Village Theatre Eric Ankrim performs as Prince Alphonse in the Village Theatre production of ‘The Gypsy King.’ By John Pai

This world premiere will leave you rolling in the aisles, if it hasn’t already.

From a groundswell of passionate Village Theatre officials and test audiences, Emmy Award-winner Randy Rogel’s musical “The Gypsy King” debuts on Village’s Mainstage March 17.

It is “an airtight farce with hilarious well-drawn characters and a plot full of twists and turns that rival the classic comedies of the 1930s and 1940s,” Director Richard Gray said in a press release.

Theater officials first spotted the show at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s new works festival in 2007.

“We loved it and immediately brought it back with us to workshop further, in hopes that we would one day be able to put it up on the mainstage,” Executive Producer Robb Hunt said in the release.Rogel has worked with Village Theatre before and has since gone on to win three Emmys, a Peabody award and two Annie awards for his work as a television writer, composer and producer.

After securing the show, theater officials initially presented the piece in its Festival of New Musicals in 2008, where its popularity commanded further stage development for its First Stage debut in 2009.

Both productions generated positive feedback from audiences and became a shoe-in for the 2009-10 mainstage season.

“I have participated in the Festival of New Musicals since its inception and have been lucky to direct readings of some very funny musicals, including ‘Like You Like It’ and ‘Iron Curtain,’” Gray said. “Still, I have never seen an audience reaction like the one we had for ‘The Gypsy King’ at the festival in 2008.”

“Being a part of a festival reading and a developmental workshop of a show makes the full production that much more satisfying,” Eric Ankrim, who plays the show’s dual lead roles as Frederick and Prince Alfonse, wrote in an e-mail. “I’m honored to be a part of this show’s introduction to not only Issaquah, but hopefully America.”

Leo and Frederick are a father-son gypsy-acting duo whose run-in with the royal guard causes quite a conundrum. Frederick, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Prince Alfonse, a royal pain who finds himself in a dangerous position.

The look-alike misadventure leads Frederick into the middle of an assassination plot and takes him further and faster than he’d have dared to go before.

“It’s not often that a part like this comes around,” Ankrim wrote. “I play identical twins, get to be the bad guy and the romantic lead, hang from the ceiling, almost get thrown out the window, sword fight myself, get slapped three times, act, sing and dance. I’m doing everything under the sun in this show, and I love it.”

The show runs in Issaquah through April 25.

If you go

‘The Gypsy King’

Village Theatre’s

Francis J. Gaudette Theatre

303 Front St. N.

March 17 – April 25

Show times vary

Tickets: $19 – $59

Box Office: 392-2202 or

www.villagetheatre.org

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Sylvia, played by Amanda Thornton, leaps upon Miriam, played by Becca Allen, as other cast members look on during the fistfight scene in a Reno hotel room, from the Issaquah High School drama production of ‘The Women.’ By Greg Farrar

Gather your favorite women, grab some dinner and maybe a few mocktails — or cocktails — and head to see Issaquah High School’s production of “The Women,” premiering at 7 p.m. March 18.

“We think it’s a really great show, with a lot of comedic parts,” said sophomore Audrey De Luca, who plays divorcée Countess De Lave. “It should be something everyone can enjoy.”

The production will be at Skyline High School, since Issaquah High’s theater is under construction.

The classic production is Clare Boothe Luce’s famed 1936 play, dramatizing the complex lives and interpersonal relationships among a group of wealthy Manhattan women.

The perceived perfection of their worlds comes crumbling down as scandal, lusty affairs and divorce envelop their lives, forcing them to turn to each other — and on one another.

“Everyone has experienced something like this, gossip and cattiness,” said Emily Berensohn, a sophomore who plays adulteress Crystal Allen. “You turn to your friends to get through it, but not everyone has your best interests in mind.”

Complete with women who are innocent victims, those who remain steadfast friends, those who love salacious gossip, women with twinges of jealousy and women who enjoy coveting something other than their own, the show boasts a full range of female caricatures and the feelings in each.

Luce “has a brilliant understanding of the complex nature of women and their friends,” said producer and teacher Holly Whiting. She “beautifully presents this with witty, biting dialog that at times is so carefully nuanced that audience members must be at attention at all times, so they don’t miss any verbal bombs.”

The truisms in this classic play have become staple principals off of which several successful films and television series have built themselves upon.

Think a little “Sex and the City” meets “Desperate Housewives” meets “First Wives Club,” the girls said.

“While this takes place in a period where society treated women much differently, the 1930s, especially when it comes to divorce, that part may be different today,” said senior Sara Brumley, who plays the heroine Mary Haines. “The other components, friendship, jealousy and pride, are still relevant.”

“It’s a story that will always be relevant,” said sophomore Becca Allen, who plays Miriam Aarons.

The students in the 26-member, all-female ensemble “The Women” say they’ve been able to learn more about one another and it has brought a closeness to the production.

“At first, I was like, ‘Oh my god, a cast of all girls.’ But I really like the characters and we’ve bonded as a cast,” De Luca said.

“This play, unlike a lot of the musicals, has been really chill,” said senior Amanda Thornton, who plays gossip Sylvia Fowler. “Whenever there are boys, there’s always someone who decides to like one of them and then another girl likes them and, well, there’s more drama.”

Even Whiting has noted the difference.

“I have 26 women in this cast and at times, the din offstage can rival a chicken coop full of frenetic poultry,” she said. “Although the characters in ‘The Women’ are a bunch of catty creatures, my cast members are not. Working with an all-female cast is absolutely delightful.”

Though it’s a show with women, it’s all about men, the girls said. So, it’s not just something for women to see.

“We wanted to make (the two cat fights) look as real as possible and I think we’ve succeeded,” Brumley said.

The girls hired the Seattle Shakespeare Co. to teach them how to stage fight.

The show is for a more mature audience.

The cast said they’d love to see mother-daughter duos, date-night couples and groups of best friends attend the show.

If you go

‘The Women’

-Presented by Issaquah High School Theatre Club

-7 p.m. March 18, 19 and 20

-Skyline High School, 1122 228th Ave. S.E.

-$8 with student ID, $10 others

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Steve Gritton, of Issaquah, poses with his latest children’s book ‘The Trouble with Sisters and Robots.’ Gritton wrote and illustrated (above left) the book. By David Hayes

Writers just never know where inspiration will strike for their next great novel. For children’s illustrated book author Steve Gritton, it came from an unfortunate incident while cutting shelving for a closet.

“I got a tiny sliver of metal in my eye,” said the Issaquah resident who teaches at Lake Hills Elementary School in Bellevue. “I didn’t even realize it was there until the next day, when my eye got all red and puffy.”

His sister warned him to get it removed before it rusted. Gritton said, sure enough, by the time he got to the doctor, the sliver of metal had rusted.

“Being a school teacher, once word got around about the incident, everyone on the staff started calling me ‘rust eye,’” Gritton said. “I thought that would be a neat name for a robot.”

Now, three books later, the little germination of an idea has been published into the children’s tale, “The Trouble With Sisters and Robots.”

After self-publishing his first three books, Gritton’s latest work was picked up by Albert Whitman & Co. But why a company out of Morton Grove, Ill.?

“I actually submitted the story to six publishers and they were the first to respond,” Gritton admitted.

But he said he believes the end product was better this time, as he had both an editor to help develop the story and an art director who helped flesh out the images.

“The Trouble With Sisters and Robots” takes the age-old tale of contentious siblings, throws in an out-of-control, magical robot with a king of Midas touch, that turns everything it touches into metal, and a life lesson of the older brother that finally has to turn to his annoying, little sister for help in reigning in the robot gone amok.

A teacher since 2003, Gritton originally earned a degree in college in illustrating. Having never completely abandoned his love of drawing, Gritton self-published his first book, “The Kandy Witch” and followed up with “Plain Fish” and “…and then I…” All three were offered up on his Web site.

The experience was different with his latest book

“The first thing they did was chopping 400 words,” Gritton said.

However, an editor helped him think of saying things a different way.

“The editor-in-chief said the story was OK, but got me to think of what to do to get it to the next level,” he said.

In addition, Gritton had to negotiate to stay on as his own illustrator.

While he doesn’t have a running tally of how sales are going, Gritton finds it exciting to track purchases occurring in locales around the world including India, Singapore and Australia.

With two kids of his own, ages 12 and 14, Gritton said he is always listening to the way they talk and watching the silly things they do, hoping for inspiration for his next tale.

“The fun thing about it is I’m writing constantly, tinkering with ideas,” he said.

Would he ever consider graduating from children’s books to novels?

“I don’t know if I have the attention span long enough for novels,” he joked.

David Hayes: 392-6434, ext. 237, dhayes@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

The Sammamish Symphony Orchestra is packing it up and leaving the plateau behind for the mainstage of Benaroya Hall for a special one-night performance March 14.The symphony has been invited to perform in Northwest Associated Arts’ performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Requiem.” The ensemble features five regional groups, including the symphony at Benaroya Hall.

It is a unique opportunity for the 86-member symphony, which usually performs at Eastlake High School, and the second time they have been asked to perform with Northwest Associated Arts.

“For us to get invited back to Benaroya is huge,” said vice president of the board Debbie McCormick. “It will get people in surrounding communities to find out about us and see how talented our musicians are.”

The concert is an opportunity to see the regional artistry of five of the region’s finest performing arts ensembles, said Mark Adrian, Northwest Associated Arts conductor.

“We feel the symphony orchestra in Sammamish is the best kept secret in our community, which isn’t a good thing,” McCormick said. “We are in our 18th season. We’ve been playing all these years and still there are very few people that know about us.”

Joining Northwest Associated Arts Cantaré group and the Sammamish Symphony Orchestra are the Vashon Island Chorale, the Cascadian Chorale, the Everett Chorale and the Rainier Chorale.

“This concert, what is so exciting and special about it, is anybody can come and hear a performance with five different groups who are all exceptional,” Adrian said. “Usually, you’re just stuck with one.”

Each group has a 15-minute solo performance, Adrian said. Selected choral works from Ferruccio Busoni’s “Turandot Suite” and Mozart’s “Requiem,” among others, will be performed.

The evening concludes with the 300 musicians performing “Requiem” together onstage.

“Just going to the rehearsals to hear them practice sends shivers down my spine and I get the giggles, because ‘Requiem’ is so wonderful,” McCormick said. “Then, to hear it in that space will make it so much better with our musicians in that venue. There’s just so much talent.”

“Here, you’ll hear five different things and experience one of the greatest chorale works ever written, all in one afternoon,” Adrian said.

The Sammamish orchestra began as the Providence Point Players in 1994. But it has grown into a full symphony orchestra, made up primarily of Eastside residents with a few musicians coming from cities like Edmonds and Des Moines.

Throughout the years, the symphony has remained committed, becoming an integral part of the community and providing musical experiences for residents at an affordable price. The group has several concerts throughout the year and prides itself in providing musical entertainment for all types of audiences, McCormick said.

“People have no idea what they’re missing,” she said. “Today, for this economy and what it costs to hear this caliber of music and these talented musicians, who are all volunteers, is just a phenomenal price.”

If you go

Northwest Associated Arts presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s ‘Requiem’

-2 p.m. March 14

-Benaroya Hall

-200 University St., Seattle

-In advance: $25, 206-517-777

-At the door: $30

-www.sammamishsymphony.org

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

At left, Getty (left) flashes Dave Baumert a smile in the band’s Sammamish recording studio Feb. 4. By Christopher Huber

Members of the Sammamish-based band Sparkfarmer are the first to admit they don’t have any delusions of making it big, signing with a well-known label or touring the country in a fancy bus.

But they certainly love doing what they do.

The band, made up of longtime rockers, camping buddies and family men Dave Baumert, Getty, Steve Leigh and Tim Osborne, recently released their first CD — “Stereo Biplane.” They recorded the CD in Baumert’s Sammamish studio and Leigh produced it in Snoqualmie.

“It feels good. It easily could have languished on a shelf,” Leigh said.

The album took nearly seven years to complete — five years to record and master — and is a collection of such varying styles and sounds that Baumert and Getty said most people will have a tough time defining the band.

“If we have any dreams of success, it’s probably in the songwriting realm,” Baumert said.

The CD showcases each member’s unique musical talents and songwriting interests, from country to rock to blues. Their style is about as eclectic as their personal backgrounds.

“There’s no sense in this being able to work and it does,” Getty said. “I have no business playing with these guys, but I do and it’s fun.”

Getty comes from the swamps of Baton Rouge, La. At 13, he played saxophone for the Louisiana State University marching band. He eventually earned his chops on the harmonica and guitar as a member of numerous punk rock, blues and rock bands. The song “Point Blank” highlights his southern roots and “One Salty Tear” has a grungy twinge to it.

Baumert, a longtime Sammamish resident, has played bass throughout his life, but said he learned much of what he knows about the music business while working for a reggae band in Idaho. He also brings a country flavor to the band. He adds his seek-the-high-road lyrics in “Wish Me Luck” and “Uplink.”

You can learn notes and how to play, he said, but “it’s really how you push and pull ‘em where the magic happens.”

Leigh comes from the Eagles-era school of songwriting influence and plays a mean guitar. “Love So Deep” and “Won’t Stop Loving You” echo his classic 1970’s songwriter stylings.

“Steve is a madman, and it’s really not fair,” Baumert said.

Drummer Osborne was a member of the band Big Catholic Guilt, which was big in Europe, Baumert said. Listen to “All About You” and “West On I-10” to hear his range.

Baumert and Getty said their favorite from this CD is track No. 12, “Cascades Run-Off,” an instrumental piece, featuring slide guitar. The track came together in about a half-hour — five takes — they said.

“It was just one of those wonderful mistakes,” Getty said.

The music and recording quality heard in “Stereo Biplane” reflect that they seem to hold a high standard for what has become a Thursday night hobby, or what Getty likes to call “bowling night.” The members gather at the studio, crack open a cold beer, hang out for a bit and then dive into laying a bass line or finessing a beat in the editing room.

“You work at it until you’re not embarrassed about it anymore,” Baumert said.

Getty and Baumert attributed the band’s cohesiveness partially to the fact that it’s very part-time work. They all are married and work day jobs.

“Together seven years and never had an argument,” Getty said.

As a systems and analytics kind of guy, Baumert spends his days at Microsoft looking at data. He summed up his experience with Sparkfarmer by comparing data analysis and songwriting.

“This is a different way to process and analyze what life’s throwing at you,” Baumert said. “It’s a marriage.”

Getty practically finished his sentence.

“But we have a good one,” Getty said.

“Stereo Biplane” is available online at www.sparkfarmer.com.

Christopher Huber: 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

For this special event, Matassa will ask Wilke about his career and perform some of Wilke’s favorite jazz songs. Also on the bandstand will be Darin Clendenin on piano and Clipper Anderson on bass.

Dinner for this performance will be served at 6 p.m.; the tribute will begin at 7:45 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Wilke’s radio program, “Jazz After Hours,” has been running on Friday and Saturday nights for the past 25 years.

The show, broadcast nationally on NPR and PRI, features an array of jazz from new releases by contemporary artists to classic recordings from jazz greats.

Throughout the years, Wilke’s guest list has included luminaries such as Ray Brown, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Henderson, Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Benny Green and Maria Schneider.

In addition to “Jazz After Hours,” Wilke also produces the weekly program “Jazz Northwest,” broadcast on KPLU. “Jazz Northwest” features live jazz recordings of regional artists on location at festivals, concert venues, nightspots and other locales.

Wilke has won numerous awards for broadcasting excellence and was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993. He was the first nonmusician to receive the prestigious recognition.

Learn more here.

Issaquah native Anya Matanovic stars as Nannetta in the Seattle Opera’s production of ‘Falstaff.’ By Bill Mohn

Reprising a role from her first years as an opera singer, Issaquah native Anya Matanovic will grace Seattle with her voice again in Seattle Opera’s comedy “Falstaff” Feb. 27 – March 13.

“Working with Anya is always a treat. Her intelligence and charm shine through in this role, which also showcases her beautiful voice,” Director Peter Kazaras wrote in an e-mail. “It has been inspiring to watch Anya mature and master the technical difficulties of this intricate score. I think she is a perfect Nannetta.”

While she lives in Manhattan, Issaquah is the city Matanovic said she calls home.

“Issaquah holds many memories for me,” she wrote in an e-mail interview. “I have family, friends and a unique community who supported me in my journey as a musician.”

The Matanovics moved to Issaquah in 1984 and became woven into the city’s fabric by starting The Pomegranate Center, a design and community building nonprofit organization, where she spent many years volunteering through her 1999 graduation from Issaquah High School and undergraduate studies at University of Southern California.

It was at home and in Issaquah schools where she said she found a love of singing.

Q: How long have you been singing?

A: I began singing at age 5 with my family. My father Milenko wrote music for classical children’s poetry and together with my older sister Katya and my father and mother Kathi we recorded several albums. We sang as a family until I was 14. I was also very lucky to be a part of the music program during my time at Issaquah High School, under the direction of Lavonne Watson, singing in musicals and the Vocal Jazz and Hi-tones ensembles.

Q: What styles most appeal to you?

A: I enjoy listening to many styles of music, but there is something in the operatic human voice that stirs me in a way nothing else has matched.

Q: When did you develop an interest in the opera?

A: My mother gave me a CD for my 16th birthday of Maria Callas. Up to this point I had not been interested in opera, though my voice teacher at the time insisted I had a voice for it. I was painting my bedroom and I decided to put the Callas album on. I didn’t turn it off for three days — it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, and though I had no clue what she was singing about, I had tears in my eyes. I knew from that moment if there was a chance I could make even one person feel that same way, this was the work I wanted to do.

Q: What is it about opera singing that appeals most to you?

A: That I might be able to lift people out of their everyday lives. That the power of the human voice in combination with glorious music can transport people to an elevated emotional state. It is thrilling to be a part of that.

Q: What does it mean to you to reprise your role in “Falstaff” as an adult with the Seattle Opera?

A: It is very significant for me. I consider Seattle Opera my hometown opera. When I was in high school, I told myself that I was going to be in the young artist program at Seattle Opera. Six years later, I was in it! This company has nurtured me and believed in me, and I feel honored that they have asked me to make my debut in this opera, with such a terrific cast. And it is very special to have so many friends and my family close by to share it with me!

Q: What would you like audiences to take away from your performance in “Falstaff?”

A: It’s a comedy and it moves at breakneck speed, so I hope that we give the audience an evening where they can laugh and enjoy themselves while listening to delicious music. And I hope that we create a few new opera fans in the process.

The service was friendly and patient with a large group, with the server refilling water and sodas frequently throughout our meal.

Though we weren’t asked how we would like our burgers cooked, they came perfectly done across the board, all four of them. They were thoroughly cooked with a slight pink to the meat on the inside, which made them moist.

The burgers are made from hand-mixed beef chuck and top sirloin, are about one-third of a pound and come served atop a fresh Kaiser bun.

The blue cheese burger, $8.95, was piled high with fresh romaine lettuce, tomato, pickles, and sauce intermingled among plenty of creamy melted cheese. Order it with mushrooms for 75 cents extra, and it’s even better. You could also order the mushroom burger with mild cheddar, $8.95.

The teriyaki burger, $11.95, had a surprise spin, served with coleslaw on the bun. The flavor of the burger was good and the coleslaw was a welcome addition, but it did make it messy to eat.

Feel free to substitute salad for your fries, since they don’t charge extra. The best part is you can have any of the entrée salad options, including the mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette, which included dried cranberries and almonds.

If the side salads were any indication of how well prepared their entrée salads were, it’s worth a second trip.

Billy Bob’s barbecue is tasty, although mild. The sauce lacks a kick of heat, but it’s sweet and tangy. The pulled pork, $7.59, is its signature sandwich and was piled high with pork in a mild sauce.

The restaurant has a lot of space in both the bar — which will come in handy during the upcoming March Madness tournament — and on the restaurant side, which is very kid-friendly and has plenty of space between tables.

Personally, a return trip will be necessary in late spring or summer, when the restaurant’s garage door walls open to bring the outdoors in.

Billy Bob’s serves a wide variety of beer, wine and liquor. Of course, you can always opt for a nonalcoholic option, like soda or lemonade, for $2.50.

Happy hour is every day from 2-9 p.m. with two daily rotating cheeseburger specials for $5.95, and a rotating specialty burger option for about $9.95. At happy hour, they also have two daily entrée specials, which range in price from $7.95 – $19.95. The top end of the price range is for specials like filet mignon.

All and all, it’s a great place for a “go-to” burger that’s good and can please a wide-variety of tastes.

Billy Bob’s Burgers & BBQ

-317 Gilman Blvd. No. 31-A

-427-1600

-www.billybobsburgers.com

-11 a.m. – 9 p.m. every day

-$6 – $13 for salads and small plates; 4entrées $7 – $20

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Issaquah photographer David Honan visits the Train Depot to take more photos of his favorite subject - trains. By Greg Farrar

Trains aren’t just David Honan’s business. They’re his passion.

At 28, Honan is the winner of this year’s Trains Magazine photography contest.

“He’s just a wonderful and a very nice person,” said Bobbie Olin, an Issaquah resident who rides the bus to work with him each day. “This is definitely an honor to get selected for this as the grand prize winner.

By day, Honan works as a civil engineer for HDR Engineers in Bellevue, where he primarily designs railroads and infrastructure related to railroad operations.

“It’s been very rewarding to work on a number of local passenger rail projects, which, when complete, will benefit transit users in the region for years to come,” he wrote in an e-mail.

Honan grew up in New York, but graduated with a degree in civil engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana.

His interest in trains developed long before working with trains when he moved here four years ago, as he explained in an e-mail interview.

Q: When did you first have an interest in trains?

A: I’ve liked railroads for, literally, as long as I can remember. As best as anyone in my family can recall, it was my paternal grandfather who exposed me to trains and helped develop my interest. I have fond memories of him taking me to both the local railroad yard and airport to watch trains and planes; obviously the former made more of an impact upon me.

Q: How did you get involved in train photography?

His photo ‘Bridging the Gap’ won first place in a Trains Magazine contest.

A: I come from a family of mostly artists, so the desire to document what I see is naturally ingrained. I determined long ago that the illustration gene wasn’t passed down, and eventually, I started taking photos as a means to preserve memories of what I saw and share those memories with others.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your photography?

A: Photography gives me the desire to explore new locales and, by extension, allows me to meet new people. I would not have seen many amazing places nor befriended numerous wonderful folks if not for my enthusiasm for traveling and experiencing sights yet unseen.

Q: What is special about the locomotive and train industry, that speaks to you as an artist?

A: I’m impressed that there are always inherent challenges to constructing any railroad line. Much of my work does not showcase merely a train, but instead places the subject within the greater context of its surroundings.

Q: What do you hope others gain from your photos?

A: I would hope that viewers of my work experience the same sense of awe I feel when seeing a beautiful scene.

Q: Do any other types of photography interest you?

A: I enjoy taking advantage of unusual lighting conditions to create unique images; perfect sunlight is absolutely not a requirement for making interesting photos, and working outside that supposed requirement is always a delightful challenge.

Q: What does the honor in Trains Magazine mean to you?

A: Trains Magazine has been publishing the work of the best railroad photographers — Richard Steinheimer, Ted Benson, O. Winston Link — for seven decades, and to have my photo featured on the same pages as those legends is an incredible honor. This is without a doubt my greatest achievement as a photographer.

Q: How and where can other people see your work?

A: The March 2010 issue of Trains Magazine featuring the photo contest winners is currently on newsstands.

Honan also maintains a portfolio featuring his work on Flickr and contributes photos with a railroad in them to RailPictures.net.

The award-winning photograph, “Bridging the Gap,” was taken at 9:30 p.m. in March as an example of how engineering can create a solution to overcome an obstacle, Honan said in the description in Trains Magazine. In this case, Honan captured a train crossing the Foss River Bridge, which connects the railway over a valley in Skykomish. It was a challenging piece of engineering, because it had to keep the trains moving at a steady grade, he said of the photo.

For his photograph, Honan won a Canon EOS 50D digital SLR camera with an EF 28-135 millimeter lens. He will also attend the 32nd Winterail Railroad Photography and Railroadiana exhibition show in Stockton, Calif., on March 13. While in California, he’ll spend a day railfanning with Brian Matsumoto, from Cannon U.S.A., and Kathi Kube, managing editor of Trains Magazine.

On the Web

Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/dwhonan

RailPictures.net: www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=33955

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Pretty good, especially if you consider that the annual Spring Opener Car Show May 16 actually used to kick off the yearly schedule. This year, the schedule has its earliest kickoff ever, with the fourth annual Swedish Car Cruise choosing the XXX for its event.

Enciso said there are four new events on the 2010 schedule:

-The first Jeep Wrangler & 4×4 Roundup on April 18 (“I’m pretty excited about this one,” Jose said. “It’s the Northwest with its rain and mud. They go together like root beer and ice cream.”

-The Topless N.W. Convertibles & More Show on June 13 (“This is actually an all-women’s club. They thought it’d be a pretty catchy name to get attention.”

-Volkswagen Fall Fling on Oct. 17 (“These guys just used to show up unofficially on their own, that we finally put them on the schedule.”

-And the first Blood, Sweat & Gears Blood Drive on Oct. 24.

As excited as Enciso is about all the shows, it’s the Blood, Sweat & Gears event that has his antenna raised the most.

“It’s going to be a blood drive in collaboration with Virginia Mason, with a Halloween theme to benefit the American Red Cross,” Enciso said.

Owners of all cars and makes are welcome to the all-day show and encouraged to arrive in costume. Unlike the rest of the free shows throughout the year, there will be a $15 registration fee, or participants can donate blood. Enciso promises to have the docs from the bloodmobile dressed appropriately as vampires.

“So, everyone is invited to come on down and do the monster mash with us,” Enciso said.

As full as the schedule is for 2010, Enciso is already looking forward to expanding it by one night for 2011.

“For next year, we’re going to do a first annual Saturday Night Sock Hop,” he said. “There will be a stage set up with a live band. We’ll be open until midnight. And everyone is invited to come dressed in their best 1950’s and ’60’s look.”

Look for the event to be added sometime in summer 2011.

2010 car show schedule

All car shows are at XXX Rootbeer Drive-In, 98 N.E. Gilman Blvd., and start at 8 a.m., unless otherwise noted.

Feb. 14 — Fourth annual Swedish Car Cruise, 9 a.m.

March 14 — Stangnation.com second anniversary show

March 21 — Volkswagen Cruise-In, noon

March 28 — NWMotoring.com Spring Fling, 9 a.m.

April 11 — Fourth annual All Emergency Vehicles Show

April 18 — Jeep Wrangler & 4×4 Roundup

April 24 — Vintage Military Vehicles Show, 11 a.m.

April 25 — All Italian Car Show

May 2 — All Porsche Show

May 16 — Spring Opener Car Show

May 23 — Old Rides Car Show

June 6 — Burgers and BMWs

June 13 — Topless N.W. Convertibles & More Show

June 20 — Fenders on Front Street

June 27 — Boulevard CC Custom Car Show

July 4 — Trucks, Buses, Station Wagons Show

July 11 — All Chevy Show

July 18 — Burgers & Bikes of All Types

July 25 — Cascade Cougar Club Prowl

Aug. 1 — N.W. Corvair & Orphaned Cars

Aug. 8 — N.W Muscle Car Show

Aug. 15 — NWCCC 55, 56, 57 Chevy Show

Aug. 22 — All Corvette Show

Aug. 23 — Vintage Chevy Club Show, 5 p.m.

Sept. 5 — 14th annual Rat Bastards Rat Rod Show

Sept. 12 — Fourth annual Al Ford Car Show

Sept. 19 — Mopar and More Show

Sept. 26 — Second Mini Cooper Show

Oct. 10 — Magnums, Chargers, 300s & Challengers, noon

Oct. 17 — Volkswagen Fall Fling, noon

Oct. 23 — PT Cruisers Pumpkin Bash, 10 a.m.

Oct. 24 — First Blood, Sweat & Gears Blood Drive, 10 a.m.

Dec. 5 — Ninth annual Jingle Bell Cruz/Toys for Tots, noon

David Hayes: dhayes@isspress.com, 392-6434, ext. 237. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.