Daily Sitka Sentinel

April 25, 2014 Community Happenings

Work Party Set
    On SJ Campus
    Saturday volunteer work parties continue on the SJ Campus each Saturday, focused on restoring and improving the quad buildings and getting them ready for the summer Sitka Fine Arts Camp.
    Participants will meet at Whitmore Hall at 9 a.m., April 26, break for a hot lunch at noon, and continue until 3 p.m.
    Saturday’s work will be pressure washing and scraping quad buildings, painting dorm rooms, sanding floors, and staining trim for Allen. All are welcome to join at any time.
    Call Sitka Fine Arts Camp office 747-3085 with questions.

    Brassica Planting
    Workshop May 7
    The Sitka Local Foods Network reminds gardeners that it’s time to plant broccoli, cauliflower and other brassicas.
    Linda Wilson will present a short workshop on planting them 4 p.m.  May 7 at 3509 Halibut Point Road.
    Parking is limited, so attendees may want to consider walking, riding a bike, taking the bus or carpooling. More information is available by calling Linda at 747-3096 (nights, weekends) or by emailing her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
    The workshop is part of the SLFN  series of “It’s time to …” workshops  designed to help residents learn about various aspects of vegetable gardening and fruit growing. Many will be informal get-togethers at various gardens around town.
    For more information, check out http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org/, Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SitkaLocalFoodsNetwork, or Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/56633899138/.
    Those wanting to lead a workshop can contact Michelle Putz at 747-2708.

    SLFN Education
    Panel to Meet
    The Sitka Local Foods Network education committee will meet 5:30-7 p.m. May 5 at Centennial Hall to discuss future workshops and classes for the rest of the spring and summer.
    The group is expanding its network of local volunteers who can teach classes (formal and informal) this year about growing food.
    Those who are interested and unable to attend can email Charles Bingham at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with info about topics to teach, gardening experience, and contact information.

    Mbira Instrument
    Is Program Topic
    Gwynne Kuhner Brown, musicologist, pianist and mbira player, will give a talk on the mbira instrument and culture 7 p.m. May 5 at Kettleson Memorial Library.
    Brown is an associate professor of music theory and music history. Her passion is 20th century American concert music.
    The mbira is an African musical instrument also known as a thumb piano or kalimba. It consists of a wooden board with attached staggered metal keys, often fitted into a resonator. It produces a delicate and delightful tone and has been played by the Shona people of Zimbabwe for thousands of years.
    In celebration of the mbria, sweet potato cookies will be provided. Brown’s talk is being sponsored by the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.

    Sitkan Receives
    Chamber Grant
    To Attend Institute
    Institute for Organization Management, the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, announces Jennifer Robinson, executive director of the Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce, has been awarded a Regent Scholarship.
    Given to professionals across the country, the Regent Scholarships recognize recipients for their involvement in industry professional organizations, community service, and professional background.
     Robinson will attend one of institute’s five sites.
    Graduates of Institute receive the IOM recognition, signifying completion of 96 hours of course instruction in nonprofit management. In addition, participants can earn credit hours toward the Certified Chamber Executive or Certified Association Executive certifications. Nearly 1,000 individuals attend Institute annually.
   
    SHS Awards
    Ceremony Set
    Sitka High School will host its annual awards ceremony 1 p.m. May 12 at the Performing Arts Center.
    Seniors should complete an awards form for the college they will be attending and turn it in to the SHS front office by May 7. Individuals and organizations who wish to present a scholarship at the ceremony are asked to contact the SHS registrar at 966-1905 as soon as possible.


    Calvary Chapel
    Service Sunday
    Calvary Chapel Sitka will hold its 3 p.m. April 27 service at the Methodist Church followed by a potluck picnic at the Halibut Point Recreation Area main shelter.
    The sermon topic will be ‘‘Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain,’’ followed by fellowship. For more information call Pastor Dug at 747-5454.
 
    Women’s Group
    Meets at SAFV
    Sitkans Against Family Violence’s Women’s Support Group meets 4:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
    The group is confidential and is in a safe setting, SAFV said. Childcare is provided. Call 747-3370 for more information.

    Unitarians Meet
    Jennifer Carter will be speaker at the 10:45 a.m. Sunday Unitarian Fellowship meeting April 27.
    Carter will give a presentation on the origin, history and meaning of the Sabbath. Fellowship begins at 10:30 a.m.
    A children’s program is provided.  Soup and bread follows the program at noon. The Fellowship Hall is located at 408 Marine Street, with parking behind off Spruce Street.

    Adult BB Set
    An adult baseball league meeting is slated 6:30 p.m. April 29 at Blatchley Middle School.
    The season runs May through August. For more information call Sitka community Schools at 747-8670.

     Commencement
    Set at UAS-Sitka
    The University of Alaska Southeast-Sitka Campus will hold its commencement exercises 7 p.m. Friday, May 2, in Room 229 on the Sitka Campus.
    Graduating students, their families and friends, and the general public are invited to attend.  The university faculty and staff will join the celebration along with Sitka Campus Advisory Council members. Graduating students should plan to arrive on campus at 5:30 p.m. on Friday for cap and gown pick-up and commencement rehearsal.
    The Sitka Campus has 85 percent of its students study from cities and rural villages throughout Alaska and in locations around the world. This spring 881 students are enrolled in Sitka Campus academic and professional development coursework. Another 341 students took either on-campus or online “non-credit” (continuing education) courses from the university this semester.
    Thirty-six students are receiving diplomas, certificates, and occupational endorsements this spring.  A UAS ad in today’s Sentinel has the list of names.
    The commencement speaker will be emerita professor Dolly Garza, a Haida/Tlingit Alaskan who was born and raised in Ketchikan and spent her working life promoting the wise use of Alaska marine resources. The university said in a press release that Garza helped rural communities have a voice in the allocation of natural resources in their areas. She was an instructor in the Alaska Marine Advisory Program, a forerunner of today’s fisheries program at UAS.

    Gospel Folk,
    Bluegrass Set
    Kings of the Wild Frontier, a gospel folk and bluegrass duo, will perform 7-8:30 p.m. May 3 at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi.
    Call Calvary Chapel Sitka Pastor Dug Jensen at 747-5454, with questions.
    The free concert will include guitarist and songwriter David Isaac Rivers of Port Angeles, Washington, who attended the Berklee College of Music, and guitarist Christian Jensen, originally of Sitka now living in Sequim.
    They will also perform for 45 minutes on Ted Howard’s Raven Radio program Friday, May 2.

    Alaska Airlines
    Donates Prize
    Alaska Airlines has continued its long involvement with the annual Sitka Salmon Derby by again donating toward the top prize this year – two roundtrip unrestricted systemwide vouchers, for Alaska Air and/or Horizon Air, valued at $1,250 each.
    Tim Thompson, manager of public affairs for Alaska Airlines, said, “As a good corporate citizen, It is our ongoing aim to make a meaningful contribution in the communities that we serve and we hope that this support will be helpful.”
    For its 59th annual derby to be held the weekends of May 24-25-26 and May 31-June 1, Sitka Sportsman’s Association will award $7,500 for the largest king salmon entered.
    Other prizes for the derby continue to be received from organizations, businesses, and individuals.  Any who have not sent their prize pledges of merchandise, services or cash are urged to do so by contacting SSA President Foy Nevers at 747-3469, or Barge Chairman John McCrehin at 738-8636.