By Erin Flemming

Twelve local teenage Boy Scouts and leaders took the New Mexico wilderness head on in August, hiking 80 miles over a dozen days. The group followed a track in the Philmont Scout Ranch, one of the largest adventure camps owned by the Boy Scouts of America.

The ranch, which covers 214 square miles of wilder-ness, has seen more than 950,000 Scouts, venturers and leaders since the first camping season in 1939. The ranch has trails that climb from 6,500 feet to 12,441 feet in altitude, and the territory is home to bears and mountain lions, among other natural chal-lenges.

Philmont is well-known in the Scouting world, and ranch visitors are selected for hiking the area through a lottery system that Boy Scout troops can enter every two years. Other national camps also offer scuba diving in addition to hiking.

“If you’re in Boy Scouts, you know about Philmont,” Trevor Morton, a 15-year old student at Issaquah High School, said. “People in our troop have gone before and it looked amazing from all the stuff I’ve seen on it.”

The group, which consisted of four fathers and eight sons from troops 609 and 600, started training four months before the hike, completing various hikes in the area to prepare for long-distance hikes and higher-elevation conditions.

Though Trevor said the group was “very well-pre-

pared” for the trip, one unex-pected aspect of Philmont was the occasional extreme weath-er conditions. While tempera-tures weren’t extreme, August falls in monsoon season for the area. That meant sporadic bursts of heavy rain and flash floods, along with thunder and lightning.

Michael Cecil, one of the Boy Scouts who went on the trip, said though the lightning got close at times, it was an intriguing experience to be in the midst of the storm.

“The lightning was so cool,” the 17-year-old Issaquah High School student said. “One day we got trapped in a lightning storm ... it was scary but we were somewhere safe.”

Fortunately, difficult weath-er conditions came later in the day, often after the group had set up camp for the night, said Chris Backus, one of the fathers who went on the hike.

Backus, who went on the

hike with his son Cole, said one of the hardest things about the hike was resigning control to the Scouts.

“The adults were there to advise and make sure every-thing was safe,” said Backus, a 41-year-old manager for Cisco Internet systems. “It was really hard for me, but I really enjoyed seeing the kids step up and lead the expedition.”

Two of the 12 days were spent at a base camp, prepar-ing for the upcoming hike and, later, debriefing after the trek was completed. Staff mem-bers at Philmont prepared the campers for the hike upon arrival, outlining the planned route and talking through potential difficulties — such as the day in the hike that water would not be available.

Trevor Morton said the repetitive cuisine was a chal-lenge for him. Breakfast was trail mix, lunch was trail mix with canned tuna and dinner

was a dehydrated meal with trail mix, he said.

“The food they give you is just trail mix in every form

COMMUNITYs s

The Issaquah Press

Section

B WednesdayOctober 31, 2012

We have left the British Isles and have made our way into Paris. While the weather on the night of our arrival was similar to Oc-tober in Washington (rain), for the next few days we had warmer temperatures and sunny skies with ran-dom rain showers mixed in.

Paris is a beautiful city with much to see and do, though the cost of living is significantly higher than we are used to. Luckily, the main attractions such as the Louvre museum and ascending the Eiffel Tower are relatively affordable adventures, costing little more than 10 euros. Other important sites, such as the impressive Catholic Cathedrals of Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur Basilica (Montmartre), offer free admission.

One of the more memo-rable things we recommend

is to climb the stairs to the Sacre Coeur Basilica for its impressive views of the Parisian skyline, and then continue west along the narrow cobblestone roads lined with shops and restaurants with markets interspersed throughout. This is a good place to find all kinds of souvenirs rang-ing from basic magnets to original art pieces, though if you are looking for au-thentic French artwork, it may be worthwhile to make sure there is no “Made in China” sticker. This route

also takes you past the café from the film “Amelie” and the Moulin Rouge.

If you want to have a nice meal anywhere near the center of town, it will likely run you 15 euros or more. While we would recommend trying the lo-cal cuisine, as it is deserv-edly a source of pride for the French, we could not afford to do so every day. Others trying to travel cheaply would benefit financially from buying ingredients from the grocery store and cooking for themselves as we have. We also had a difficult time relaxing at bars after a hard day of tourism, as we are not used to paying more than 7 euros for a mostly full glass of beer.

We were fortunate enough to be in town for an annual event called the “White Night,” which sees

the people of Paris explor-ing late-night museum openings as well as a varied range of organized and unorganized perfor-mances. The people of Paris come alive in an odd appreciation of art, drink-ing and Parisian life.

We saw an electronic trio blasting music from the second floor of the Pompidou Modern Art Center while hoards of museumgoers swayed to the beat. A flurry of bubbles was unleashed upon the courtyard of the National Archive, a small film festival in an alleyway displayed short films from all of Europe and a street band rehashed the Inspec-tor Gadget theme song.

We’re leaving now and we know we have only scratched the surface of a wonderfully vibrant city. We’re off to Berlin!

CONTRIBUTED

Andrew Baer, Justin Kay and Matt Benson (from left) get their photo taken in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Discovering Paris — It’s a beautiful cityEUROTRIP

Matthew Benson, Andrew Baer and Justin Kay are traveling through Europe before getting jobs and liv-ing in “the real world.”

See HIKE, Page B3

By Christina Corrales-Toynewcastle@isspress.com

It may be hard to imagine paying more than $400 for a pie, but at the Compassion House Benefit Pie Auction, it’s not so far-fetched.

At last year’s event, some pies sold for more than $450, with all of the money going toward Compassion House, a local nonprofit organization that provides transitional housing to families in need.

“You know when you have an auctioneer that is capable of selling some pies upwards of $450, that people have an open heart for giving,” said Rick McCarty, the execu-tive director of Compas-sion House.

While the event is put together by several lo-cal churches, including Mountain Creek Christian Fellowship, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Is-saquah Christian Church and Foothills Baptist Church, the auction and dinner is meant to attract the entire community, regardless of religious af-filiation.

“The fact is, this is about helping our neighbors in need, and you can do that whether you go to church or not,” said Pastor Mark Miller, of Mountain Creek Christian Fellowship. “We all have a responsibility to help the folks on the margins.”

At this year’s event on Nov. 3 at Covenant Pres-byterian Church, partici-pants can enjoy a spaghetti dinner, the live pie auction and a silent auction that will include a wide range of items.

Tickets are $10 per per-son, which includes dinner. But if people are not inter-ested in the dinner and just want to come for the pie auction at about 6:45 p.m., there will be standing room available and no admission charge.

Pie auction to benefit

Compassion House

IF YOU GOCompassion House Benefit Pie Auction45:30-9 p.m. Nov. 34Covenant Presbyterian Church, 22116 S.E. 51st Place4Tickets: $10 per person 4Call Rick McCarty to purchase tickets at 802-9235.

See AUCTION, Page B3

BY MICHAEL CECIL

Boy Scouts and their dads (from left) Derrick Morton, Trevor Morton, Nick Co, Chris Backus, Doug Backous, Cole Backus, Jonathan Backous, Michael Cecil, Andrew Marsh, Mckinley Melton and Jeff Melton pose on top of Baldy Mountain after their tiring but satisfying hike to the summit.

ULTRA TREKKERSLocal Boy Scouts complete 80-mile

hike in New Mexico

BY MICHAEL CECIL

Tents glow with lantern light on a starry night in August during the 12-day, 80-mile hike by members of Boy Scout Troop 609 and their dads.

YOU SHOULD KNOWThe essentials of a Philmont Ranch Trek

“You’re only carrying the things you must have,” said Derrick Morton, a father who went on the hike. Here’s a sampling of what each hiker carried on the 12-day journey:4quick stove4fuel4about a gallon of water4sleeping pad4tent4sleeping bag4flashlight

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The Issaquah Press Wednesday, October 31, 2012 • B7

Fraud alertA Sammamish resident

said someone used his or her bank account to make fraudulent online transac-tions before Oct. 4. The estimated loss is $500.

SwipedA wallet, credit cards,

cash, iPhone and sun-glasses were stolen from a vehicle parked in the 4200 block of 230th Way Southeast early Oct. 10. The estimated loss is at least $350.

Unwanted home improvement

A resident in the 2400 block of 232nd Street Southeast said somebody replaced a lock and dead-bolt on the home Oct. 10. The resident said he or she entered through the front door and thought he or she heard someone fleeing from the back of the home. The resident then discov-ered that he or she had interrupted someone in the middle of replacing a lock and deadbolt at the rear of the house, though the own-er had not hired anyone to do such work.

ChargedA purse, debit and credit

cards, and cash were stolen in the 23300 block of Southeast 35th Place before 12:30 p.m. Oct. 13. The estimated loss is $850.

SmashedA window was damaged

on a vehicle parked in the 21200 block of Southeast 40th Place before 12:45 p.m. Oct. 13. A backpack and iPod were stolen from the vehicle.

Stage frightFurniture and appli-

ances were stolen from a home for sale in the 4300 block of East Lake Sam-mamish Parkway before Oct. 14. Thieves stole the staging furniture — includ-ing sofas, lamps, desks and a dishwasher and refrig-erator — placed inside by the real estate company.

TaggedPolice discovered graffiti

on the gymnasium and a portable classroom at Sunny Hills Elementary School, 3200 Issaquah-Pine Lake Road S.E., on Oct. 16.

Slow getawayPolice arrested a

57-year-old Issaquah man for shoplifting Oct. 17 after he put on a knee brace at Bartell Drugs, 526 228th Ave. N.E., and left the store without paying. A store employee told police he witnessed the man select the brace, go to another aisle to put it on and leave the store.

DudPolice and the King

County Sheriff’s Office’s bomb unit responded to a home in the 22700 block of Southeast 27th Street on Oct. 19 after a resident discovered a suspicious item on her lawn. The object consisted of a thick cardboard tube with a red clay-like substance plugging one end and a string coming out the other end. She moved it into the garage, but then became concerned that it might be a bomb and called police.

Police determined that the suspicious object was an empty mortar.

The Press publishes names of those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports.

ON THE MAPSee the Issaquah Police Department’s reported activity from the previ-ous 72 hours at a crime map created by the city at www.ci.issaquah.wa.us/crimemap. Addresses contained in the map have been rounded to the nearest hundred block. The address displayed reflects the location where the officer responded to the incident — not neces-sarily where the incident occurred.

POLICE & FIRE

EASTSIDE FIRE & RESCUE REPORTS

FOR OCT. 314Four engines were

sent at 4:50 p.m. Oct. 15 to investigate in the 1800 block of 15th Place Northwest where a motor vehicle hit a pedestrian.4Three engines were

sent at 12:06 p.m. Oct. 16 to investigate a gas leak in the 3600 block of Klahanie Drive Southeast.4Two engines extin-

guished an outdoor rub-bish fire at 11:08 a.m. Oct. 17 in the 15200 block of 204th Avenue Southeast.4Two engines were

sent at 12:27 p.m. Oct. 17 to investigate an ani-mal problem in the 3800 block of Klahanie Drive Southeast.4Two engines were

dispatched to a motor vehicle accident at 2:19 p.m. Oct. 18 in the 3400 block of East Lake Sammamish Parkway Northeast. There were no injuries. 4An engine was sent

at 2:21 p.m. Oct. 19 to a motor vehicle accident with injuries in the 3900 block of 236th Avenue Northeast.4An engine was

dispatched at 2:44 a.m. Oct. 21 to a motor vehicle accident in the 16300 block of west-bound Interstate 90 east of 160th Avenue South. There were no injuries.4Four engines

responded to a motor vehicle accident with injuries at 4:43 p.m. Oct. 21 in the 30200 block of westbound Interstate 90.4Three engines were

dispatched at 2:23 p.m. Oct. 23 to a motor vehicle accident in the 5200 block of Northwest Sammamish Road. There were no injuries.4Three engines were

needed at a motor vehicle accident with injuries at 4:22 p.m. Oct. 25 in the 100 block of Newport Way Northwest.

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Issaquah Drug Free Community Coalitions seeks youth reps

The Issaquah Drug Free Community Coalition is seeking students ages 12-18 to be representatives.

Interested students must reside within the Issaquah School District. Applicants should email Barbara de Michele at issaquahcom-munitynetwork@mind-spring.com.

The email must include the applicant’s community activities and interests as well as an explanation detailing the student’s interest in getting involved

with the group. Students will receive community service documentation for their participation.

Started in September 2011, the coalition is a sub-committee of the Issaquah Community Network.

The subcommittee, which works to reduce alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug abuse among teens, meets the third Monday of the month, on a varying schedule. Meetings are held from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Issaquah Valley Senior Center, adja-cent to the Issaquah Police Station and Veterans’ Memorial Field.

By Warren Kagarisewkagarise@isspress.com

Swedish/Issaquah is showcasing the Seattle Art Museum — and local artists — at a Nov. 1 community celebration in the medical center’s majestic lobby.

The event is meant to highlight Elles at the Seattle Art Museum. Elles show-cases exhibitions and programs featur-ing women artists.

In addition to the Elles connection, attendees can embark on docent-led and self-guided tours highlighting Northwest women’s artwork on display throughout Swedish/Issaquah.

The event, dubbed A Night Out at Swedish: Fall Arts Showcase, features a concert by the Sammamish Symphony String Quartet, plus works from local and Northwest artists.

Organizers said attendees can sip a free glass of wine or Starbucks coffee, or slip into Café 1910 for dinner. The on-site restaurant is usually open only for lunch, but organizers extended the hours for the celebration.

Other highlights at the event include heron-inspired art-work from artEAST’s Rookery Project.

The retail options around the lobby, The Shops at Swedish, plan to offer a 10 percent discount on select mer-chandise. Women can receive complimentary bra fittings at the Perfect Fit boutique.

The event is also a nod to the Swedish system’s history of showcasing public artwork. Swedish/Issaquah features dozens of pieces from Northwest artists on display throughout the facility.

“We are proud to create a healing envi-ronment for people coming in. We want to create a healing environment. We want to be something that when you walk in, you don’t feel ‘hospital,’” said Natalie Kozimor, a Swedish public relations specialist. “We think the art has really helped with that.”

Using the hospital as a community gathering space factored into marketing and outreach efforts since before the facility opened in July 2011. Organiz-ers also plan to host a family holiday celebration featuring Santa Claus and a giant gingerbread house.

“Oftentimes, when you think of hos-pital, you think, ‘I go there when I’m sick,’” Kozimor said. “We want to have people think, ‘I can also go there when I’m well.’ We want to be as much of a community center as a medical center.”

A&E B8 • Wednesday, October 31, 2012

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The Issaquah Press

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By Warren Kagarisewkagarise@isspress.com

The lead actors in Village Theatre’s soon-to-open “Fiddler on Roof” share the same easy rhythms as a long-married couple — a comfortable arrangement, because Eric Polani Jensen and Bobbi Kotula play a long-married couple in the classic musical.

The professional relationship between Jensen and Kotula extends back to the early 1990s, and the duo is poised to share the stage again Nov. 7 as “Fid-dler on the Roof” opens. In the musical, Jensen is Tevye, a Jewish milkman strug-gling to stick to tradition in czar-ist Russia, and Kotula is Tevye’s sharp-tongued but soft-hearted wife.

The duo often shares a stage at Village Theatre and other local playhouses. The familiar-ity comes across as Jensen and Kotula discussed the theme at the show’s core. In the opening number and throughout the musical, “Fiddler on the Roof” focuses on the tug-of-war between tradition and change.

“Yes, it’s about a Jewish family in Rus-sia, but it’s also about every family in the world, and what every family has gone through since the dawn of time,” Jensen said.

‘He leads everybody with grace’The musical unfolds in Anatevka, a

shtetl, or village, in Russia. The hard-ship in the shtetl and unrelenting threats against Jews mean the family is often perched as precariously as a fiddler on a roof. Tevye mentions the image in the prologue before the opening number.

“How wonderful that you have these characters who feel the completeness of life, both all of its sorrow and all of its joy,” Jensen said. “They live through the extremes of it, and they don’t let one or the other stop them from existing because of it.”

The lead actors shared compliments — and cheese — during a recent interview

before rehearsal, as Jensen sipped from Kotula’s thermos mug.

“He leads everybody with grace and poise and generosity and joy,” she said. “That sets the tone for the cast. The rest of the cast works really hard because they see Eric — who’s got the line load of the century — being as calm and present, always available, no excuses.”

Jensen thanked Kotula for the tribute, and she offered a quick “You’re welcome, honey” in response.

Moreover, Jensen eschewed glue and artificial hair, and instead nurtured a lush beard for the role as the poor milkman.

Kotula harbored a lifelong dream to play Golde, and tamped down doubts dur-ing the audition for the Village Theatre role.

“I’ve always wanted to play Golde, because I like who she is, but I also felt that because I’m usually cast as the funny character actress, that playing Golde I may not be seen as that,” she said.

‘I know how hard Golde works’In the audition before director David

Ira Goldstein, “I just tried to be what

Bobbi’s Golde would be — and thankfully, that was the one they wanted,” Kotula said.

The actors and the characters share similarities — “I can yell,” Kotula cau-tions — and the resemblances attracted Jensen and Kotula to the roles.

“I know how hard Golde works. I know how prideful she is, in a good way,” Kotula said.

“Fiddler on the Roof” is based on “Tevye and His Daughters” and other tales from Yiddish author and playwright Sholem Aleichem.

Jensen and Kotula delved into research for the roles. Kotula read works from Jewish authors, and Jensen attended Sabbath services at Seattle’s Emanuel Congregation synagogue. The director asked a rabbi to speak to the cast about Jewish traditions.

“One of the things Tevye says is, ‘Be-cause of our traditions, everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do,’” Jensen said. “Especially in our world today, we spend more time than not trying to figure out who the heck we are in life.”

By Warren Kagarisewkagarise@isspress.com

Filmmaker Jennifer Martucci, 22, draws inspiration from dispa-rate sources — “The Lord of the Rings” film series and the crisp dialogue of “The West Wing” and “The Newsroom” scribe Aaron Sorkin, for starters.

Martucci grew up in the Is-saquah area and recently gradu-ated from the Savannah College of Art and Design Graduate. In August, she debuted the short film “Eulogy” at the California’s Sacra-mento Film & Music Festival.

The three-minute film depicts a woman’s horrific murder, and the only dialogue is the woman’s husband as he reads her eulogy.

“Eulogy” originated as a SCAD film school senior thesis project. Martucci wrote the screenplay, chose the creative team and raised money for the production online.

The film school alumna’s other credits include some production work on the OK Go music video “White Knuckles” — a romp featuring band members per-forming choreographed routines alongside trained dogs.

Martucci took some time off from filmmaking to answer ques-tions about what inspires her:

What piqued your interest in film production?

I’d been writing stories since I was a kid, but that didn’t really translate into writing for film until I started making videos with friends and for our FIRST Robotics team research projects.

I was lucky enough to be on teams with people who shared my interest in film, and over the years, we put together increas-ingly complicated little movies. We went from stop-motion to live action to using a public access channel’s studio green screen and editing bay.

I’ve grown up watching all the behind-the -scenes DVD extras I could find for my favorite mov-ies, and I soaked up everything like a sponge. For a long time, I couldn’t even narrow down my interest beyond the general “making movies” because the entire process was so fascinating to me. These days, I’m definitely more focused on the writing and directing side, though I’ve main-tained an interest in other areas as well.

How did you come up with the concept for “Eulogy”?

When I was brainstorming for my senior project film, I set certain parameters for myself. Sometimes it doesn’t help to limit oneself like that, but in this case, it helped me come up with some-thing cohesive, short and simple.

I wanted it to be something I could accomplish, and ac-complish well. I actually used a word generator to come up with several options, and one combi-nation in particular inspired me. One of the words was “hallway,” and I’d just watched an episode of “Doctor Who” where the char-acters are trapped in a hotel and behind each door was someone’s worst fear. I pulled back from the sci-fi and fantasy, and thought

instead about what kinds of hor-rible, frightening things could be happening behind normal hotel room doors. I settled on a murder.

How did you reach the decision to crowd-fund the film?

As for crowd funding, it was a fairly straightforward decision. I needed money — more money

than I had available — and I’ve known (and supported) projects that have been successfully fund-ed with Kickstarter and Indiego-go. I didn’t reach my fundraising goal for “Eulogy,” but I did raise enough money to complete the film and submit it to enough film festivals to get a response.

What reception did the film receive at the Sacramento Film & Music Festival and from other audiences?

“Eulogy” got a great reaction from the audience in Sacramen-to, and I’ve been receiving amaz-ing comments from the funders I’ve sent the DVD to as well. It’s been really rewarding just to get any response, much less such a positive one.

The Sacramento Film & Music Festival was actually the first time I’d seen my own film on the big screen! Due to scheduling conflicts, I couldn’t attend my time slot at the student showcase at SCAD. It was really exciting and nerve-wracking to see it for the first time along with a completely fresh audience, but it was fun too.

How did the experience of working on OK Go’s “White Knuckles” video expand your knowledge of film production?

Before working on “White Knuckles,” I’d worked on a couple of low-budget indie films, but nothing as intensive as this music video. It was a lot of fun, and, of course, hectic because of the unpredictability of working with animals, but everyone was very professional and took their jobs seriously.

The entire video had to be done in one shot, so it was out of the ordinary in the sense that there weren’t scenes or different set-ups to get through. We ran the song over and over (and over and over) again until we made it all the way through in one take.

Something I took away from that set was the importance of keeping the work environment upbeat and fun. I tried to do the same for my own film, even when things were going wrong. It helped that I had such a small crew, primarily consisting of my friends, and we all got along fa-mously. I’ve been on sets where tensions ran a little too high, and that negative atmosphere doesn’t foster productivity well.

What advice do you have for young people seeking to study the arts and pursue a career in film production?

Love art. For me, that’s No. 1, and it applies to more than just film. Love art and appreciate it, devour it. Take in as much as you can and learn from it.

I learned how to write good short stories by reading a ton of short stories. Some were good and some weren’t, but I learned from them all. I watched a lot of television, a lot of movies, and I learned what works and what doesn’t; I learned what I enjoyed and what I didn’t.

That’s my biggest piece of advice: Take in everything and be inspired by it. If you love art, use it as a stepping-stone to cre-ate art. While you’re learning from others, make your own and practice.

IF YOU GOA Night Out at Swedish: Fall Arts Showcase46-8 p.m. Nov. 14Swedish/Issaquah, 751 N.E. Blakely Drive4Free4Call the Swedish/Issaquah concierge desk at 313-7913 to learn more.

Swedish hosts celebration

MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER

IF YOU GO‘Fiddler on the Roof’4Village Theatre — Francis J. Gaudette Theatre4303 Front St. N.4Nov. 7 to Dec. 304Showtimes vary4$22 to $634392-2202 or www.villagetheatre.org

‘Fiddler on the Roof ’ stars dynamic duo

Nascent filmmaker reflects on festival debut

CONTRIBUTED

Jennifer Martucci, a local filmmak-er, draws inspiration from a variety of sources.

ON THE WEBWatch OK Go’s “White Knuckles” video at http://vimeo.com/15157630.

BY MIKE HIPPLE/VILLAGE THEATRE

Eric Polani Jensen (left) and Bobbi Kotula star as Tevye and Golde in Village Theatre’s upcom-ing production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’

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