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Celebrate New Year’s Eve with free rides on Metro

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King County Metro will usher in 2019 with free rides for all customers starting at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Rides will be free until 4 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 1, including DART and Access service. In addition, Metro will add service to its night routes. The Seattle Streetcar also will be free on New Year’s Eve, and Sound Transit will extend the operating hours of Link light rail service between Angle Lake and the University of Washington.

“As we ring in another new year together, we are glad to again offer free rides on Metro to help keep the celebration safe for everyone,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

Tacoma Hip-Hop in 2018

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Tacoma Hip-Hop in 2018
by Josh Rizeberg

This was one of the strongest years for Tacoma Hip-Hop that I can remember. Shouts out to Clemm
Rishad for continually making national noise with his writing credits and props to Sonny Bonoho who is
out there directing videos for artists all around the country.
There were four albums I wanted to highlight and encourage Washington readers to listen to. Here are
my top four (yeah not five) Tacoma Hip-Hop releases for 2018. Lone-Wolf and Kub is a Hip-Hop duo
consisting of a Father and Son. The Father is Washington Hip-Hop veteran Shao Sosa. Sosa is known
from the Tri-Cities to Portland and everywhere in between for his Hip-Hop career. He recently took his
Son under his wing to complete a project. His son is Nobi and they both M.C. the entire album. This is
high-art Hip-Hop. It is dense, layered, deep, thoughtful, lyrical, boom-bap. There is nothing stale about
this boom-bap however. It is entrenched in mythological Kung-Fu nostalgia and has a comic-book aura
to it that gives life to the project. Lone Wolf and Kub is the group and the album is self-titled. It is
currently available on all digital outlets.
Next up is Don James with his 5 th album and 4 th solo-release titled “Black Super Mario”. From the title
you can tell that this is a very creative project. Don James is definitely one of Tacoma’s favorite M.C.’s.
He has the perfect mix of intelligence, street-smarts, and regular-guy relatability that make him pleasing
to any listener. Get Black Super Mario on Don James’s Bandcamp page.
Then there is John Crown’s “No Lanes”. John Crown has been putting it down in Tacoma since the early
00’s. He is a talented poet, rapper, and photographer. Crown has numerous notable releases and “No
Lanes” may be the best of them. This is a shorter project with only seven songs but it has all the gravitas
one could need. There are not many M.C.’s who let you into their personal-lives and personality like
John. He is extremely honest and this is one of his strengths. John Crown has bars, vulnerability, humor,
sadness, and swag. The project is just like John: a complicated, beautiful, frustrating, emotional roller-
coaster, taking listeners through every peak and valley he has experienced. Be prepared to laugh and
cry.
Finally BARZ

put out a very serious album titled “Parkland”. It is a hyper-local ride through the opioid-
crisis currently crippling Pierce County. Even though this album microscopically focuses on Parkland, the
drug-problems, poverty, and all the related ills that come with the epidemic are so universal that this
album could rock anywhere. You can tell that this was a heartfelt release from Barz. He had to battle
censorship just to keep the album art-work up on digital-sites. So go check-out what the controversy is
all about!
To round out the year we cannot forget that Jacmov and his label So Active stayed just that. He was by
far the busiest artist of the year putting-out more music and doing more shows than anyone else. He
even let some light shine on one of his artist’s Littoral. Littoral got a lot of props this year as well
releasing a slew of popular videos, “Tacoma Love” featuring Phinisey, “Reach for my 40”, and “Bitter
Sweet Symphony”. Last but not least look out for Real Kozby in 2019. He formally was known as
Youngstarr. Kozby spit a lot of heat this year by focusing on short videos and freestyles that he
continually dropped through 2018. Hopefully we get a full-length project from him in 2019.

Lastly I giving single of the year to the OG’s Deeale featuring Raw One of EVG4LIFE for “Ballin and
Blowing”. This song had a rider type feel, classic sound, but did not come across as dated. Check for the
single on BBL Label music. The single made waves all the way up to Seattle and had a good run on
college-radio nationally.

The Friends of Art of Pier 86 would like to invite you to the Closing Viewing Party of the first video art exhibit of the Let There Be Light Program!

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The Let There Be Light program features two, multi day exhibits of large scale projected video art onto the head house of the Pier 86 grain terminal during December of 2018.

With a canvas is 222ft tall and exhibits that will run for a total of 10 days, this program will be the largest and longest public video art exhibits to date in the Seattle area!

The exhibits will be able to be viewed from Centennial Park, Myrtle Edwards Park, as well as part of Downtown, SODO, West Seattle, Queen Anne and from the water.

The Closing Viewing Party will be held at

Expedia
645 Elliott Ave W #200, Seattle, WA 98119

A wall of windows face the exhibit site for optimal viewing of the projected exhibit by HexagonMisfit.

The Viewing Party will include
Acknowledgments/Opening speech by Chairperson Betty Winfield.
Special Guest speakers
Music
Free refreshments provided by Expedia

Joining us will be
STEVE SNEED
SEATTLE CENTER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: SEATTLE FESTIVALS

ELHAM HAKIM & KAROUN ENSEMBLE PERFORM
“SHAB-E-YALDA” IRANIAN WINTER SOLSTICE

SWIL KANIM
LUMMI TRIBAL MEMBER, MUSICIAN & STORYTELLER

+ photo booth by Vitamin Dee Photography
+ music by dj manos

Free
All Ages
Open to the public

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Read more about the project and artists below
http://www.fap86.com/the-artists/

While the two exhibits will be working within the theme of the project, they will showcase and explore very different avenues of the art.

Pier 86 is a testimony to both land and sea; grains collected from the interior continent are then shipped to distant peoples. The symbolism of using Pier 86 roots Seattle’s connection to Elliot Bay, the ancestral home of the Native peoples, the cities original industrial development and more recently, tech and tourism commerce.

“Let There Be Light” will be a celebration of the Seattle waterfront, it’s history, it’s people, and it’s light shining the way into the future.

———–

SECOND EXHIBIT

-Will be showing during Closing Viewing Party –

DEC 14TH-21ST, 2018

Showing nightly 6pm-10pm

Artists- Hexagon Misfit
Chris Rojas; Seattle
Craig Winslow; Portland
www.HexagonMisfit.com
Instagram: @hexagonmisfit
HexagonMisfit

In their exhibit for the Let There Be Light program Hexagon Misfit will visually explore the past, present and future of the Waterfront and peoples of the PNW with projection mapping, 3D imaging, and historical moments. The exhibit will invite the viewers to take a journey through time and celebrate the significance of Seattle’s past while looking into the future with the power of light. Within the journey the artists will showcase the art itself and celebrate the return of light using projection mapping to create a beautiful and intriguing experience.

Craig Winslow is an experiential designer based in Portland, OR with a passion for blending the physical and digital, and a fascination with how we incorporate the past within our future. He was an Adobe Creative Resident 16/17′, currently teaches at PNCA as a research fellow in the Make+Think+Code Lab, and has run his own studio for the past several years working with NikeLab, The Neon Museum, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Princeton University, Adobe, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Chris Rojas is an Experiential Designer based in Seattle, WA and focuses on large-scale real-time interactive art. Much of the work incorporates emerging technologies such as VR, AR, XR, depth cameras, optical tracking, and custom electronics. Chris has worked with Nike, Microsoft, Intel, GE, Levi, TED and various entertainers such as The Black Eyed Peas, DJ Tiesto, Steve Aoki, Paul Oakenfold, Deadmau5, Phantogram and Depth Cab For Cutie.

—

FIRST EXHIBIT

Dec 7th-10th, 2018
Showing nightly 6pm-10pm
Artists – SIGNALS
https://s-i-g-n-a-l-s.com/
Nicolas Sassoon; Vancouver BC Canada
Rick Silva; Eugene, Oregon

“SIGNALS is a collaborative project by artists Nicolas Sassoon (Vancouver, BC) and Rick Silva (Eugene, OR) focusing on immersive audio-visual renderings of altered seascapes.

———–

—

Many thanks to Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Parks Foundation, Port of Seattle and Expedia for the support on this amazing project!

BOHEMIA – A whimsical display of aerial, dance, comedy, burlesque, and more

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Set in 1890s Prague and Soaked in Absinthe
Opal Peachey and Mark Siano Present

BOHEMIA

A whimsical display of aerial, dance, comedy, burlesque, and more
set to live Dvorák, Chopin, Debussy, with original musical works
interwoven with familiar classics.
Featuring a new piece that promises to be a luminescent spectacular
The illustrious Triple Door transforms into 1890s Prague in Bohemia, a story about love, classical music, art nouveau, green fairies and absinthe. Presented by Opal Peachey and Mark Siano, this new musical combines live orchestral music from composers Antonín Dvorák and Frédéric Chopin, with original musical works; a set inspired by the art of Alphonse Mucha; and historic artists Sarah Bernhardt and George Sand interweave with beautiful green fairies, aerial numbers, dance, burlesque, classical piano battles, comedy, and new and original songs.
Bohemia runs January 17 – 26, 2019 for only 13 performances at the Triple Door. For tickets and information, call the Triple Door box office at (206) 838-4333 or visit their website at www.thetripledoor.net.

The story centers around famous Bohemian composer Antonín Dvorák who has hit a wall prior to composing his magnum opus. In a move of desperation he turns to a bottle of absinthe for inspiration. In this macabre and mystical dream cabaret, Dvorák is visited by the ghost of late composer Frédéric Chopin and a host of green fairies. Chopin and many other famous Bohemians guide Dvorák as they search for the true source of inspiration and grasp at artistic immortality.
“A new original piece Keep Dreaming, which sounds like Erik Satie mixed with Elton John and Florence and the Machine, will be an eye popping number,” said Director Mark Siano. “It’s a spectacle that people will be talking about. Hundreds of miniature LED lights attached to the dancers will illuminate the stage as green fairies attempt to lure the struggling composer Dvorak into a dream state.”
Traditional Absinthe service will be available in the VIP section of the Triple Door and served by dancing green fairies during intermission for those who wish to try the wormwood for themselves. This year, Lucid Absinthe and Jade Absinthes are official liquor sponsors and are available for purchase at the show.
At the helm of the show is Mark Siano, the director of holiday sellout hit A Very Die Hard Christmas, and comedy writer with acclaimed The Habit. Cafe Nordo star and co-producer Opal Peachey stars as Chopin – both the character and one of Chopin’s nocturnes. Bohemia promises to be fun and lively, with drink service a plenty.
Cast of Bohemia include Tori Spero Dullenty as Wormwood, Hisam Goueli as Mucha/Malabron,Katheryn Reed as Rusalka, Gabriela Sanchez Samano as Faye, Bo Mellinger as Vodník, Claire Marxas George Sand, Pamela Turpen as Sarah Bernhardt, Opal Peachey as Frédéric Chopin, Isobella Bloom as Zuzanna, Tanya Brno as Camille, and Mark Siano as Antonín Dvořák.
Bohemia is written by Opal Peachey and Mark Siano. Musical direction by Dayton Allemann, composition by Dayton Allemann, Mark Siano, and Opal Peachey, and musicians performing live on stage include Dayton Alleman (piano, flute, percussion) and Andy Wickell (violin) and others soon to be cast. Set design created by Ron Darling and Mark Siano, costume design by Kit Goldsworthy, production design by Robin Nunnally, photography and additional design by Max Shaw and Julia Nardin, and poster design by Thea Roe.
WHEN:      
January 17 – 26, 2019
Thursday, January 17 – 8:00 p.m. – Opening Night
Friday, January 18 – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, January 18 – 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 19 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 19 – 10:00 p.m
Sunday, January 20 – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 22 – 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 23 – 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 24 – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, January 25 7:00 p.m.
Friday, January 25 10:00 p.m
Saturday, January 26 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 26 – 10:00 p.m.
TICKETS:
$20.00-$45.00
**VIP Seating includes Absinthe menu and traditional service (spoons, sugar, ice fountains) available at intermission. Service only available in the VIP sections.
Box Office: (206) 838-4333
Online Box Office: www.thetripledoor.net

17th annual Polar Bear Plunge set for Jan. 1 at Matthews Beach

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Start off the New Year with a splash!

Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Meadowbrook Community Center Advisory Council are co-sponsoring the 17th annual Polar Bear Plunge at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019 at Matthews Beach, 9300 51st Ave. NE. Registration begins at 10 a.m., and the plunge starts at noon sharp.

A 2019 Commemorative Badge of Courage will be given to all heroic Polar Bear participants who immerse themselves neck-deep in the water. The patch will show the world that participants braved the frigid waters.

Warming refreshments will be served. While people wait for the plunge to kick off, there will be a variety of food trucks available, games, a photo booth, music, and a t-shirt/sweatshirt vendor.

As in previous years, younger polar bears and anyone else who needs a little more room can take part in the Polar Cub Club part of the event immediately preceding the main plunge. For the truly hearty, double-dipping is allowed.

Seattle Parks and Recreation offers a few tips for enjoying a fun, safe swim:

  • Make the plunge even more special by dressing up in a costume!
  • Come early, and carpool or take the bus (you can plan your trip at http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/).
  • If you have heart problems or other serious medical concerns, we recommend that you consult your healthcare professional before taking the Polar Bear Plunge. If you can’t go in the water, come and watch!
  • Don’t drink alcohol–it doesn’t warm you up, and it accelerates hypothermia.
  • Stay in the water for no longer than 15 minutes—you lose body heat 25 times faster in water than in air.
  • Keep your outer clothing on until you’re ready to get in the water. After the plunge, remove wet clothing before getting into dry clothes.

The Polar Bear Plunge was the first official event of its kind in the Seattle area and has inspired other, similar events throughout the region. Janet Wilson, Aquatic Center Coordinator at Meadowbrook Pool, started the event on Jan. 1, 2003. About 300 people participated in that first Polar Bear Plunge, and since then the attendance has soared to more than 1,900 brave bears. Follow the Facebook event here for updates.

 

Free admission to the Volunteer Park Conservatory Dec. 24 though Feb. 28

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Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and The Friends of the Conservatory (FOC) are pleased to announce that the Volunteer Park Conservatory will waive all admission fees Dec. 24, 2018 though the end of February, 2019.

Free admission to the Conservatory during this time period is made possible by a generous donation from the Bennett-Shear family – a gift from the children to celebrate their parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Son Emmett Shear said, “We grew up walking to the Conservatory during my whole childhood, and I know my parents want everyone to be able to enjoy this beauty and peace. In their honor, I’m excited to be able to invite people to come for free to the Conservatory again.” (The Conservatory had been a free experience until 2013)

SPR and FOC encourage everyone, especially those who have never visited before, as well as school groups planning field trips, to take advantage of this opportunity to discover the Conservatory at no cost.

The Conservatory’s Poinsettia and Holiday Train Display will be up and running through January 1, 2019, and the FOC offers free docent tours by appointment Tuesdays through Sundays (except the first Saturday of the month). To schedule a tour, please email foc@volunteerparkconservatory.org.

The Conservatory’s regular hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed on Mondays except for the upcoming holidays). The Conservatory will be open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Regular admission will be reinstated on March 1, 2019. Adults $4; Youth $2; Kids under age 12 are always free.

Many thanks to the Bennett-Shear Family for making the Conservatory accessible to all during this holiday season.

Questions? Please contact Khue Tran, FOC Executive Administrator, at Khue.Tran@volunteerparkconservatory.org.

Region’s Center for New Year’s Eve Offers Spectrum of Ways to Greet 2019

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While Seattleites across the city will look toward Seattle Center for the spectacular 30-minute musically choreographed light show originating from the Space Needle, thousands will gather on the campus for all kind of New Year’s Eve revelry. From the fun, free Seattle Center Winterfest offerings to Straight No Chase in Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center and the many NYE events at venues on the grounds, Seattle Center is NYE-central for the region.

Here is a schedule of the evening’s activities:

WINTERFEST ICE RINK

11 a.m.-11:30 p.m., Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center

Skate, glide and slide as you await the New Year. Admission/skate rental applies. Learn more at:  Seattle Center Winterfest

WINTERFEST NEW YEAR’S EVE FESTIVITIES

8 p.m., Dec. 31, Seattle Center Armory and on the grounds

Celebrate the arrival of a new year with two free signature Winterfest events. Cover band Sway rocks in the New Year on the Armory Stage. Fountain of Light dance party, 10 p.m. at International Fountain, offers live electronic music and a video projection show by local DJ Freddy King of Pants and VJ Baryonyx. Sponsored by T-Mobile. Learn more at:  Seattle Center Winterfest

NEW YEAR’S EVE pARTy

Doors open at 8 p.m. Must arrive by 10 p.m., Dec. 31, Chihuly Garden and Glass

Dine, dance and delight in the most extraordinary view of Seattle’s most iconic fireworks display through the glass ceiling. Information and tickets:  New Year’s Eve pARTy

STRAIGHT NO CHASER

8 p.m., Dec. 31, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center

The acclaimed a cappella group’s “One Shot Tour” highlights their unconventional, multi-part harmonies and sound effects, from boy-band classics, spiked with Britney Spears for flavor, to unique takes on holiday classics. Information and tickets:  Straight No Chase, McCaw Hall

T-MOBILE NEW YEARS’ EVE AT THE NEEDLE

9 p.m., Dec. 31, Space Needle

Join the height of celebration in Seattle. The party spans two floors atop the newly-transformed Space Needle. Taste, toast and dance the night away while enjoying floor-to-forever views on The Loupe, the world’s first and only revolving glass floor. Information and tickets:  T-Mobile New Year’s Eve at the Needle

SPECTRA 2019: NYE Under the Arches

Starts at 9 p.m., Dec. 31, Pacific Science Center

Dance off the last hours of 2018 with live DJs and sip drinks from an open bar, while you wait for the luminary explosions of the Space Needle’s annual fireworks show to begin. Information and tickets: SPECTRA 2019

INDULGENCE 2019 NEW YEARS BASH

Doors open at 9 p.m., Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)

Multi-flavored excitement that satisfies and delights, with music played by live bands and 2 DJs, continuous comedy and RJ, the emcee hosting the event, accompanied by the party’s dancers and stage performers. Information and tickets:  INDULGENCE 2019

Seattle Center Monorail will remain in service until 2 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2019 to accommodate New Year’s Eve visitors, ceasing operations between 11:15 p.m. and approximately 12:30 a.m., to comply with fire regulations.

Seattle Center Winterfest, produced by Seattle Center, presents spirited programming for one and all in search of entertaining and enriching activities during this festive time of year. For more information, visit Seattle Center or call 206 684-7200.

About Seattle Center Winterfest 2018

Connect to the sights, sounds and spirit of the season at Seattle Center Winterfest, Nov. 23–Dec. 31. Visit the festive Seattle Center Armory, displaying its winter finery, and explore the olden Winter Train & Village. The Winterfest Ice Rink returns, along with ice sculpting, student showcases and more. Seattle Center Winterfest is sponsored by Coca-Cola, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, Lyft, Seattle Center Foundation, Seattle Center Monorail and City of Seattle.

The Missteps of a Southern Boy – Memoirs from a Prison Cell by Terry Hill Sr.

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Few men caught in this cycle survive and come out the other side better men. And even fewer record their experience with rawness and humility to help others avoid this path.

“The Missteps of a Southern Boy” is the first in a trilogy of autobiographical books written by myself, a Seattle-based author who spent 35 years in the Washington state prison system.

I talk about growing up with foster parents in rural Louisiana, the lure of street life in Seattle, and the choices I made as a young man that landed me in prison nine times. I’m motivated to tell my story to give hope to other youth caught in the same destructive cycle, and to those who love them.

You can reach the author directly at terrywaynehillsr@gmail.com or (360) 842-4286.

“The Missteps of a Southern Boy” is available on the author’s website and Amazon. It’s the first in a trilogy titled, Memoirs from a Prison Cell.

 

Terry Hill Sr. is the accomplished author of Memoirs from a Prison Cell Trilogy: The Missteps of a Southern Boy. Memoirs from a Prison Cell vividly brings to life the long road traveled by a nine-time convicted felon. He used his many years behind bars to teach himself the craft of writing.
Born in Winnfield, Louisiana, then moving to Seattle as a teenager, Terry Hill Sr. tells the undeniable truth as a foster child, drug abuser, and inevitably a man incarcerated nine times over a thirty-five-year span.
His Memoirs are hard to put down as he captures the pivotal moments of his life and shares them with the world. With plenty of humor and drama, one pictures everything in the mind’s eye. The pain, strength, and determination ignite Terry’s ‘clawed’ out mentality to become a pillar of a man.

After spending decades behind bars, he now uses his hard-won wisdom to create change in the same neighborhoods where he was once a criminal. These days he can be found not in the prison yards but regaling street kids with his infectious good-natured humor, while he teaches them about freedom. His wisdom offers comfort and hopes to families and inmates alike, as he empowers and advocates for social changes.

STEVENS PASS GOES EPIC WITH FIRST STORM OF THE SEASON Opening Day brings new future for Pacific Northwest skiers with investment on the way

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Stevens Pass opened under the Vail Resorts banner today with 23 inches of new snow mid-mountain falling in the last two days, and more on the way.

Serious storm action off the top of the week brought the mid-mountain snow level up by two feet, for a 34-inch base and 49 inches mid-mountain. Snow is expected to continue throughout the week with new terrain opening daily.

“This is going to be a great season for us. We’ve just announced two new chairlifts and the snow has clearly arrived. By this time next week, we’re fully expecting most, if not all of our terrain will be open, and we’ll be enjoying new snow through Christmas and the New Year,” said Tom Pettigrew, Stevens Pass General Manager.

On Friday, Vail Resorts announced Stevens Pass will share in a $35 million investment it is making in its newest resorts, as part of its $175-180 million capital investment package for the coming season. Both the Brooks and Daisy chairlifts will be replaced with bigger, more modern lifts by the 2019-20 season, with additional upgrades to food services.

For Seattle area skiers, this season marks the first opportunity to purchase an EPIC pass, for use at Stevens Pass and the full complement of Vail Resorts properties. The EPIC pass offers access to 65 resorts, including the Colorado mountains and North America’s largest ski resort, Whistler Blackcomb, which is located just north of Washington State in British Columbia.

“This really is the start of a new era at Stevens Pass. This is an extremely successful hill, with 81 years of servicing the Pacific Northwest ski community. Joining the Vail Resorts family is only going to make it a stronger option for both core skiers and families,” said Pettigrew.

Stevens Pass had its first big snowfall mid-October and has received a cumulative 58 inches of snow for the season. The resort opened with the Daisy, Brooks, Skyline and Hogsback lifts open, accessing 23 runs.

About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts’ subsidiaries operate 15 world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Stowe and Okemo in Vermont; Mt. Sunapee in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

Sincerely Making A Difference for Economically Disadvantaged Youth

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All Photos By – Julie Girl Photography

The Sincerely Royal Foundation hosted the Third Annual SRF Dinner & Auction at Ford Sports Performance Training Facility. The Event was a great success raising $100k for Ford Sports Performance Academics. These contributions and donations will allow risk and economically disadvantaged youth to have a chance to participate in elite level sports, Travel, Transportation, Academic Tutors, Cost for SAT/ACT Prep Classes.


Master of Ceremonies, Gee Scott of The Scott Legacy and ESPN SportsRadio presented the Life Time Achievement Awards to Seattle Seahawks KJ Wright and Bobby Wagner for there personal support and mentorship given to the athletes at the FSP Academie. Justin Britt and other NFL Players who have seen the process, progress and success of Tracy Ford (CEO & Head Performance Coach, Ford Sports Performance) also donated to assist in achieving FSP financial goal.

Keynote Speaker Keyshawn Johnson spoke on some of the struggles he faced growing up in a single parent low to no income home. Beating the odds and becoming a wide receiver in the NFL for eleven seasons. Keyshawn spoke on his experiences playing for the University of Southern California, where he earned All-American honors. The first pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, and Carolina Panthers. Now retired from football and television broadcasting with ESPN. Keyshawn came to support The Sincerely Royal Foundation and Ford Sports  Performance to help assist in making a difference and tackling the challenges that FSP is faced with.

Ford Sports Performance (FSP), is a dedicated program that is all-encompassing. The mission is more than just sports. FSP has been helping to mold the lives of young athletes, students, and young men; preparing them for life on and off the field for the past 10 years.

At Ford Sports Performance Academics Matters FIRST. The FSP program expects more from our athletes. Education is first! We raise the bar and help ensure those who are not achieving our minimum expectation of a 3.0 GPA are supported to get there through hard work and tutoring resources. Occasionally, economically disadvantaged students need tutoring more than others. With tutoring, our athletes have the opportunity to make enormous strides while compensating for the shortcomings of their schools.

The biggest challenge at FSP is some of the most skilled athletes come from broken homes, struggling or low-income households. Last year Sincerely Royal Foundation supported 15 of our 72 athletes; with full or partial scholarships and this year, Sincerely Royal Foundation is targeting to support 25 athletes and many more with academic tutors to prepare them for college. “Our goal is to increase the number of athletes we can help”. 
Because of these challenges and our passion around getting these athletes to college, the 501(c) (3)
Foundation called The Sincerely Royal Foundation was solidified. Its focus is to ensure young athletes are afforded the opportunity to develop their skills, play on select club teams such as 7v7, participate in national tournaments and get the academic support they may need to improve grades.

The mission of The Sincerely Royal Foundation is… “To support the FSP mission of commitment to
providing positive influences through sports, education, leadership, and community. We strive to develop youth into resilient leaders of tomorrow through encouragement, perseverance and the importance of setting goals, hard work and giving back.”

“We greatly appreciate the consideration and dedication of all those who are involved in the sponsorship and partnership in changing the lives of these young men in the FSP program”.
                                                                 Kimberly Stephens, Executive Director Sincerely Royal Foundation