Daily Sitka Sentinel

May 15, 2019, Community Happenings

Library Launches

Summer Reading

Readers of all ages will explore all things space this summer as Sitka Public Library presents “A Universe of Stories” during its summer library program. 

Activities will include space-related programs, “Choose Your Own Adventure” book club, StarLab activities and others.

Children also are invited to participate in a Summer Reading Challenge Planet Trek to discover new planets and win incentives along the way.

The summer library program is open to young people, babies through young adult, with programs, prize drawings, story hours and more. Registration begins on Saturday, June 1.

The library welcomes children of all abilities. Programs are free of charge.

Library Events

For Tweens, Teens

Sitka tweens and teens can participate in “A Universe of Stories,” the Sitka Public Library’s teen summer library program, June 1-Aug. 10.

Participants can check out books and read for prizes, as well as take part in special events offered throughout the summer. Some of the events will include a Cosmic Books bingo, a Strangers Things program, Movie Night with a Twist, Moon Garden and a Be-Tween Club. Events are free but registration to participate will be required.

The “A Universe of Stories” Tween and Teen Summer Library Program is open to ages 11 to 18 years. Participants can enter their names into a drawing for a grand prize.

 For information, call the library at 747-8708 or check out the Teen Library website: https://splteens.weebly.com.

Substance Abuse

Discussion Set

A community meeting to discuss a 3.5 substance abuse treatment center will be 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at  the lower level of the Youth Advocates of Sitka building, 805 Lincoln Street.

Leo’s Hope advisory group invites the public to attend. For more information, contact Leo Jimmy, 738-8061.

Girls on the Run

5K Fun Run Set

Girls on the Run will hold its 11th annual 5K community fun run 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, beginning at Centennial Hall.

The girls, from Keet Gooshi Heen third through fifth grades, have been preparing for the event all season.

‘‘Come join us to cheer and celebrate with them as they complete their collective goal,’’ organizers said.

Volunteers are still needed to set up and clean up, be running buddies, and cheerleaders. To sign up, visit tinyurl.com/y4qlelj8 or e-mail Shadeed at gotr@safv.org.

National Guard

Explorers to Meet

Alaska Army National Guard Explorers will meet 6-9 p.m. May 22 at the Sitka Armory, 1508 Sawmill Creek Road.

High school students ages 14-20 years who are interested in learning leadership and skills such as survival, combatives, land navigation, patrol techniques, camouflage self and equipment, and medical can attend.

For information contact SFC Justin Mullenix at 907-290-4306.

ANB, ANS Set

Joint Meeting

Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 1 and Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 4 will have a joint meeting 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at the ANB Founders Hall.

The meeting is open to the public and everyone is invited to attend.

TAP Offered

TAP certification classes are scheduled 11 a.m. May 19 at the Sitka Moose Lodge, upstairs.

Retesting begins at 10:30 a.m. Valid identification is needed. For information call 738-4666.

White E Sale Set

Items with a green tag are on sale at half price at the White Elephant Shop this week. Also, items with a pink tag are 50 cents. 

Summer hours are noon-3 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and 6-9 p.m. Monday.

Babies and Books

Summer Events Set

Sitka Babies and Books will celebrate the beginning of the Early Literacy Summer  Library Program with a kickoff party at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at Sitka Public Library for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

“A Universe of Stories” is the theme. Children are invited to shoot for the moon and trek across our universe.

After the event, families may register their children up to age 5 years for  the Summer Library Program that will run through Aug. 10. Registered children will get a free board book.

The event doesn’t required registration and everybody is welcome. For  information, call the library at 747-8708.

Story Time Set

Sitka Public Library will offer a preschool story time 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 23. ‘‘Starry Skies’’ will be the theme of the event that includes readings, rhymes, songs and a craft project. Everybody is welcome.

This program is part of ‘‘A Universe of Stories’’ Summer Library Program. 

Alaska Walk and Bike Conference in Sitka

The inaugural Alaska Walk and Bike Conference is set June 4-8 in Sitka – Alaska’s only community to hold national Walk Friendly Communities and Bicycle Friendly Community designations.

The conference opens with two days of Smart Cycling training from the League of American Bicyclists, followed by two days of walking and biking presentations. The fifth day includes an optional bike ride, an optional hike with harbor cruise, and a Walk/Bike Alaska organizational meeting.

The full conference costs $40, or $25 for each two-day segment. People can register at http://akwalkbikeconference.eventsmart.com.

“Having this conference in Sitka is a great opportunity and I’m particularly excited about the team of speakers we have lined up,” said Doug Osborne, Sitka Community Hospital director of health promotion and one of the conference organizers. “The conference is designed so that people can participate in ways that fit their interests and schedules. Some will want to complete the Smart Cycling course on Tuesday and Wednesday, others will enjoy doing the whole four-day conference while many will go for an individual session, a lunch and learn, a late afternoon group ride/walk or one of the evening special events. It’s going to be a fun week with a lot of learning, good discussion, and physical activity along the way.”

“The State of Alaska Physical Activity and Nutrition Program is excited to support the 2019 Walk Bike Conference in Sitka occurring at the same time as the Sitka Summer Music Festival,” said Dawn Groth, who works for the Alaska Division of Public Health’s Chronic Disease and Health Promotion program and is another conference organizer. “Sitka’s recognition as both a walk and bicycle friendly city make Sitka the perfect community to host a walk-bike conference. Building active and walkable communities can help support local economies, reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, and encourage safe walking and biking for all ages. Sitka is an example of a community Sitka is an example of a community working to create activity friendly routes to everyday destinations to encourage active people and a healthy nation.”

Sitka was honored with a Bronze level Walk Friendly Community designation in 2013 and 2017, and earned a Silver level Bicycle Friendly Community designation in 2016 (with Bronze level designations in 2008 and 2012). Both designations came out of Sitka Health Summit projects, which also led to the creation of Walk Sitka and the Sitka Cycling Clubgroups to promote walking and biking in Sitka.

The Smart Cycling training part of the Alaska Walk and Bike Conference is designed to help cyclists feel more comfortable and safer riding in traffic. It also is good for educators (especially physical education teachers), youth leaders, and others who might be leading group bike rides with younger students.

The second two-day segment focuses on the Five E’s (Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforcement, Evaluation) that are the main components in the Walk Friendly Communities and Bicycle Friendly Community applications. In addition, there will be presentations on the health benefits of active transportation, accommodations needed for the elderly and disabled, how to start a bike school, and how to conduct a walk audit.

Elle Steele of Sacramento, Calif., who is a League Certified Instructor from the League of American Bicyclists, will lead the Smart Cycling training, will be one of the keynote speakers. She is board president of Trips For Kids Sacramento, a nonprofit that provides bike adventures for underserved youth, and also owns Whimsical Cycle, which promotes riding bikes for everyday transportation.

Lee Hart of Valdez and the Anchorage-based Confluence coalition promoting the outdoor recreation economic sector in Alaska will be a keynote speaker.

Another keynote speaker is Lee Hart of Valdez, who founded an Anchorage-based coalition called Confluence to promote the outdoor recreation economic sector in Alaska. She also founded the Valdez Adventure Alliance which introduced fat-biking and big mountain downhill fat-biking to new riders. Hart spoke about the benefits of outdoor recreation in Sitka in February 2019.

Other speakers include Doug Osborne, Charles Bingham, Holly Marban, Lynne Brandon and Rick Petersen of Sitka; Dawn Groth, Pierce Schwalb, Charlie Lowell, Scott Menzies, Brittney Mitchell and Sarana Schell of Anchorage; and Nathan Belz of Fairbanks.

For information and an agenda, contact Doug Osborne at 747-0373 or go to  akwalkbikeconference@gmail.com.

Sitka Farmers Market Vendor Registration Available

Registration is open to vendors for the upcoming Sitka Farmers Markets.

Those looking to sell local food, arts and crafts, and other items, at the markets can find all the vendor forms, information sheets, rules and regulations on the documents page at https://sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org/documents/2019vendorrulesresponsibilities/.

It is Nina Vizcarrondo’s third year as manager. Sitka Local Foods Network board president Charles Bingham and SLFN board liaison Amanda Anjum are assisting with the market.

The dates for the summer markets are 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on seven Saturdays – July 6 and 27, Aug. 10, 17 and 31, and Sept. 7 and 14 – at the ANB Founders Hall. 

Alaska food vendors who can’t host a table at the market might be interested in selling products at wholesale rates or on consignment at our Sitka Local Foods Network farm stand. Most of the produce sold at the SLFN farm stand is grown at St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm communal garden and its satellite gardens, but does sell donated local produce. It also offers a matching program for people using WIC and SNAP benefits.

In recent years it has expanded its Alaska Grown products, selling Chugach Chocolates from Girdwood, barley products from Alaska Flour Company of Delta Junction, fermented foods from Evie’s Brinery of Anchorage, and kelp pickles and salsa from Barnacle Foods of Juneau. 

This is the third year of hosting a children’s vendor program, where kids get to become entrepreneurs and sell their own locally made food or arts and crafts. The children’s fee is $10 for the full market season. The program is modeled after the city’s program where children younger than age 12 buy a season permit to sell items near Centennial Hall on cruise ship days.

Vizcarrondo is available to answer questions and to make suggestions that will help new and returning vendors adjust to any food regulation changes from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, updates to the Alaska Quest electronic benefits program and Women, Infants, Children supplemental food program.

Organizers remind vendors that rules and responsibilities have been updated. The major changes are to access the Alaska Native Sisterhood kitchen, vendors must contact ANS to rent it, and vendors will not be able to store equipment at ANB Founders Hall between markets. To download the vendor registration packet, go to https://sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org/documents/2019vendorrulesresponsibilities/.

Volunteers are needed to set up, take down, sell produce at the Sitka Local Foods Network farm stand, and other jobs. Those able to volunteer can send a note with contact information. A list of music groups also is being gathered.

For more information, contact Vizcarrondo at 738-9301 or sitkafarmersmarket@gmail.com, or email the Sitka Local Foods Network board of directors at sitkalocalfoodsnetwork@gmail.com.