Reigning champ falls in Friday night fights

Angoon's Johnson surprises Juneau's "Red Baron" Tucker

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Twenty-two-year-old Bailey Johnson, of Angoon, shocked the packed crowd at Marlintini's Lounge Friday for the monthly Roughhouse fights. Johnson picked up an electrifying victory over 2008 Roughhouse Southeast Showdown Champion 19-year-old Aaron "The Red Baron" Tucker, of Juneau.

Johnson (1-0-0) began racking up the points early in round one, using his longer reach to tag the more-experienced Tucker (8-1-0) with lefts to the head, while dodging the champ's huge haymaker attempts. Tucker came out tough in round two but soon walked into a big left hook from Johnson, who followed with a hard left-right combination to Tucker's head. The champ was hit with a second standing eight-count.

The tables appeared to turn in round three, as Tucker sent a stunned Johnson to the mat, and a standing-eight count of his own from referee Joe Isturis, with a stinging left haymaker. Johnson was able to recover, however, sealing the win with a heavy leather left hook that brought the crowd to their feet for the underdog.

First-time-fighter Denise Bennett, 25, defeated Michelle "The Waitress" Macasaet, 23, in a split-decision fight with an edge. Bennett was randomly paired with Macasaet, who Bennett claimed damaged her car during a street fight with another girl downtown last summer. Bennett was the aggressor from the bell, but both boxers appeared gassed out by the end of round one. The fighters gasped their way through round two, but Bennett was able to pick up the win in round three because she "was looking for a payback," she said.

Nick "The Nightmare" Morgan defeated Roger "Barcode" Booth IV in the only mixed martial arts fight of the night, using the full length of the three 3-minute rounds. With one MMA win under his belt, Booth said he "studied Morgan and called him out to fight."

Booth, who took his fight name because of the barcode tattoo on his head, tried unsuccessfully to drop Morgan to the mat with repeated kicks to the knee, and the fighters spent the majority of the bout on their feet. Morgan was able to maneuver Booth into several headlock grips, but "Barcode" proved to be a good escape artist and the close bout was ultimately decided by a split decision.

Heavyweight fighter Inoke Topui, 21, defeated Hoonah's Eric Larsen, 20, whose 79-year-old grandmother showed her support by being the ring girl for the fight. Both boxers weighed in at 215 pounds for the fight. Topui went on the attack from the opening bell, but was unable to seal the win until the third round when he got Larsen pinned against the ropes and delivered a pummeling that left Larsen with a bloodied nose.

Randy Willard, 23, defeated southpaw fighter and childhood friend Shawn Guthrie, 21, in an evenly paired fight that went the three-round distance. Willard was able to take round one after using his longer reach to out-point Guthrie. The action broke even in the second, however, as both boxers gassed out. Willard's reach eventually gave him the advantage in round three again, as he picked up the win.

With a record of 2-0-0, Brian Lauth, 18, remained undefeated with his win over first-time-fighter Gabe "Reachum" Meachum, 21, after Lauth exploded from the bell and tagged the newcomer with a hard shot to the head. Meachum hung on through the first round, but the fight was called after he was issued two standing eight-counts in round two.

Al "Mean Machine" Valentine, 48, tamed James "The Beast" Roberts Jr., 23, of Klawock, in a one-sided bout that showcased Valentine's decades of fight experience. Roberts went into the bout saying his strategy was to "keep moving and try not to get knocked out." Roberts kept his head down and his arms swinging, but Valentine, standing largely with his arms at his side, took the win with his lightning-quick head tags.

Sitka's Selena Slack, 25, brought her record to 3-1-0 with her win over first-time fighter Alexa Elisof, 24, of Juneau. The first two rounds went to the more-experienced Slack, and the fight was called in round three after Slack's left hook came alive, proving too much for Elisof. Slack said her win was "all about my experience over my opponent."

Hoonah's Mitchel Zarazua, 19, defeated Yakutat's Don "Damn Yaki" Johnson, 47, in a fight featuring a considerable age difference. Johnson was hit with a standing-eight-count in round one after an inital hard flurry of hits from the younger Zarazua. Referee Isturis called the fight after the second standing eight-count was issued to Johnson in round two.

The next fight night will be Feb. 13 at Marlintini's lounge.

The Karma Krew

By Kim Andree | JUNEAU EMPIRE

After opening Taproot Yoga Center last September, Malia McInerney also was inspiried to establish a local Karma Krew, which, as part of its mantra to "Do Good Things," recently volunteered its time at Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies.

"We drank tea, shared stories, listened to holiday music, soaked our feet in Body Shop baths and sampled the wonderful products," McInerney said. "We basically enjoyed one another's company, which is what Karma Krew is all about."

According to McInerney, the goal of all Karma Krews is to participate in Simple Seva - selfless service - by doing community service projects. She said she discovered the Karma Krew idea while on a Buddhist retreat last January with her friend Scott Feinberg, one of the founders of the national group.

"It was exactly what I was looking for," McInerney said, "a template for which I could be supported and offer support through a broader vision."

To support its vision, the local crew dedicates a service every other month. Its first project was "Our Furry Friends," for which it established a drive and adopted a "pet" polar bear for the center.

"I needed to do something low key because I was consumed with opening the yoga center," McInerney said. "The decline of polar bears and their rapidly changing habitats are on everybody's mind, so this small act went to support that."

And since October centered around women's issues - Women's History Month and Women's Leadership Month - Taproot decided to hold two events to raise awareness. The first was a public yoga and pampering day held at Taproot to provide the opportunity for people to donate Body Shop products to AWARE in time for Christmas. For this, Heather Ollenburg, a local Body Shop consultant, donated her time and profits.

"All of her commission went to AWARE, and she spent the afternoon pampering the women who showed up," McInerney said. "We transformed the center into a Body Shop so people could browse items, try them out and opt to make purchases for themselves or donate products to AWARE if they wanted."

After shopping, McInerney taught a yoga class to approximately 20 people in a large circle.

The second event to celebrate women was held Dec. 14 at AWARE, for which McInerney lead AWARE women in a brief session of yoga, featuring deep breathing and gentle movement, and Courtney Nelson entertained with some basic belly dance instruction.

"We delivered all the donated products to the AWARE shelter and spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon with the women there," McInerney said. "Heather presented a portion of the products to the women who were taking up residents at AWARE that day."

According to McInerney, the estimated retail value of the donations was around $4,000.

"There were a lot of products," McInerney said. "AWARE kept most of it to distribute over time and at special events in the future."

Also at the event, healing touch practitioner Mary Pat Schilly gave AWARE women foot massages and did some foot reflexology. Ollenburg facilitated the pampering with foot baths and hand soaks, and Jodi Neil also volunteered.

McInerney said keeping in touch with other volunteers around the country has motivated her work as Juneau Krew Chief.

"Learning about the amazing impacts some of the other Krews are having helps keep me inspired and feeling good that I'm part of something so much needed in the world," she said.

McInerney also hopes Taproot's crew will continue to blossom in the future.

"The Juneau Karma Krew is a baby," she said. "It's just evolving along with Taproot Yoga, but my goal is to alternate Simple Seva and Community Service Projects every month by next year."

The crew already has several community service projects coming up. In February, they will visit Juneau Youth Services to hang out with kids and help out in various ways. In March, they will help SAGA with one of its outreach projects, and in April, they will do an environmental clean-up project for Earth Day.

"We have a few core volunteers and would like to recruit more in addition to opening up each project to anyone interested in the cause," McInerney said. "The more volunteers the better of course."

Those interested in joining the Karma Krew can contact Taproot Yoga at 523-9848 or e-mail McInerney at breathe@taproot-yoga.com. Details about specific projects can be found at www.taproot-yoga.com under the "Events" link, and details about the national Karma Krew organization can be found at www.karmakrew.org.

"Suggestions are always welcome, as are volunteers for committee organizing," McInerney said. "We are also open to collaborating with other organizations or committees. Benefactors may include nonprofits, schools, individual community members, the environment, etc. There are no limits."

Motion picture, TV title designer Fitzgerald to speak Saturday

Juneau Empire

JUNEAU - Wayne Fitzgerald, three-time Emmy award winning motion picture and TV title designer with more than 1,000 title designs to his credit, will speak at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at the downtown library.

With more than 55 years experience in the film industry, Fitzgerald will discuss film history, short-story telling, the change in technology and maybe a few colorful Hollywood personality stories.

Some of his credits include: "Bonnie and Clyde," "A River Runs Through It," "What About Bob?," "Total Recall," "The Godfather trilogy," "Innerspace," "The Fly," "Rocky IV," "The Breakfast Club," "The Deer Hunter," "Sixteen Candles," "Footloose," "Splash," "The Big Chill," "Terms of Endearment," "Pennies from Heaven," "The Lord of the Rings," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Ghost," "Basic Instinct," "Catch-22," "Apocolypse Now," "The Graduate" and "Pillow Talk."

Fitzgerald will show samples of his work and the original storyboards for a few films. For a list of some title credits, visit www.imdb.com/name/nm0280408/.

Wong KO's Flood in Main Event

Bartender stops serving drinks to win her first fight
By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Some bartenders serve hard liquor. Marlintini's Lounge bartender Shannon "Fighting Irish" Williams serves hard rights, or at least she did Friday night while filling in for another fighter.

Williams, 26, stepped out from behind the bar to battle newcomer Amanda Phillips, 21, whose scheduled opponent no-showed for the bout.

Williams defeated Phillips by unanimous decision in a fight that Williams dominated from the start. Williams stayed on the offensive and chased Phillips around the ring, landing head blows to get the win before heading back to tending bar.

In Friday's main event Ryan Wong, 31, stopped Norman "Thunder Punch" Flood III, 20, with a haymaker combination that earned Wong the win and left Flood on the floor with an injured jaw. Wong (3-1-0) planned on using his reach to grab the win and took a few rattling head shots early in round one. He then went after Flood (7-2-1) and fired off a huge right to the head, then landed a left haymaker to Flood's jaw, finishing him off with with a final hard right to clinch a first round victory.

In other bouts:

• Inoke Topui, a 21-year-old weighing 222 pounds, defeated James "The Beast" Roberts Jr., a 23-year-old from Klawock who outweighed Topui by more than 100 pounds. Roberts was undefeated going into the bout but Topui was lighter on his feet than the powerful Roberts. Roberts hung tight but Topui landed more blows to grab the win.

• National Guardsman and first time fighter Bailey Johnson, 22, of Angoon defeated schoolteacher and fellow first time fighter Patrick Murphy, 39. Johnson grabbed an early advantage by forcing Murphy to two standing eight-counts in round one. Johnson dominated from the sound of the bell and popped Murphy's head out between the ropes as he pummeled him. Murphy had a strong comeback in round two but the referee called the fight the same round after a third standing eight-count.

• Doug Chilton, 26, with three losses under his belt, grabbed his first win by defeating first time fighter David Young of Wasilla in a heavyweight fight when referee Joe Isturis awarded Chilton a second round technical knockout.

Brian Lauth, 18, defeated first-time fighter Anthony Davidson in another tough bout. Lauth had the reach advantage over Davidson, who stood strong at the end of round one by returning some hard shots. Davidson was delivered a standing eight-count in round two, but it was Lauth who eventually won the fight.

• Patrick Cummings, 22, of New Jersey, defeated James "Long John the X Warrior" Runge III, 27, of Dallas, in a close bout pairing first time fighters, friends and fellow Coast Guard workers. The match was even heading into round two when both boxers gassed. Cummings managed to throw some heavy leather, leaving Runge with a swollen eye. Cummings wants to fight again but said he felt bad for his friend, who was sitting with an ice pack over his eye. Runge also said he wanted to fight again sometime - but against a weaker opponent.

• Cameron Mitchell, of Juneau, defeated first time fighter Don "Damn Yaki" Johnson, of Yakutat, who waited until he was 47 to step into the ring. Mitchell was more spry that the stiff Johnson and the fight was called after Johnson was knocked down for the second time in round two.

The next fight night at Marlintini's Lounge will be Jan. 16.

Fight card results

Friday, Dec. 12

• Doug Chilton defeatsDavid Young

• Brian Lauth defeatsAnthony Davidson

• Patrick Cummings defeats James "Long John the X Warrior" Runge III

• Sharon "Fighting Irish" Williams defeats Amanda Phillips

• Baily Johnson defeats Patrick Murphy

• Cameron Mitchell defeats Don "Damn Yaki" Johnson

• Inoke Topui defeats James "The Beast" Roberts Jr.

• Wong defeats Norman "Thunder Punch" Flood III

Red Dog to Stay open all winter

New owners tempt locals with food and drink, a giant TV screen and Costa's brunch

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

After years of catering primarily to Juneau's summer tourists, the Red Dog Saloon is under new ownership and ready to fully embrace the locals. This year the bar and restaurant will be open all winter, offering good food and music - and the largest television screen in town.

"We have new, young, invigorated owners that really want to embrace the local crowd," said Red Dog's general manager Mike Denny.

In the past, the saloon hasn't always been a hot destination for Juneauites, as Denny recently found out.

Working the door incognito during this year's Boardwalk Boogie fundraiser, Denny said he was surprised by the number of long-term locals who commented that they'd never been to the Red Dog before.

"The locals don't come down in the summer because we are so crowded, then they forget about us in the winter," Denny said. "Last year we were closed for the winter while the liquor license settled, so locals don't know that we are now open year-round."

"It's a warm, inviting space, and if you have out-of-town guests it's kind of a must-see," he said.

Founded in the 1940s, the Red Dog has occupied several different locations downtown but has maintained its gold-rush theme. In the early days, "Ragtime Hattie" drew people in by playing the piano in white gloves and a silver-dollar halter-top. Now the red saloon-style doors, Alaskan beers, wildlife trophies and charismatic musicians - such as honky-tonk piano player Tag Eckles - uphold the frontier feel, making the spot a hit with the tourists and creating long lines in summer.

Realizing that the long wait kept the locals and their out-of-town guests away, the new owners came up with a plan.

"If there's a line to get in, just come to the front and say you're a local and they will let you in," Denny said.

There are five sets of new owners of the Red Dog, hailing from Juneau and Ketchikan. Juneau couple Eric and Tracy Forst are former owners of the Subway sandwich shop, and Eric Forst has been general manager of Gross Alaska Theatres for the past five years. Neale and Toni Murphy are owners of the Juneau Trading Company and Franklin Street souvenir shop Alaska-Juneau Mining Co.; and new partner Doug Trucano, also of Juneau, owns Trucano Construction. Two Ketchikan couples, Dave and Lori Coates and Gary and Meeta Jethani, complete the group.

A new menu was created by the management which Denny claims is excellent.

"We have a small menu because everything on the menu is good," Denny said.

After 16 poultry tastings, Denny said they settled on an organic roasted chicken dish.

"We serve dinner every night and feature a slow-roasted prime rib dinner on Friday, which is sliced at your table. All entrees come with soup or salad, our special sourdough bread and butter, starch and vegetable, and we have cheesecake for dessert," Denny said.

They also have cheese sticks, chicken wings and sliders to go with their full line of Alaskan beer.

Another draw is the likelihood of Collette Costa's involvement in the restaurant and bar. Although the dates haven't been firmed up, Costa was invited to host her Sunday brunch at the Red Dog beginning sometime early next year.

"The worst thing about Costa's brunch was that there were no mimosas and no Bloody Marys, so that's one of the beautiful things about this place - you can have a full beverage bar alongside Costa's famous brunch," Denny said.

Sports fans might enjoy watching football and hockey on the six-by-10 foot flat-screen television, which can also be used for PowerPoint presentations.

Although The Red Dog is already open and serving lunch at 11 a.m. every day through the winter, it will be closing at 6 p.m., for holiday parties for the next two weekends.

After that the doors will be open to welcome weekend revelers, Monday night footballs fans and hungry locals.

The Little Prince lands in Juneau

Theatre in the Rough stages classic novella

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Seeing ourselves through the eyes of a child can give us a fresh perspective on our behavior. "Le Petit Prince," or "The Little Prince," a novella written by French author Antoine de Saint Exupéry in 1943, does just this.

Theatre in the Rough producers Katie Jensen and Aaron Elmore picked the adapted play as this year's winter performance more than two years ago because they thought the message of "The Little Prince" could benefit people in these uncertain times.

"The world is changing so much right now for everyone. We are all on a journey to find out what love means," Jensen said.

"The essential point the book points out is that, 'We cannot see well except with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes,'" Jensen said, quoting a poignant line spoken by the fox, played by Donnie Gott. Jensen directs the production and plays the role of the snake.

Though Jensen and Elmore picked up this book at different times in their lives, the messages had been simmering inside them for years. The book re-surfaced when the two were faced with a personal crisis and both turned to the book for guidance.

Jensen, who was initially lulled to sleep by her mother reading the book in French, was 8 when she read it for herself.

"I thought it was exotic; the concept of something being written in another language was amazing to me. The book was a touchstone for me through my adolescent years because it is not a children's book," Jensen explained.

Elmore agreed, saying some of the concepts in the book made his head hurt when he was an adolescent.

"It made me feel a little dizzy. The book was touching on things that were too big for my 19-year-old head," he said.

He says he never forgot another message from the book: "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."

The story of "The Little Prince" has held up in the 65 years since it was published, and it resonates with people of all ages. Leaving his very small planet that has three volcanoes, some trees and a rose, the prince embarks on a journey of understanding of the world around him. First he encounters the "men of planets," all played by Dan Reaume. The men of planets - the king who pretends to control the universe, the conceited man who only hears compliments, the drunkard who drinks because he is ashamed that he drinks, the businessman consumed with counting his money, the lamplighter who can never sleep because he has to work every minute and the geographer who never goes anywhere because he is not an explorer - all show reflective aspects of life and human nature.

The prince, played by 14-year-old Ian Andrews, meets the aviator, played by Elmore, after his plane crashes in the desert. He asks the aviator questions but doesn't answer any himself, instead demanding that the aviator draw him pictures.

Saint Exupéry drew on personal experience in writing the book: He and a navigator crashed in the Sahara in 1935 and were rescued four days later after they'd reached the point of dehydration and hallucination. And the author's own death in a plane crash in 1944, just one year after "The Little Prince" was published, was seemingly prophesized at the end of the book when the prince allows himself to be bitten by a snake, saying his body is too heavy to take back to his planet with him.

"Saint Exupéry wrote the original story in 1943, just one year before he disappeared after leaving an airbase on Corsica while flying recognizance missions for the French," Jensen said, adding that she likes that the author was a soldier and an artist, an unusual combination of opposing forces.

Although written during drastically different times, Jensen noted the striking similarities to current world events. The duration and spacing of the wars in the Middle East parallel the duration and spacing of World War I and World War II, Jensen said, in between which the book was written.

With an adapted play, Elmore and Jensen faced challenges in bringing the theatrical elements together. Elmore created a mystical set and the costumes have a certain fantasy element evocative of the story's other planets. Stage lighting was directed by Todd Hunt.

Jensen said the best part of the production for her has been working with the seasoned cast, and she mentioned that the original music composed by Bob Banghart and Patrick Murphy makes the piece extra special.

Jensen and Elmore hope audiences will come away from the performance realizing that the story is alive and just as relevant as it was 65 years ago, and that they will ask themselves essential questions.

"I want this to be the audience's journey," Jensen said.

TAKIN' A STROLL DOWN Soul Street

Hip-hop troupe uses eclectic music, humor and power moves to entertain

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Hip-hop dancing to Beethoven? This Saturday night, the innovative Soul Street dancers will make that combination seem natural.

The dance troupe from Houston, will be in town to perform its energetic hip-hop and break dancing on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Juneau-Douglas High School auditorium.

Pairing hip-hop with seemingly opposing music such as classical makes their style of dance unique, said co-founder Javier Garcia, adding that their performances are enjoyed by people of all ages.

"We use our crazy movements - breakin' and hip-hop, spinning on our hands and heads - and we do it to all types of music, ranging from past schools to old-school funk, breakin' to classical music, Earth Wind and Fire, Nat King Cole. And we are funny as well," Garcia said in a phone interview from his Texas home.

Soul Street is a new company, but the dancers have performed together for more than 10 years with the Fly Dance Company, which recently dissolved because owner Kathy Wood wanted to retire.

"She wanted to retire and the dancers wanted to keep dancing," Garcia said.

They decided to start a new dance troupe and needed a name. One night, as they were standing on a street in downtown Houston before a dance show looking at street signs, they realized that what they do is street dance from their souls, thus Soul Street was born.

Dancers Jesse "Germ" Garcia and Chris Cortez are now under the artistic direction of co-founders and fellow dancers Rock Williams and Javier Garcia. Williams specializes in "poppin' n' lockin'," Jesse Garcia is known for being musically moved, and Cortez is known for his power moves.

An article in the July 2004 issue of Dance Magazine described a performance by the Fly Dance Company: "Fly's concerts are a swift-moving mix of teamwork and solos. ... They build formations that require incredible strength and feed off each other's high energy."

The group's talents allow them to travel the world and dance together. In addition to touring, they dance for the Houston Rockets and take part in community outreach programs.

"I love it. What's better than getting paid to do what I love: travel the world with my friends," the 26-year-old Garcia said.

Of all the places he's traveled, Garcia said Alaska is his favorite. Three years ago, the dancers performed all over Alaska's Interior for a month.

"Alaska is different because of the big beautiful mountains, water, trees and northern lights, and it's an amazing place to see. The people show a lot of love. ... We showed each other our cultures; it was a beautiful thing. There was love everywhere we went."

The dancers will perform this weekend in Juneau, and then they will be back in January to tour the whole state for four weeks.

Garcia took up dancing at 15, after being influenced by friends who were dancers. He learned from them and over the next nine years layered these teachings with his own original moves and tricks, ultimately developing his own aggressive and progressive style. He has since performed with many hip-hop groups, including The Roots.

The dancers are self-taught, but supplement their dance with martial arts and gymnastics training. They aren't strictly opposed to taking more classical dance classes, but Garcia believes it would take away some of the rawness of their dance and risk making them more like everybody else.

Garcia said he is living his dream right now.

"I just want to continue doing concerts and tours and doing our one-of-a-kind outreach programs across the nation," he said.

The dancers relate to many of the same problems, he said, which makes Soul Street very effective at inspiring people considered "at risk," as these dancers once were.

"Some of us were brought up in pretty rough neighborhoods and have identity problems as well, so we use what we went through, and we show the kids if we can make it where we are now, then you can do the same thing."

In some of the programs, the dancers exhibit how the human body accomplishes amazing feats through a network of bones, joints, muscles and the brain. The dancers use props and high-energy dance pieces to show how signals from the brain tell muscles to react to control our bodies.

But Garcia says the main thing they want their dances to do is entertain.

"We just want people to laugh and have fun at the same time while enjoying an athletic dance form to all types of music. We don't get too deep with our material, we just want people to have fun. Laughing is good for the soul."

• Courtney Nelson can be reached at nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net.