September 12, 2014 Community Happenings

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Category: News

Created on Friday, 12 September 2014 12:51

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    Aerial Silks Taught
    A new series of aerial silks classes will start Sept. 22 at the Hames Center. The class builds strength and flexibility while moving athletically on fabrics.
    Both beginner and advanced classes are being offered. Call Franni for details at 738-0721, or check out the website www.hamescenter.com.

    Hames Center
    Sets New Hours
    The Hames Center has set new hour: 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday (5:30 a.m. for members) and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. The center will re-open for Sunday hours on Oct. 12. View more at hamescenter.com.

    Climbing Wall
    Open at Hames
    Climbing wall hours at the Hames Center are 4:30-6:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. An adult climb has been added 6-8 p.m. Thursdays.
    Gear, instructors and challenges are available for all ages. For more information go to www.hamescenter.com or call 747-5080.

    BIHA to Meet
    Baranof Island Housing Authority Board of Commissioners will meet 5 p.m. Sept. 16 at 245 Katlian Street. The public is welcome to attend.

    Museum Begins
    Winter Hours
    Sheldon Jackson Museum is winding down its summer visitor season and will begin its fall/winter hours on Sunday, Sept. 14.
    The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. It will be closed Sundays and Mondays.
    Along with the annual reduction in hours, the cost of admission will drop to $3. Visitors 18 years and younger, Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum, and those with passes are admitted free. For more information call 747-8981.

    Science Center
    Awarded 5-Year
    Project Grant
    The Sitka Sound Science Center has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for a five-year project titled “Ataraq: Polar Research in Coastal Communities.”
    The grant will provide community engagement outlets for scientists to communicate the importance of their work to rural and Alaska Native students and the general public, the science center said. The goals are to improve science literacy and to increase interaction between researchers and Alaska residents.
    The project will partner research in the North with the annual Sitka Whalefest, an 18-year-old symposium celebrating the marine environment through scientific lectures, community festivities, music, art and classroom instruction.
    Additionally, it will expand the  Scientist in Residency Fellowship program, which provides outreach opportunities for scientists to work in the Sitka School District and Mt. Edgecumbe High School.
    Both programs will be expanded to reach more students in rural districts in Alaska. The project will raise the profile of polar and subpolar research and its importance in understanding the rest of the earth’s systems, including climate change. 
    Ataraq will provide opportunities for researchers to improve their communication skills, and more effectively share their knowledge and research with a general audience. Scientists will work with science communication experts Elizabeth Arnold, University of Alaska Anchorage associated professor and former National Public Radio reporter, and Richard Nelson, cultural anthropologist, public radio host and award-winning writer, to improve their ability to share scientific findings with people in Alaska.
    For more information contact Victoria O’Connell at 747-8878.

    Story Time Set
    At Kettleson
    ‘‘N is for Night’’ will be the theme of the next preschool story time 10:30 a.m. Sept. 18 at Kettleson Memorial Library.
    Readings, rhymes, songs and crafts are included in the program. Everybody is welcome.
    Preschool story times help to promote early literacy skills, expand children’s vocabularies and broaden and enrich their experiences, stimulating brain development.
    For more information, call the library at 747-8708.

    Live Homework
    Help Provided
    Kettleson Memorial Library invites Sitka students to get live homework help online from a trained tutor noon to 2 p.m. daily, except for major holidays.
    Students will share computer files and talk about using instant messaging and use an interactive white board. It’s easy and safe! And there is no need to be computer whiz to make it work.
    Anyone living in Alaska with a Kettleson Memorial Library card in grades kindergarten through college, as well as adults, can use the service. Subjects are math, science, social studies, English and Spanish.
    For more information, access Kettleson’s website online or call the library.

    Teen Advisory
    Board to Meet
    Kettleson Memorial Library’s Teen Advisory Board will meet 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19. Members will have the opportunity to explore the new equipment for the Teen Lab and share ideas.
    Those ages 13 to 16 years are invited to join the TAB. Board members will have exclusive opportunity to help select materials for the library’s collection, plan parties and programs, suggest improvements to the future teen area, gain volunteer experience, and promote the library throughout the community.
    Snacks are provided to all participants. For more information call the library at 747-8708.

    Spanish Language
    Class for Teens
    Kettleson Memorial Library is inviting teens to register for a free Spanish language conversation class at the library every other Tuesday at 3 p.m., starting on Oct. 7.
    The class will be led by a Spanish-speaking library staff, who will facilitate a discussion in Spanish, on a variety of subjects. Free one-on-one Spanish tutoring for teens will also be available from 6 to 7 p.m.
    Those interested can call 747-4022 to make an appointment.

    Natural History
    Seminar on Tap
    The next Natural History Seminar will feature Kate Mohatt presenting ‘‘Mushrooms of Alaska’s Southern Coasts” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, at UAS-Sitka, Room 229.
    Kate Mohatt is an ecologist for the Chugach National Forest who has been studying fungi in Montana and Alaska for several years. She has been a key organizer in the Girdwood Fungus Fair and a frequent speaker at the Rainforest Festival in Petersburg. Mohatt is the lead author of the 2013 publication, ‘‘Mushrooms of the National Forests in Alaska,’’ available at the USDA Forest Service office.
    Mohatt will talk about the importance of fungi in forests and some common and interesting fungi found in Alaska. She will also lead a walk focused on forest fungi Sept. 20; details will be shared at the Friday night seminar. 
     The seminar series is supported by a grant from the Sitka Alaska Permanent Charitable Trust to the Sitka Sound Science Center and by the University of Alaska and support from the USDA Forest Service. Those with questions can call Kitty LaBounty at 747-9432.

    Hazardous Waste
    Collection on Tap
    The fall free household hazardous waste collection event is set 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 4 and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 5.
    Households, certain small businesses and government agencies are eligible to dispose of up to 200 pounds of waste per year.
    Contact the city public works office at 747-1806 for more information.
    Eligible items are solvents, oil, paint, antifreeze, cleaners, poisons, acids, batteries, caustics, furniture stripper, herbicides, pesticides, flares, printing and photographic chemicals.
    Items that are not eligible include explosives, blasting caps and gun powder, reactives such as sodium metal and radioactive wastes, and fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs are accepted at the Recycling Center every Saturday, noon-1 p.m., and customers are charged 50-cents per bulb.
    Items can be delievered to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, 100 Alice Loop, located off Airport Road.
    The city asks that residents don’t deliver items prior to or after the event times.


    Lend-a-Friend
    Program on Tap
    Beginning Saturday, Sept. 20,  preschoolers and elementary school children will have the opportunity to take a library paper friend home for a week.
    The Lend-a-Friend Program is an independent learning program where children can read a story with the friend every night, journal their time together, draw a picture of their adventure and write about what they did before returning the friend to the Kettleson Memorial Library.
    Children can choose among 10 paper friends to take home. For more information, call the library at 747-8708.

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