An Evening of “Tweets, Twits and Trash.”
3 10 2009
It was a long, but beautiful ride to the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer last night. Palmer is the begrudging neighbor of the now better known and more infamous Wasilla. Palmer is more of an old-time, original Matanuska Valley colony, farming-type community. Wasilla is more… Wasilla. When their high scool teams play, it’s the Moose vs. the Warriors. That kind of sums it up.
Our destination? Raven Hall at the Fairgrounds where Mr. Whitekeys was putting on a show. For anyone who has visited Alaska in the last few decades, you may have had the good fortune of catching a performance of “Springtime in Spenard,” “The Whale Fat Follies,” or another of his shows starring the incomparable Alice Welling, that were performed at the Fly By Night Club in Spenard. Since he has gone into semi-retirement, performances pop up in unexpected places, like at the Fair Grounds in October.
~The view from the fair grounds in Palmer at dusk
The first thing I noticed in Raven Hall was a silent auction. One of the items was a jar of honey. Those in Alaska know that when you see a jar of honey at an auction, it means that the honey is locally made by someone who keeps bees, and it’s usually worth its weight in gold. I ran over to take a closer look and noticed that this particular honey had been donated by none other than Talis Colberg who will be familiar to readers of this blog as the former Attorney General of the former Governor, who had resigned his position (before she resigned her position) during the height of the Troopergate scandal. He then went on to become the newly elected Mayor of the Mat-Su Borough. And, he obviously keeps bees. ”Only in Alaska,” I thought.
The show did not disappoint. Mr. Whitekeys and the Fabulous Spamtones had everyone rolling in the aisles with their first “post-Palin” show. There was lots of great material about Alaska in general, the Valley Specifically (the song “Where Has All the Sudafed Gone? celebrating Wasilla’s dubious honor of being the meth capital of Alaska), and of course about the Valley’s most famous and infamous resident, former governor Sarah Palin. Like it or not, they’re stuck with her until someone comes along who is a more famous or infamous resident of the Valley. I’m not holding my breath.
We all enjoyed a fabulous Palin look-alike belt out ”Take This Job and Shove It,” and “I Can See Russia from Here.”
There were a host of hilarious slides set to music including my very own version of Sarah Palin’s book cover! Mr. Whitekeys is a Mudflatter! Who knew?
Thanks to Phil Munger of Progressive Alaska, and board member of the Friends of Mat-Su, and his wife Judy who invited us to the event as their guests. When it all finished up, it turned out that our table-mates Gene and Priscilla (also Mudflatters) won the Talis Colberg honey! Sweet. Literally.
I managed to get a blurry shot of Brian the moose with Mr. Whitekeys. Blame it on the “Hard Pomegranate Lemonade.”
All in all it was a very entertaining evening, and a great success for the Friends of Mat-Su.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 AM
sounds like it was a great evening!
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:25 AM
heh heh… Phil has a Photo of you on his site, taking the blurry picture of Brian and his newfound friend.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Yes, and when my sons played football for the Warriors, the team had a Lakota coach and an Apache quarterback and Apache end (my sons) and when they would play the Moose in Palmer, they would be met with jeering war hoops and racist, anti-Native American jeers.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Nice. Glad you enjoyed it!
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Good Grief, I didn’t know that Mr. Whitekeys is still around! The Whale Fat Follies is without doubt the funnies show I have ever seen. If he pops up with a show, it’s a definite must-see for any mudpuppies visiting Alaska. I can only imagine the hay he must be making with Sarah P’s shanenigans … surely there is a song …
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Wow That must have been a Blast AKM.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 PM
It sounds like it was a whole lot of fun. And the view fron Palmer at dusk is one of the reasons I plan to visit Alaksa.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:56 PM
For Talis, an officer and a drone:
For so work the honey-bees,
Creatures that by a rule in nature teach
The act of order to a peopled kingdom.
They have a king and officers of sorts;
Where some, like magistrates, correct at home,
Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad,
Others, like soldiers, armèd in their stings,
Make boot upon the summer’s velvet buds;
Which pillage they with merry march bring home
To the tent-royal of their emperor:
Who, busied in his majesty, surveys
The singing masons building roofs of gold,
The civil citizens kneading up the honey,
The poor mechanic porters crowding in
Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate,
The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum,
Delivering o’er to executors pale
The lazy yawning drone.
Henry V, I. 2
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 PM
Th whole Event sounds like Fun…
and you didn’t even have any ‘ Tea-Baggers ‘ protesting outside…They show up anywhere for any event. Nobody jumped up and told Mr. WhiteKeys ” You Lie ” ?
I see a lady in red at the mic… I would have thought there would HAVE TO be a Sarah Palin look-alike Contest as part of these Festivities. It’s seems like a natural.
In respect to your table-mates ‘ also ‘ being Mudflatters…? The easier question might be ‘ who isn’t ‘ these days. Well…maybe not Mr. Colberg.
*** Bee question AKM: You suggest that ‘ keeping bee’s is not the norm.. at least I got that idea. You must need special requirements. Where can you KEEP them in the Winter..? Inside..? {Some barn or storage building-out of the cold }
Do they go into hibernation as well… there are no flowers for nectar… and I thought I read the average bee’s lifespan is 3 months or something-fairly short. It seems like the Colony would be dead by the time Spring arrives.
Questions for Google I guess. One day we learn about Alaskan Moose… the next day Alaska’s honeybees.
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:05 PM
i must say that the book cover by akm shown above is my favorite of all the covers spoofing palins’ book. it is downright cute and not mean spirited. glad a good time was had by all.
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:08 PM
Sounds like a great evening. I particularly like the sign on the drums. Kind of says it all, doesn’t it?
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Sounds like it was a lo of fun! BTW, did Tawd get fired from the North Slope? I mean, how can you keep a job when you’re never there?
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:25 PM
Sounds like too much fun, so glad you got to go AKM.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:48 PM
honestyinGov–most AKan beekeepers can’t/don’t keep a hive alive over the winter. Some people have tried to figure out a way to keep them warm enough (and I guess you have to feed them too, or they’ll eat all the honey), so beekeepers have to start over with new bees, shipped in from Outside, every spring.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:53 PM
oops, that should say “but most beekeepers have to start over…”
October 4th, 2009 at 12:42 AM
So, AKM, did you get a copy of Mr W’s fabulous funny DVD, “Alaska – The First 10,000 Years” ? I’m so sorry I missed going Friday night, but my granddaughter’s 1 year old birthday party was pretty important also… When you see the movie, look for me rowing that canoe from Skagway to Kenai, the old gold miner…
October 4th, 2009 at 5:07 AM
That must have been the BEST show ever…
one of the highlights of our trip to Alaska was going to the club and seeing the show ..still have the apron ‘a decade of sleaze’ spam, booze and rhythm and blues…love it
wish it was taped
oh love the sign by the drums as well…says it all oh yes it does
October 4th, 2009 at 8:24 AM
I’ve seen Mr. W before in one of his presentations. I dont’ have television and was visiting my parents when he came on the TV. I almost passed out from laughing so much. (couldn’t get enough breath). I also remember him doing one on Eagle this spring and it’s history. He looks like a lot of fun.