September 27, 2013 Community Happenings

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Created on Friday, 27 September 2013 10:56

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New Archangel
    Dancers Audition        The New Archangel Dancers’ annual auditions for women between the ages of 21 and 47 are being held 6:30-9 p.m. on Oct. 21 and 28 at 208 Smith Street.
    Those who enjoy a good workout, contributing to their community, and making new friends, may consider joining. For more information contact Linda at 747-8316.

    Marine Hydraulic
    Course Online
Community Education and Professional Development at UAS Sitka Campus is offering a marine hydraulics course online. The six-hour online course is designed for users of marine hydraulics specifically for commercial fishing vessels.
Students will learn the basic theory of common hydraulic systems, identify hydraulic components, learn the nomenclature associated with hydraulics, and basic troubleshooting techniques. The cost is $95.
Dates are Oct. 1-4 and Nov. 5-8. Courses are self-paced.
Call 747-7786 for more details or register online at https://aceweb.uas.alaska.edu/wconnect/ace/home.htm.





Helping Hands for America’s Lands

On Saturday, tens of thousands of volunteers will visit their favorite parks, beaches, wildlife preserves, or forests and chip in to help improve them while taking part in National Public Lands Day.
At Sitka National Historical Park, park cleanup is 1:30-3 p.m., beginning at the visitor center, followed by a photo contest at 3 p.m. and Park Prescriptions drawing at 3:30.
NPLD, the largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands in the country, brings together volunteers from coast to coast to improve and restore the lands and facilities that Americans use for recreation, education, exercise and just plain enjoyment.
Sitkans are invited to join the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, volunteers and staff at Sitka National Historical Park as they celebrate the 20th annual event. It will be held in conjunction with the Ocean Conservancy and Turning the Tides as a way to contribute to the International Coastal Cleanup Day.
‘‘Together we will use our hands to clean up our park and nearby beaches while keeping an eye out for interesting or unusual coastal debris,’’ SNHP said. ‘‘Bring some water, a friend, and a willingness to give back to your community.’’ 
Volunteers are being asked to meet at the visitor center at 1:30 p.m. for some light refreshments. Margo O’Connell of the Sitka Sound Science Center will give a short introduction about the importance of cleaning up beaches followed by a joint effort to clean up trash in the park. Prizes will be given to all volunteers and a Golden Ticket Mystery Word Treasure Hunt is set for young participants. Trash bags, safety vests, and protective gloves will be provided.
The photo contest awards ceremony will be 3 p.m.-3:30 p.m. All are invited to join Ranger Jasa Woods in the visitor center for the announcement of the winners of the park’s annual photo contest. The photos will be on display in the visitor center lobby through the end of October.
The Park Prescriptions prize drawing will be 3:30 p.m. The Sitka Community Hospital Foundation will sponsor a second drawing for a $100 cash prize for qualified Park Prescriptions participants. The last prize winner used the money to purchase new walking shoes. Information about how to sign up for this healthy initiative also will be available.
To learn more about the nationwide celebration, visit http://www.publiclandsday.org.
Learn more at www.nps.gov/sitk or visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/SitkaNationalHistoricalPark.

HSGQE Re-Takes
Slated for Oct. 1-3
The Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Exam Re-takes will be held at Sitka High School Oct. 1 (reading),  Oct. 2 (writing) and Oct. 3 (math).
Students are being encouraged to leave cell phones at home. Testing starts at 8:50 a.m. on test days.  Students will be notified if they are scheduled to test. Call Sitka High School with questions, 747-3263.

Unitarians Meet
At Sunday’s Unitarian Fellowship a program of poetry will continue the exploration of language and faith. Fellowship starts at 10:30 a.m. with the program at 10:45. Children’s religious education runs concurrently.
Participants are invited to take their favorite poems that have affected their spirits.  If possible, poems should be on 8-inch-by-11-inch paper, to be decorated and then included in a Fellowship Book of Poetry.
Soup and bread will follow at noon.  The Unitarian Hall is located at 408 Marine, with parking behind, off Spruce Street.

Sales Tax Reverts
To 5% on Oct. 1
The City and Borough of Sitka’s sales tax rate will revert to 5 percent effective Oct. 1 for all sales, services and short-term rentals unless otherwise exempted.
Although long-term residential rentals are tax exempt, landlords are required to register their rentals with the City and Borough of Sitka’s sales tax offices. Call 747-1840 with questions.  Registration forms may be found on the city’s website www.cityofsitka.com under the ‘‘business’’ tab.  
 The bed tax rate remains the same at 6 percent.  
 
Hames Center
Spin Class Set
Hames Center is offering another spin class to learn the fundamentals and keys to spinning in this four-week session. Initial bike set up, proper core movements, and heart rate training will be the focus. Class is held Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m.  Oct. 9-Nov. 2.
Classes will begin with 30-minute rides and progress to 50 minutes. Open to all fitness levels. Check out www.hamescenter.com for more information or call the front desk at 747-5080.




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Sitka to Take Part in New Rasmuson Artist Program
    Sitka’s Island Institute is one of four Alaska organizations selected to help launch the new Rasmuson Artist Residency Program this fall. Nonfiction writer Marjorie Gellhorn Sa’adah, in Sitka through mid-November, is among four RARP Fellows invited to come to Alaska from the Lower-48 for eight-week residencies this fall. In Spring 2014 four Alaskan artists will participate in similar visits at partnering residency centers down south. The program is fully funded by the Rasmuson Foundation.
    “We are excited about the Rasmuson Foundation’s Artist Residency Program, and honored to participate as one of the host organizations,” said Institute Director Carolyn Servid. “And we’re pleased to have Marjorie Sa’adah here. In her first week here, she’s jumped right in, met people, and is keen about engaging with our community.”
    Sitkans are invited to meet Sa’adah at a public talk and reading at Kettleson Library on 7 p.m. Oct. 1. Conversation and refreshments will follow.
    After two decades of developing and leading innovative programs in community health, Sa’adah has turned to creative writing as a way to pursue her interests and contribute to the life of her community. She both writes and teaches nonfiction, and is particularly interested in introducing teenagers to the power and practice of creative writing. She has launched writing programs in probation camps, high schools and nonprofits in rural and urban communities, and will be working with Pacific High School students each week she’s in Sitka.
    In much of her work, Sa’adah has chosen to highlight stories about people whose lives, work and communities have not yet been well documented in writing. A perfect example is her current work in progress, At Home in the Going, a memoir and intimate portrait of skilled workers behind the scenes at some of California’s Thoroughbred racetracks. Sa’adah’s Sitka residency will allow her time to complete work on the book and draft a proposal to seek publication.
    Sa’adah is a graduate of Hamilton College, and received her master’s degree in ethics from the Episcopal Divinity School. She teaches creative nonfiction at the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference. Her writing has been awarded fellowships from Sundance, PEN USA, the Durfee Foundation, the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, Hedgebrook, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the MacDowell Colony. Her essays appear in anthologies, journals, and the Op-Ed and Book Review pages of the Los Angeles Times. She currently lives in New Hampshire, and can be found every summer haying the steep slopes of her family’s farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
    For more information about Sa’adah’s residency, contact the Island Institute at 747-3794. To learn more about the Rasmuson Artist Residency Program, contact Program Officer Jayson Smart at the Rasmuson Foundation at 877-366-2700.

    Frisbee on Tap
    Ultimate Frisbee pickup will be held at the upper Moller Field on the turf 6:30-8 p.m. Thursdays and noon-2 p.m. Sundays. All are invited to play.
    For more information contact Taylor at 738-1798 or visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SitkaULTIMATE/.

    Tribal Council Meets
    The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Council will meet noon Oct. 2 for an action-only meeting, at Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi..

    New Arrivals
Baby Girl Leeseberg
    Tabitha Lou Leeseberg was born 1:25 p.m. Sept. 17 at Sitka Community Hospital.
    At birth, the infant weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 19.5 inches long.
    Parents are Mariah Lyn Leeseberg and Christopher A. Leeseberg of Sitka. The mother is employed at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the father with the U.S. Forest Service.
    This is the couple’s first child.

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