No Bands, Just Dancing.

In the rural part of Alaska, we don't have marching bands.  We don't usually have cheerleaders at this time of the year because most play basketball.  We do have half time entertainment but not the usual marching band or band music.  Let me explain the local event and then I'll explain in more detail about halftime.

 For the last week, my school has hosted the 1A regional basketball tournament to determine which schools would be heading to state to play against others across the state.

There were over 250 students and coaches staying in just about every room in the school. Furthermore, family members came in and stayed with friends, family, and with anyone they could. so they could watch their children play.

Games ran from 9 am to 11 or midnight every day beginning last Monday.  I know how long the games went because I kept books for many of the evening games.

Saturday, they changed things up.  In the morning, there was some sort of clinic so the participants could refine their skills.  In the evening they had a boys and girls competition showing how well they could handle the ball, dribble, sink the ball in a lay-up, elbow, and free throw positions.

I don't know who won because I didn't stay to the end of the night.  I was tired but I did stay long enough  for the half time show.  The half time entertainment show, happened every night during all the evening games.

 When the buzzer rings and the teams head off for their half time meetings, men swarm down from the stands, grab chairs, drums, and sticks.  They form a line toward the back of the floor.

You can see some in the picture to the left, towards the back.  They begin playing the drums while singing in the local language which might be Inupiaq, or Yupik.

Students came down from the stands to begin dancing.  It began with a few, and then more and more joined until there were a bunch of people on the floor.

The girls always dance behind and are more sedate, even during the second time through when the men sing louder and drum harder.  The boys are in the front, with their stronger movements, and they are likely to move, squat, and become quite involved in the story being told by the dance.

Every dance tells a story.  Some songs tell about hunting, or berry picking, or basketball, or taking care of children.  I've even done one about chewing tobacco.

You don't have to know the language to dance.  You just have to follow someone who knows the dance.  They don't frown at you trying. You don't have to be perfect, you just have to try and enjoy yourself.

Yes, having dances are quite traditional to the point that many villages host dance festivals in the spring.  Bethel, Alaska hosts one of the largest festivals with dancers coming from all over Alaska and sometimes from other parts of the world.

This is part of the life in rural Alaska.  I'll be sharing information and a couple pictures on the Serum run which is not the Iditarod itself but a replication of the run that inspired the Iditarod.  I hope you have a great day.  Check back on Wednesday for the more on the Serum run and Friday I'll be sharing some photos of the annual ice festival held in Fairbanks.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.

Spring is Coming

Spring is coming!

It All Changes Over Night.

Daylight Saving Time Begins Tonight.

Daylight Saving Time Begins This Weekend.

 Unless you are fortunate to live in one of the few places that does not follow Daylight Savings time, you will have to make sure all clocks are moved forward one hour.  I realize that most people rely on digital devices for discovering the time so they don't have to worry about resetting those but if you have a clock on your stove you might have to change those.

We know the idea has been around a very long time but it hasn't been used regularly until the 20th century.  Even over the past century, the rules for when it commenced and ended changed according to the rules implemented by the government among others.

According to resources I've read, Benjamin Franklin is the one who came up with the idea when he lived in Paris as the American Ambassador.  His idea simply said that people would use less energy during summer months if they had one more hour of sunlight during the evening.  It didn't take off until World War I when Germany implemented it as a way of saving energy.  Others in Europe followed and finally the United States adopted it in 1918 but ended it when World War I ended.

The United States reinstated Daylight Savings time during World War II but this time they called it "War Time" and the country stayed on it year round. Once the war ended, states, cities and towns had the option to follow Daylight Savings time if they so chose.  Due to the chaos this created, the United States Government finally created the "Uniform Act" of 1966 that required any state following Daylight Savings time to begin it the first Sunday of April and end it the last Sunday of October.

In 2007, the government changed the rules again to begin Daylight Savings time the second Sunday of March and ending the first Sunday of November which is why it didn't start till March 8th this year instead of the first.  There are at least two states that do not participate and other states working to become exempted.

There are a few things about going on Daylight savings time we don't think about because they may not effect us directly.  For instance, television ratings tend to drop in the spring just after it goes into effect.  This has to do with the amount of light available and the changing temperatures.  During winter, people are more likely to come home, switch the television on and enjoy watching an evening of programming but when the clocks change, these same people are more likely to run errands or enjoy outdoor activities.  One study showed that television shows lost 10 percent of their viewers on the Monday night right after the change.

On the other hand, both the bbq and golf industries love the change because the extra evening daylight means more people are out golfing or having barbecues so the industries are making more money.  In fact, the candy makers also love it because the additional sunlight, even in October, allows children to be out a bit longer collecting candy.  More light + more children = more candy given out.

Research has also discovered that SAT scores can drop immediately after the time change because it messes with teen-agers sleep patterns so they get less sleep.  They found there is a 2 percent decrease in scores at this time of the year.  It has also been found that people are more likely to have more accidents, more heart attacks, and more cluster headaches.

In addition, one reason given for using Daylight Savings time is that it saves energy.  According to a study done by the Department of Transportation, Daylight Savings time results in a one percent savings of energy every day but according to another study done by the University of California, people use between one to four percent more electrical power during this period of time.

Personally, I hate Daylight Savings time because I live in Alaska and by the time we go on it, we already have a nice amount of day light.  It really doesn't make any difference up here.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

First Fashion Houses, First Fashion Designers.

Fashion is a big thing with the various houses, the fashion weeks, the frenzy, and all the things associated with it.  Of course many of us end up relying on off the rack from Target or Walmart because we don't have the funds for the more expensive things.

Have you ever wondered where the houses, the shows, and the designers came from, how they evolved?  I have because I'm interested in history in general.  I am not the most fashion conscious due to living where it is super cold and many of those wonderful outfits don't keep you warm at -58 including the wind chill factor.

John Redfern, an English tailor is credited with building the first fashion house.  He opened his first establishment in 1850 on the Isle of Wright.  Although he trained as a tailor, he began by opening a drapers place.  In case you don't know, a drapers establishment sold fabrics and notions to others, kind of like Joann's or Hancocks without all the crafty stuff.

About 20 years later, he started offering garments made out of silk and women's outfits for mourning. As time passed, he added yachting outfits and other creations for women since the Isle of Wright was the center of yachting activity.  This lead to him being classified as the first designer of tailored women's clothing.  In opposition to another leading designer of the time, he set up establishments near his clients so he'd be closer to them, rather than having them come to him.

Eventually, he had two fashion houses in New York City and one each in London and Paris.  By 1882, He became Tailor by Appointment for the Princess of Wales and within three years, he was also Tailor by Appointment for both Queen Victoria and Queen Emma from the Netherlands.  John Redfern considered himself a ladies tailor and he had it printed on all his advertisements.  Many of his tailored outfits appeared in Harpers Bazaar Magazine.

When his sons took over the business in 1892, they expanded beyond the tailored look into general garments and turned their Paris location into a full service couture house.  Their other houses carried their Paris creations and continued doing local tailoring.  Unfortunately, the houses went out of business by 1940.

One of Redfern's major competitors was Charles Worth whose name says it all.  Charles Worth was born about the same time as Redfern in England.  He apprenticed with two different textile manufactures so he learned all about fabrics.  At the same time, he spent time in museums checking out historical portraits to learn more about fashion.  Eventually, he moved to Paris in 1835, where he landed a job with a textile company as a salesman.  He soon convinced his boss to allow him to open a small dressmaking department with himself as lead dressmaker.

He created prize winning styles for the Great Exhibit in London in 1851 and the Exposition Universalle in Paris in 1855 and this lead to him opening his own firm in 1855.  He opened his establishment at the same time as Napoleon III came into power, married, and his wife patronized the House of Worth.  Worth was known for known for his use of luxury fabrics and trimmings with historical detail, and his attention to detail.

He promoted himself as the best out there, designing for Sarah Bernhardt, Lillie Langtree and many others of the time.  He insisted that his customers come to him in Paris if they wanted his clothing.  As he aged, his sons took over the business , continuing to produce world class fashions until 1952 when his great-grandson retired from the business.

Most of us have heard of Charles Worth with his Worth gowns but few of us have heard of Redfern.  I don't know who was really the first designer with the first fashion house but either way, they both created a new way for women to have fashion.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a good day.

Fashion Trends of 2020

 When I was growing up, I remember my father commenting that fashions cycle.  In other words, a style that was popular in the 1920's might reappear in the 1960's with a fresh twist but the basic line was the same.

It appears there are elements of styles from the 1960's 70's and 80's making a comeback in this year with a twist to make them modern.

From the 1960's we will see psychedelic floral patterned materials to give them a cool look.  The floral patterns are being made with bright, vibrant colors and the edges are smudges so the flowers look more abstract.  If you look at pictures of fashion from the swinging scene of the 1960's, you'll see psychedelic patterns showing up in everything from daily dresses to airline uniforms.

In addition, straw bags are making a come back.  They are considered the perfect match up with jeans and tank tops during the summer so you'll see them worn everywhere rather than just remaining in the beach.  You'll also see crocheted pieces showing up in everything from beach wear to being worn over t-shirts.  I saw several brand name Australian bathing suits made out of crochet so they had that retro look.  Just one piece of advice, please make sure your crocheted piece is lined so nothing peaks out for the public to see.

Fast forwarding to the 1970's, the denim skirt is back in fashion matched up with knee high boots, t-shirts covered by a regular button down shirt.  You might want to check a relative's closet to see if they have any denim skirts in their closet you can steal.  Furthermore, denim jeans have moved to being more flared than they have been recently.

Collars have become larger and more pointed to show better over the layers of sweaters and jackets.  In stead of wearing the regular t-shirt, replace them with the skinny ribbed shirts that are more fitted and look so much sleeker.  These ribbed shirts often have contrasting collars or details creating a statement about the wearer. To complete this outfit, look for bags that are retro in nature with geometric cutouts, suede, stripes, or woven.

From the 1980's they are grabbing some of the more flashy elements.  Combine polka-dots with solids or mix the polka dots with stripes or even zebra stripes depending on how daring you are.  In addition, suits have that flowing look rather than being formal and stiff.  The suits are large and not fitted.  Rather than wearing a button down dress shirt, wear a t-shirt and finish the suit off with a pair of sneakers to complete the relaxed look. One last change for fashion is adding in micro mini's and hot pants for those hot summer nights.

Remember, these are the trends seen in the most famous fashion shows but you can take the basic trends and make them yours.  In regard to the polka dots, look for something that is you and match it to the solid colored pants or skirt to make your statement.  I seldom like the fashions I see on the walkway but I do mix and match things to create the look I like.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. Have a great day.

Breath taking!

Breath taking