Christmas Eve at the Kokomo

On Christmas Eve, I went by the Kokomo Club in downtown Ogden where employees and friends of the bar had been collecting food and supplies for the homeless. That night, they served dinner outside and gave out new blankets, coats and sleeping bags to hundreds of people. Read more about the night here and enjoy the photos below.

Cindy Simone gives Rick Cosner a hug after meeting him in downtown Ogden on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014. Cosner was sleeping on the street on Christmas Eve and stopped by the free dinner that Simone put on at the Kokomo Club where he picked up a blanket and a new sleeping bag.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Throughout December, staff and friends at the Kokomo Club collected supplies for the homeless. On Christmas Eve, they gave out the supplies along with a free dinner in front of the bar on 25th Street in downtown Ogden.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Bob Dahle and Jackie Tucker (in Santa hats) chat with Benny Tillman, right, after he picked up new blankets and toys for his grandson at the Kokomo Club on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Jody Fuller, right, picks up a blanket and food from Braxton Burnett in downtown Ogden on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014. Staff and friends at the Kokomo Club organized a free Christmas Eve dinner in front of the bar and collected thousands of blankets, coats, sleeping bags and other supplies to be given out to the homeless.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Steam Engine Repair

I recently went up to Golden Spike National Historic Site in the West Desert of Utah. The site features working replicas of the two steam engines that met met there when the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869. Every fifteen years, the engines go under major inspections and restorations. Staff and volunteers are in the midst of that work this winter. Check out a few photos below and see more photos and the related article here. 

Cody Vosler prepares the underside of the 119 steam engine for welding at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Every fifteen years, the steam engines at the monument have to go through testing and extensive restoration.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Cody Vosler climbs out of the smoke box on the front of the 119 steam engine for welding at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Vosler lives in Wyoming but is in Utah for three months to work on the engine renovations. Dozens of Golden Spike employees, contractors and volunteers are chipping in.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Rodney Lee, a volunteer from Seattle, polishes a piston valve at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. In addition to the major fifteen year renovations, staff and volunteers are also doing regular annual upkeep like polishing and repainting.©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Leo Correa grinds scales while inside the boiler of the Jupiter steam engine at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. Correa and coworkers grind down thousands of points on the boiler walls and test them for corrosion and wear.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

The normally colorful Jupiter, right, and 119 steam engines sit in the repair shop at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014. The engines are stripped down for the testing and repair, but will be resealed and painted by the spring of 2015.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Cody Vosler cuts and cleans culling for the 119 steam engine at Golden Spike National Historic Site on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Best of November

I wasn't as active with my blog in November. However, I still wanted to share some of the people and places that I photographer over the month. Here are a few of my highlights from November.

James Reeder finishes attaching his regalia ahead of the opening ceremonies at the 9th Annual Social Pow-Wow at Clearfield High School on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. Reeder came down from Logan to dance along with his wife and son.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Visitors explore the Ogden Exchange Building during a groundbreaking and open house on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014. Built in 1930, the building has set vacant since the 1970's, but new plans call for the art-deco structure to be the heart of a new business park.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Tomas Gomez has worked at Prairie Schooner Steak House for 16 years. On his way in to work on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, Gomez stopped along the Ogden River for a cigarette and a break before the dinner shift.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Wildlife biologist Steve Bates, left, checks for an ear tag on a bull bison while Bob Middlemas, right, tries to detract the animal and control its head at Antelope Island State Park on Monday, November 10, 2014. Most years, the large bulls are not rounded up with the rest of the herds due to their aggressive nature. This year, all of the animals were brought in so that genetic testing could be down in order to see if there are cattle genes mixed in with the herd.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Riders carry their bikes over a pair of barriers during the Utah Cyclocross State Championships at Mt. Ogden Golf Course on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014. Designed especially for poor weather, cyclocross races involve multiple laps on short courses filled with obstacles. At the state championships, riders had 45 minutes to an hour to try and complete as many laps as possible on the 1.7 mile course which included hurdles, a fence hoping and numerous sharp, slick turns.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Bob Okazaki of Denver pauses at the frozen fall in Waterfall Canyon on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014. Just a few days after consistently freezing temperatures arrived in Northern Utah, the large waterfall is already frozen solid. Sunlight doesn't reach over the steep canyon walls for several months during the winter.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Georgie Corkery, left, tries to bring in a loose ball with her battle during a game of kayak polo at the Marshall White Center in Ogden on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. Throughout the winter, kayakers gather once a week for several hours of polo.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Hundreds of "Santas" warm-up as they wait for the start of the annual Santa Run in downtown Ogden on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014. Around a thousands dressed up runners took part in the 5K run.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Ron Gardner rides his horse, Sundance, down Washington Ave. during the Electric Lights Parade on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014. Sundance was decorated with 140 LED lights.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner