33.0°

The Juneau String Ensembles, led by Guohua Xia, will hold a performance at 7 p.m. on Feb. 4 at Northern Light United Church, featuring solo and ensemble performances. The group consists of elementary through high school-aged musicians and the concert program will include classical and traditional numbers. Tickets will be available at the door and from ensemble members.

On the first Friday of each month, Juneau galleries, museums and shops open their doors for show and exhibit openings, artist meet-and-greets and more. Following is information about events available as of press time. All events and openings listed will occur on Friday, Feb. 3 unless otherwise noted.

As expected, there will be less halibut available for fishermen to catch this year - an 18 percent drop to 33 million pounds, to be split among fisheries along the West Coast, British Columbia and Alaska. That follows a 19 percent cut to the catch last year.

Typically, four months is the recommended time period to train for a marathon. The clock starts today if that marathon is the 13th Annual Prince of Wales Island International Marathon, which is scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 26.

History can be terribly untrustworthy. Frequently, it needs to be adjusted as new facts are discovered. If only the victors got the chance to write it, sometimes a complete rewrite is called for. Every once in a while only a scrap of it remains but that scrap is enough to build an enduring myth - even an enduring religion. There is no such grandeur here.