More on Hames
Dear Editor: The Hames Center is truly a community-run center and it’s a joy to watch lives change and dedicated people working hard to keep the facility running so well. The Weekend Edition of the Sentinel captured a lot of wonderful elements of this story. Thank you Shannon for your excellent work.
The continued volunteer effort is stellar (over 200 hours/week) and we all benefit from the ongoing determination and passion of these fine folks. But, I must say that no article about the Hames Center is complete without mention of the manager. Carrie Johnson is a spunky woman with strong loyalty and devotion and she is critical to the continued success of our “indoor playground.” The mission of the center is heart felt and Carrie is a wonderful match.
Sitka is certainly gifted with wonderful humans and a new addition is Jason LaBrado, the AmeriCorps serving at the Hames Center. He is working with new programs and volunteer sustainability.
It’s a great day at the Hames Center and there are many people to thank!
Cindy Edwards, Sitka
Christmas Tree
Dear Editor: Once again Alaska Arts Southeast (Sitka Fine Arts Camp) and our campus partner Sitka Summer Music Festival brought light to our community, this time in the form of a tree. On a cold, snowy night in mid-December the festival volunteers hosted a beautiful reception, complete with cookies, hot cider and carols round the piano. Susan Wingrove gave her time and talent to play for folks as they came in to visit and get warm. Then, just as fat snowflakes began to fall, friends and neighbors from all over town gathered on the campus lawn to listen to members of the Holiday Brass Ensemble put their lips to near freezing mouthpieces and fill the night with holiday spirit. The tree lights came on, illuminating children playing in the snow beneath its branches. It was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting or “It’s A Wonderful Life”, except it was real, it was home!
This was the second year that I have had the privilege to be a part of this project. The list of people to thank is long:
For donations of lights, thanks to Karen and Dan Jones, Mat Turner and Dirk White.
For climbing the tree, getting the lights working and taking them down later, thanks to Andy Heiman, Torin Lehmann, Nate Turner, Mat Turner, Eric Dow and Jay Stelzenmuller
For the wonderful reception in Stevenson Hall, thanks to Kayla Boettcher and all of the amazing Sitka Summer Music Festival volunteers.
For music, thanks to Susan Wingrove, Wade Demmert, Dwyane Hollenbach, Daryl Johnson, Jeff Luke, Scott Macomber, Donna Parkes, Alicia Waite, Micah Wilkinson, Larry Zalkind and Roger Schmidt.
For publicity, thanks to The Daily Sitka Sentinel and KCAW radio.
We sponsor this event as a gift to our community, recognition of the tremendous support we get all year. Instead, our gift to you becomes another magical experience for us. That night in December we joined together as a community to share in something for the pure joy of it. Together we lit the winter night. Thank you, Sitka. It is, truly, a wonderful life.
Tracy Turner. Board Member
Sitka Fine Arts Camp
Cruising Sitka
Dear Editor: Greetings from Arizona! Last September, we returned to Sitka by cruise ship. We chose the itinerary only because it came to Sitka. We returned because we love your town and its charm and wanted to experience Sitka again. Sitka is a slice of heaven and we enjoyed our time very much. I do however, wonder why our Celebrity Century ship docked at the port instead of out in the waters? It felt awkward and just wrong for our noisy and large shuttle buses to be driving through such lovely, quiet residential neighborhoods. We were told we were the first to dock at the cargo dock. I was not prepared to see a Holland America ship anchored where we had first docked a few years ago. I want to say, I prefer docking out in the water that face the beautiful downtown area. It is much more convenient to leave the tender and to walk through the downtown area. The local merchants can use the foot traffic and I honestly believe Sitka should leave the quiet and peaceful tranquility for the residents. I encourage Sitka to keep the residential neighborhoods quiet and reroute the cruise ship traffic to the downtown area.
Barbara Goldstein
Tempe, Ariz.
