Day 32, Week 6-ish- Springtime!

Its Springtime! Everything is fresh, crisp and oh so pretty. The whole world seems to have just been painted, the colors are vivid from the recent rain and starkly contrast with the browns and grays of winter as they begin to peek through. The grape vines have little tiny freckles of green beginning to bud on them, the trees are in full bloom and I can feel it in every part of my body that it is time to change, to make everything I touch as beautiful and as full of promise as the Spring in Fresno.

I love this time of year, if it isn't completely and glaringly apparent. Even though I'm allergic to everything on Earth- especially to everything Springtime- I look forward to this time of year here in Fresno. The blossoms are just so pretty, and the bees are out pollinating and doing their buzzy thing, which I love even though, you know, I'm not gonna go frolic in the orchards or anything right now while they're working, that's a bad business for the allergy-ridden.

The Blossom Trail is gorgeous and a constantly beckoning way to spend an afternoon, and I have to remind myself that I have dishes to do in order to anchor myself down and not drive all of Fresno County looking for flowers all day long.

Being inside is so last season. Those dishes just might need to pile up for another day or two with this weather. These days are meant for enjoying, no window should be left unopened, no meal should be consumed inside. This is a call to everyone to come to this season and abandon last season's stress, those grays and browns, and be refreshed. Well, I've blogged enough for one day. Now its time to turn off the TV, take the kids outside and let them feel the excitement of what is to be- it's budding and welling up inside of them too, waiting to burst into full color with a little of that famous Fresno sunshine.


(Photo by Barbara Gordon, from the Fresno County Office of Tourism- Blossom Trail website. )

Day 32, Week 5- iBike Fresno

Its about time iWrite about iBike Fresno. I think I've been held up by the fact that iHaventBiked at all, and I've felt a tiny bit guilty for it, but the truth is, I am so jealous of people who bike everywhere and iWant that lifestyle.

I became a fan of their facebook in January and despite the fact that I hadn't been on a bike since 6th grade I've pulled out this bike I found with a FREE-TAKE ME sign and begun to assess the work to be done to take me from I wanna, to I will, to iBike.

The whole idea behind the site and the movement is that Fresno is a great place to pedal it up, and it is becoming better with the Bike Master Plan that will make this a much more bicycle-friendly city.

So grab your bike and get out there, enjoy Fresno in a family-fun, eco-friendly, Fresnamzing way. I know that as soon as I can stop wobbling on mine, I will be! 2010 is going to be the year I stop making excuses and start riding!

(Image from iBike Fresno's Facebook. Its cute, no? I've been riding my bike around my field in hopes of gaining confidence on it enough to someday be half as cool as just the logo!)

31 Hours of Rogue- Hours 26-31!

I'm gonna wimp out early, my energy level is pretty low and I'll be commencing operation: Get kids to bed early in 5...4...3...2...1... (This is pre-blogged, I don't keep my kids up intil 2 AM, its usually the opposite!)

But I have a few things I want to highlight before I go to bed and hope its just low energy and not a cold.

First Get a Rogue Map! You can pick one up at Ashtree Studios or print your own here.

Also of note is The Dumb Drum will have a film you can view during the festival. If you've never read this blog, start. Particularly their "Cross Streets" video blogs. Funniest thing you'll do all day, guaranteed. After you watch those segments, go support them at Rogue as a thank you for the laughter. Clean Up. Mike Brigg's Properties Building, $5.

Friday, March 5:
8:00 pm – Opening Night

Saturday, March 6:
4:00 pm • 6:00 pm • 8:15 pm

Friday, March 12:
6:15 pm • 8:15 pm

Saturday, March 13:
5:15 pm • 7:00 pm

Finally, watch Central Valley Buzz with Chuck Leonard all week because he's been bringing in Roguesters to talk about their Roguey business. 4:00 weekdays! Plus, he's a crack up!

So, Rogueing out, this is Kim Burly, reporting to bed! Enjoy this Festival, it is one of the absolute coolest things Fresno has to offer.

31 Hours of Rogue- Hours 20, 21, 22, 24 and 25

Okay, So I was kind of driving myself crazy with all of these, so I'm gonna finish it up in little chunklets like this to be less anooying. If you liked the hourly posts just use your hand to cover them as you go along and check back hourly, I guess.

Aileen Imperatrice

Aileen gave the idea for the 31 hours of Rogue, she's all about promoting the arts in Fresno, so I'm going to give her a plug here!

Icons

Aileen Imperatrice
www.aileenimperatrice.com

Ashtree Studios – 1035 N Fulton Ave

An icon can be many things. All it takes is something or someone we place a value on and how our emotions react to it. This newest art explores the identity and feelings we attach to these things. Follow Aileen at www.aileenimperatrice.com

“Why Did You Do It That Way?” artist discussion forums:

Ashtree Studios

7:00 PM, Friday, March 5
with Adam Wall and Sergio Huerta
$4

7:00 PM, Saturday, March 6
with Adam Wall and Sergio Huerta
$4

7:00 PM, Wednesday, March 10
with Edward Stewart and Adam Wall
$4

7:00 PM, Friday, March 12
with Sergio Huerta and Edward Stewart
$4

Elizabeth Payne, aka Pro Pain on the NoTown Roller Derby Team will be in Graceland, and from the way she gets this super-excited look on her face whenever we talk about it, I can tell it is going to be gooood.

Graceland/Asleep On The Wind

$5
10:00 PM, Fri., 3/5
7:00 PM, Sat., 3/6
7:00 PM, Wed., 3/10
1:00 PM, Sat., 3/13

Million Too – 1153 N Fulton St.

Two one acts. Graceland is about two devout Elvis fans waiting to be the first to get into Graceland. Rivalry turns into comaraderie as the two women reveal the joys and sorrows of their lives. Asleep On The Wind is a sweet story about a young girl and her older brother who is about to go off to war. He leaves her with many things, the love of Elvis being one of them.

MittenKitten Productions
Fresno, California
imlimpy@yahoo.com
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: PG-13 adult language 60 minutes
Latecomers permitted within 15 Minutes

Charles Tenney

We crossed paths yesterday at Iron Bird Cafe, and I am excited to share his Rogue act here. What a cool topic, I know a few physics fiends who would be really sorry if they missed this one!

Notes on Physics

$3
7:30 PM, Sat., 3/6
8:45 PM, Wed., 3/10
5:00 PM, Sat., 3/13
Latecomers admitted

Spectrum – 608 E Olive Ave.

Songs about physics. Songs about subjects related to physics. Songs tangentially, even distantly, related to one of the above. All performed on voice and acoustic guitar by someone who is supposed to know about these things.

Charles Tenney
Fresno, California
Genre: Music 45 min. Rated: PG-13

Gemma Wilcox
People come from all over to take part in Rogue, Gemma brings us her show all the way from the UK!

Shadows in Bloom

$7
8:30 PM, Fri., 3/5
7:00 PM, Sun, 3/7
5:30 PM, Fri., 3/12
1:00 PM, Sat., 3/13
8:30 PM, Sat., 3/13

Starline – 831 E Fern Ave.

20 NEW CHARACTERS!
From the creator of last year’s Rogue Fest sell-out, hit show: The Honeymoon Period is Officially Over.

Best Female Performer –Victoria Fringe 2009 / Best in Fest –Winnipeg Fringe 2008 / Best Solo Performance –Ottawa Fringe 2007 / Best in Fest –Boulder Fringe 2008 / “An incredibly gifted performer” –Felicia Matlosz, Fresno Beehive / “Sexy, sharp & seemless” –Now Toronto / “She shows you what theater can be” –Orlando Sentinel / “Shape-shifter extraordinaire” –Ottawa Citizen

Gemma Wilcox
www.gemmawilcox.com
London, United Kingdom
Genre – Dramedy/Multi-character Solo Performance
Rating: PG-13 60 minutes
Adult Language
Latecomers permitted within 15 Minutes

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 17, 18 and 19- Man, KSEE is really on the ball with Rogue stuff!

Sweet! (This is the blogger equivalent of laryngitis)




AND with this last one, I LOVE IT, Randy Morris was my Saxophone teacher and is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.


And talented to boot.

$4
2:30 PM, Sat., 3/6
7:30 PM, Sat., 3/6
6:15 PM, Sun., 3/7
Latecomers admitted

Veni Vidi Vici – 1116 N Fulton St.

The show features narration, jazz and blues guitar, world music, sax and lyrics that tell the story of our days. We follow up last year’s psychedelic show with a tribute to its aftermath THE SEVENTIES

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 16- Cap'n Scurvy's Apocalypse Hoedown

I had the pleasure of seeing Scurvy at the Fresno Beehive birthday party, and he is an absolute riot. A true performer, he plays up the suspense in his act well, and eats fire, and does other quirky crazy stuff that. And he's vulgar as hell. Don't say I didn't warn you when you're sitting there innocently enjoying some good 'ol fashion vaudeville style comedy and suddenly Scurvy is gyrating on you.

I just love the synopses on the Rogue page, so I'll let them say it better than I would:

Million Too – 1153 N Fulton St.

$5
2:30 PM, Sat., 3/6
1:00 PM, Sun., 3/7
5:30 PM, Sun., 3/7
8:30 PM, Sat., 3/13

Its guerrilla vaudeville Americana with Cap’n Scurvy’s Apocalypse Hoedown Revival! A theatrical comedy snake oil show like no other, with double the spirit and half the dogma. Step right up and be healed of your afflictions, ailments and character flaws through the amazing miracle power of Cap’n Scurvy’s Elixir of Panacea! This show has laughs and thrills, inspiration and denigration, fire eating and machete juggling, miracle faith healing, banjo playing and random audience participation. May contain occassional white knuckle indecency.

Red Triangle Productions
Fresno, California
redtriangleproductions.com
Genre: Guerrilla Vaudeville
Rating: R, Obtuse Language, Vulgarity, Religious
Mockery, Banjo music
50 minutes
Latecomers permitted within 15 Minutes

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 15- Man In Labor

Travis Sheridan is one of those people who always keep me on my toes. I never know what he'll be doing next, where he's going to pop up or how he's going to make me smile from ear to freakin' ear. His Rogue performance this year promises to be typical Travis- amazing. This is what I was able to dig up from the Rogue site. Digging up probably implies a lot of hard work, and I'll let you guys think it was because it might fit in with the theme of his performance a little better than "copy and paste".

Lamaze Instructor did not make the list. What happens to a man who has worked since the age of 6? Well, he can sure as hell “get” a job, but can he keep a job? Join in a comedic journey through a career ladder that includes Victoria’s Secret and spending time in a cult. References provided upon request.

To enjoy the unstoppable (because why would you want him to?) Travis Sheridan, check out the info below.

$5
7:00 PM, Fri., 3/5
5:00 PM & 9:00 PM, Sat., 3/6
9:00 PM, Fri., 3/12
2:30 PM & 9:15 PM, Sat., 3/13
Latecomers admitted

Mike Briggs – 1212 N Van Ness Ave

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 14- Valley Burlesque Society

You guys know I love the Valley Burlesque Society. Its kind of a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned, its pretty, its funny and its oh so seductive and sultry! Of course they're going to have great shows, and from the looks of things (things being flyers) they have three different shows to leave our jaws on the floor and our hearts aflutter, all at Full Circle Brewery.

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 13- A Drunk in the Night Tank

Looking for some bawdy fun to augment your Rogue experience? Songs 4 Pints might just be what is missing from your life with their traditional Irish music and fun attitudes- just be sure to keep the beer a comin'!

You can catch this crowd-pleasing quartet at three different shows so be sure to check them out!

$4 (and a pint or two)
6:15 PM, Sat., 3/6
8:45 PM, Wed., 3/10
8:45 PM, Sat., 3/13
Latecomers admitted

Veni Vidi Vici – 1116 N Fulton St.

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 12- Read up on Rogue from The Collegian

“The whole idea behind the festival is there is not a jury that says this group can do it and this group can’t,” Boone said. “It’s a really neat festival because it’s a great opportunity for people to try things out.”

- Benjamin Boone

Read the whole Shebang.

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 11- Rogue Recomendations

I trust Mike Osegueda, he's right on about how much the Black Eyed Peas suck, he knows his Tacos, he loves Fresno and he has the cutest dog ever. Plus, his wife is my official unofficial Twitter BFF. A man can't help it if he has great taste. So I trust that his recommendations on the must-see shows of the Rogue will be pretty much right on. He'll be blogging about them all week long, so be sure to check him out on the Beehive!

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 10- KSEE Rogue clip

Also as promised waaaaaaay back when I was still blinking without the use of visine, here is a new story from KSEE 24 on the Rogue Festival (with that dreamy Kate McNight again!)

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 9- Kate McNight

I'm going to admittedly get a little fangirl-y with this one.

Kate is one of the people who I credit with making me who I am today. Which, I guess might make some of you might want to punch her for, but none the less, she has been a major influence in my life and continues to inspire, amaze and amuse me. She is beauty, strength and good humor all rolled into one. I totally lucked out as a student when I was able to take drama class from her in High School. And I hear she is a Karaoke STAR.

She has been a busy busy bee with the Rogue Festival this year, Directing The Soaps of Paris and acting in Parallel Lives. Check her out, an evening with Kate is cooler than your date!

Parallel Lives
Cal Arts - Severance
$7
10:00 PM, Fri., 3/5
1:00 PM, Sun., 3/7
8:30 PM, Fri., 3/12
2:30 PM, Sat., 3/13

Soaps of Paris
Severance
$7
7:00 PM, Fri., 3/5
1:00 PM, Sat., 3/6
9:30 PM, Thu., 3/11
7:00 PM, Fri., 3/12


(Photo by Joe Osejo, from the Mardi gras parade where she was smokin' hot on the Rogue float!)

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 8- Dinner (at the breakfast hour, how cute of me!)

DINNER with Chris Janzen and Jesse Nathan is kind of like the multivitamin of the Rogue world, one show gives you music, poetry and art- how can it not be good?!

From the Rogue Map:

What might a dinner-party hosted by Virginia Woolf
look like if her guests were 17 of the most eccentric
people to walk the earth? This collaboration peers
into this impossible scenario through a mixture of
poetry, music, and visual art.

Spectrum gallery
$4
6:15 PM, Fri., 3/5
1:00 PM, Sun., 3/6
10:00 PM, Sat., 3/6
Latecomers admitted

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 7- Wanderlust

This one comes to you from NYC. When we claim to have a pretty big deal performing arts festival here in the 'No, we mean it. People come here from across the country to be part of this. Rock on.

Martin Dockery will be performing his theatrical monologue at The Million Too, right next to The Million Elephant. Just watching the little video clip on the Wanderlust web page it looks pretty amazing. Check it out:



$7
7:00 PM, Thu., 3/11
7:00 PM, Fri., 3/12
11:30 AM, Sat., 3/13
5:30 PM, Sat., 3/13

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 6: Eating Out, Rogue Festival

Gonna suppress all giggling about that until later, this isn't necessarily one of the Rogue performances, but it is one of those nifty blogs I was yammering about 6 hours ago. You need to eat, and you may even need to eat out *snicker* while you're in between shows, so Eating Out Fresno has jumped on this opportunity to review the dining of the Tower District just for the occasion. Snarky, fun, and not for those lacking in humor- this is a great blog to read anyway and promises to be an great guide to Rogue food.

(If you couldn't tell by the title, uh if you click the link it'll launch you into vulgarlanguageland, so uh, be warned. That is all, Fresno.)

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 5: Cisco Anguiano

An LA native, Cisco Anguiano moved to Fresno last April. He's been playing guitar for four years and will be dazzling his audiences with a range of techniques on acoustic like tapping, percussion and harmonics. Just take a listen on his myspace page (linked above) and I'm pretty sure you'll agree that this is one show to put down in ink on your Rogue planner!

KP's Actor's Gym
1470 N Van Ness Ave Fresno, CA 93728
$2
8:45 PM, Fri., 3/5
5:00 PM, Sat., 3/6
7:30 PM, Thu., 3/11
Latecomers admitted

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 4: Pipe on the Hob

Probably one of my favorite bands to listen to live here in Fresno, Pipe on the Hob is well known for their amazing Irish and Scottish music. They play a different set each show so if you happen to fall in love (and I warn you, you might!) you have more chances to hear them before the festival ends.

$4
6:15 PM, Sat., 3/6
10:00 PM, Fri., 3/12
7:30 PM, Sat., 3/13
Latecomers admitted

Spectrum – 608 E Olive Ave.

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 3: Burning Man and the Reverend Nuge

Swiped from the Rogue Map, Burning Man and the Reverend Nuge is, "The magic and mayhem of one man’s journey from Pentacostal preacher to atheist street magician looking for enlightenment at the annual Burning Man festival in northern Nevada. CRITIC’S PICK - Cincinnati Citybeat, FABBY award winner- Orlando Fringe"

This looks pretty freakin' sweet guys. And look, he's totally happy to be coming here to a non-snowy place! Lets give him a great turnout for his Fresnenthusiasm!






Friday, 3/5 10:00 pm
Satrurday, 3/6 5:30 pm
Sunday, 3/7 1:00 pm / 5:30 pm
Friday, 3/12 8:30 pm
Saturday, 3/13 2:30 pm


More info: Minnesota Fringe

31 Hours of Rogue- Hour 2: Tony Blanco's Traveling Magic Show

Do you need a little more Magic in your life? Check this out:

Tony Blanco’s Traveling Magic Show is a celebration of Magic, Mime, Storytelling and Circus Arts. Fresno’s Marvelous Magical Entertainer features a traveling magic show like those that traveled the roads during vaudeville times now with a modern twist. The show also features lots of family fun in which Tony has created a wonderful show that is an interactive program. Magic, Stories and Music are strong parts of his program which inspires young at young at heart.*


4:00 PM, Sat., March 6
8:30 PM, Sun., March 7
11:30 AM, Sat., March 13
5:30 PM, Sat., March 13


Dianna's Studio 826 North Fulton (Tower District)


60 minutes
Children Very Welcomed
$7.00 Tickets sold day of the show arrive at least 1/2 hour before the show to purchase tickets

Latecomers permitted within 15 Minutes


"Tony Blanco has a nice rapport with kids, no doubt about it. He doesn't treat them too sticky-sweet, but he's also not in any way curt or dismissive with them as he tries to inject a small dose of grown-up humor into the proceedings." Donald Munro - Fresno Bee

*As sent to me by the magical Tony Blanco himself!

31 Hours of Rogue: Hour 1- What is Rogue Festival?

What is Rogue? Rogue is the time of the year when Fresno becomes saturated with performance art. Dripping with theater, oozing with music and overflowing with opportunities to support local (and not so local) artists and discover something new.

Admittedly, I haven't been involved with Rogue before. This is going to be the first year I'll be making it to performances, last year was the first time I'd heard of it but I had just had Mollie and I wasn't going anywhere. Pretty ridiculous though, that I didn't even know about this until LAST YEAR. Rogue is entering its 9th year.

Okay, so I was going to do a mega blogathon for 31 hours of Rogue and it was going to be crazy awesome.

But... life got in the way.

SO.

I'm going to share with you the awesome stuff people have been sending to me- trust me these are some performances you won't want to miss, and I'll also link to all of the other more on the ball bloggers as I see the stuff they're posting about. I had visions of interviews and vlogs and the like, but, you know.

You know.

In the meanwhile, check the blog for the next 31 hours because I will be posting all of the cool stuff on Rogue I can get my hands on as a pre-Rogue tailgate party!

Day 32, Week 4- The Iron Bird Cafe

Okay, so its new, and it hasn't had a lot of time to become a staple of Fresnawesomeness (a whole two days!), but I'm just going to throw this out there- I predict Iron Bird Cafe is going to be becoming my favorite coffee shop. And when I go for lunch, it might even make it up there near Cosmo if the food is as delightful as it looks on the menu! I wasn't even planning on blogging today, but this is definitely 31 days worthy.

I came in with my kids and they were so nice, despite the inevitable melt down my un-napped 3 year old had. (I know, right? Some day I'll learn just to stop leaving the house. For the record, he still hasn't napped.) I ordered a mocha and to my taste buds, deadened by repeated Starbucks offenses, it was a very rich and flavorful experience. This is the kind of coffee I want to be drinking while taking a Mom's night off- sitting at one of their tables or comfy chairs and reading "War and Peace". Or "Potty Training for Dummies", which is probably more believable of my reading list these days.

But what I really like about the Iron Bird Cafe, and what makes it bloggable is that it is located at the Iron Bird Lofts on Divisadero, another great reason to make your way downtown. The bottom line is this, folks. Unless we have places like Iron Bird breathing life into downtown and bringing first rate "uptown" style places into our downtown, we can kiss it goodbye. I know there is a large part of Fresno that is willing to do that and they've written the whole place off as a "do not enter" zone on their maps, but Downtown is one of our essential organs. If it fails, the rest of the body city is going to have a harder time functioning optimally. Moving everything further out North and ignoring the center of our city is like giving a mani/pedi to someone who is suffering from a heart attack. Extremities look great, but, well, damn.

We need to step it up and be sure to make these places that Dare to Downtown succeed because they're not just serving our need for coffee and lunch. They're supplying the heartbeat, lifeblood and oxygen to the rest of the city. This is what people see when they come to Fresno on business, for conventions, or are just taking a pit stop off of the 99. What we put within their reach will determine what they'll think of us when they leave, and if they'll come back.

That is what I, in just a few sips, have come to love so much about The Iron Bird Cafe, as well as all of the other business owners who believe in Downtown Fresno. Plus, they're open late. Later than Starbucks. (11:30 on weeknights, 1 on weekends. New hot date spot say WHAT?!)


**Edit**- I just went again, loved my mocha again (I should have tried something else, but I couldn't get the flavor out of my mind. You understand.) but found out that they're closing at 9:30 right now until they can determine that they have enough customers late. So get your coffee drinking butts down there this week in the evenings and make sure we make it known that there is a need for late night stuff downtown!