January 10, 2014 Community Happenings

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Category: News

Created on Friday, 10 January 2014 10:49

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Senior Hiking
    Club to Meet
    Southeast Alaska Independent Living’s Senior Hiking Club will meet at 9:15 a.m. Jan. 23 at Swan Lake Senior Center. Photonaturalist Adam Taylor, will join the group for a hike to Mosquito Cove.
    Taylor will offer tips on basic and advanced digital photo concepts. Transportation, snacks, water and traction devices are provided. Those of all experience levels are welcome and encouraged to hike at their own pace. Cost is $5 and scholarships are available. Call SAIL at 747-6899 with questions or to borrow a camera.

    Story Time Set
    ‘‘Can you say Peace?” by Karen Katz will be one of the readings during the next preschool story time at Kettleson Memorial Library 10:30 a.m. Jan. 16. The program will observe Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.
    Songs, games around literacy activities and a craft project are part of the program. Everybody is welcome. For more information call the library at 747-8708.




     Chinese New Year
    Programs on Tap
    Jan. 31 will mark the start of the Year of the Horse on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Kettleson Memorial Library and Summer Shen Mayo, from the Sitka Chinese community, will celebrate the Chinese New Year with different cultural activities for children during January and the first Saturday in February.
    Summer Mayo and Yan Yang will present a Chinese New Year program for adults, and interested children, 4 p.m. Jan. 19 at Kettleson Memorial Library.
    Mayo and Yang will introduce Chinese New Year culture and costume.Lantern-making activities and demonstrations on how to make dumplings also will be included.
    The presentation is part of the preparation for the kick-off of a Chinese New Year’s celebration in Sitka.
    The next dragon dance practice is 2-4 p.m. Jan. 11 at the UAS-Sitka Campus. Regular practices are slated 4:30-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 2-4 p.m. Saturdays Jan. 15-Feb. 15 at UAS-Sitka Campus.
    Chinese song, poetry and dance class will be offered 3-4:30p.m. Jan. 12 at Unitarian Hall. These classes are scheduled on every Sunday and Saturday from Jan. 12 to Feb. 15. Cindy, Lela and Summer will teach Chinese songs poetry and dance for children. A donation of $20 per family is suggested.
    All are invited to participate in any of the events. For more information contact Summer, 738-5092, or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SitkaChineseNY
    Mayo also is offering a Chinese food recipe in observance of the Chinese New Year.
Kung Pao Chicken
    “This is a recipe that I’ve used for years. It’s so quick and easy for a week night meal and has such wonderful flavor,” Mayo said.
Ingredients:
    1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    2 teaspoons light sesame oil or 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    3 tablespoons green onions, chopped with tops
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    1/4 to 1-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (to your own taste)
    1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger ( can use fresh grated if preferred)
    2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    2 teaspoons sugar
    1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
    4 cups cooked rice, hot
Directions
    Combine chicken and cornstarch in small bowl.
    Toss to coat.
    Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or wok on medium heat.
    Add chicken.
    Stir fry 5- 7 minutes or until no longer pink in center.
    Remove from heat.
    Add onions, garlic, red pepper and ginger to skillet.
    Stir-fry 15 seconds.
    Remove from heat.
    Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in small bowl.
    Stir well.
    Add to skillet.
    Return chicken to skillet.
    Stir until chicken is well coated.
    Stir in nuts.
    Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
    Serve over hot rice.

    Reuse Center
    Open Saturday
    Sitka Community Development Corporation announces the Sitka Reuse Center will be open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 11.
    The center is a volunteer operation selling donated building materials and is located at 4620 Halibut Point Road, across from the AML barge landing. Those are interested in volunteering or donating materials may call Greg Reynolds at 738-5518.

    Fishers Offered
    Safety Training
    The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association will offer a free one-day fishing vessel safety and drill conductor training in Sitka 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25 at NSRAA, 1308 Sawmill Creek Road.
    Instructor Jerry Dzugan will cover cold-water survival skills; EPIRBs, flares, and maydays; man-overboard recovery and firefighting; immersion suits and PFDs; emergency drills, helicopter rescue, life rafts; and abandon ship procedures.
    An optional in-the-water pool session is slated 1:30-3 p.m. Jan. 26 at Blatchley Middle School. The pool session will let participants practice with PFDs, immersion suits, and an inflatable life raft. Participants are encouraged to bring their personal immersion suits for practice in the class.
    The course meets the training requirements for documented commercial fishing vessels operating beyond the federal boundary line. It is offered to commercial fishermen at no cost, with funding from the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. To register  for additional information contact AMSEA at 747-3287 or www.amsea.org.

    Cold-Water Pool
    Sessions on Tap
    The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association will offer Sitka commercial fishermen a free 90-minute, cold-water survival skills pool session 1:30-3 p.m. Jan. 26 at Blatchley Middle School.
    Fishermen will have the opportunity to practice with new, wearable PFDs, immersion suits, and an inflatable life raft. Participants are also being encouraged to take their personal immersion suits for practice.
    The pool practice session is free to commercial fishermen and their families. Registration is required and an adult must accompany children. To register or for more information call AMSEA at 747-3287.

    Musicians Sought
    For Jam Night
    Acoustic musicians are invited to the Greater Sitka Arts Council Monday Night Jams at the Loft on Oja Way beginning Jan. 13 from 7-9 p.m.
    Musicians can take a song or tune to share. Donations will be taken to pay for the cost of the hall. The event is hosted by Ted Howard. Call 747-5482 for more information.

    Math Curriculum
    To be Discussed
    A math curriculum selection meeting for Baranof and Keet Gooshi Heen elementary schools will be held 2:45-4:45 p.m. Jan. 16 at Keet Gooshi Heen.
    The public is invited to attend. For more information call 747-5825.

    Lincoln Street
    Historic District
    Topic of Talk

    Rob Meinhardt, True North Sustainable Development Solutions of Anchorage, will present ‘‘Lincoln Street Historic District: Paving the Path Towards Sustainability,’’ a public conversation about what the creation of an historic district means for the community of Sitka, 5:30-8 p.m. Jan. 14 in the Centennial Hall Rousseau Room.
    TNSDS is conducting a historic buildings survey of Sitka’s Lincoln Street as part of an evaluation to determine whether or not Lincoln Street can be listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The impetus for the project is from the City and Borough of Sitka with grant manager Anne Pollnow of Sea Level Consulting, the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology, the National Park Service and Revitalize Sitka Working Group.
    ‘‘Community support and participation is important to TNSDS, so Tuesday’s meeting will take the form of a brief presentation and open question and answer conversation,’’ Pollnow said.
    The public is invited to attend and offer comments. For more information call 738-0794.

    School Board
    Meets Jan. 14
    The Sitka School board policy committee will meet 4 p.m. Jan. 14 in the district office board room to discuss policies including 5,000 concepts and roles, 5,010 student rights and responsibilities, 5,011 parent/guardian rights and responsibilities, 5,021 noncustodial parents and 5,030 school discipline and safety.
    To view the policies visit the website at www.sitkaschools.org.



Drawing Journal
    Ideas Explored
    UAS-Sitka Campus will offer a drawing journal workshop 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays Jan. 22-Feb. 5.
    The class, taught by Norman Campbell, will explore ideas, techniques, and experiences that will enable students to begin, continue and grow a journal to include both drawings and words. The fee is $50.
    Call 747-7762 for more information or to register.

    Kaagwaantaan
    Bake Sale Set
    Sitka Kaagwaantaan will have a bake sale 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Wells Fargo lobby to support travel expenses to Juneau for Celebration 2014.

    Kaagwaantaan
    Clan to Meet
    Sitka Kaagwaantaan Clan will meet 3 p.m. Jan. 12 in Room 114 at Blatchley Middle School.
    Call 738-4004 for more information. The group will plan and practice for Celebration 2014.

    Backflow Assembly
    Tester Class on Tap
    UAS-Sitka Campus will offer the ABPA backflow assembly tester workshop 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday April 14-18. The exam will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. April 19.
    The course will provide participants with the information and hands-on-training needed to qualify and prepare for the American Backflow Prevention Association Backflow Assembly Tester Certification exams.
    The fee is $1,200. Michael Briesemeister and Steven West will instruct. Call 747-7762 for more information or to register.

    Herring Panel Meets
    Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s Herring Committee will meet 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14. The meeting will be held at STA’s Resource Protection department at 429 Katlian Street. The meeting is open to the public. Questions can be directed to 747-7168.



    ATLA Official
    At SAIL Office
    A representative from Assistive Technologies of Alaska will be at the SAIL office 1-4 p.m. Jan. 15 to meet with individuals about the SensAbilities Project, which provides lifetime loans of equipment to individuals with hearing and/or vision impairments.
    To qualify for the program, individuals must have another disabling condition, but all are welcome to learn about available assistive devices.
    Call SAIL at 747-6859 with questions or to set up a one-on-one information session.

January Artifacts of the Month:
Three Painted Tlingit Model Totem Poles

    The Sheldon Jackson Museum Artifacts of the Month for January are three painted Tlingit model totem poles with zoomorphic designs (SJIA501, SJIA467, and SJIA799).
     The first pole is very finely painted and carved and includes a bear without teeth, a frog, a mosquito, a figure of a raven, and a young raven wearing a chief’s hat. This pole was carved for A.P. Johnson when he graduated from the Sheldon Jackson School in 1921 by Xon-de-dah’, a Kaagwaantaan, like Johnson’s father. In the mid-1980s, Johnson described the pole’s symbolism to museum staff – the chief’s hat shows status and clan membership; the mosquito, educational instruction; the frog, his house and personal emblem; and the bottom, a bear “representing a stump … a symbol of something that is well established that could not be uprooted.”
    The three model totem poles will be on exhibit at the Sheldon Jackson Museum until Jan. 31. Visit the museum to see these three model totem poles and nearly 200 other models produced for curio commerce, including model paddles, kayaks and canoes, snowshoes, sleds, boats, houses, caches and kashims, and more.
    Winter hours at the museum are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Discounted winter admission is $3. Visitors 18 years of age and younger, Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum, and those with passes are admitted free of charge.
    Marine Mammal
    Panel Set to Meet
    The Sitka Marine Mammal Commission will meet 6:30 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Resource Protection Department offices, located at 429 Katlian St. The public is invited. For more information contact Jeff Feldpausch 747-7469.

    Green Business
    Nominations Due
    Local businesses, not-for-profit groups, agencies, schools and others are being encouraged to nominate themselves now for a 2014 Sitka Green Business Award.
    Customers, staff and supporters may also nominate one of these groups for an award. The nomination deadline for the first round of awards is Jan. 15. Nomination forms are available from the Sitka Global Warming Group at www.sitkaglobalwarming.org or by calling 747-2708.



    Reuse Center
    Open Saturday
    Sitka Community Development Corporation announces the Sitka Reuse Center will be open 10 a.m.-2 p.m.  Jan. 11.
    The center is a volunteer operation selling donated building materials and is located at 4620 Halibut Point Road, across from the AML barge landing. Those are interested in volunteering or donating materials may call Greg Reynolds at 738-5518.

    Chinese Song,
    Dance Taught
    Chinese song, poetry and dance classes will be offered 3-4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Jan. 12-Feb. 15 at the Unitarian Hall.
    Cindy, Lela and Summer will teach Chinese songs, poetry and dance for children. A donation of $20 per family is suggested. For more information contact Summer at 738-5092.

    First Baby of
    2014 Born at
    Mt. Edgecumbe
    Dylan Blackhurst is the first baby born in the new year at the SEARHC S’áxt’ Hít Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital in Sitka.
    He was born at 4:12 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, to Carl and Amber Blackhurst of Sitka. Dylan weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and was 20.75 inches long at birth. Dr. Donna Smith delivered Dylan, with the assistance of Lynn Northrup, R.N. and Tracy West, R.N.
    The infant joins a brother, Daniel,  age 2-½. The mother works in the SEARHC Outpatient Department and the father is employed at Mt. Edgecumbe High School.
    As the first baby of the new year born at the hospital, Dylan and his parents received several gifts donated by local businesses. Businesses that donated gifts are Agave Restaurant, The Bayview Pub, Sitka Flowers and Chocolate Moose, Brenner’s Fine Clothing and Gifts, Silver Basin, Stereo North, Sitka Lutheran Church, Evergreen Natural Foods, Pizza Express, Old Harbor Books, Home Plus, Hair Loft, Sweet Peas, Bev’s Flowers and Gifts, Airport Gift Shop and SEARHC.

    After-School
    Tutoring at SHS
     Parents and students are reminded of the after-school tutoring program at Sitka High School 3:30-7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays beginning Jan. 13.
    Second semester has begun and students homework needs will be increasing, the school said. Contact Kelly at Sitka High School for details on specialty tutoring.

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