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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife invites artists to submit their original artwork to the 2020-2021 California Duck Stamp Art Contest.

Submissions will be accepted April 27 through May 29.

The contest is open to U.S. residents 18 years of age or older as of Feb. 27, 2020. Entrants need not reside in California.

The winning artwork will be reproduced on the 2020-2021 California Duck Stamp. The top submissions will also be showcased at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association’s art show in July.

The artwork must depict the species selected by the California Fish and Game Commission, which for the 2020-2021 hunting season is the canvasback.

These fast-flying, diving ducks are the largest of their genus, Aythya, and are characterized by a white back with a reddish-brown neck and head that slopes gently into a long black beak. In California, the canvasback migrates along the Pacific Flyway to wintering grounds on lakes, estuaries and protected bays.

The design is to be in full color and in the medium (or combination of mediums) of the artist’s choosing, except that no photographic process, digital art, metallic paints or fluorescent paints may be used in the finished design.

Photographs, computer-generated art, art produced from a computer printer or other computer/mechanical output device (airbrush method excepted) are not eligible for entry and will be disqualified.

The design must be the contestant’s original hand-drawn creation. The entry design may not be copied or duplicated from previously published art, including photographs, or from images in any format published on the Internet.

All entries must be accompanied by a completed participation agreement and entry form. These forms and the official rules are available online at wildlife.ca.gov/duck-stamp/contest.

Entries will be judged in June. The judges’ panel, which will consist of experts in the fields of ornithology, conservation, and art and printing, will choose first, second and third-place winners, as well as honorable mention.

Since 1971, CDFW’s annual contest has attracted top wildlife artists from around the country. All proceeds generated from stamp sales go directly to waterfowl conservation projects throughout California. In past years, hunters were required to purchase and affix the stamp to their hunting license.

Now California has moved to an automated licensing system and hunters are no longer required to carry the physical stamps in the field (proof of purchase prints directly onto the license).

However, CDFW will still produce the stamps, which can be requested by interested individuals at http://wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/collector-stamps .
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The third concert in the 2020 Saturday Night Jazz Club Series at the Soper Reese Theatre features the Rural Jazz Collective led by Tom Aiken.

The show is set for Saturday, March 14, at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20 with open seating.

The Rural Jazz Collective is the result of Aiken’s desire to create an ensemble based on a freer, less restrictive approach to jazz performance and literature.

Aiken is well known to the Lake County music scene, starting as a music teacher for many years in the Kelseyville school system.

He studied organ and harpsichord at CSU Chico and received a graduate degree with a concentration in music composed before 1750 and after 1900. While at Chico he became interested in improvised music, especially jazz.

He has continued his pursuit of jazz and commercial music, and has played the keyboards with a number of groups in Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma and Butte counties.

Playing with Aiken are Steve Baird on bass, Travis Austin on guitar, and Steve DuBois on drums.

Baird has been performing around Lake and Mendocino counties since the early Eighties providing the bass pulse and vocals for a variety of jazz, rock and acoustic ensembles.

Austin is trained as a classical guitarist and is often seen playing neo-flamenco with partner Robert Owens.

DuBois is the drummer for several local bands including Bill Noteman and the Rockets, and Blues Farm.

The Rural Jazz Collective concert is sponsored by Mike Stempe, and Carol and Steve Schepper.

For tickets go to www.soperreesetheatre.com or to The Travel Center, 825 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets also are sold up to two hours ahead of the show at the theatre box office.

For more information call 707-263-0577.

The theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.
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‘THE CALL OF THE WILD’ (Rated PG)

There have not been many family-friendly films released since the beginning of the year. Let’s agree that kids don’t want to sit through the Oscar winner “Parasite” to read the subtitles for a mature subject matter.

In any event, “Sonic the Hedgehog” helped fill the void and now along come “The Call of the Wild,” based on a veritable and enduring example of classic American literature that was a short novel written by Jack London more than a century ago.

Hewing to the basic Jack London storyline, the film belongs to the big-hearted dog, Buck, who is kidnapped from his spoiled easygoing life at his California home and transported to the exotic wilds of the Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s.

On a jarring note after being snatched from a comfy life, Buck is terrorized and brutally beaten into submission by what is called the “law of the club” before being sold off as a sled dog.

At least Buck ends up with cheerful French-Canadian mail courier Perrault (Omar Sy) and his wife Francoise (Cara Gee) and becomes a valuable member of the sled team delivering mail far and wide to prospectors in the Klondike.

Unfortunately, circumstances lead to Buck being acquired by siblings Hal (Dan Stevens) and Mercedes (Karen Gillan) who are driven by greed in search of fortune and end up having our canine hero lead a sled team on a foolish journey across a frozen river that is beginning to thaw.

This is where the wandering adventurer John Thornton (Harrison Ford) steps in to rescue Buck, setting in motion the vow by the villainous Hal to track both of them down in his vicious desire for vengeance.

For all his good intentions, Thornton has his faults, namely having too much affinity for drowning his sorrows in booze, which results from his grief over the loss of his son and the sadness of breaking up with his wife.

Becoming more than a companion with Thornton in a trek to the great remote wilderness of unchartered territory, Buck’s gentle soul shows itself not just trying to nudge his kindly master away from alcohol, he also bonds with a pack of wild wolves by saving one of them.

“The Call of the Wild” has plenty of adventure, from Buck rescuing animals from raging rivers and other dangers to saving Francoise from beneath a frozen lake and later dodging an avalanche that threatens to obliterate the entire team.

Don’t spoil it for kids by letting them know the animals are realized by the magic of motion-capture and that Cirque de Soleil performer Terry Notary created all the movements and mannerisms of Buck. This film was made for family to enjoy the adventure.

CABLE TV WINTER-SPRING PREVIEW – PART 5

HBO wasted little time jumping into its winter programming with two series that premiered within less than two weeks after the start of the New Year.

Hugh Laurie makes a welcome return to TV as Captain Ryan Clark of a luxury space cruise ship in “Avenue 5,” a comedy series set 40 years in the future with the space tourism excursion tossed into turbulence.

Captain Clark and his crew, which includes eccentric owner Herman Judd (Josh Gad) and head of customer relations Zach Woods (Matt Spencer), have to deal with disgruntled passengers who find out a malfunction will delay a return to Earth by three years.

“The Outsider,” based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, begins its ten-episode season by following a straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy until an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case.

Police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn) sets outs to investigate what seems to be an ironclad case. However, contradictory evidence places his suspect, Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman), in a different city at the time of the murder.

The circumstances surrounding the horrifying crime leads Ralph to join forces with unorthodox private investigator Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo), and soon they question everything they believe in.

Upending the arc of history is nothing new. The Amazon series “The Man in the High Castle” created an alternate American history with a parallel universe where the Axis powers emerged victorious in World War II.

The same principle is at work in the upcoming series “The Plot Against America,” which creates another version of historical events where now the danger lies from within.

Based on the novel by Philip Roth, “The Plot Against America” turns aviator hero Charles Lindbergh, an avowed isolationist, into a xenophobic populist denying President Franklin D. Roosevelt a third term in office.

In real life, Lindbergh displayed a fascination with Nazi Germany and publicly criticized Roosevelt in speeches to the point that his isolationism caused him to be denounced as an anti-Semite and traitor.

This six-episode series is viewed by the eyes of a working-class Jewish family seeking upward mobility while being horrified that a President Lindbergh has charted a course towards fascism.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Don't miss Austin & Owens’ performance at the Coffee House Concert Series on Saturday, March 21, at Fore Family Winery tasting room, 3920 Main St., Kelseyville.

Travis Austin and Robert Owens have been performing music together now for more than 15 years.

As a traditional guitar duo, they have performed all around Northern California, gaining popularity with wineries, resorts, breweries and private wedding events.

Classically trained, Austin & Owens blend jazz flavors with Flamenco influences creating everything from elegant atmosphere music to electrifying stage performances.

Austin & Owens perform material ranging from classical pieces such as “Ave Maria” and “La Malaguena,” to film soundtrack favorites and even classic rock instrumental covers.

The doors open at 6:30 p.m., the show begins at 7 p.m.

Admission is $15 per person.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.uuclc.org , Watershed Books in Lakeport, at the Fore Family Winery tasting room and at the door (until sold out). Seating is limited so arrive early.
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Ted Kooser. Photo credit: UNL Publications and Photography.

Robert Bly is one of the last living major American poets of his generation, and W.W. Norton recently published his Collected Poems.

I and many other poets of the central states owe Bly, who grew up on a Minnesota farm, a great deal, for showing us how to write about what's around us, the turkey sheds, the great skies, the rain-filled roadside ditches, all of it.

Here's one poem about our life force that I'm especially fond of.

Why We Don't Die

In late September many voices
Tell you you will die.
That leaf says it, that coolness.
All of them are right.

Our many souls—what
Can they do about it?
Nothing. They’re already
Part of the invisible.

Our souls have been
Longing to go home
Anyway. “It's late,” they say,
“Lock the door, let’s go.”

The body doesn't agree. It says
“We buried a little iron
Ball under that tree.
Let’s go get it.”


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Copyright © 2018, 2011, 2005, 2001, 1997, 1994, 1985, 1981, 1979, 1977, 1975, 1973, 1972, 1967, 1966, 1965, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1961, 1960, 1959, 1953 by Robert Bly. Used with permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Introduction copyright @2020 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.
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Kenny Washington. Courtesy photo.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The annual winter concert series at the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake continues on Sunday, March 15, at 3 p.m. in Riffe’s Meeting House next to the hotel.

The performers will be Kenny Washington, one of the country’s leading male jazz vocalists, backed by the superb guitarist Jeff Massanari.

“Two years ago, this duo created one of the most memorable afternoons we’ve had in this series,” said Tallman owner Bernie Butcher. “They went on to do a sold-out show at the Soper-Reese in Lakeport the next year. It’s great to have them back in our intimate venue at the Tallman.”

Recently dubbed “the Superman of the Bay Area jazz scene” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Kenny Washington is a jazz virtuoso who thrills audiences with his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and rapid-fire scatting.

A native of New Orleans who grew up singing gospel in church, Kenny studied various styles of music at Xavier University and then performed worldwide with the U. S. Navy band for nine years.

He then settled in the Bay Area where he has recorded, collaborated with others, and was the featured artist at the “Top of the Mark” for many years.

As Massanari said, “If you haven’t heard Kenny Washington in concert before, get ready for a jaw-dropping experience. I just love playing with him.”

Massanari studied jazz composition and performance at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. He then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and quickly became one of the region’s most in-demand guitarists.

He is often asked to accompany artists such as Kenny Washington, Seth MacFarlane and Mark Inouye. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Hall and Stern Grove as well as on tour in China.

“The intimate venue at the Tallman is a perfect showcase for Kenny,” said Massanari. “We’re both really looking forward to a relaxing and fun afternoon in Lake County.”

More information on Kenny Washington can be obtained at his website http://www.kennywashingtonvocalist.com/ and on Jeff Massanari at http://jeff-massanari.com/.

Tickets at $25 plus tax are available online at Eventbrite.com or by calling the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0. Coffee and cookies are served to guests.

The hotel is also offering a 10-percent discount on hotel bookings for people purchasing tickets to the concert.

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