Daily Sitka Sentinel

May 8, 2014 Community Happenings

Better Breathers
    Club to Meet
    The topic of the next Better Breathers Club is drugs for the treatment of COPD.
    The meeting will be held 1-2 p.m. May 9 at the Swan Lake Senior Center.
    The American Lung Association-sponsored club is a support group for people with chronic lung disease, especially COPD, but also asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer, their families and friends.
    For more information call Rose Manning at 747-5167.

Sheldon Jackson Museum
To Feature Visiting Artists
    A popular feature of the Sheldon Jackson Museum is the visiting summer artist residency, the Native Artist Demonstrators Program.
    Artists from around the state fill residencies at the museum, during which time they study the collections and share their work with the public through artist lectures, hands-on workshops and demonstrations.
    The museum this summer will host a series of eight artist residents. Participating artists include Yup’ik sea mammal and skin sewer Peter Williams of Sitka  (May 7 and May 14-17); Tsimshian carver Mark Sixbey of Metlakatla (May 24-May 29); Athabascan fish skin sewer Audrey Armstrong of Anchorage (June 2-June 7); Tsimshian carver Abel Ryan of Ketchikan (June 18-June 24); Athabascan bead worker Sarah Williams (June 29-30); Tlingit beader Jennie Wheeler of Yakutat (July 12-18); Tlingit silver engraver Samuel Sheakley from Juneau (July 19-26); and Haida carver Donny Varnell  (Aug. 20-27). 
    Free lectures will be given by Peter Williams, Armstrong, Sarah Williams,  Sheakley, and one titled “A Tlingit Family of Artists” given jointly by  Wheeler and her daughters, Tlingit artists Mary Wheeler-Goddard and Jen Wheeler.
    A hands-on workshop on formline design basics by Ryan will be offered, and a special weeklong hands-on workshop on fish skin-sewing is offered Armstrong. For more information or to register for the workshops, contact the museum.
    The Native Artist Demonstrators Program is made possible through the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Alaska Airlines, the Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum, and private donations.
    Summer museum hours begin May 11 and are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Summer admission is $5 for adults and $4 for seniors. Visitors 18 and younger are admitted free of charge. An annual pass that allows unlimited visits to the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka and the Alaska State Museum in Juneau is available for $15. Assistance is available for visitors with special needs. Contact the museum for more information at 747-8981.

    Blue Lake Tour
    Open to Public
    The public is invited to view the construction progress at the Blue Lake dam on a bus tour to both the dam site and new powerhouse 1 p.m. May 18.
    The tour begins inside the Centennial building. It will return to the building at 4 p.m. The tour will be the same format as last year with new updates as the construction continues. To sign up, beginning 4 p.m. May 12 go to www.bluelakeexpansion.com.
    Public tours will continue once a month in June and July.

    Fourth-Graders
    Perform Tonight
    The fourth grade Music Movers will present a demonstration night 7 p.m. tonight in the Keet Gooshi Heen multipurpose room.
    The group will offer singing games and dances. Admission is free and open to the public.   
 

    Gardening Class
    Slated Saturday
    Michelle Putz, Perry Edwards and master gardener Jackie Barmoy will host a free discussion and hands-on planting lesson 9 a.m. May 10 at 131 Shelikof Way.
    The event is sponsored by the Sitka Local Foods Network.
    Learn about planting some of Sitka’s easiest-to-grow vegetables including carrots and cabbage, lettuce and parsnips.
    Knowledgeable and novice gardeners alike are invited to discuss, debate and plant vegetable seeds and starts and learn or share knowledge about carrots and cabbage, peas and parsnips, and other easy-to-grow vegetables in Sitka. 
    Anyone may attend, but parking space is limited, so those interested in participating are asked to consider walking, bike riding or carpooling.  For more information call Michelle at 747-2708.

    Harp Sing Set
    The second Sunday Sitka Sacred Harp Sing is set 3:30-5 p.m. May 11  at the Sitka Pioneer Home Chapel. Beginners and listeners are encouraged to attend. Call 738-2089 for more information.

    Car Wash to
    Benefit Skippers
    The Sitka Skippers will have a car wash 11 a.m.-3 p.m. May 10 at Sea Mart.
    Skippers are asking for donations to help 19 jumpers travel to California in June for the USA jump rope national competition.

    Pet Owners
    Puts on Alert:
    Tick Found
     An engorged tick was found inside the Alaska Airlines terminal Wednesday, near the baggage claim area where kenneled pets deplane.
    After making an initial identification from a photo of the tick, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife veterinarian suspected it may be either a Rocky Mountain wood tick, or an American dog tick, both of which can carry diseases harmful to pets and humans.
    The tick has been sent to the ADF&G wildlife veterinarian for positive identification.
    ADF&G said that anyone who has traveled from the Lower 48 with a pet recently via the marine ferry or airlines into Sitka, or anywhere in Alaska, is advised to inspect their pets for ticks.
    If ticks are found on a pet, in addition to following up with a veterinarian for treatment, ADF&G encourages owners to contact the Sitka office at 747-5449, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Ticks can be taken into the ADF&G office live, frozen or preserved in alcohol, in a tightly sealed contained so they can be examined.
    ADF&G said that ticks that attach to humans can transmit serious diseases, and if an embedded tick is found on a human prompt professional medical assistance and treatment should be sought.