Bread Fundraiser
Dear Editor: A gargantuan shout-out to Laura Schmidt for baking the most delicious, outstanding bread we’ve ever tasted. Laura baked her amazing bread for the Sitka High School band’s fundraiser held at their winter concert last Wednesday evening. Kudos for the smashingly awesome idea of offering homemade, high-quality artisan bread at a fundraiser. And thank you to Kristen for her assistance in getting loaves to me.
Laura’s organic bread is a scrumptious, old-world, artisan loaf, heavy with nutrition and laden with the goodies mentioned in its name. We tried one of each variety offered, cranberry-walnut, raisin-pecan, Greek-olive, rye-currant, multi-grain and traditional sourdough. Each was savory perfection and not sweet except for the hint of sweetness from the fruit it contained. It’s a style of loaf unavailable anywhere else in Sitka, to my knowledge. These loaves make excellent Christmas gifts too.
This nutritious hardy bread is well worth a hardy donation to the Sitka High School band. If you would like to donate to help fund the band’s trip to Bellevue, Washington, please make your check payable to Sitka High School Music and send to Sitka High School, 1000 Lake Street, or contact Kristen at 738-0238.
I hope your fundraiser was an enormous success. Again, thank you for creating this amazing holistic bread. The only thing that could make it even better would be the creation of a seventh variety option of a similar style loaf that is also gluten-free. I look forward to your next bread fundraiser. Thank you!
Carole Denkinger, Sitka
Wrestling Tournament
Dear Editor: Congratulations to the Sitka High wrestling team! They just completed the final away tournament of the season; regionals and state are still to come.
As the proud father of the 2015 113-pound state champion, Curt Bartlett, who is also a senior, I wanted to thank some of the people who have supported and encouraged my son and his teammates as they have journeyed through the various wrestling programs in sitka.
I would like to give a special thanks to coaches Tom Henshaw, Mike Kimber, Bill and William Patrick, and current Sitka High Coach Jim Giampa. Also, a special thanks go to Jim DiGennaro for his help with Tsunami wrestling, middle school wrestling, and his willingness to volunteer as a referee for our ‘‘in school’’ meets. I would also like to acknowledge our numerous community business and private donors who give very generously making it possible for our kids who are participating in sports to travel and compete.
Thanks also to Dr. Don Lehmann and physical therapist Erik Speck, who check in on the kids and keep them healthy.
This weekend, Mt. Edgecumbe High School will host the 3A Southeast Alaska regional championships. Winners will go on to compete in the state championships held in Anchorage on Dec. 15 and 16.
The community is invited to come out this weekend and support the Southeast High School Wrestling Program at MEHS.
Mark Bartlett, Sitka
Happy Holidays, Sitka
Dear Editor: The Sitka Cancer Survivor Society is very proud to be a part of Sitka’s community for over 16 years.
Our mission statement is ‘‘To honor, educate, comfort and inspire individuals and families affected by cancer.’’ And with the generosity of this community we continue to be able to give $500 mini-grants to individuals in sitka in need of assistance who are dealing with cancer. To date we have given out 21 so far this year. The gift of minigrants make a difference in their lives.
Our Path of Hope is an inspirational park and meant to give hope to all people facing life’s tough challenges. Please take an opportunity to visit because we know you will be pleasantly surprised. It is located above the Moller Park running track. The park is a gift to the community of Sitka from all cancer survivors, and their families and friends, and is a place to reflect, enjoy and think about each of our futures.
We also sponsor a Cancer Support Group which meets at the Sitka Pioneers Home Manager’s House once a month on a Sunday. Thank you to Mary Beth Palof for continuing to lead the group and provide refreshments.
Thank you to the 20-plus members of the Ocean Wave Quilt Guild who again donated the beautiful ‘‘Turquoise Turning 15’’ queen-size quilt. Many fabrics were used and Alice Cameron did the quilting for the drawing that was held on Dec. 4.
The lucky winner was Barbara Richards of Sitka. Second place was Georgia Rogers of Sitka who won the ‘‘Live, Life, Love’’ lap quilt, quilted and donated by Sarah Jordan. Third lace, Frank Boyce from Florida, was the winner of the wonderful handmade moccasins donated by Linda Janacek.
A special thanks to Bonnie Richards who heads up the sale of our raffle tickets every year. Also our appreciation to all of the quilters and volunteers who helped sell tickets and especially this community for purchasing the tickets. To the Sitka emblem Club 142 for their help with our raffle, a special thank you.
Without individuals and business donors, volunteers giving their time, talents and treasures, the Sitka Cancer Survivor Society could not do what we do.
Sitka Cancer Society says thank you. We wish everyone a beautiful Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2017.
Sitka Cancer Survivor’s
Society Board of Directors
Susan Suarez, Candy Barger,
Bonnie Richards, Jill Scheidt,
Linda Janacek, Gloria Scigliano and Carolyn Fredrickson
Sitka Artisans Market
Dear Editor: The Greater Sitka Arts Council hosted the annual Sitka Artisans Market over the weekend and it was a smashing success despite the inclement weather. The market was visited by 1,800 Sitkans and the council would like to express gratitude for each and every visitor.
The Greater Sitka Arts Council relies on support from generous volunteers to meet our mission of promoting the knowledge and experience of the arts as a public good.
Thank you to Benjamin Lawrie and Eric Jarvill for hanging Artisan Market signs and to Zack Heathman for the use of a van parked at the roundabout.
Thank you to Mary Boose, Paul McGlew, and the maintenance staff at Sitka Fine Arts Camp for their tireless support and hard work managing the event space, they truly went above and beyond.
GSAC board of director members John Stein, Cleo Brylinsky, Rebecca Danon, Ted Howard, Bobbi Jordan, Pat Hughes, Heather Bauscher and Lauren Wild served the public through a diversity of indispensable volunteer tasks and provided vital boots-on-the-ground support throughout the market.
Bobbi and Dennis Carlson, Arianna Elnes, Michael Mausbach, Matthew Lawrie, Erin Weekly, Beth Kindig, Jeff Budd, Sitka AmeriCorps members Laura Morgan and Alex Thompson and incoming Greater Sitka Arts Council Executive Director Kammie Daniels were the smiling faces greeting the public.
Cleo Brylinsky and Megan Pasternak masterfully executed the Holiday Craft Party with outstanding assistance from Matt Foruria’s MEHS honor students and Jean Longstreth.
MEHS Art Club and Katie Mulligan were the clean-up angels at the end of a long weekend, helping not only the council but vendors as well.
Local business assistance backs GSAC programming and the council is thankful for the following support for the Artisans Market: Alps Federal Credit Union, White’s Pharmacy, Old Harbor Books, SEARHC, Eagle Bay Inn, First National Bank of Alaska, First Bank, Hames Corporation, Davis Realty and Baranof Realty.
GSAC is also supported in part through grants from the City of Sitka, Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Rasmuson Foundation, the White Elephant Shop and the Sitka Permanent Charitable Trust.
The Sitka Artisans Market was my last event as the director of the council, and I want to sincerely thank the public for their support of the Arts.
Sarah Lawrie,
Greater Sitka Arts Council,
Executive Director
