Celebrating Cyrano's

Cyrano’s Theatre Company, located in downtown Anchorage, is hosting its Friend-Raiser on Wednesday, September 29 to help raise funds for its upcoming 2011 season at Cyrano’s Off-Center Playhouse.

The Friend-Raiser will be a time to debut the playhouse where attendees will get to view an intimate back stage tour of the theater. Suggested donations are $30. Sandy Harper, the lively owner of Cyrano’s, assures that this event will please the theater-lovers’ appetite. She is very passionate about her theater and wants to open this season with a bang.

All proceeds not only pay for the viewing of the dress rehearsal, but also for the overall theater. Refreshments of wine and hors d'oeuvres will be offered. Harper and her husband, Jerry, also plan on honoring two outstanding volunteers for their work devoted to the company. This is a new tradition to start this season.

There will be a teaser dress rehearsal of the theater’s first show of this season, “The Seafarer” written by Conor McPherson, the top Irish playwright. Harper says how this show will feature five juicy male roles as a way to entice the viewers to come and see the play.

The nonprofit company operates year-round with a different play every month. Other upcoming events to look for the rest of this fall season are “Winter Bear” by Anne Hanley and “Assimilation” by Jack Dalton, both Alaska writers. These will premiere at the playhouse between Oct. 29 and Nov. 21. “This is Where We Came In” by Alan Ayckbourn will be a winter play premiering Dec. 3 through 22, just in time for the holidays with families that would like to attend.

Cyrano’s Theatre Company is located on Fourth Avenue and D Street downtown. Tickets to upcoming shows can be purchased by calling (907)-263-ARTS or by visiting CenterTix.net. Harper suggests asking for 10 Play Punchcards by directly calling Cyrano’s at (907)-274-2599 where viewers can obtain punch cards to see 10 different shows while directly supporting the theater.

Supporters walk it out downtown

Neighborhoods surrounding the Delaney Park Strip have been getting a lot of traffic lately. On Saturday, September 18, two major organizations celebrated their individual walks early in the morning. The American Heart Association held their annual Heart Walk at the east-end of the Delaney Park Strip while the National Down Syndrome Society held their Buddy Walk at the west-end of the park. Gloomy weather and low clouds which formulated light fog in the morning didn't stop these participants from supporting their loved ones.

Festivities for members who participated in the Heart Walk started at 9 a.m with the actual walk beginning promptly at 10. Advocates from the American Heart Association promoted individuals and encouraged all attendees to lead healthier lifestyles while raising dollars needed to life-saving research. Posters attached to the back of walkers signified those in remembrance who suffered heart-related illnesses.

The Buddy Walk, which started one-hour later at 11 a.m, had supporters in bright neon green shirts that were not hard to miss. Celebrating its 14th year in Anchorage, the event was designed to spread awareness about Down syndrome. The walk being its sole fund raiser for the year focuses on promoting knowledge to the community about the organization and persons with Down syndrome, versus collecting donations. It was encouraged for a team of "buddies" to form representing someone with Down syndrome that came up with the exact name of this event.

Going casual for kids

Members of the Providence Alaska Medical Center community sported something a little different than the usual office attire and scrubs that make up the image of the institution: jeans. On September 15 it was Miracle Jeans Day to support the Children's Miracle Hospital, in which Providence's very own Children's Hospital participates in. For a minimum donation of $5, workers across the campus were allowed to wear their favorite denim. It was a benefit that's well worth-it, since these casual days are rare to find in a major hospital environment. All funds raised go directly towards the community hospital, with over 170 nationwide. The stickers, as shown above, was a requirement for all employees to make visible which shows great recognition of those who participated in this great cause.

The Alaskan sun Lights the Night

Participants in the 2010 Light the Night Walk not only got to show their love and support for patients dealing with blood cancer, they also got to enjoy the long-overdue Alaskan sunshine that came at a perfect time over this past weekend.

Hundreds of community members gathered at Delaney Park Strip, located downtown between 10th and L Street this past Saturday evening, September 11. Vendors such as Kaladi Brother's Coffee Company and Subway of Alaska, along with participating organization Providence Alaska Medical Center offered freebies to those who were giving their time in towards this annual event. A colorful array of illuminated balloons floated across the field as participants held them high while wearing their red t-shirts. A live band started things up when registration opened at 5:30, followed by family-friendly festivities until the start-time of the walk at 7 pm. This event was funded by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, who's mission is to fund blood cancer research for: leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma.

Many family members and friends of those suffering these different types of blood cancer received overwhelming support for the cause. One team in particular, Team Michael, stood out from the rest of the crowd. There were over 60 individuals, adults and children, sporting their black t-shirts labelled "Team Michael" in bright green logos across the back. They were scattered throughout the the entire walk and were highly distinguishable. Gail Rust, who is the team captain and mother of Michael Rust, participated in this benefit last year while her son Michael was said to be in remission from suffering lymphoma. On April 15 earlier this year, Michael lost his battle to this cancer at being 24-years-old. Gail has pushed for community members to join Team Michael so that "no mom should have to say goodbye to her son, no wife to her husband, and kids to their father because of lymphoma." Team Michael has raised over $1700 this year in donations to go towards this research.

The Light the Night Walk is an annual event that occurs once every fall. Supporters are encouraged to visit the website at www.lightthenight.org for more information and announcements. Donations are accepted throughout the year.