October 10, 2013 Community Happenings

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Category: News

Created on Thursday, 10 October 2013 12:10

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Alaska Day Festival
     Web Site Available
    Alaska Day Festival current information is now available online at www.alaskadayfestival.org and on Facebook at alaskadaysitka, including schedule of events for mid-October and contact phone numbers as well as historical notes and photos.

    SHS VB Sets
    Garage Sale
    A garage sale fundraiser for the Sitka High School volleyball program will be 8 a.m. Oct. 12 in the Sitka High School Commons.
    Those having items to donate can take them to the high school commons between 2:45 and 5 p.m. on Friday.
    To arrange a pick-up for donations call 738-7190.

    Kayak Races Set
    For Saturday
    Event coordinator Tim Fulton invites kayak enthusiasts and spectators to the annual Alaska Day Festival races on Swan Lake on Oct. 12.
    Paddling practice will be available at 9 a.m.  Registration with $5 fee per person starts at 10:30, and actual races at 11.
      Safety gear and personnel and two-person kayaks are all provided by John and Allison Dunlap of Sitka Sound Ocean Adventures.
    Cash prizes will be awarded in various age divisions. Alaska Day Festival thanks McMillen, LLC for its assistance with funding.
    Fulton can be contacted at 747-3776 or 738-0740.



    Opening Reception
    Set at SJ Museum
    All are invited to the opening reception for the Sheldon Jackson Museum’s new temporary exhibition ‘‘Alaska Positive’’ that features photographs of  scenery, wildlife and people 1-3 p.m. Oct. 12 at the museum. Light refreshments will be served. The reception is sponsored by the Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum.
    All of the photos were featured in the 2012 Alaska Positive competition, a biennial photographic competition open to all Alaskans.
    Among the photos is a work by Sitka’s very own local photographer: Harriet McClain. The Alaska Positive exhibition has been travelling around the state and comes to the Sheldon Jackson Museum from Alaska State Museum headquarters in Juneau.
    The museum’s new temporary exhibition walls have been installed in the main gallery.

    Blessing of Pets
    Set for Sunday
    St. Peter’s will have its annual Blessing of the Pets 11:15 a.m. Oct. 13.

Coast Guard stresses safety in wake of 3 dive fisheries incidents
    The U.S. Coast Guard reminds mariners in Southeast Alaska to take all necessary safety precautions after three safety incidents related to dive fisheries occurred in three days near Ketchikan Sunday through Tuesday.
    Boat operators and divers should be aware of all rules and regulations regarding the safe operation of vessels and diving equipment, as well as any laws that apply to their fishery.
    The first safety incident, Sunday, involved a dive fishery vessel underway in the vicinity of the Tongass Narrows with no immersion suits or flares on board. The Coast Guard directed the vessel’s operator to return to port until the operator could acquire proper safety equipment. More information on commercial fishing vessel safety equipment is available at: http://www.fishsafe.info/
    The Coast Guard conducted a safety boarding on a dive fishery vessel after the crew ran aground near Cat Island on Monday. The Coast Guard boarding team directed the vessel’s operator to return to port when multiple safety violations were discovered. Mariners should be well acquainted with the area they are operating in, including an understanding of charts and tide tables. More information on safe boating is at: http://www.uscgboating.org/
    On Tuesday, a person involved in the sea cucumber fishery died in a diving accident. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Alaska State Troopers. The Coast Guard recommends consulting the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association safety page before diving in the extreme Alaska environment: http://gdyn.sardfa.org/safety
    “Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of the deceased,” said Cmdr. Marc Burd, the Coast Guard Sector Juneau chief of response. “We want mariners and divers to make safety the number one priority before heading out in the uncertain and sometimes unpredictable waters of Southeast Alaska. We recommend always filing a float plan and having all required safety gear on board, which will help mariners prepare for a worst case scenario.”
    For more information contact Jim Paul, the Coast Guard’s Ketchikan-area fishing vessel examiner, at 907-617-2523.

    Alaska Day Festival
    Tickets on Sale
    Tickets for Alaska Day Festival events, schedules, and commemorative buttons, shirts and other merchandise are now available.
Volunteers will staff tables at Centennial Hall daily from 3 to 6 p.m. and at events scheduled there.
    Tickets for the Oct. 14 Variety Show are $3; for Oct. 15 New Archangel Dancers Show, $5 for adults and $3 for children under 10; and for the Oct. 17  Alaska Day Ball $25.
    Coordinator Linda Trierschield can be contacted at 747-5466 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to reserve tickets.  For a $2 donation, buttons will also be sold by costumed Festival greeters coordinated by Betty Conklin, 966-2281, or Keystone Kops coordinated by Jen Houx, 738-1779.
    All sales fund the prizes and other administrative costs of the annual non-profit Alaska Day Festival.

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