Starting next Monday is the Alaska B4UDie comedy fest, a week-long event taking place in Anchorage, Wasilla, Girdwood and Talkeetna. The festival will feature some out-of-state headliners but will also offer plenty of local talent. On this episode of Hometown, Alaska we meet the founder and some comedians behind B4UDie, talk about the art of stand-up comedy and explore how it's cementing its place in Alaska.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUESTS:

Kass Smiley, comedian, founder of B4Udie

Katelyn Owens, comedian

Ben Peterson, comedian

LINKS:

Alaska B4UDie website

Facebook

Instagram

Rubber Ptarmigan website

Some young people drink alcohol. Others don’t. It’s pretty obvious on the surface, but the decision making around drinking can be complicated. Many people and experiences shape if and when we decide to drink, and talking about those influences can be hard. On this episode of Hometown, Alaska we talk to young people and some adults who support them about alcohol use and how to talk about it.

EVENT INFO:

Anchorage Youth Speak Out: Conversations About Underage Drinking

Wednesday, April 24, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

BP Energy Center or virtually

HOST: Anne Hillman

GUESTS:

Aaron Osterback, Volunteers of America-Alaska, coalition coordinator

Asher Farrally, youth speaker

JJ Hanley, youth speaker

LINKS:

VOA Alaska website

Facebook

Instagram

Youtube

When you think of game night, there really isn't anything more timeless than trivia. On this episode of Hometown, Alaska we talk with a quizmaster from the group Geeks Who Drink and explore why so many are drawn to this pastime. Later in the show we host our very own trivia throwdown here in the Alaska Public Media studio.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUESTS:

Sarah Hull, Quizmaster, Geeks Who Drink

Valerie Lake, Director of Production, Alaska Public Media

Adam Nicely, Multimedia Production Associate, Alaska Public Media

Wesley Early, Anchorage Reporter, Alaska Public Media

Ava White, Statewide Morning News Host, Alaska Public Media

LINKS:

Geeks Who Drink website

Geeks Who Drink - Alaska Facebook

If you’ve ever listened to local radio, or found yourself humming along to a catchy jingle from an Alaskan business, then you've undoubtedly heard the work of Kurt Riemann. In a world dominated by visual imagery, lifelong Alaskan, Riemann felt most at home enveloped in sound. His passion for all things audible developed into a 40-year career that has seen the audio engineer produce some of Alaska's most iconic music. From the Alaska Music Archives to KONR and the Alaska Music Show, and his recording studio Surreal Studios, Riemann has used his hands — and ears — to shape the Alaska music scene since the 1980s.

Fur Rondy is here again and there are plenty of events going on in the city of Anchorage. But only one of them features everything from dancing to magicians to yoyo experts. On this episode of Hometown, Alaska, we discuss the Great Alaska Talent competition and host our own in-studio talent show with past and current competitors.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUESTS:

Megan Killoran, Executive Director, Great Alaska Talent Competition

Ben Schwartz, Winner, 2022 GATC

Bethany Graham, 2024 GATC competitor

LINK:

Great Alaska Talent Competition webpage

Kikkan Randall is quite possibly Alaska's most prized athlete. And now, the five-time Olympian and gold medal winner is the subject of a movie that will be debuting in theaters later this month. On this Hometown, Alaska host Dave Waldron speaks with the film's director and Kikkan about her incredible journey, and what it's been like to put it on the big screen.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUESTS:

Kikkan Randall, professional cross-country skier, cancer survivor, mom

Matt Clark, director, "Kikkan"

LINKS:

Kikkan Randall website

"Kikkan" tickets

February is the Anchorage Vegan Chef Challenge, where restaurants around the city highlight vegan options on their menus. From pastries to curries and everything between, chefs are trying out new vegan ideas. On today’s episode of Hometown, Alaska we’ll be talking about vegan cooking and what it’s like to run a food-focused business.

HOST: Anne Hillman

GUESTS:

Alex Bury, Vegan Outreach and Vegan Chef Challenge coordinator

Joy Kiehn, Gia Dinh Vietnamese Cuisine

Michelle Sinnott, Flaky Pastry

LINK:

Anchorage Vegan Chef Challenge webpage

Vegan Outreach website

Gia Dinh website

Flaky Pastry Facebook

On this episode of Hometown, Alaska we're joined by UAA's Atwood Chair of Journalism John Sharify. He’s a 79-time Emmy award winner, a nine-time Edward R. Murrow award winner and a DuPont Columbia award winner, which is the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. Now in his second year as the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Atwood Chair of Journalism, Sharify has been imparting the university’s students with knowledge gleaned from a career spanning three decades.

HOST: O'Hara Shipe

GUEST: John Sharify, UAA Atwood Chair of Journalism

LINKS:

John Sharify YouTube

Anchorage Press "Backstories: John Sharify"

Atwood Chair of Journalism

UAA Department of Journalism and Public Communications

The Anchorage Folk Festival is a 10-day event that is celebrating its 35th year of showcasing national and local talent. On this Hometown, Alaska we'll hear from a pair of board members about some treasures you can find this year and have some in-studio performances from this year's featured musicians.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUESTS:

Johnse Otsman, Board President, Anchorage Folk Festival

Marianne See, Board Director, Anchorage Folk Festival

Tim and Natalie Tucker, musicians, Tucker Tunes

Robin Hopper, award-winning songwriter, musician, educator

LINKS:

Anchorage Folk Festival website

Anchorage Folk Festival schedule

Tucker Tunes Facebook

Robin Hopper website

On this episode of Hometown, Alaska host Dave Waldron explores the cosmos and discusses Winter Solstice with the Anchorage Museum's Planetarium and Discovery Center Director Aaron Slonecker. Later in the show we hear an in-studio performance of an adaptation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" by Anchorage's TBA Theatre.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUESTS:

Aaron Slonecker, Director, Anchorage Museum Planetarium and Discovery Center

TBA Theatre: Ryan Buen, Jessica Faust, Shane Mitchell, Erin Dagon Mitchel, Wayne Mitchell, Dana Mitchell

LINKS:

Anchorage Museum Planetarium

TBA Theatre