Christmas Tree Thanks
Dear Editor: The Revitalize Sitka: Creating a Vibrant Community group would like to thank Dave and Lauren Allen and Allen Marine for donating the Christmas tree in front of St. Michael’s Cathedral. A Christmas tree in front of the church has been a longstanding tradition.
We are very happy to have the support of the Allens. Not only did they donate the tree, but Allen Marine has picked up the tree and physically put it up in front of the church for the past several years. Anytime we have needed assistance Allen Marine has always been there. We are very grateful to Dave and Lauren Allen and their staff or their community spiritedness.
As Sitkans may have noticed, the lighted snowflakes that were on the lamp posts last year are not being used this year. There were some electrical issues with a few snowflakes in February/March. The decision was made to send them back to the company for a refund. The Revitalize sitka group is in the process of searching for another company to provided lighted snowflakes. Our plan is to hang them in November 2016.
Many thanks to the City and Borough of Sitka electrical department for all their assistance with the lighted snowflakes. We really appreciate their help.
Revitalize Sitka Group
Celebrating Ryan
Dear Editor: On Friday evening our community came together in warmth and love to join one another in a difficult task – celebrating the life of a deeply loved and courageous man, Ryan Kauffman.
As we enter holidays and think of all those with empty spaces in hearts and lives, we encourage ourselves and one another to let a gentler heart be your guide, live with a more opened mind, and allow an acceptance for the ways in which we falter and struggle. May we have a deeper amount of patience with ourselves and others.
With appreciation for Friday night’s service, deep thanks go to: Erin Dougherty and Rob Lynch for the marvelous slideshow. Bernadette Rasmussen, Grace Brooks, Tess Heyburn, Ariel Coleman, Beth Short-Rhoads, Toby Campbell, Stephen Rhoads, School District friends and many other angels who provided homemade (YUMMERS) food and drink. Steve Lawrie for sharing and creating his masterpiece painting of Ryan. Megan Pasternak for the crafty and lovely decorations. Erin Matthes put together a perfect bulletin. Collette Nelson for her delicacies and cuisine support. Shira Kahan volunteered to take care of children during the service and recruited a childcare support team. J Bradley and Greta Heely were stellar and professional making the PAC “just right.” Jeff Farvour and Corrie Bosman for the photo displays, Bridget Hitchcock and Chloe Copeland for the art activity and memory tables. Roger and Mary Hames and Hames Corp for their generous donations of healthy platters of food. Thank you all for “showing up” (mentally and physically) and for all those that weren’t mentioned, thanks for carrying the torch.
The entire community has done immeasurable amounts of outreach, love, care, sacrifice, and strong support for Ryan and his family. We are better as individuals and as community thanks to his life. Let’s continue to honor his huge supply of admirable qualities and the lessons he continues to teach us daily. In gratitude,
Cindy Edwards, Sitka
Holiday Lights Winners
Dear Editor: It’s Christmas time in Sitka and all across town holiday lights have created a winter wonderland. The Sitka Chamber is excited to announce the winners of this year’s Holiday Lights Contest.
Mary Suminski, at 120 Patterson Way, won the Mayor’s Award this year, with a dazzling display of white lights – a must see. And the President’s Award goes to Ken and Carol Helem for their beautiful display on 805 Sirstad Street. If you want to see these light displays, you will need to hurry before the Grinch takes all of the lights.
Our judges also requested that we share the full list of nominees to include the Romine residence at 301 Wachusetts Street for yet another fun and entertaining display, 409 Monastary Street; Betty Conklin’s residence at 453 Charteris; 203 Crabapple Drive; 403 Verstovia; 712 Sirstad; and Mary Miller’s home on Katlian Street. Etolin Street and Sirstad Street were both recognized by the judges as special neighborhoods this year.
Choosing the contest winners is not an easy task, and our local businesses didn’t make this year any less challenging. Congratulations to Knitting with Class for the delightfully creative window display and this year’s Business Decorations Winner. The Sitka Chamber would also like to recognize the Sitka Pioneers Home for their beautiful display each and every year. Additional nominees included Bev’s Flowers (our 2014 Business Winner), Harry Race Pharmacy for their Lego Display, Chocolate Moose and Sitka Flowers, and Pet’s Choice Veterinary Clinic. The judges also wanted to recognize the City of Sitka for their part in decorating Sitka.
Special for this year, Baranof Realty sponsored an award for the Most Spirited Residence to share in a successful 2015 and to encourage Sitkans to put extra thought into their decorations and spread Christmas spirit. Jeanette and Scott Foss and family at 607 DeGroff Street were awarded the Most Spirited Residence Award and a check for $1,000 for their “Tis the Season for Giving”-themed display. This home-school project, done by their three children, Michael (10), Natalia (9) and Roman (8), was inspired by seeing a shelter made of a tarp in the woods during an off-trail hike last month. The message the Foss family would like to share this year, “May we remember those without gifts every year.”
Each of our prize winners received a turkey donated by Sea Mart Quality Foods and a bottle of wine donated by the Odom Corporation. Thank you so much to your generous sponsors. Thank you to Mayor Mim McConnell and Sitka Chamber Board Past-President Suzan Hess for taking on the job of judging this year’s contest, as well as to those who submitted nomination forms. And, finally, thank you so much to everyone who put up lights and decorations this year for all of us to enjoy.
Rachel Roy, Executive Director
Greater Sitka
Chamber of Commerce
Check Out a Library Book
Dear Editor: Now is the time for all good Sitkans to come to the aid of their library.
It seems like only yesterday that an army of folks helped to unshelf, box, stow, unstow, load, transport, unload, restow, re-unstow, unbox and reshelf the contents from out of the old library location next to Centennial Hall, out to its temporary location in the former SJ Stratton Library building. And soon, it will be time to reverse the process.
At 2 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, the SJ-based library folks are going to shut down day-to-day operations in preparation for and execution of the move back to the overhauled, expanded and upgraded new-old library; with a currently scheduled resumption of normal operating hours and services on or about Feb. 1.
A new army has been, and is being even as we speak, recruited to once again help with all the unshelfing, boxing, stowing, unstowing, loading, transporting, unloading, re- and then un-re-stowing, unboxing and reshelfing that looms ahead.
“But what,” asked one old guy with a cane while checking out a bunch of books about the 2008 financial ¢risi$. “What can those of us who can’t do any of that, all that actual, real, physical labor stuff…? What can we do to help? What can we do to help make it to happen? And how?”
“Keep doin’ what you’re doin’,” winked the librarian, with a coy smile and almost coquettish shrug. “You will note that the due date on all your books is Feb. 2,” she continued. “The best thing you and any and everybody else can do to help make the move back downtown easier is to keep all those books and such you have checked out checked out until Feb. 2 or until we are officially re-opened; whichever happens first. The more books and stuff y’all check out,’’ she concluded quite logically, if not perkily, “and keep until we’re moved back home, the less books and stuff we have to move.”
She did an obviously pre-calculated calculation in her head, and offered the following prediction: “If every card-carrying library patron – plus their personal, extended, and even corporate families – if each every and all of these folks would check out, say, 17.7 items (books, films, whatever) each – and hold onto all of them until we’re back on our feet again when once again we’re once again back home – well, wow, we might be able to make this whole move happen with just a couple of four-wheel SUV vans and a flatbed pickup and hand-truck in just a couple of hours.”
“Plus,” she further enthused, ‘‘what with us being closed and all, this would be a very good time to stack up on all those books you will probably end up wishing you had read – and all those flicks you’d’ve wanted to have seen – while waiting for the Super Bowl.”
So … get on over to the library and check out your fair share, and help make this the easiest library relocation in history. If not ever.
JG Moebus, Sitka
