Firehouse Center welcomes winter with Warren Miller film
Extreme skiing and snowboarding take center stage at the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport Saturday with the screening of the Warren Miller film, "Children of Winter."
It's the fifth year the Firehouse has kicked off the winter sports season with the annual release of a Miller film.
Presenting world-class cinematography in high definition, the action movie is set to music by Radiohead, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Beck, and others, and is narrated by skier Jonny Moseley.
In the film, Chris Anthony participates in the Leadville, Colo., skijoring competition, a race where teams of a horse and rider pulling a skier compete. Pep Fujas explores Silverton Mountain, Colo., a ski area for experts so remote that snowfall often makes it impossible to reach. Teenage snowboard pro Ben Watts and legend Gerry Lopez surf Mount Bachelor's frozen waves in Oregon. Top female athletes meet in Crested Butte, Colo., for deep powder skiing. Jeff Annetts, Drew Stoecklein, and Derek Foose ski mountains in Iceland that end at the ocean.
Footage for the film was shot in the United States, Japan, Austria, British Columbia, Alaska, and Iceland.
Screenings are at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10; $8 for Firehouse members, students, and senior citizens. Call 978-462-7336 or visit www.firehouse.org.
SWITCHING SUBJECTS: After decades of photographing motor sport races and travel locations, Joe Carver of Topsfield turned his lens on the region's natural beauty.
He often finds his subjects in ordinary places, from backyards to beaten paths. He captures light and shadow on fresh snow or the reflections of autumn colors to create abstract images. Carver's professional experience as an engineer working with semiconductor production equipment combines with his affinity for nature in producing creative and sometimes experimental photographs.
An exhibit of Carver's work, "Scenes from Essex County," opens at the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport with an artist's reception from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The exhibit runs through Feb. 16.
Call 978-462-9998 or visit www.massaudubon.org.
GET ON BOARD: Chess for Kids, an instructional program for fourth- through six-graders, takes place at the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library Wednesdays in January.
Sandra Stolle, a former teacher, explains how to play the game, learn new moves, and sharpen chess skills.
No experience is necessary and players of all levels are welcome. Players can attend just a few or all the sessions.
The program runs Jan. 7, 14, 21, and 28, 3-4 p.m. It is open to the public and free, but preregistration is required. Call 978-468-5577.
DRIVING FORCE: North Shore Arc in Danvers, which serves children and adults with developmental disabilities, has teamed with Arc of the United States in launching a vehicle donation program.
People donate their used cars, vans, trucks, recreational vehicles, and boats with trailers by calling 1-877-272-2270 and identifying North Shore Arc as the beneficiary; the vehicles are picked up by a tow truck and then sold at auction, with 90 percent of proceeds directly benefiting Arc.
The vehicle does not have to be in operating condition. Donations are tax deductible.
For more about the vehicle donation program, call Georgina Keefe-Feldman, director of development for North Shore Arc, at 978-762-4878.
WHO'S WHAT WHERE: Nicholas C. Zakas, formerly of Peabody, is the author of "Professional JavaScript for Web Developers, Second Edition." He is a 1996 graduate of Bishop Fenwick High School and a 2000 graduate of Merrimack College, where he earned a degree in computer science. He also has an MBA from Endicott College. Zakas, son of Speros and Linda Zakas of Salem, is a front-end engineer at
Items can be sent to wdkilleen@gmail.com. 