Solstice Festivities in Fairbanks, Alaska Part 2: Solstice Festival

The solstice festival is held every year in Fairbanks, Alaska (and probably other places). It features many things such as foods, performances, artwork, and much more. There were many cotton candy stands, foreign food stands, and pizza stands. I even saw an extraordinarily over-priced southern food stand. I wouldn't pay seventeen dollars for a piece of fried chicken. Among the many art features at this event, one that really stood out was the chalk art. Two young ladies were given a picture and were re-creating that picture on the road. These two seemed to be fantastic artists. Their work looked really challenging (though, I'm not an artist, so I wouldn't know). Another thing that stood out was a car with a moose head sticking out of the top. It seemed to me to be quite colorful, and creative. There's not much left to say about the Solstice Festival in Fairbanks. It was a real treat to get to go, and I hope to go again next year.

Solstice Festivities in Fairbanks, Alaska Part 1: The Midnight Sun Run

Warm beads of perspiration emerge from your forehead as you open the door of your well air-conditioned home. The date is June 21st, and you don't care about the summer solstice for the fact that it's 100 degrees outside. A few thousand miles north, however, there are festivals celebrating this under-recognized day. All of Alaska is cheering for the summer solstice not only for the fact that there's no snow, and it's above freezing, but also because the sun never completely sets. On this amazing day, there is sunlight twenty four hours. Some people ask, "How could people sleep in such conditions?" Well, some close the blinds, or even tape trash bags over their windows. As for me, I love the light. It gives you that feeling that you're not actually sleeping for the night, you're having a relaxing afternoon nap.
One of the major events celebrating the summer solstice is the Midnight Sun Run. This run is six miles (10 kilometers) long and has more than 3,500 runners. Well, you can't actually call some of them runners. In the past years I've seen runners, walkers, joggers, skiers, electric skaters, and other forms of athletes. One of the major goals of mine this year is to finish the entire race before 11:30. Another interesting thing about this race are the costumes. There have been Jolly Green Giants, George Bushes, Salt and Pepper, and hundreds of other interesting designs. I haven't left yet, however when I get there, I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures.






Some time later

Well, my short term goal wasn't quite achieved. I got into the finish line at around ll:49 PM. Either way, it was a great experience and I really enjoyed myself. My favorite thing about it this year was the costumes. There were less this year, however, they were much more creative. There were storm troopers and pirates from Samalia, however my favorite was Octo-Mom. Some costumes were even used as advertisements. Lulu's bakery,a local store in Fairbanks, sent out a man dressed as a bagel. Another one of my favorites was a mosquito. This is funny because Alaska is notorious for horrible mosquitoes. As promised, I took many pictures.

Welcome to Well-Rounded

Yesterday, I was asked exactly why I don't have a blog. To this I replied, "Why would I?" and we left it at that. At that point I began to ask myself what I would write about if I had a blog and what kind of audience would I like to appeal to. This past year, I took a course allowing me to study the fine art of creative writing. I will be taking another writing course in a few months, and I figure what better way to practice writing than to write a blog. This blog is entitled "Well Rounded" because it will follow my interests, which I must say, cover a broad range of topics. I probably will write quite a bit of things about my computer, and tutorials on exactly how to do things. I will also write quite a bit about music. Most of these things will be about the tuba, seeing how it is my instrument. I will also write about my life, which happens to be really interesting right now. I will write about poetry, because it is my second art. Finally, I will write about certain gadgets which I own or have used. With this in mind, I begin my first blog:

Hello, my name is Charles Woodward. I live in Aiken, South Carolina and am loving life right now mainly because I am in Alaska. I come up here every summer to attend a music academy known as the University of Alaska Fairbanks Summer Music Academy. At this academy I play tuba and euphonium. I have been playing tuba for about five years. I have been playing the euphonium for about seven months. I am currently typing on a piece of junk that I've fallen in love with, or rather the things it can do. My current operating system is Ubuntu 9.04. The gadgets that I may blog about are: Zune, Samsung Glyde, Canon Powershot A1000 IS, and more. I will probably do book reviews, and speak of what's happening in the world from the point of view of a highschooler. That's Right! I am currently a junior in high school. I may even share some of my poetry with you, which you may or may not enjoy. I must leave now, but don't forget to check back for something you may or may not find interesting.