Daily Sitka Sentinel

September 30, 2015 Community Happenings

Pioneers to Meet

Sitka Pioneers of Alaska will meet Thursday, Oct. 1, at United Methodist Church on Kimsham Street.

Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by a potluck dinner at 6 p.m. and business/program at 6:30 p.m.

Dick and Fay Nelson, Mike Perensovich, Elaine Strelow, and Russ and Marty Braun will tell about attending the recent Grand Igloo Convention in Palmer.

For more information, contact Elaine at 747-3469.

Story Time Set

‘‘Alaska’’ will be the theme of the next preschool story time 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at Kettleson Memorial Library. The event will be run by Miss Tracy and it is open to preschool ages and their caregivers, but everybody is welcome.

For more information call the library at 747-8708.

 Pumpkin Scavenger

Hunt at Kettleson

A scavenger hunt for children is slated Oct. 17 through Oct. 31 at Kettleson Memorial Library.

The event, “What Will Pumpkin Be for Halloween?” is in the library’s children’s room. Kids will look for the 12 Halloween costumes that pumpkin is trying on, then write down the name of the costumes they find. Correct answers go into a random raffle. The  winner gets a Halloween book.

SEARHC Announces Fall “Doc Talks” Schedule

SEARHC will host a new series of “Doc Talks” presentations beginning Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Hames Center on the SJ Campus.

Healthy snacks and refreshments will be provided beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the educational session starting at 7 p.m.

‘‘SEARHC places a high priority on preventing illness and injury through education. Reaching out to the community with a variety of topics presented by Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital providers is an excellent opportunity to teach people how to maintain their health. Based on the turnout at previous Doc Talks, the community is eager to learn,’’ SEARHC said.

At each session, a Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital provider will present a different topic and answer questions from the audience. The presentations are open to the community at no cost, and no registration is required. Community members may attend as many “Doc Talks” as they like.

The series of bi-weekly presentations begins Oct. 14 and runs through Dec. 16. The “Doc Talks” schedule is:

Oct. 14 – Gio Villanueva, PT, DPT, ATC, LAT and Stephanie Vanderslice, PT, DPT, ‘‘Managing chronic neck and back pain with physical therapy’’;

Oct. 28 – Loren E. Laybourn, M.D., ‘‘Mammography, why we do it and what it means’’;

Nov. 4 – David Vastola, M.D., and Valerie Edwards, M.D., ‘‘Staying healthy and avoiding diabetes’’;

Nov. 18 – Grace T. Hwang, M.D., Kelly Gebler, R.N., and Todd Gebler, R.T., ‘‘So, you want to quit smoking’’;

Dec. 2 – Irbert L. Vega, M.D., A, ‘‘HIVS - World AIDS Day, HIV/AIDS in Alaska and new treatment and prevention methods’’;

Dec. 16 – John A. Baciocco, M.D., ‘‘Understanding medication risks for those over 65.’’

For more information contact SEARHC Health Promotion Community Health Educator Lauren Hughey at 966-8797.

Sitka ANB, ANS

Seek Donations

For Grand Camp

The regional gathering of the local Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp will meet Oct. 7-10 in Wrangell to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Alaska Native Sisterhood.

Auction and raffle items are being collected by local ANB Camp 1 and ANS Camp 4 to benefit the work of ANB and ANS Grand Camp on Alaska Native rights issues. Donated items will be taken to Grand Camp in Wrangell where they will be auctioned and raffled off.

Suggested donations include: preserved foods; jams, jellies, berries, venison, fish and other seafoods; craft items, jewelry, photos, knitted, crocheted and woven items; regalia; vests, head pieces and other accessories; Native design clothing; and jackets, shirts, hats, scarves, ties, etc., entertainment; music, books, games, electronics, event tickets (sports, concerts, travel, etc.).

Donors should provide name, phone number, a description of the donated items that includes information about the design, material, name of the artist, and its estimated value. Those wanting to donate can contact one of the following people to arrange for delivery or pickup prior to Sunday, Oct. 4: Debe, 738-4323; Jean, 623-7355; or Marcia, 752-0438. 

Sitkans Invited to Write

Haikus to Make a Million

The Island Institute is working on an unconventional book of haikus written by the people of Sitka. The goal is to transform 100 haikus into 1 million.

The book will be crafted in the Island Institute’s publication studio in such a way that each line will be able to mix and mingle with those of the other 99 haikus to create new poetic possibilities at every turn of the page. For the intrepid and tireless haiku-er, a grand total of one million haiku combinations will be discovered. 

Haikus are short poems. Only three lines in total, the first and third lines typically have five syllables, while the middle line has seven syllables. The poetic form of the haiku originates in Japan and was traditionally used to describe the natural world and passage of seasons. Today, the haiku has been widely adapted within most modern languages around the world. Its succinct, simple nature makes this poetic form particularly suited to capture moments of beauty, feeling or observation. 

“This project is a fun way for our community to collectively produce a portrait of our home and lives,” Peter Bradley, the director of the Island Institute, said.

He added, in haiku, “We asked ourselves: ‘hmm. How will Sitka write a book? One line at a time!’”

Once the Sitka publication is complete, Bradley said, he dreams of expanding the series across the state to capture other Alaskan experiences. 

‘‘The lively and evolving nature of this book allows each reader to craft a unique poetic perspective – capturing snapshots of Alaskan lives, which together suggests a greater mosaic of Alaska,’’ he said. ‘‘Every browse through the book will yield new results: sometimes funny, sometimes profound, sometimes absurd or regrettably, meaningless.’’

To submit a haiku, visit iialaska.org/haiku, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call the Island Institute at 747-3794. Haikus will be collected until the end of October. 

Alternately, individuals can join a Saturday, Oct. 3, Hike and Haiku adventure. Meet at 304 Baranof Street for a free, fun, kid-friendly walk and write in the woods. The haikus written will be included in the publication. 

Costumes Ready

At White E Shop

The White Elephant Shop will have Halloween costumes available to purchase starting noon-3 p.m. Thursday.

Costumes will be in the main store and also the children’s store. Some decorations will be for sale as well.