What’s your New Year’s resolution?

Let On Magazine know what your New Year’s Resolution is. Just fill out the comment form below with your thoughts, hopes and goals for the coming year!

Needing a bit of inspiration?

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Have you taken On’s year end quiz yet?

What’s been going On? Here’s a pop quiz to test your knowledge of 2008:

1. In November, bluesman Chris Thomas King performed at The Seasons. Also an actor, what Coen brothers film did King appear in?

a) “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

b) “The Hudsucker Proxy.”

c) “Fargo.”

d) “No Country for Old Men.”

2. What local writer had a collection of poetry released as the first publication in the Allied Arts of Yakima Valley’s new Labyrinth Poetry Series?

a) Dan Peters.

b) Al Allaway.

c) Jim Bodeen.

d) Mark Fuzie.

3. While promoting a film at the Sasquatch! Music Festival, we found out that actor Rainn Wilson (Dwight from “The Office”) has ties to the Yakima Valley. What are they?

a) He was born here.

b) His cousin lives here and for a long time his mom called Wapato home.

c) He made a guest appearance in a “Jackson Horn” episode.

d) He was the original Mr. Popcorn in the Mercy Movie Money commercials.

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Your chance to vote for the new Yakima Valley Libraries logo

Nine designs have made the cut in the search for the Yakima Valley Libraries’ new logo. And now you can vote for your favorite.

Click HERE or stop by your nearest library to view the designs and rank your top choices. The surveys will be available until January 10.

Of the designs with the most votes, the winning selection will be made by the YVL’s board of trustees.

The search for a new library logo began last month in an effort to publicize a 2006 vote by the Yakima Valley Regional Library district’s board of trustees to adopt the new, shorter, but more unifying name of Yakima Valley Libraries.

That vote came several months after Yakima voters approved annexing the city’s three library branches — downtown, Summitview Avenue and Southeast Yakima — into the Yakima Valley Regional Library district, which encompasses branches in every Yakima County city and town except Grandview, plus the communities of Nile, Terrace Heights, White Swan and Buena.

Burn, baby, burn: Say goodbye to 2008 with the help of the Mighty Tieton New Year’s Eve bonfire

Wish you could send this crazy year out in a blaze of glory — or good riddance?

You can.

Marquand Books and Mighty Tieton are looking to burn out 2008 and brighten up 2009 with a New Year’s Eve bonfire in Tieton.
Family, friends, associates, clients, colleagues and neighbors are invited to participate by mailing symbolic paper or wood items to toss into the flames.

Here’s how it works:
Gather up your items: letters, photos, sketches, diary entries, effigies, bad poems, good poems, little voodoo dolls, mortgage papers, financial reports, IRA statements, campaign literature, rejection letters, love notes, résumés, collages, whatever. (No books or musical instruments, though.)

Package the items in a neat envelope or bundle and seal it tight. (The fire stokers won’t open anything unless instructed to.) Mark your bundle “2008” if you would like it tossed on the flames before the end of the year, or “2009” if you want it tossed in once the New Year has begun. Don’t be afraid to add instructions if special incantations are required.

Then mail to:
Mighty Tieton New Year
PO Box 369
Tieton, WA 98947

Be sure to send it in time to arrive by next Wednesday. To see post-fire photos, visit www.marquandblog.com.

Where’s Santa Claus? Check the Santa Tracker

The Internet is full of Santa trackers, but if you want to use the one the military does, check out the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker.

The last time I looked, Santa was in the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Merry Christmas everyone!

- Kim Nowacki

Oh man, the winter apocalypse is upon us

If you’re like me, you’re scared to death about driving in this stuff, which is why, sadly, I decided to stay home last night instead of going to a friend’s holiday party.

But it wasn’t so bad. I did laundry, put up some decorations and got a whole stack of Christmas cards filled out. And since everyone else in Washington and Oregon seemed to be staying at home on a Saturday night because of the blizzard, they all quickly responded to my text message asking for mailing addresses. Thanks modern technology.

Eh, if you’re going to be trapped, you might as well be productive.

Today, I’m writing from “Steelers Central” at Jack-Son’s on 48th and Tieton. A friend (and HUGE Steelers fan), who grew up in Montana and has no problem driving in the snow, picked me up and rescued me from getting any more chores done. Whew!

So how are you all coping with the snow?

• Sledding in Franklin Park.

• Cross-country skiing in your neighborhood.

• Breaking in that White Pass season’s pass.

• Strapping on the chains and finishing your shopping.

• Staying in bed and pulling the covers over your head.

Christmas Lights Map

We asked those of you who scale ladders and traverse rooftops each December, who blow fuses and play hobbyist electrician just to light up the lives of neighbors and perfect strangers, to send us your fabulously festooned homes.

And you did — big time.

It’s been a lot of fun — enlightening, even — reading your notes about the twinkling Christmas spirit you’ve painstakingly put around your yards and houses via what is sure to be several miles of extension cord.

Large inflatable Santas and Snoopys seem popular along with synchronized music and light shows, but, of course, a simple and serene Nativity or lone shining star never go out of style.
Your hard work most certainly lands you on the “nice list,” as well as our list of dazzling outdoor displays.

Thanks again for making the Yakima Valley so merry and bright.

— Kim Nowacki

For a map of all the displays, click HERE.

YAKIMA

• 804 N. Third St. — Numerous illuminated displays feature reindeer, Santa Claus, trains, a small nativity scene, candy canes, a sledding bear and snow men, plus there’s Christmas music.

• 416 S. Seventh St. — You can see this decorated house from three blocks away. It features an inflatable frog, carousel and nutcracker, illuminated presents, blue icicle lights and much more.

• 609 S. Ninth St. — Hundreds of lights decorate this house, along with two inflatable snowmen and Santa. The residents will hand out candy canes from 7-10 p.m. Dec. 20.

• 1402 S. Fifth Ave. — Located behind Hoover Elementary School, this house is decorated with more than 30,00 lights, to help celebrate Christ’s birth. There’s also an airplane runway, Precious Moments Nativity, polar bears, Madagascar penguins, snowman angel, a large cross and more.

• 909 S. 11th Ave. — A variety of light displays featuring Santa on a train, Woodstock with Snoopy on his doghouse, candy canes, a star, light shows and a lit up Christmas tree with Seasons Greetings signs.

• 2510 W. Yakima Ave. — This home and yard are decorated with 8,000 lights including tiny trees lining both sides of the property and a six-foot-tall drummer boy and two-foot-tall ornament hanging in the courtyard.

• 1305 S. 24th Ave. — There are more than 8,000 mini lights and 350 big lights on this house, plus candy canes, snowmen, penguins, Christmas trees, snowflakes, a couple of deer, a large star 30 feet above the house and seven large inflatables including Santa in his sleigh, a polar bear, hot air balloon and the Grinch.

• 2907 Bonnie Doon — The decorations here include lights, inflatable displays, Santa and his reindeer on the roof and lawn and penguins.

• North 27th Avenue at the intersection with Barge Street — Ten residents on this dead end street have decorated their homes in a variety of ways: a Nativity scene, large star overlooking the neighborhood, Santa on roofs and in lawns, and a host of other decorative lawns make this street a Christmas delight.

• 1004 S. 11th Ave. — Lots of lights and many displays decorate this home. Don’t forget to check both ends of the house and the driveway and roll down your window to hear the music. Standing guard over all this is Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

• 2802 N. Tahoma Ave. — This house-turned-Santa’s work shop has animated displays of a drumming soldier, rocking horse, Santa and an elf on a teeter-totter, a skating snowman, a horse and buggy, a Ferris wheel, carousel and elves putting presents in a stocking, plus thousands of lights on the trees and hundreds of swags on the fence.

• 3204 W. Viola Ave. — Several thousand clear lights on this house celebrate daughter Katelynn’s first Christmas. The theme continues in the yard with several white spiral trees as well as lighted candy canes and an inflatable Santa waving to you in welcome.

• 4305 W. Viola Ave., #B — This home is decorated with all kinds of lights, animals, Mickey Mouse, a snowman, Santa, a polar bear, a shimmering star and American flag.

• 605 1/2 W. Pierce St. — A thousand lights are just part of this display which also features an inflated snowman and Santa Claus, 10 lighted candy canes, angles, ornaments and Old Glory.

• 1041 E. Selah Road — You can’t miss this place. Thousands of lights line the home, trees and fences. Enjoy Santa in his sleigh and his tiny reindeer leading the way with Rudolph in the lead, candy canes up in the trees, polar bears under the trees, inflatable snowmen, a Nativity scene, a moose that moves his head and Christmas Winnie the Pooh.

• 210 Cleman Ave. — The lights on this house flash to the music — from Bing Crosby to Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

• 620 N. 34th Ave. — Orchard Park Gracious Retirement Living is sparkling with holiday lights for the Christmas Season. Orchard Park’s four-floor building is lit up with bright lights and festive evergreen decorations

• 406 S. 36th Ave. — This home is decorated every year by 81-year-old T.J. Baughman (AKA Clark Griswold). This year’s display features icicle lights, 14 trees, eight deer and a six-foot Grinch guarding the front door.

• 241 N. 38th Ave. — The decorations here include a fiber optic tree, two fiber optic angles, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, illuminated reindeer, a large star, two six-foot tall candles and much more.

• 911 S. 41st Ave. — Thousands of red and clear lights create a fantasy land with Rudolph and family grazing on the front lawn and an old-fashioned tree shines in the front window.

• 1309 S. 43rd Ave. — Santa won’t miss this house which has a landing strip for the big guy on the roof and thousands of lights. Santa will be handing out treats from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 19-23.

• 1317 S. 44th Ave. — The elves have just finished putting up the icicle lights twinkling through silver garland. There are also reindeer, penguins and snowmen decorations and the plum tree is outfitted with more than 1,500 lights that dance to electronically synchronized music. A shimmering angel looks over it all.

• 1812 Pickens Loop and 1814 Pickens Loop — These houses have 7,000 lights between the two of them and have set up “Candy Land” and “Blue Mountain” themes.

• 202 S. 62nd Ave. — Approach from West Chestnut Avenue to appreciate the full view of the thousands of multi-colored lights which decorate this home and yard. A large cross and star can be seen on the roof while Santa and his reindeer are dashing across the front lawn.

• 205 S. 62nd Ave. — About 40 decorations such as deer, spiral trees, Santa, snowmen, a Ferris wheel, bear, penguin, trains, Santa on a motorcycle and Christmas trees.

• 1530 S. 68th Ave. — Simply put, this house is decorated with “Christmas colors galore.”

• 1811 Magnolia Ct. — In this senior court, several of the residents have decorated for the holidays.

• 3021 Old Naches Highway — The home is lit with more than 6,000 lights and includes five reindeer, a sled, snowman, five spiral trees, angels, gift boxes, candy canes, candles along the driveway and icicle lights around the deck and eves.

• 60 McAllister Drive — Near the Suntides area is this home decorated with thousands of lights , a lighted candy cane fence and several inflatables choreographed to music.

• 133 Abbess Lane — This home showcases more than 40,000 lights, polar bears, a penguin, a Nativity scene, a star on top of the roof, Santa Claus and reindeer suspended in the air, a snowman, candles, candy canes, soldiers, a carousel, more than 40 lawn figures, a red, white and blue theme on the shop, numerous tree lights, lighted trains, snowflakes, icicle lights, a synchronized music and light show and more.

• 5104 N. Canyon Rd — Santa’s reindeer graze in the grass as they watch the lights dance to music.

• 4940 Pear Butte Dr. — Thousands and thousands of lights decorate this house making it worth the visit to Terrace Heights.

SELAH

• 1605 Selah Loop Rd. — At this house, thousands of lights are animated to music. This must-see show plays every half from 6-9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 6-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. When it gets closer to Christmas, the show will begin every 15 minutes. And the best part, you don’t have to roll down your window to hear the music, just tune to 106.9 FM. (Think the TV commercials for Miller Light.)

• 131 E. Fremont Ave. — This Candyland-themed display features a synchronized musical show, 30 candy canes and a inflatable carousel.

• 501 Hegel Court — located behind Selah Intermediate School, this Griswald-esque home is decked out with computer-generated light displays, snowball-throwing snowmen, an electronic Christmas tree lot, music coordinated with lights (tune to 90.5 FM) and giant illuminated driveway arches.

• 503 Lacey Ave. — “Grandpa’s Christmas Musical House” features thousands of lights, some flashing to music, and several inflatables.

MOXEE

• 2361 Faucher Rd. — This house features three Christmas trees to see through the window and a yard full of snow globes, Santa on a tractor, reindeer, lighted trees, Santa teeter-tottering with reindeer, snowmen and music. And in the hop field, you’ll find Santa and his sleigh.

• 40 Desmarais Rd. — A vast display of illuminated trees, Santa on the roof and “Merry Christmas” sign in the yard.

The print version of this list will be published in the Dec. 19 issue of On magazine.

Concert confirmation. Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry coming to Yakima

Yes, a big rawk show is coming to Yakima. I just got confirmation that the co-headlining Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry tour will be at the SunDome on Feb. 5. Also on the bill are Papa Roach and Saving Abel.

All seats cost $39.75 and go on sale at 10 a.m. this Friday, Dec. 19, through TicketsWest, 800-325-7328, or the State Fair ticket office, 248-7160. The floor seats are general admission and the bleacher and bench seats are reserved. (Word is there will also be walk-around beer, which means you won’t have to cram into a beer garden.)

Pre-sale tickets for SunDome Insiders Club members will be available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18.

WinterHop BrewFest tickets on sale now

Tickets are now on sale for the fifth annual WinterHop BrewFest on Jan. 17 in Ellensburg. About a third of the tickets are already gone and this popular brew-haha is expected to sell out as it has the past couple of years.

During the event, WinterHoppers can wander among 10 different stops — from Fitterer’s Furniture to Mt. High Sports, Lilly’s Cantina & Taqueria, Grand Central Theatre — and sample the offerings from 20 Northwest microbreweries.

Here are the breweries particpating this year:
Yakima Craft Brewing
Iron Horse Brewery
Roslyn Brewery
Rattlesnake Mountain Brewery
Diamond Knot Brewery
Fish Brewery
Leavenworth Brewery
Rocky Coulee Brewery
Georgetown Brewery
Laht Neppur Brewery
Harmon Brewery
Twisp River Brewery
Lazy Boy Brewery
Snipes Mountain Brewery
Snoqualmie Falls
Redhook Brewery
Rogue Brewery
Issaquah Brewhouse
Boundary Bay Brewery
Whitstran Brewery

Tickets cost $20 and include a commemorative glass and five tasting scrip. Tickets are available through the Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce, call 925-3138 or 888-925-2204. This is a 21-and-over event.

Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry coming to the SunDome?

According to the all-knowing Internet, the Avenged Sevenfold/Buckcherry tour is coming to the SunDome on Feb. 5. Also on the bill are Papa Roach and Saving Abel.

It doesn’t look like tickets are on sale yet and I’ve put a call in to the SunDome to see if this concert is for real. I’ll keep you posted.

Is the Depot Restaurant haunted?

According to a memo sent out by Depot Restaurant owner Karl Pasten, the restaurant’s staff have experienced peculiar, perhaps paranormal, events there. (That hallway to the bathroom can be totally creepy late at night.)

So this Saturday (Dec. 13), the paranormal investigatory group P.A.S.T. is Present will investigate the building at 32 N. Front St.

Fifteen members of the group from Yakima, Tri-Cities and Walla Walla will split up into teams and examine the building using camera equipment, heat sensing devices and other ghost-hunting tools.

“Although I am a skeptic regarding matters of this sort, I am open and interested in any proven results they may come up with,” writes Karl.

Personally, I bet it’s Bert Grant’s spirit just trying to order a beer.

Local authors gather for book fair at Borders

Nearly 20 local authors are getting together this Saturday (Dec. 13) for a book fair at the Borders book store in Union Gap.

The Yakima Valley wordsmiths will be avaialble from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. to sign and sell their books, which range from a touching remembrance of a fallen firefighter to a story about a Scottish rogue, a modern-day western, discovering the life of William O. Douglas, a children’s book about a puppy named Pepper and even a couple of cookbooks and collections of poetry.
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Wineries host an old-fashioned wine country Christmas

Wineries on the Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail in Zillah will celebrate the season with appetizers and a festive holiday atmosphere from 4 to 8 p.m. tomorrow (Dec. 11).

Select wineries are also collecting food drive items and if you swing by Zillah Lakes before 5 p.m., you can pick up two free tickets to Friday night’s “Nutcracker: Two Faces” performance at The Seasons.

For more information and a list of participating wineries, visit www.rattlesnakehills.com.

Univision soap stars coming to Yakima tomorrow

Three actors from Univision’s most popular show will be in Yakima TOMORROW at a marketing event by Verizon Wireless.

Eduardo Yañez, Jorge Salinas and Pablo Montero — who play brothers in the soap opera “Fuego en la Sangre” — will sign autographs and promote the cellular phone network from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Verizon store at 2401 S. First Street.

Read more about it HERE.

Opening of ‘Tiny Tim’s Christmas’ postponed until next weekend

Well, sometimes the show can’t go on. The Valley Theater Company is postponing the opening of its production of “Tiny Tim’s Christmas” because of illness. The show was to open tonight.

The play, which explores Tiny Tim’s life after “A Christmas Carol” ends, will now open at 7:30 p.m. next Friday, Dec. 12, at the Princess Theatre, 1226 Meade Ave. in Prosser. Performances continue at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13.

Ticket-holders for this weekend’s canceled shows can exchange them for a refund or a new ticket. Tickets may be exchanged at Sixth Street Gifts and Art Gallery in Prosser, the Grandview Safeway, or the Daily Sun News in Sunnyside.

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