LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which  distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming.  (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka’s Alaska Day: Still Going Strong at 65

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    In 1949, Sitkans held the first ceremony to mark Alaska Day.
    As the Alaska Day Festival trustees tell it today, it was the unveiling of The Pioneer statue in front of the Pioneers Home.

The pioneer statue is unveiled in 1949. (Photo provided by Sitka Historical Society)


    “It looks like a pretty good size crowd,” Alaska Day Festival Trustee and Secretary Elaine Strelow said, describing a photo she has seen of the 1949 event.
    In honor of that first celebration – and all the festivals that followed – the Alaska Day Festival trustees have chosen “65 Years of Alaska Day Festivals” as this year’s theme.
    The Alaska Day Festival kicked off a week’s worth of activities at noon today with the swearing in of the Keystone Kops on the Pioneers Home lawn – the location of the first observance.
    The number of activities, and the types of activities, around Alaska Day vary from year to year, depending on what ideas come forward, and – more importantly – who is willing to volunteer to take them on.
    “We’re always looking for more volunteers and suggestions for new events,” Strelow said.
    The traditional events are the Alaska Day Ball, the Lincoln Street parade and the re-enactment of the 1867 ceremony at the top of Castle Hill, where Russia transferred its Alaska claims to the United States. Alaska Day, which is now a state holiday, commemorates the Oct. 18, 1867, date when the transfer took place.
    But over the years, the event has become more than that, to include dozens of activities that celebrate the history of Sitka. Schools incorporate Russian and Tlingit history around Alaska Day, the National Park Service sets up historic children’s games at the Russian Bishop’s House, and townspeople dress up in historic costumes for the week.
    Even the flagship events have evolved or changed from year to year: during the re-enactment ceremony, a narrator does a roll call of the states, and these days crowd members cheer when they hear their home state. But it always winds up with the Star Spangled Banner, played by the 9th U.S. Army Band – when the service members are able to attend – and sometimes the Alaska Flag Song, while the crowd sings along.
    Bagpipe bands from Washington have become an annual staple of the celebration, and the melodrama has returned – now called “Paris of the Pacific” and with an Alaska Day theme, written specifically for Sitka.
    But there is always something new. This year, the Sitka Historical Society is bringing an “historical” magician to entertain at the society’s annual meeting, and sometimes there are shows in the schools. Events may be discontinued one year, only to return years later. The military presence will be 38 or 39 strong again this year – back from a much smaller representation last year, the result of the Congressional sequestration of federal funds.
    For MaryLou Vilandre, the military liaison and longtime Festival Committee trustee, Alaska Day is not just about the history of Sitka, but the military history of the community as well.
    That includes the National Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army – and other branches of military service. In the past, the military presence included a U.S. Navy ship, said Vilandre, who has been an Alaska Day trustee since 1967.
    She said she is pleased the 9th Army Band will be able to attend this year from Fairbanks. That means a free concert 7 p.m. on Thursday at Centennial Hall, and a live big band at the Alaska Day Ball on Oct. 17.
    Vilandre also said she’s pleased there will be a color guard from U.S. Army Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardon from Anchorage and a helicopter flyover from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka during the Oct. 18 parade. The traditional memorial service at the Sitka National Cemetery is once again on the schedule, set for 11 a.m. on Alaska Day.
    Vilandre said she started volunteering to help find housing for the military guests in town for Alaska Day, and kept helping out.
    “It’s interesting and it’s rewarding,” Vilandre said. “It’s our history – it’s also the Army history we’re celebrating too. The 9th Infantry was here in 1867.”
    It was a military connection that also drew in volunteer Ted Allio, who serves as chairman of the festival trustees. Allio started as the National Guard liaison in the mid 1990s, and continued volunteering after he retired from the Guard.
    “The rest is history,” Allio said.
    Strelow started volunteering for the Alaska Day Festival in 1966, when preparations were taking place for the following year’s centennial celebration of the 1867 Alaska Purchase.
    “I’ve volunteered most years since then,” she said. “It’s very satisfying being involved in something with such broad community interest. That interest has increased over the years. When I first became involved it was a two-day affair. The ball in the evening, and the military memorial service, and some years there was a parade.”
    There are now a number of events around historical themes, which may or may not be official Alaska Day Festival events.
    The variety show, a New Archangel Dancers performance, the Hope Floats Cruise, essay readings, fundraisers, open houses, a biathlon, the Monthly Grind with an Alaska Day theme, the “Paris of the Pacific” melodrama, and the unveiling of the renovated historic Sage building are all on the 10-day schedule, Oct. 9-19. (See schedule, Page 12.)
    The annual Sitka festival draws politicians and dignitaries from around the state, as well as a certain number of tourists, especially for Alaska Day itself. Volunteers in period costume greet all visitors coming in at the airport, starting today.
    “It’s also beyond the economic impact,” Strelow said. “There is a genuine interest in sharing this exciting history and culture we have in Sitka.”
    “That’s probably why the original folks with the festival started it,” said Allio. “They were probably looking at the transfer and didn’t want to lose that part of history where it originated.”
    The sale of Alaska Day buttons by festival members and at Centennial Hall helps defray some of the estimated $12,000 in festival costs. The committee also accepts donations.
     Strelow said it takes a number of people to make the festival work, and the trustees are always open to new membership and fresh ideas.
    “People come in and we see that people have skills, and they have a passion,” she said. “We’re a diverse bunch, because some people focus more on the history aspects, and other people focus more on the fun activities. It’s a passion for the people who get involved and stay involved over time.”

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.

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