Daily Sitka Sentinel

January 22, 2014 Community Happenings

Bake Sale Set for
    Young Contestant
    A benefit bake sale is set 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Sea Mart to help send 9-year-old Hunter Lambdin to an audition session for America’s Got Talent.
    The young blues singer and her parents will be traveling to Providence, R.I., for an audition on Feb. 1.
    To help with the sale, or donate an item, contact Stephanie Lambdin at 623-0973.
   
    BMS Math
    Meeting Set
    Blatchley Middle School will hold  a math committee meeting 5-7 p.m. Jan. 28 in the BMS library.
    Attendees will discuss and review new math material and alignment to the common core. The meeting is open to the public.

    Kaagwaantaan
    Dancers Practice
    Sitka Kaagwaantaan Dancers will practice every second and fourth Sunday at 3 p.m. at Blatchley Middle School, Room 114.
    Those who are traveling to Celebration are reminded to attend the practices. For more information call Roby Littlefield, 738-4004.


    White E Shop
    Sale Thursday
    The White Elephant Shop is full of merchandise and more waiting to be placed in the main store and children’s area. A half-price sale is set noon-3 p.m. Jan. 23 in both stores.
    The sale includes the front window table but excludes the boutique and bags of rags.


    New Arrivals
Baby Girl Neimark
    Noa Neimark was born 2:56 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2014, at Sitka Community Hospital.
    At birth, the infant weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Parents are Anna Baimler and Boris Neimark. The mother is an English and French teacher, and the father is a crew chief working on helicopters in Israel.
    Noa is the couple’s first child.

    Community Land
    Trust Consultant
    In Sitka Feb. 11-12
    Community land trust consultant Michael Brown of Burlington Associates for Community Development will be in Sitka Feb. 11 and 12.
    Brown is helping a local organization, Sitka Community Development Corporation, form this new tool for providing permanently affordable housing.
    A 45-minute work session at Centennial Hall with the Assembly will be 5 p.m. Feb. 11. Brown will speak at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, noon at Westmark Sitka.
    SCDC is a community supported non-profit working to establish permanently affordable housing in Sitka. For more information call 747-2860.

    Pianist Fortner in Lineup
    At Jazz Festival
    The Sitka Jazz Festival announces the Sullivan Fortner Trio, will be performing at this year’s festival Feb.  6-8 at the Performing Arts Center.
    Sullivan Fortner Jr., a native of New Orleans, has made a significant foray into the world of jazz that belies his young age, organizers said.
    While touring with Stefon Harris and Blackout, Christian Scott Quintet and the Roy Hargrove Quintet, Sullivan completed his master’s degree in jazz performance at the Manhattan School of Music. Fortner began playing music by ear at the age of 7, and two years later he was playing for church choirs throughout New Orleans. By the time he was 11, Fortner had won a Cox Cable “Amazing Kids Award.” At the age of 13, he furthered his formal education in piano by attending the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.
    Fortner has played with the Marsalis family, Donald Harrison, Nicholas Payton, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Marcus Belgrave and others.
    Now in its 19th year, the Sitka Jazz Festival brings professional jazz musicians from around the world to Sitka to teach, inspire and perform. The festival strives to teach music appreciation, skills, history, artistic expression and cross-cultural understanding through jazz in a supportive environment. Visiting artists and local educators provide clinics in jazz history, jazz theory, and jazz improvisation, as well as a variety of individual instrument and section-specific workshops.
    For more information visit www.sitkajazzfestival.com.

    Leaders Meet at
    Juneau Summit
    Leaders in business, government and education will meet in Juneau, Jan. 29 and 30 for the annual Innovation Summit. The conference will feature national and international experts, Southeast Alaska’s state delegation and panel discussions in a collaborative forum on the region’s economic concerns.
    The conference received a silver in 2013 from the International Economic Development Council for special events. Presenters will include Patrice Kunesh, USDA undersecretary for rural development, Mary Jo Waits of the National Governors Association and Jamie Bennett, executive director of ArtPlace America, an innovative national organization that has awarded several arts grants in Alaska, including Juneau’s Walter Sobeloff Center and the Sitka Fine Arts Campus.
    Thor Sigfusson, a leader in the Iceland Seafood Industry will kick off the summit, sharing his country’s success with innovation in a deeply established industry.
    Alaskan Innovators in government and business will also be featured at the summit including Path to Prosperity sustainable business plan competition finalists and winners.
    The conference is designed by the Juneau Economic Development Council with key support from the U.S. Forest Service, Alaska Communications and many partnering individuals and organizations.
    JEDC invites leaders in all industries and government sectors interested in developing innovative ideas for economic success in Alaska to attend. The fee to attend the two-day event is $150 which includes meals, networking and break-out sessions. Student and other amended fees can be found on the event website. To view the full agenda or to register visit JEDC.org/innovation.
   
    ‘Paris of the Pacific’
    Readings on Tap
    The Greater Sitka Arts Council will hold two table readings of the revised ‘‘Paris of the Pacific’’ melodrama 7-9 p.m. Feb. 13 and 3-5 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Pioneers Home Chapel.
    All are invited to read the play and talk about possible June performances. Those with questions may call Jeff, 747-4821, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .   

    Bike Shelter
    Dedication Set
    Sitka Conservation Society and Sitka Sound Science Center will host a dedication ceremony for Sitka’s newest bike shelter, located near the science center, 3 p.m. Jan. 28.
    Assembly member Phyllis Hackett will lead a bike ride from Totem Square to the shelter starting at 2:45 p.m. All are invited to join Hackett in the ride, or meet at the new shelter.
    The shelter is easily accessible for Crescent Harbor playground, SJ Campus and the newly installed Sea Walk.
    The shelter was constructed using local, young growth timber as part of a project funded through the National Forest Foundation’s Community Capacity and Land Stewardship program.
    The project was led by Sitka High School construction instructor Randy Hughey, and Dan Sheehan, who designed the building and constructed it with the help of students and community volunteers. The project provided timber to students and volunteers to gain practical woodworking skills, produce a community asset, and further explore the applications of young growth timber, Sitka Conservation Society said.
    The shelter is a timber-framed structure made of young growth Sitka spruce and old growth red cedar.
    ‘‘Not only is the bike shelter a much needed asset, it is charming in its execution thanks to the vision of Randy and Dan’s design,’’ SCS said.
    Hughey, who has just retired after 30 years, has been running the Sitka High construction and industrial arts courses, and Sheehan is an experienced timber framer. The two worked 300 hours. Collectively, with students and volunteers, more than 900 hours of work went into the construction and moving of the shelter.
    ‘‘This shelter will serve as a demonstration project, highlighting the importance of local products, local craftsmanship and knowledge, the strength of community and contributing to local economy,’’ SCS said. ‘‘Multiple partners came together culminating in a donation from Coastal Excavation who relocated and installed the shelter.’’

    Fourth-Grade Choir
    Concert Thursday
    The fourth-grade choir will present a concert 7 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Keet Gooshi Heen multipurpose room.
    The young musicians has been working together since September during their lunch recesses. Admission is free and open to the public.
 


Bridget Hitchcock

    OTC Hires New
    Physical Therapist
   
    Bridget Hitchcock, PT, MPT, has been hired as an outpatient physical therapist at Oceanside Therapy Center, an outpatient department of Sitka Community Hospital.
    Hitchcock came to Sitka in 1993 as a Jesuit Volunteer at the SAFV shelter, where she worked for the next few years. She then left Sitka to attend Western Carolina University, where she received her master’s in physical therapy in 2001. She returned to Sitka to work at Sitka Physical Therapy, where she has been employed for 12 years.
    Hitchcock said she is happy to be joining the staff at Oceanside Therapy Center and brings a strong background in outpatient orthopedics, pre-and post-natal exercise and massage, chronic pain and manual therapy.
    She is currently working on her manual therapy certification through the North America Institute of Manual Therapy. She is married to Randy Hitchcock, a self-employed carpenter, and has two children, Connor, 7, and Lola, 3.
    “We are excited to have Bridget joining the team at Oceanside Therapy Center,” said Rehab Services Manager Kay Turner, PT, DPT.

   
    Fiddlers Sought
    Musicians are invited to play in the Stageful of Musicians at the Fiddle Grind 7 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi. “Soldier’s Joy,” “Angeline the Baker” and “Over the Waterfall” will be the tunes played.
    Musicians needing a link to the music can call Ted Howard at 747-5482.
    Any violinist or fiddler wishing to play a set at the Fiddle Grind should contact Ted Howard at 747-5482.



    Harp Sing Set
    The Fourth Sunday Sitka Sacred Harp Sing is set 3:30-5 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Pioneers Home Chapel. Beginners and listeners are welcome. Call 738-2089 with questions.