakes.”
Mexico was also represented in dance by Daniel Gomez, 22, who performed an incredible rendition of the Jarabe in his fifth time at the International Fashion show.
“I’ve been doing this since I’ve gotten here in 2013,” Gomez said. “I’m a dance minor here at Humboldt, and it’s pretty cool that Folklorico is taught here, but the program is definitely underfunded even though a lot of people are passionate about it.”
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A labor of love
Humboldt Homebrew Festival
Kristina Watson served a lot more than just beer at the eighth Humboldt Homebrew Festival on April 7 at the Arcata Community Center.
Watson was one of seven brewers from Triple Junction Brewing, who were one of 69 groups and individuals who served their best homemade and unique beer, cider and kombucha recipes.
For Watson’s first time pouring at the festival, she showcased a juniper based Sahti-Graha beer based off a Finnish recipe.
“Sahti recipes are traditionally passed down from Scandinavian mothers to their daughters,” Watson said. “So this is kind of like a women empowerment beer.”
Watson said the juniper she used to make this beer came from her grandmother’s tree, who passed away recently. She said being at this festival is always awesome and it’s neat to to get the opportunity to showcase beers and talk with other brewers.
Brewer Joseph McKinzie brought three beers based off Girl Scout cookies, and he and his crew played the part. Each pourer, including McKinzie himself, was dressed as a Girl Scout at a booth titled “Camp WannaBeer.”
The festival serves as a benefit for the North Coast Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders organization in the Humboldt area. They also work directly with the Humboldt State University EWB chapter and sometimes hire students.
EWB’s mission is to partner with developing communities to try and improve their way of life. EWB volunteer Patrick Sullivan said the festival came about as a result of a lot engineers who are also brewers combining their passions.
“I like to tell my friends that we are turning beer into water,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he is grateful for the support of the brewers and volunteers who make the benefit possible.
Meanwhile, brewers and attendees alike enjoy the variety found at the Humboldt Homebrew Festival. Brewer Pete Carlson said the festival showcases rare beers that you’ll never find again.
“This is my favorite festival in the area,” Carlson said. “Period.”
Attendees like Britney Newby and Shannon Mondor dubbed this their favorite festival respectively.
“It is a real privilege to try a homebrewer’s labor of love,” Newby said.
Every attendee receives a meal ticket, a tasting glass and bottle caps for voting at the door. Brewers received playing cards to vote with as well. At the festival’s close, three recipes were named Best Damn Beer, Brewer’s Choice and Best Damn Cider.
Brewer Dave Breyer and the Oh My Goodness Rye Whiskey Brown Ale won Brewer’s Choice. Brewer Ira Salmon with a Mango Sticky Rice won Best Damn Beer and Joshua Holland and John Tremblay and their New Pilgrim Pineapple Cider won Best Damn Cider.
You can find more information about the Humboldt Homebrew Festival at http://www.humboldthomebrewfest.com.
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A bite of the arts: HSU’s 5th annual 24 Hour Play Festival
March 24 marked HSU’s fifth annual 24 Hour Play Festival held in the Studio Theater. The 24 Hour Play Festival is an annual event produced by HSU students and faculty where students are given free reign and agency to direct, write and produce scenes that are then performed for the public 24 hours later.
The play was organized by HSU senior Madison Glee, featuring original works performed and written by HSU students. The festival was overseen by faculty member and HSU production manager Derek Lane.
“An Unexpected Visit,” written by Robert Matthews and directed by Irma Gill, was a brief scene focusing on a singular, rather peculiar interaction between characters Saint, played by HSU senior Camille Borrowdale, and her Bulgarian counterpart Sveta, played by HSU freshman Zoe Remund.
The scene saw both women meet seemingly randomly on a bench of an anonymous college campus and having an increasingly strange conversation. Saint soon realizes that Sveta is a relative from the future and the two share a joint before deciding to just hang out and grab lunch.
“The overall process for ‘An Unexpected Visit’ began at 7:30 last night,” said Borrowdale, fresh off the stage. “The writers [started] working on their scenes and they wrote all night, their scripts were due at six in the morning and then quickly chose from a group of all us actors who they wanted to cast, and then we just started cramming until right before the performance.”
Memorizing the blocking, choreography and dialogue of a scene in a 12-hour period is no small feat, especially considering the length of their scene, and that Borrowdale and several of her fellow castmates were in multiple, unrelated scenes.
“Yeah it was pretty frustrating at first trying to memorize all my lines,” Borrowdale continued, “But it’s really rewarding getting off stage after working all day on this and being done!”
The whole process seemed to be intentionally very impromptu; with an emphasis on the element of surprise.
“We didn’t audition for this either,” Remund said, who played Sveta the Bulgarian visitor from the future. “Anyone could have been a part of the festival and we stress that anyone of any level of experience can join us.”
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Rumbling in the redwoods
Eureka citizens boo and jeer as the loud music kicks in. Boyce LeGrande, a pro wrestler, walks in with a stride of confidence and pride, mocking the audience as he makes his way to the ring.
As soon as LeGrande hits the ring, the Humboldt State University band plays the HSU anthem, which is the music for the next pro wrestler, Rocket Boy. The crowd cheers as the wrestling local walks around the audience, giving high fives, waving and dancing with the Humboldt Lumberjack axe. Rocket Boy steps into the ring with LeGrande and gets ready to fight for the title of Pacific North Coast Champion.
Video by Luis Lopez.
The Rumble in the Redwoods pro wrestling event was held at the Redwood Acres in Eureka. Joe Sousa is the host of the event and oversees the pro wrestling scene. It was his idea to get the HSU band to play music for Rocket Boy.
“I wanted to give more cred to the people of Humboldt by having someone like Rocket Boy represent their county,” Sousa said.
Many of the wrestlers in Rumble in the Redwoods are from different parts of California. One pro wrestler at the event is Modesto resident Daniel Torch, which is both his real name and stage name. Torch loves being involved in the pro wrestling scene and has been doing it for eight years.
“I come here looking for a fight,” Torch said. “I’m the bad guy when I’m in the ring. Everyone loves seeing a good bad guy on stage.”
Rocket Boy, or Brett Walters, is an HSU alumnus who graduated with a degree in communications in 2015. When he’s not wrestling, Walters works in an office.
“My wrestling background is not something I bring up when I walk into job interviews,” Walters said.
Since 2012, Walters has been involved in the pro wrestling scene and trained with other pro wrestlers.
“The people who have mentored me through my wrestling career [have] been Lethal Logan X, Bo Cooper, Seth Skyfire and Robbie Phoenix,” Walters said. “When I walk into the ring, I become a totally different person.”
The match the audience anticipated most was the fight between Boyce LeGrande and Rocket Boy for the North Coast Championship belt. The match stipulations were a best of three. The stakes were tied at one with LeGrande, winning once by pin maneuver and Rocket Boy once by submission.
Video by Luis Lopez.
However, at the end of the match, LeGrande won the Pacific North Coast Champion title after Rocket Boy stayed out of the ring for too long, therefore being disqualified.
Even with the egotistical persona LeGrande gave off, he still showed sportsmanship to Rocket Boy.
“I came to the ring thinking it would be a cakewalk, but instead [Rocket Boy] gave me a challenge,” LeGrande said. “You have a lot of heart.”
Walters said the feeling he gets when he steps into the ring is indescribable
“This is therapy for me when I hear the crowd cheering,” Walters said.
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“The Tenth Muse” moves audience to tears
Now playing at the North Coast Repertory Theatre, “The Tenth Muse” deals with issues of women’s rights, religion, racism, caste systems and the destruction of art.
“This is a very different type of show,” actor Heather Roche-Waldo said. “It really reinforced what I don’t know.”
The play is part of North Coast Rep’s La Voz project, a partnership with Centro del Pueblo Humboldt. For the next three seasons, the theatre will feature at least one production by a Latinx playwright.
Director Carol Lang made an excellent choice this season with “The Tenth Muse.” Created by Mexican playwright Tanya Saracho for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the play is set in an 18th-century convent in Mexico and features an all-female cast of characters.
The story begins when young mestiza servant, Jesusa (Fiva Pula), arrives at the convent. Jesusa was sent to take care of a nun who is going blind. Once inside, she meets her new roommates, Lady Manuela (Sarah Traywick), an entitled socialite, and Tomasita (Amelia Resendez), a timid indigenous girl.
The three young women discover a play written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and beginning acting it out to pass the time. Jesusa also finds some of Inés’ written music and a lute to play, which is strictly forbidden inside the convent walls.
During her days, Jesusa tends to the needs of Sor Isabelle (Queena Delany), a somewhat unruly sister who is losing her sight, while Tomasita helps Sor Filmonena (Michelle Purnell) in the kitchen. Sor Rufina (Heather Roche-Waldo) is a skeptical and slightly cold sister, while Mother Superior runs the convent with an iron fist.
Michelle Purnell (left) as Sor Filmonena and Heather Roche-Waldo as Sor Rufina in “The Tenth Muse.” Photo courtesy of North Coast Repertory Theatre. The all-female ensemble was fantastic, each player highlighting the quirks of her character superbly. Pula lit up the stage with her effervescent Jesusa. Delany was a joy to watch as Sor Isabelle, who is clinging onto her last glimpses of music and art left by her beloved sister Juana Inés.
Denise Ryles played a powerful and frightening Mother Superior. At a climax in the story she commits such a cruel act, audience members gasped and cried. Ryles said she had to find what she liked about the character to be able to play her.
“The inquisition is really at their door,” Ryles said. “For that particular time and for women in general, that was serious business. She had to be stern in order to protect everyone.”
“The Tenth Muse” is a must-see, though you may not walk away with a smile. This play makes both audience members and players question their own actions and realities more deeply.
“I think that’s really important. To push people’s boundaries of comfort in theatre,” ensemble actor Karen Echegaray said. “Because that’s how we learn.”
“The Tenth Muse” is playing at North Coast Repertory Theatre every weekend through April 7.
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“Loaded” is packed with a kick
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz breaks down the Second Amendment and white supremacy in her new book “Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment.”
Dunbar-Ortiz spoke at Humboldt State’s Van Duzer Theatre on March 20 about her recent book “Loaded,” which explores the origins of the Second Amendment, white supremacy and how guns have controlled American society.
Dunbar-Ortiz addressed gun culture, starting with colonial settler’s slave patrols and Indian militias. She said slave patrols developed into the the Ku Klux Klan. In addition, the police were formed by the Ku Klux Klan. In 1916, high school Reserve Officer Training Corps, or ROTC, began.
“This shooter, Cruz, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was an avid ROTC person,” Dunbar-Oritz said. “He joined the ROTC when he was 11. He was known as the best shooter [and] was honored for that. He had on his ROTC T-shirt and pants when he did the killing. He had become a mad soldier.”
“In the 1960s, we burned down all of the ROTC buildings on campuses across the country,” Dunbar-Ortiz said. “I participated in some of them. I am proud of it. We got rid of military recruiters in schools.”
The National Rifle Association supplies ROTC’s with ammunition, weapons and targets.
“They have some really amazing targets, human forms that can move around,” Dunbar-Oritz said. “They practice this in the school cafeteria. The only mention of this was the military honoring of two ROTC students who died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.”
“You think of this disconnect between gun violence and militarism,” Dunbar-Ortiz said. “I think it is really important to connect up U.S. militarism. The Indian Wars became the basis for all the foreign wars. They all turn into counter insurgency, that is, attacks on civilians, burning their crops and killing people. Vietnam, Central America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic are all examples of this counterinsurgency. We have big responsibilities to do our best to save the world.”
Irene Vasquez is mastering in natural resources at HSU.
“It’s good to know the real history and to be appreciative of people who have worked so hard before us, the native people who are leaders,” Vasquez said. “It’s an inspiration for young native scholars and the people who are trying to change the systems to get into the higher roles to help their communities.”
In 1968, Dunbar-Ortiz helped establish the Women’s Liberation Movement with her group Cell 16 in Boston. Cell 16 was named after the cells of a body.
Dianna Beeler, a resident of Arcata, came out of great respect for Dunbar-Ortiz.
“I was in a feminist consciousness raising group during the mid 60s in Los Angeles,” Beeler said. “Dunbar-Ortiz was out front, she was everybody’s hero. It is super to see that she has kept this going over all these decades.”
The word “sexism” came about during this time.
“The consciousness raising groups were to make people aware of feminism who had lived under a patriarchal society so long they didn’t know any better,” Beeler said.
During her time with Cell 16, Dunbar-Ortiz published a periodical with Lisa Leghorn, “No More Fun and Games,” which helped women avoid male involvement that was not productive to the Women’s Liberation Movement.
Ever since Cell 16, Dunbar-Ortiz has been publishing articles and books on women’s rights, indigenous people of Central and North America and an autobiography titled “Red Dirt: Growing up Okie.”
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“Thoroughbreds” is a richly dark comedy
People are terrible and horses will take over the world.
“Thoroughbreds” is the debut film of writer and director Cory Finley. It is about two rich girls plotting their stepfather’s murder, but there’s more to it. It’s less a murder mystery, but a character study on emotions and impulses.
The character Amanda is an emotionless girl who hasn’t fully outgrown her horse phase. She speaks her mind and is blunt about it, including her lack of emotions. Lily is an emotionally overwhelmed girl who guards herself from hurting others.
The two were formerly friends until high school separated them, only to be reunited by studying for the SAT’s.
After taking down their reservations, they become friends again. Lily hates her health-obsessed stepdad who talks down to her and forced her mom to send her to a different boarding school. Amanda casually suggests killing him and Lily’s impulsive mindset kicks into gear to plotting his murder.
This film doesn’t focus on the girls’ lavish lives. It’s just a perfect background to plot a murder without getting caught. The mansions look big and beautiful to fill in the background of the actors’ symmetrical framing.
The sound editing and mixing stand out with it’s unsettling and chic percussion. The rhythmic score gave it a constant edge that could lead to a psychotic breakdown, which compliments the impulsiveness of the characters.
Little sounds fill the scenes that reflect the emotions of the characters. Lily’s tapping of a pen mimics a clock too well, the rowing of her stepdad’s row machine irritates her and the sliding sound is invasive like Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
The characters aren’t simply rich brats. Even if Amanda doesn’t understand emotions, she is still expressive and her brutal honesty is refreshing. Lily is sympathetic when she feels helpless not standing up to her stepdad yelling at her mom.
The rest of the cast is good, but the highlight is Anton Yelchin, which was his last film since his death in 2016.
Lily and Amanda grow by the end of the film, yet whether if it was for their own good is up to you.
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Queso is king in Loleta
Nobody is re-imagining one of America’s classic foods as deliciously as the Queso Kings.
Now and then, life gets hard. Our jobs, our studies, hell, even our passions can wear us out. When it comes to getting away from it all and finding our happy places, there are all sorts of way to do it. One of the ways to de-stress is with some good old comfort food. Sometimes, finding that perfect meal can feel impossible.
Comfort foodies, your search is over. Nestled in a modest farm town of 750 people lies Humboldt County’s cheesiest secret: Queso Kings Grilled Cheese Bar in Loleta.
What could be so special about a piece of melted cheese between toasted bread? Queso Kings is delicious, and it won’t hurt your wallet either. Any sandwich on the menu is $7, unless you want a meal, which comes with soup for $11.
Walking in to the cheese bar there is a chalkboard menu with names like “Mardi Gras,” “Smokin’ Pig” and “After School Special.” Around the corner, cheese samples line the walls, creations from the Loleta Cheese Factory who supplies the grilled cheese bar with their queso, with a variety that will make you happier than a hungry college student at Costco on a Saturday.
The first was “The Divine Order,” a simple and yummy combination of herb and spice havarti with grilled chicken on rustic country bread. The havarti was gooey, sweet and buttery, pairing perfectly with the chicken. The toast was crunchy and light, but the cheese was just bomb. The “Divine Order” tasted like it was anointed by the pope and kissed by Jesus before it was put into the basket.
Next up was the “Bay Area Brisket,” made with tender and juicy brisket, roasted garlic jack and smokey cheddar on sliced sourdough. The combination of garlic jack and smoked cheddar brought together a savory flavor that will send your taste buds on a vacation. It is the perfect comfort food with the brisket to top it off, adding an extra layer of flavor and heartiness to the sandwich.
Next to the “Divine Order,” the brisket was the absolute winner. The gooey jack cheese mixed with the sharpness of the cheddar made that sandwich and you will definitely be going back to get another bite.
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“A Wrinkle in Time” is passable
Just because a director makes a small, successful movie, doesn’t mean Disney should give them over a hundred million dollars to make another one. Take Ava DuVernay, director of “Selma” and “13th,” for example. The initial success doesn’t guarantee similar success with a big blockbuster film.
DuVernay’s adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time” was a big deal as the first black female director with a $103 million budget. Following a renewed interest in the book, an all-star cast and more actors of color in the movie, including the main character Meg, there was plenty of hype for this movie.
The film begins with a younger Meg and her father Mr. Murray (Chris Pine) having fun in his office while he teaches her physics. This is the only scene establishing their relationship, which is less than what the book reveals. The film then flashes forward to present time depicting her father’s four-year disappearance.
As the film moves on, Meg struggles with her classes and shuts people out. This is expressed by Meg throwing a ball at a bully’s face after being teased about her dad’s disappearance.
Later that day, Meg and her adopted brother Charles Wallace meet Mrs. Whatsit, (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling) and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), three immortal women from the universe who came to help them find their father. They tell the kids that their father traveled to a different part of the universe using a theory he and their mother had been working on for years. This act is called “tesseract,” where you pinch space to make time travel instantaneous, like wrinkling space and time.
The three immortal ladies guide Meg, Charles and Meg’s classmate Calvin O’Keefe through the universe to find Mr. Murray.
Watching the different destinations felt like binging an entire season on Netflix. There was so much going on, and it felt rushed to get to the visuals and the elaborate costume changes of the three Mrs.
The computer-generated images look obvious and didn’t blend in well with the colorful environments. The different scenes that were filmed to distinguish between the planets looked amazing, notably New Zealand.
The scene that was filmed in Sequoia Park was brief. If that scene was longer, you could probably guess where in the park they filmed it (Duck Pond? Windstorm Meadow? By the swings?). Also, the ending of the film felt like it came out of nowhere, which shows the overall message of “love defeats evil.” It didn’t make much sense for the story or the characters, except to show Meg’s character arc.
What DuVernay brought to the movie was good overall, especially with casting the main character as a bi-racial girl interested in physics. Certain scenes appeared more impactful, like when Calvin kept complimenting Meg’s hair, a moment that happens in the book, but felt more heartwarming to see her black curly hair.
Whether or not this film spawns a franchise to expand on the five-book series, it would be exciting to see a huge Disney franchise with more people of color as the lead.
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Fear of heights versus rock climbers
Do rock climbers have a fear of heights? Watch the video to find out!
Members of Humboldt State’s rock climbing club Andrew Musgrave, Becky Bell and Journey Ibe dive into their fear of heights. The video was created on Nov. 8, 2017 and filmed in the HSU West Gym.
Video by Bailey Tennery.
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HSU shows works of killer bunnies and neon crocodiles
Humboldt State hosts the artworks of Illinois-based professor and artist Laurie Hogin. Dozens of her paintings are displayed in the art department’s Reese Bullen Gallery, most of which highlight Hogin’s signature neon colors depicting chaotic scenes that involve brightly plumed birds, psychedelic bunnies and hyper-saturated flowers and fruit.
Most of the paintings are oil on canvas, but some are sketches from Hogin’s personal notebooks and watercolors on paper.
Hogin says her works primarily consist of “allegorical paintings of mutant plants and animals in languishing, overgrown settings or posed as though for classical still life or portraiture.”
Hogin’s paintings are fascinating, evoking memories of Henri Rousseau – leafy greenery and subjects nearly phosphorescent in color and brightness.
HSU sophomore Kelsey Briscoe, 20, agrees.
“These paintings are super interesting,” Briscoe said in front of Hogin’s painting “Sugar Trilogy I: Tricks,” which depicts a rather murderous blood-soaked bunny seated in front of an Easter candy. “This is definitely some commentary on capitalism and that sort of ‘Hallmark-holiday-card’ consumerism.”
HSU junior Logan Clark stopped by to check out the exhibit on a whim and was pleasantly surprised by the display.
Looking at “Echo Turnpike,” a painting that depicts several formidable tangerine crocodiles in front of the wreckage of a turnpike, “All the subjects of her paintings tend to be bright, while the background is monochromatic or even dull,” Clark said. “She seems to really focus on one main thing.”
Visitors also have the opportunity to utilize skills demonstrated to them through HSU’s art department. Patricia Ely, a 19-year-old sophomore at HSU visited the gallery during her 20th century art class.
“It’s crazy being in here and seeing actual parallels in this artwork and what I’m currently learning about,” Ely said. “I feel like this is all really familiar to me.”
The exhibition to Hogin’s works is located at the Reese Bullen Gallery (Art B, room 101) until March 31.
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Charlotte’s Web wins hearts
Chances are you know about Charlotte’s Web, a bestselling children’s novel. Now that we are grown up, we can return to the days of being read to and tap into the inspiration of animals, language and the importance of community.
Through the immaculate performance of Charlotte’s Web by Humboldt State students and the HSU theater department, this children’s story flows with laughter, touches you with sadness and sweeps you up and out the door in waves of joy. The cast hopes to bring happiness to families and give people the opportunity to take a break from the chaos of life.
Director Derek Lane, HSU theater arts lecturer, used the play adaptation of Charlotte’s Web by Joseph Robinette and added his own composition from copyright-free music and lyrics.
Charlotte is played by Camille Borrowdale, an HSU environmental science major.
“Charlotte’s story is important,” Borrowdale said. “It’s about sticking together and being there for one another in our scary world.”
During intermission, the lobby of the HSU Van Duzer Theatre was transformed into a carnival midway from the county fair. There were games and chances for children to win prizes.
HSU theater major Roman Sanchez is the production manager of Charlotte’s Web and an activist for getting arts into education.
“This might be some children’s first play,” Sanchez said. “We want to inspire them for a lifetime of the arts.”
Sanchez believes the domino effect can change the world.
“The togetherness of rehearsing with the cast and crew was really fun,” HSU zoology student and cast member Rachael Robinson said.
Veronica Brooks is an HSU double major in theater and anthropology, as well as the costume designer for Charlotte’s Web.
“Come and see Charlotte’s Web,” Brooks said. “It is happy and rewarding. It will knock your socks off!” .
Charlotte’s Web continues tonight and tomorrow in the Van Duzer Theatre at 7:30 p.m., as well as a matinee show on Sunday at 10 a.m. You can find more information at centerarts.humboldt.edu.
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Dog Expo has its day
Longtime dog owners in the community showed off their pooches to raise money for spay and neutering funds on March 4 at the Redwood Acres.
The 31st annual fundraiser was organized by the Humboldt Dog Obedience Group, also known as HumDOG. The local non-profit was founded in 1978 and provides services to “encourage responsible dog ownership.”
The event presents an opportunity to meet with various dog breeds, share experiences and advice with fellow dog lovers and prospective dog owners.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Terri Lockett Memorial Spay/Neuter Fund. Lockett started the spay and neuter fund through HumDOG in 1995 and was known as “the spay and neuter queen” to her friends.
Tricia Morgan of Eureka said Lockett was passionate about the cause and worked to make spaying and neutering available to anyone.
“If someone didn’t have money, she would pay for it herself,” Morgan said.
Since Lockett’s death in 2005, Morgan and the HumDOG members have kept her dream alive. The organization hosts fundraisers, such as DogExpo, and receives funding from grants.
Morgan, who has now taken the title of “spay and neuter princess,” sported a tiara at the event and performed in multiple demonstrations along with her dog Shylo, a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever.
Numerous families approached the president of HumDOG, Marilyn Backman, and her two Shetland sheepdogs, Indy and Dunnigan.
“The training and classes we offer really isn’t for the dogs,” Backman said. “It’s more for the humans.”
Eureka citizen Sara Borok is a dog trainer and owner of Siberian Huskies Karma and Hildy, who race for the Northern Humboldt Sled Dog Team.
Karma (left) and her daughter Hildy. Photo by Lora Neshovska. “We are an urban mushing team,” Borok said. “We sled even without snow.”
Dogs train up to months at a time prior to their first race. Karma, who is now 10 years old, led Borok on their first race at only nine months old.
“This is the first year we are going to have other breeds in the team,”
Anthony Rojas, a history student at Humboldt State University, is a dog fanatic and volunteers at the Sequoia Humane Society. Rojas, along with the society, took part in the Dog Expo on Sunday.
“It’s a no-kill shelter and I believe everyone deserves a second chance,” Rojas said. “I volunteer here because it’s important to raise awareness for adoption, spaying and neutering.”