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

Halloween is almost here and there isn't a better time to tell scary stories. On this episode Hometown, Alaska we give you tales of terror – one from an Alaska author and another from the longtime manager of one of Anchorage’s most haunted buildings. We also spend time with some famous spirts courtesy of Ghost Tours of Anchorage.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUESTS:

Jessica Faust, author and illustrator

Shane Mitchell, manager of the Wendy Williamson Auditorium

LINKS:

Jessica Faust webstore and portfolio

Ghost Tours of Anchorage

"The haunting of the Wendy Williamson Auditorium" - The Northern Light

RELATED: State of Art: Anchorage writer releases spooky new book in time for Halloween

Alaska Children's Trust is a statewide organization working to prevent childhood abuse and neglect. They recently hit a major milestone of having distributed over $10 million in grants across the state. We're joined by Alaska Children's Trust President and CEO, Trevor Storrs, to discuss their work and the role community plays into raising thriving children. Later in the show we hear from visiting, award-winning poet and contributing editor to Alaska Quarterly Review, Jane Hirshfield. She was in Alaska for readings and discussions about poetry, science and the environment as part of the Consortium Library’s 50th anniversary. She stopped by the studio to discuss her new collection of poetry "The Asking" and shares a couple of poems.

LINKS:

Alaska Children's Trust

The Poetry Foundation: Jane Hirshfield

ALSO FEATURED: State of Art: Anchorage Opera sets classic comedy in the 1980s

What are some of the best mysteries, cold cases and tales of intrigue in our state? On this episode of Hometown Alaska, host Dave Waldron digs into them with Anchorage writer and historian David Reamer. Hear stories about predictions of death to mysterious objects in the sky and maybe even learn about one that some of Alaska's longest residents have never heard.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUEST: David Reamer

LINKS:

David Reamer Anchorage Daily News articles

David Reamer on X (Twitter)

The Alaska Federation of Natives annual convention is only a few weeks away and there will be plenty of speakers, crafts and traditional music. But what about contemporary music? On this episode of Hometown, Alaska we have two very different in-studio performances from some up-and-coming Alaska Native musicians. Join host Dave Waldron as he speaks with hip-hop duo Brother Buffalo and singer-songwriter Witty Youngman about their music and how their heritage influences their art.

HOST: Dave Waldron

GUESTS:

Garrett and Jake Swenson, Brother Buffalo

Witty Youngman, singer-songwriter

LINKS:

Brother Buffalo Instagram

Brother Buffalo Spotify

Witty Youngman Instagram

Witty Youngman Facebook

Witty Youngman Website