Daily Sitka Sentinel

July 6, 2020, Letters to the Editor

Stolen Bike

Dear Editor: I would like to give sincere thanks to the Sitka Police Department. They found my son’s stolen bike within a day. I called on the 4th of July to report the missing bike, I did not expect anyone to work on a stolen bike over a holiday weekend. I was reminded that they are here to serve the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s pretty hard to be a police officer these days. I and my family are grateful for their service and want them to know it. 

Thank you, SITKA PD!!

Lindsay Bird, Sitka

Older Car Parade

Dear Editor: I would like to offer a report on the 4th of July older car “parade.”

First, a big thank you to all the Sitka media: KIFW and KCAW Radio stations, Sitka Soup, the Sitka Chamber of Commerce, and the Daily Sitka Sentinel for their wonderful publicizing of the parade and its route.

A vroom-vroom thanks to the 19 cars who joined the car-a-van. It was a treat to see the variety of what comes out of the garages. Thank you, drivers and family members. A really big hip-hip-hooray for all the Sitkans who met us along the route for your cheerful cheering and support; that was really nice of you.

I am not sure about the next note, but I would venture to say that is a Sitka “world record” for the longest parade Sitka has seen. I will look for it in the Guinness Book of Records. Thank you, one and all, for such a nice ride. Cheers.

Jeff Budd, Sitka

Duck Race

Dear Editor: The Rotary Club of Sitka is excited to announce the winners of this year’s sold out annual duck race!

The winners are: first place, ticket 1415, Ron and Leah Kari, Alaska tickets; second, 2759, Highliner Coffee, $500; third, 0557, Alana Bergh, $250; fourth, 2378, Modesto Campilla, $100 cash random duck; fifth, 1041, Kristina Dorsen, $100; sixth, 3139, Matthew and Laurent Corson, $100; seventh, 957, Roger Rogers, $100; eighth, 328, Emilie Koster, $100; ninth, 2432, Cheryl Vastola, $100;10th, 2393, Sitka Pediatric Dentistry, $100; 11th, 772, Robin Sherman, $100; 12th, 3292, Cassady Toles, $100; 13th, 2352, Chris Rigel, $100; 14th, 1412, Ron and Leah Kari, $100; 15th, 2800, Hardik Patel, $100; 16th, 930, Catherine Sofikitis, $100; 17th, 114, Alan Terrano, $100; 18th, 15, Judy Ross, $100; 19th, 4, victoria Castillo, $100; 20th, 2410, Cliff and Gail Schechter, $100; 21st, 3347, Neuro-Behavioral Consultants, $100; 22nd, 169, Catherine Sofikitis, $100; 23rd, 212, Margaret Gomez-Kersey, $100; 24th, 2347, Aaron Bryan, $100; 25th, Kailyn Simmons, $100 Red Lantern duck.

The Rotary Club of Sitka and our Sitka Duck Race had a very successful year due in large part to our community supporters – 987 generous individuals and businesses purchased tickets this year. Thank you all! We would like to express our gratitude to Alaska Airlines for their generous, continuing donation of 2 round-trip tickets almost anywhere they fly, to Sea Mart Quality Foods – this year’s prize sponsor, and First Bank – this year’s ticket sponsor. 

We continued our business sponsor initiative introduced two years ago and grew that part of this year’s race to 80 business sponsors. They were all very generous to our event: Interiorworks & Mudry Construction LLC; Jessie’s Reindeer Redhots; Sitka Checkered Tours; Sitka Studio of Dance; Youth Advocates of Sitka; Stedman Insurance Agency; Waddell & Reed; Wells Fargo Bank; Pioneer Bar; First National Bank of Alaska; Russell’s; Coastal Collision Repair and Towing; Harry Race’s Pharmacy and Photo; Old Harbor Books; The Back Door Café; A Little Something; KCAW- Raven Radio; Beak Restaurant; Dumags Roofing Company; Keith Custom Construction; Sitka Animal Hospital; Munchie Mart; Baranof Realty LLC Sitka Alaska; Tongass Threads Consignment Store; Bare Skin Boudoir; AC Lakeside; Sitka Soup; Precision Boatworks; True Value Sitka; Halibut Point Marine Services; Sea Mountain Golf Course; Foreign Automotive; Sitka Sound Seafoods; Highliner Coffee Co.; Cooper Marine Services; LaBrea Precision LLC; The Sitka Lighthouse; Davis Realty; Napa Auto Parts; Samson Tug & Barge; Haunted Sitka; Sitka Bulk Goods; Sitka Tours; Goldsmith Gallery; Sea Level Consulting; Sitka Gymnastics Academy; Head Quarters; Sitka Bottling Company; Aspen Suites Hotels; Sitka Pediatric Dentistry; Sitka Hotel & Restaurant; Sitka Shredding; Pizza Express; Red Bear Construction LLC; Neurobehavioral Consultants LLC; Alaska Raptor Center; Garden Ventures; Diehl Landscaping; Alaska Seaplanes; The Alaskan Sailing Company LLC; Alaska Computer Center; Jeff Budd Production Company; Sitka Pel’Meni; Northrim Bank; Cook Inlet Dental; Sitka Pregnancy Center; North Star TV Network; Old Tyme Barber Totem Square; Alaska Coach Tours; Sweet Sisters Caramels; Eaton Solar; The Uncommon Music Festival; Buckland Equipment; Laurel Wenkert, CRPC – Financial Advisor at Waddell & Reed; Mary Ann Johnson’s VIP Pampered Chef Group; Rising Tide Bakery; Pacific Services; Stereo North Furniture & Appliance; Element Agency AK; and Jerrod Galinin – Artist.

This year, thanks to the efforts of many and the generosity of our supporters, we sold out our entire flock of 3,500 ducks at 9:32 a.m. June 14, 2020. Look for an additional 500 ducks in 2021!

While we were busy selling ducks for 2020, the proceeds we received from the 2019 Sitka Duck Race were distributed from July 2019 through June 27, 2020. The funds were distributed as follows: $500 to Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum; $800 to the Sitka Cycling Group; $300 to the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust; $370 to the Dictionary Project; $300 to Sitka Babies and Books; $750 to Brave Heart Volunteers; $1,000 to Outer Coast College; $472.50 to Youth Advocates of Sitka; $150 to the Sitka Exchange Student Event; $500 to Veterans for Peace; $750 to Sitka Tribe of Alaska; $1,000 to the Salvation Army-Sitka; $500 to the Alaska Raptor Center; $1,000 to Blatchley Middle School; $1,000 to KCAW Raven Radio; $799.99 to the Sitka Tribe of Alaska; $500 to the Catholic Community Services; $700 to the Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce; $889 to Sitkans Against Family Violence; $1,000 to Salvation Army-Sitka; $1,000 to Brave Heart Volunteers; $1,000 to Goddard Hot Springs Annual Maintenance and Repairs; $500 to the Friends of Sitka Circus Arts; $3,227.50 to Youth Advocates of Sitka; $5,000 to Sitka Trail Works, Inc.; and $6,675 to Student Exchange support.

Thank all of you in Sitka and beyond, who through your purchase of Sitka duck tickets continue to allow the Sitka Rotary Club, now celebrating its 79th anniversary, to continue to fund local projects which help make Sitka the most wonderful place in the world! See you next year!

John Weitkamp and 

Cynthia Gibson, Co-Chairs,

Sitka Duck Race Committee,

Sitka Rotary Club