Region Music Festival Day 2

On Thursday, we woke up bright and early because we had to move out of our classrooms so that they could be used for classes that day. We ate breakfast at the school and it was such a treat to eat in a good school cafeteria (we dont have a cafeteria, our kids just eat from the concession stand and sit whereever they can find a spot). The food served to us all weekend by the school was surprisingly good.

Throughout the day, many of the kids practiced their solos and ensembles for the judging that took place after lunch at about 1pm. While all of the kids from the other schools went in to be judged one at a time, our group all went in together. There were 24 of us squeezed into this small classroom with the adjudicator (music judge). There were 3 vocal solos, 1 vocal duet, 2 piano solos, and a couple of clarinet solos. The adjudicator was extremely pleased with the talent of several of the kids and gave them great advice. 4 students received the superior rating and will be traveling to the state music competition in Anchorage in a few weeks (I get to chaperone that trip too). I was extremely impressed with the talent of some of these kids.

Later, the mass band and mass choir had a chance to practice for the public performance later that night. Here is the Bethel mass band practicing.
Since all of our stuff was in the gym, we spent alot of time just sitting around listening to the bands and choirs practice. Here are a couple of the girls killing time in the gym. Both of these two are going to state for their vocal solos. They have amazing voices!

In the evening, all of the bands and choirs from each school attending performed for the public. Here is a group of Bethel kids all dressed up out in the hall waiting for the concert to start. I have to admit that our groups band sounded the best. I think that most of the reason is because we had the most members in our band and, therefore, the most complete sound. To hear the Bethel mass band performance, read the post below titled Beauty and the Beast, or click here. Our choir sounded good, as did several of the other schools. Nome, Dillingham, and Unalakleet also had pretty good choirs, although none of the were more than 7 kids. To hear the mass choir performance, read the post below titled Ordinary Miracle, or click here. I dont have any still pics because I was recording instead.
After the concert was over, I had my first chance to go for a walk around Kotzebue. A few of the kids and I went for a walk down to the sea and to the store. Here are the kids on the swings in the school playground. It was really nice to get to know some of the kids outside of the regular school setting and to get to know some kids that I wouldn't normally get to know because I dont have them in class. This picture was taken about about 9pm. Notice how bright it still is out. It didnt get dark in Kotzebue until almost midnight.
We walked down to the place where the land meets the sea. Except for the slight slope of the beach, you really couldnt tell the difference. It was all covered in white with snow machine tracks in it. This picture was taken on the beach where we found a crack in the snow/ice pack. The crack was long and at least 10 feet deep in places. I wonder what caused it.
It was pretty cold in Kotz, about 0 degrees, compared to about 15 in Bethel that same day, but sunny and clear with no wind. This picture was taken at about 9:30pm. See the two rainbows on each side of the sun? I learned from the kids that these are called sun dogs. I also learned that in Yup'ik, they are called agukdemalimati(spelling?), or the sun's mittens. When the sun puts on it's mittens, that means that it will be colder the next day. This picture was taken from the road...you can see the slant of the beach and then the flat ice of the sea. There is also a snowmachine path leading down to the sea ice. Also, there are orange fences set up on the ice for a dog sled race that had taken place the previous weekend, the Kobuk 440. I was told that the fences are also used for snowmachine races.

About half way into our walk, we were feeling kind of cold, so we went into this restaurant for a snack.
Kotzebue really reminded me alot of Bethel. It really has the same look and feel to it. This is a typical scene and one that you could see just as easily in Bethel.
Another typical scene...snowmachines parked outside of a wood sided house with antler decor and a snow drift halfway up the window. Classic!
These antlers were mounted on the roof of another house that we saw.
This is a view of Shore Ave. in Kotzebue, Alaska. Gives a new meaning to ocean front property. Did I ever mention that exterior paint is not necessarily a given here as it is in the lower 48?
I saw many of these huts built for trash around the village. I wonder WHAT it is that gets into the trash?
We walked through the middle of this massive cemetery in the middle of town. The cemetery was several blocks long and had a park with a playground right next to it.
I learned that the people here sometimes build these little huts over graves to try to prevent the spirits from escaping. These pictures were taken at around 11pm and it is just starting to get dark.
Gas is about a dollar more expensive than in Bethel. I heard it is around 7 dollars out in the villages surrounding Kotzebue. I have also heard rumors that gas around Bethel will get up to over 7 dollars when the first fuel barge comes in. OUCH!
After our little walk, we stopped by the store and went back to the high school. Everybody was pretty riled up that night and we didnt manage to get to bed until almost 3am. Everyone was in their rooms at midnight, but the girls stayed up chatting well into the night. They were really a good group of girls and I had alot of fun with them. The best part was that we were able to have fun, but they still behaved, worked hard on their music, and were respectful.