Support for Trollers
Dear Editor: Any Sitkans who missed the amazing outpouring of support for the Southeast Alaska troll industry at the Elks Lodge last night missed something extraordinary. I almost missed it too because of the weather. It was gusting pretty bad and I didn’t know if we could get into our open skiff in the chop without destroying the cake Ceri had baked for the dessert auction. But we did and I was glad we did.
At the Elks I was dumbfounded and humbled by the turnout from the community. It seemed like all of Sitka was there. If for some reason you weren’t then you have my sympathy. It was standing-room-only.
Keith Perkins told me that the Elks do a lot of these fundraisers but he has never seen anything like this and he never lost a beat running the two-and-a-half-hour auction. Thank you so much, Keith. Most of all, my thanks to the organizer of the event, Lisa Langenfeld. Lisa, like you, I had tears in my eyes. Maybe it was shock over the – unprecedented in my experience – show of support.
And, of course, thank you to the Sitka Chapter of the Elks and its members for their inspiring and generous outreach to the Southeast Alaska troll industry.
Matt Donohoe, President
Alaska Trollers Association
