February 27, 2015 Community Happenings

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Category: News

Created on Friday, 27 February 2015 10:32

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A REVIEW:

‘Dispatches’ Tell History

Coen, Ross, ‘‘The Long View: Dispatches on Alaska History.’’ Ester Republic Press. Soft bound. 223 pages. Black-and-white photographs.

Ross Coen is an historian based in Fairbanks. He has also spent years writing columns for the Ester Republic. So far, so boring. However, let’s get into the dispatches. They are based as early as 1900 but mostly written from 2007-2009. They range from Alaska’s politicians, both local and state-wide. to mail-order brides to a mysterious noise that either was a meteor or a missile, to Earth Day to the myth of Alaska Exceptionalism. In other words, a lively and amusing account of Alaskans voted into office, to the struggle to attract single women to Alaska to marry, and many more, all handled skillfully.

These are all stories that only a real Alaskan could tell; someone who got to the meat of the matter, whether it was the effect of the first television political ads or the fuss about snow machines in Denali National Park or the first successful survey of the Copper River area, all  told like someone trying to dance on a slippery boardwalk in the woods; determined but amusing.

The photographs are appropriate, but could be much sharper; surely not all were blurry in the beginning.

Overall, we can be so thankful we have Ross to dig into Alaska politics and general history. Buy it, read it, and tell your friends.

–D.L.

Colleen Flanigan to merge art and environmental science at UAS 

New York artist, TED Senior Fellow, and socio-ecological activist Colleen Flanigan will be at UAS Sitka Campus to headline a special event on the topic “Merging Art and Environmental Science” 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4.

The visual presentation will focus on coral reefs and the effort Flanigan is making to use metallurgical structures to foster the growth of coral. Her living sea sculptures have been able to regenerate coral at an accelerated rate.

Flanigan said that one of the most alarming trends in the world ecosystem is the loss of coral reefs. Pollution, dynamite fishing, deep sea trawling and plain neglect have contributed to a swiftly disappearing foundation of the underwater ecosystem.

Coral provides an essential habitat that promotes biodiversity in the oceans. 

Also known as “Miss Snail Pail,” Flanigan is sure to excite children and adults with a wide-ranging foray into welding, biodiversity, imagination, and creating change in the world.

For details contact Owen Kindig at UAS, 747-7767.

To learn more about Colleen Flanigan, see http://www.colleenflanigan.com

School Board Meets

The Sitka School Board will hold a community budget hearing 7 p.m. March 2 at Sitka High School library.  It is open to the public.

Unitarians Gather

At Sunday’s Unitarian Fellowship meeting Kathy Kyle will give a slideshow presentation on “Buddhism in Laos.” She recently returned from a month of travels in Laos.

Fellowship begins at 10:30 a.m., with the program beginning at 10:45 a.m. A children’s program is provided. Soup and bread follows the program at noon. The Fellowship Hall is located at 408 Marine Street, with parking behind off Spruce Street.

Library Friends

Set Annual Meet

The Friends of Kettleson Memorial Library will have their annual meeting 11 a.m. Saturday, March 21, in the Maksoutoff Room of Centennial Hall.

The agenda will include accepting a slate of officers, introduction of library director Robb Farmer, and refreshments. Matt Christner will give an update of the expansion project with a walk through of the Kettleson expansion site.

The meeting also will be the launch of the library quilt raffle. The library quilt and the second-place flower quilt are hanging in Kettleson@Stratton right now. The quilts made by Johanna Perensovich and the Ocean Wave Quilters provide the group with a fundraiser to help fund the remaining unfunded items left in the expansion budget.

A slate of officers is being put together to present at the meeting. Anyone interested in an office on the Friends Board should call Jan Love at 747-5608. New members are invited and can pay a one-time membership fee of $20.

St. Patrick’s Day

Items at White E

Starting Saturday the White Elephant Shop will have St. Patrick’s Day items available for purchase. For sale will be clothes, shoes, boots and decorations. Store hours are noon to 3 p.m.

Kids Shop Sale Set

The children’s store at the White Elephant Shop will have a half-price sale on Saturday. Warm winter items available such as boots, coats, hats and mittens are still available. The store will be open from noon to 3 p.m.  

White E Sale Set

The main store at the White Elephant Shop will have a half-price sale 6-8 p.m. Monday.

On sale will be warm women’s coats plus other warm clothing on the racks for men and women. The boutique, bags of rags, front window and St. Patrick’s Day items will be regular price. 

Dementia Care

Virtual Tour Set

‘‘Savvy Professional in Dementia Care: The Virtual Dementia Tour’’ will be offered by Brave Heart Volunteers and Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska  4 p.m. Friday, March 13, by appointment at the Pioneers Home Manager’s House. The tour takes about 20 minutes to complete.

“Developed by P.K. Beville of Second Wind Dreams, the Virtual Dementia Tour provides participants with an experiential simulation to help understand what dementia may be like. Participants will develop a greater understanding of the challenges faced daily by those with dementia and how behaviors can be viewed as coping strategies. Care partners can then change how they work with those with dementia resulting in better care,” organizers said.

To register, contact Amber Smith, Education Specialist, Alzheimer’s Resources of Alaska at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 907-586-6044.

Dementia Care

Topic of Workshop

‘‘Savvy Professional in Dementia Care’’ is the topic of an interactive workshop sponsored by Brave Heart Volunteers and Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska for the interactive workshop 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at Centennial Hall.

The workshop explores the real challenges faced by organizations and facilities working to put into practice the principles of person-centered dementia care. 

Call Taylor at BHV at 747-4600 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information. 

Bake Sale Set,

Info Offered

Big Brothers Big Sisters will have an information table and bake sale at the Wells Fargo lobby from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28.

Those interested in learning more about the program or registering a bowling team for Bowl for Kids’ Sake are encouraged to stop by as well. Contact Kealoha at 747-3500 with questions. 

ANB to Meet

Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 1 will meet 7 p.m. Monday, March 9, at the ANB Founders Hall.

No meeting will be held on March 2.

Project Fair at

KGH School

The annual Keet Gooshi Heen project fair will be 6-7:30 a.m. Thursday, March 12.

Students in second through fifth grades, including home school students, may enter any long-term project of their choosing in the fair.

Setup is Thursday, 1-3:30 p.m., in the school gym. The public is invited to view students’ projects on Thursday evening and again Friday morning, March 13, 8:15-10 a.m. Call Rebecca Himschoot in Room 26 at 966-1226 after 2:30 p.m. with questions.

Concert Friday

Set at The Loft

Sitka Folk and the Greater Sitka Arts Council will host a concert with Jen, Joe and Peter at The Loft 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Old Harbor Books. A total of 45 tickets are available due to limited space. Call Ted Howard at 747-5482 for more information.

Ribbon-Cutting Event to Celebrate the Launch of the Sitka Kitch at the First Presbyterian Church Monday March 9th

The official opening of Sitka Kitch, a community kitchen, will be 6 p.m. Monday, March 9, at its location inside the First Presbyterian Church, 505 Sawmill Creek Road.

The ribbon-cutting event will include light refreshments, courtesy of the Back Door Cafe.

Sitka Kitch is a community initiative that arose from the 2013 Sitka Health Summit. The over-arching goal of the project is to improve community capacity and community development through the lens of food security, Health Summit organizers said.

Sitka Kitch is a collaborative and partner-rich project. The Sitka Conservation Society, First Presbyterian Church, Sitka Local Foods Network, Sitka Co-op, UAS Fairbanks Cooperative Extension and the Sustainable Southeast Partnership have all contributed to turn Sitka’s dream of a community kitchen into reality.

Sitka Kitch received $13,000 from the Northwest Coast Presbytery Community Blessings Grant. The funds went directly towards renovating the church’s kitchen so that Sitka Kitch could meet the requirements of becoming a DEC-certified kitchen. 

The Kitch is ready to function as a shared-use community kitchen.

‘‘Our goal is to provide food-based education, at various levels, to the greater Sitka community,’’ organizers said. ‘‘With these renovations completed, the Kitch can offer a DEC certified commercial kitchen to local entrepreneurs and small businesses for an affordable hourly rate.’’

Instructors interested in developing and offering food-based classes may also rent the kitchen and space. It is hoped that career and technical training and community canning events are developed and provided. 

Through multi-use access to a commercial kitchen, Sitka Kitch’s goals are to support a sustainable local foods culture, spark local foods entrepreneurship and empower the community to become more independent and food secure. 

For more information on using Sitka Kitch, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

State Park 

Panel to Meet

The Sitka State Park Advisory Board will meet 7:30 a.m. March 10 at Centennial Hall. The public is invited.

HIGH VISIBILITY POSSE – Pedestrians and bicyclists gather for a group picture Feb. 26 in the lobby of the Stratton location of Kettleson Memorial Library on the SJ Campus after completing an educational program on being safe and being seen. Complimentary bright yellow rain jackets and vests were given as participation prizes. The GAGE jackets were purchased at a discount from Murray Pacific, with grant money for the State of Alaska’s Injury Prevention program. Sitka Community Hospital organized the event in partnership with library staff. (Photo by Angela McGraw)

Iota Chapter Meets

Kappa Gamma Iota Chapter will meet for a tea party 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at Judy Kearns-Steffen’s home. 

Discussion items will be scholarships and support for the early-years  guidance program at Baranof and Keet Gooshi Heen elementary schools.

Garden Classes

Springing Up

The Sitka Local Foods Network will hold its spring  garden classes offered by the Sitka Local Foods Network Education Committee beginning  March 4.

The free classes will cover a variety of topics, from gardening basics and choosing what veggies to grow in Sitka to learning about fruit tree pruning, composting and seed-starting. Recently added classes include one on raising chickens and rabbits. Some of the classes have limited space and require pre-registration.

More classes will be added to the list as they become available, and will be updated on the website. 

A list of the current classes are:

‘‘Everyone Can Compost,’’ 6:30-8 p.m. March 4 Sitka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, 408 Marine Street, parking off Spruce Street, taught by Jennifer Carter. No preregistration is required.

‘‘Fruit Tree Pruning Basics Workshop,’’ 10 a.m., Saturday, March 7, St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm behind St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, taught by Jud Kirkness. No preregistration is required.

‘‘Growing and Fertilizing Rhubarb,’’ 11 a.m. Saturday, March 14, at the home of Perry Edwards/Michelle Putz, 131 Shelikof, taught by Edwards and Putz. No preregistration is required.

‘‘Raising Chickens 101,’’ 6:30-8 p.m., Wednesday, March 25, Sitka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, 408 Marine Street, parking off Spruce Street, teacher Bobbi Daniels, no preregistration required.

‘‘Starting Vegetable Seedlings Workshop,’’ 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, Sitka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall at 408 Marine Street with parking off Spruce Street, taught by Jennifer Carter. Students will learn how to start seedlings and go home with a tray of planted seeds. The class is limited to 15 people; preregistration is required.

‘‘Raising Rabbits 101,’’ 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, Sitka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, teacher Bobbi Daniels, no preregistration required.

‘‘Seed-Starting Basics,’’ 2 p.m. Saturday, April 11. For location call Putz, 747-2708. Class taught by Linda Wilson. It is limited to 8-10 people; preregistration is required.

A total of 55 people attended the first two classes in January and February, kicking off a yearlong series of education events on a variety of topics related to vegetable gardening, livestock, and food preservation in Sitka. The garden mentor program classes also will be open to the public, once they start in April.

For more information or to sign up for classes requiring preregistration, contact Jennifer Carter at 747-0520 or Michelle Putz at 747-2708.

SAFV Board Meets

The board of Sitkans Against Family Violence will meet 11:30 a.m. March 2 at the shelter. The meeting is open to the public. For directions and more information, call 747-3370.

Produce Stand

Set Up for Kids

The Baranof produce stand at Market Center will be open 7:30-8:30 a.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m. weekdays beginning Monday, March 2.

Market Center is working with Baranof Elementary School to promote nutritional snacks.

Bananas, oranges and apples will be for sale to children at 50 cents each.

Funds will be split 50/50 between Market Center and Baranof.

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