7-26-2014 Soldotna, Hooligan's & Hobo Jim, Kisilof Museum and City Festival

Post 7-26-2014 Soldotna, Hooligan’s Lodge and Hobo Jim

Whew!, what a day and evening. After staying in all day yesterday resting up we had a busy day. The weather cleared up and it got up to 69 degrees, only a slight breeze and just simply a gorgeous day. It’s days like this that makes you realize it is a day He planned for us.

We started out with a visit to the museum at Kasilof, a small community (town) about fifteen miles south of Soldotna.   The main museum was a small building that had served a few functions and contained many relics of the past. Our tour guide, Jim Rea, was a very knowledgeable man who willingly shared his many years of living here with us. 

Furs-can you identify the round thing on the pole?

Air conditioning-pull the plug-several around the top of the rooms

Anita, Jim Rea -our guide and Cathy Flood

There were a few buildings that had been a school, someone’s work shed, a miner/trapper home and the very first flushing outdoor two seater toilet. It was built on the bank of the river and when the tide came in, it flushed out the bottom. Innovative, don’t you think. That’s what 20 foot tides will do for you.

electrical wire grew into tree.

Carved in  Dall Sheep Horn

Notice stuffing between logs?

Indoor plumbing-for real

washing machine agitator

A two seater outhouse

Two Seater with Sears Catalogue- built on bank--high tide flushed it out twice a day.LOL

Owner must have been a Bos'n's Mate in WWI

After the museum we stopped at the RV Store an bought some lubricant for the slide-outs and had a wonderful conversation with Barbara Dilley, the owner. she said they had been there almost 40 years and lost her loving husband last year. 

Barbara Dilley & my Honey

Barbara own's this 1929 Ford with a Rumble.Seat. Boy!, what a classic. 

Driving back to Soldotna we saw, and stopped at, a small store with fresh  Dungen Crabs, home made Reindeer Pepperoni Sausages and  Salmon Bacon

Killing time until the Hobo Jim show at Holligan's lodge, we stopped in at the Soldotna Progressive Days at the Centennial park. We got to see some great wood carvings by local artists. The wood was Birch and they had to use a chain saw,  sanders and  routers. They were in a contest and had to finish by noon Sunday (two day event).

Not in contest--for sale

Eagle with Salmon

Not in contest-for sale, they call these "cartoons" moose, bear, etc

Not in contest-for sale

Not in contest-for sale

The gal's in the contest

This will be Mother Earth holding globe, with butterflies above and fish below

Salmon protruding out from tree--one red, one blue (will paint silver)

Our Favorite-Look What I Caught! (inspiration poster behind)

Not yet finished

The ultimate best for the day was going to see and hear Hobo Jim at Hooligan’s lodge. Hobo Jim was born Jim Varsos in Indiana and grew up in Madison, WI. He started playing guitar at age 12 and hitchhiked to Nashville after college to become a country musician. After traveling all over the lower 48 including New York and Los Angeles, he made his way to Alaska and remains here. He has been designated as Alaska’s Official Balladeer.  He has played all over the world and recently to the troops in Afghanistan. He lived for years in a cabin four miles off the road, with no road or vehicle to get there. No running water or electricity. Normal for those days.

Hobo Jim

Hobo Jim recounted his life and accomplishments through the years with his ballads of life as a fisherman, logger and miner. One of his best is the one he wrote about the Alaska Iditarod Dog Race and he wrote the song “I Am Alaska” at the request of Governor Palin. He sings it in commemoration of his friend, the late Senator Ted Stevens.  If you remember, he died in a plane crash right after he was exonerated from trumped-up charges that cost him his election. Coincidence, I think not. He died in August 2010 just before Obama was elected. Supposedly, he was going to "blow the lid" on Obama. Sound familiar? (Clinton maybe?)

Hobo Jim has written and/or co-written over 700 songs, his two most popular are “I Am Alaska” and, “The Iditarod Trail Song”.  Some of his songs have been recorded by country music stars such as T. Graham Brown, George Jones and others.  He mentioned “The Rock” recorded by both Etta James and George Jones. He has written several songs for his wife, Cyndi, and  says the very best is “If I Ever Forget You”.  The song expresses his love and is one many of us could and should adopt for our wives. It is about getting Alzheimers and forgetting people.  Jim has also posted the song on U Tube and donates most of the proceeds to Alzheimer’s in honor of his father and uncles. His father didn’t know him for over twenty five years.  Bless you Jim. To all my friends, if you will, please go to U tube and listen to it. It helps someone. We bought one of the CD's and it's really great

Jim talked about his guitar. Said the sound board  made from Birch-a rarity- but has an excellent sound to it. He told us that the bridge  was made of whale baleen, the ring around the sound hole  is Walrus Ivory, It has a gold plate on the head and there are gold nuggets mounted on the bridge and the neck. I suppose it is worth a bunch of money. It sounded great. I was surprised when he let the new guy use it.

Let me tell you that if you ever come to Alaska, you must go  to Seward, Soldotna, Kenai or Homer and catch his show. You will be absolutely thrilled.  But must remind you, he's performing in a bar.  If you're moralistic, put your bible in your pocked for a couple (actually three) hours and rear back and enjoy the ballads.  Some get a little ribald but then again he was a street singer, a cowboy, a lumberjack and a fisherman on the "Time Bandit" one of the boats on the reality show "Deadliest Catch". That's a real sea you see folks. The Bearing Sea is one rough place.   Buy him a Tequila with lemon and wait for the show of a lifetime.

Jim closed the night out, as he does every engagement, singing our National Anthem and everyone in the Lodge stood and paid homage to America. GOD, I felt so proud standing there. 

Jim relinquished the stage for a couple songs to an up and comer.