‘Celtic Cinderella’
Dear Sitka: Thank you so very much to those of you who came to our ‘‘Celtic Cinderella’’ performance. We really enjoyed performing for you. Thank you to all the parents who enlighten your children with the gift of Celtic dance.
Thank you to Sitka Fine Arts Camp for encouraging and supporting my ideas and helping to provide the tools to create them. Thank you to Zeke Blackwell for your wonderful story-telling. Thank you to Henry Colt, for writing a most enchanting story. Thank you to the technicians who bring the stage to life, with beautiful lights, sound and ambiance, especially Jeanne Stolberg, Monica Ague and Greta Healy.
Thank you to those who had the foresight to envision this auditorium and what it could provide for our community. Thank you to the photographers, who capture our creation and hold these special memories in awesome photos, especially Bobbi Jordan, Christine Davenport and John Fulton.
Thank you to my husband and family for your love, encouragement and patience with my projects. Thank you to the audience, who gives us our rewards with your smiles, clapping and appreciation of your performance. Thank you to all musicians, as just one song was the spark for this creation. Thank you to those parents and friends who jumped in and helped backstage, especially Kris Wilcox, Juliet Agne, Sandy Sulzbach, Chloe Desatoff, Kristin Homer, Grace Hwang, Karen Grussendorf, Leslie Gordon, Barbara Kendall, Candice Carter, Danika Weaver, Wynter Smith and Eric Hanson. A very special thanks to the SEER School, for your wonderful, professional help with the Marley! Thank you to our dancers, who skillfully and beautifully brought this creation to life! You are all the BEST!
Kris Fulton, Sitka
Christmas Dinner
Dear Editor: The Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 1 and the Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 4 are so happy to have hosted the annual Christmas Community Dinner. The old ANB Founders Hall saw its facilities filled to capacity on Christmas Day, and its kitchen in full-tilt-boogie mode.
We served and delivered almost 500 meals, cooked 18 turkeys and 18 hams and had to borrow more tables and chairs from the Unitarian Fellowship. Mr. and Mrs. Claus (Wilbur and Natalie Brown) danced from the balcony to the tree on the stage to traditional Tlingit drumming before making sure every child there received a bag of fruit and nuts as well as wonderful new toys. There was no shortage of volunteers, and generous donations covered all of the expenses and even left us a little nest egg for the 2016 dinners.
The Santas that gave gifts to the Thanksgiving and Christmas community dinners included Shee Atiká Inc., SEARHC Community Health Services, Baranof Island Housing Authority, Sealaska Corporation, Sitka Tlingit and Haida Community Council, First National Bank Alaska, Sitka Elks Lodge, White Elephant Shop, AC Lakeside, Sea Mart Quality Foods, ALPS Federal Credit Union, Sitka Woman’s Club, Dave and Debra Lyons, Foreign Automotive, White’s Pharmacy, Frank and Ruth Roth, Harry Race Soda Fountain, Sue Thorsen, Lakrisha Brady in memory of Isabella Brady, Marilyn Licari, Sitka Food Coop, Equal Exchange Coop, Pauline Fredrickson, Easter Group, St. Peterʼs Episcopal Church, Pioneer Bar, Alaska State Employees Association – City of Sitka, Karen Gussendorf, Harold Kitka, Sheri Mayo, Christine and Charles Horan, Alyse Cadez and Robert Schmidt, True Value, Spike and Jean Arnold, Kim Kirkness, Liza Ainsworth, Michael Scarcelli family, Karen Lucas, Kirk Albrecht, Conley Ward, Linda Blankenship, Allen Marine Tours, Baha’i Faith, Nancy Yaw Davis and the F/V Coral Lee. Debra Lyons was a masterful donation wrangler.
Other contributors included Ben Franklin, Sea Mart meat and produce departments, Salvation Army, Northern Sales, Hannah Nelson, Betty and Ron Conklin, Ray Kitka for Harold Kitka, Judy Ozment, Evelyn Johnson and family, Vicki Keele, Martin and Lisa Dundes and family, Lisa and Marty Dundas, Nancy Ricketts, the Baines family, Larry Garrity, Dionne Brady-Howard, Karen Grussendorf and the Sitka Veterans Association.
Our master chef John Gallager was assisted by Gary May, Arthur, Steve Warren, and turkey roasters Annette Blankenship and family, Wilbur Brown and family, Barb Dexter, Sherie Mayo, Harriet Beleal, John McCrehin, Marlys McCrehin, Lisa Schwartz, Lloyd and Julie Platson, Marie Ruuti, Phyllis Moore, Suzanne Shea, Greg and Andrea Cawthon and Vicki Keele.
Other volunteers included Lyndia May, Andy Roberts, Russ Ruuti, Josephine Johnson, Marilyn Licari, Paul S. Chulik Jr., Jon Scott, Poola Montes, Jason Bribal, Andrea Cawthon, Christy and Keith Anderson, Paul Cotter, Greg Canothen, O.J., Devin Tatro, Jason Bibar, Michael Perrina, Gail Ferris, Tom Crane, Christina, Michelle Putz, Perry Edwards, Slater Anderson, Chad Titel, Amy Sutton, Sandy Kincheloe, Tom and LaNelle Bacon, Sandy K., Bob O., Christina Blandforth and Rachel Moreno.
KCAW, KIFW, the Sitka Sentinel, the Sitka Soup and Arrowhead Press gave us great coverage and KSCT-TV provided us with DVDs of the holiday dinners.
On behalf of the ANB and ANS, we were pleased and happy to host such a joyous occasion, to unite and build up our community, and the rallying of supporters, diners and volunteers humbles us. Please accept our apology if we have overlooked thanking people who helped with the dinner. Gunalchéesh!
With grateful appreciation,
Kerry MacLane, ANB Christmas
Community Dinner Chair,
Joy Wood, ANS Christmas
Community Dinner Chair
