Older Car Parade
Dear Editor: I would like to thank all the participants in the Older and Interesting Car Parade on the 4th. Thank you to the drivers and their passengers, thank you to Marife Plaisance from Sitka Long-Term Care and their crew of watchers, and big thank you also to all the friends and neighbors who were along the parade route.
Your being out there is really special and I think I speak for all the car drivers that it is very, very much appreciated. Happy 4th to all and many more. Cheers,
Jeff Budd, Sitka
Sitka Duck Race
Dear Editor: The Sitka Rotary Club is excited to announce the winners of our 38th Annual Sitka Duck Race!
The winners are: first place, duck 2312, Henry Burton Jr., winner of the Alaska Airlines tickets; second, 0698, Kerry Nelson, $500; third, 3836, Mary Ferguson, $250; fourth, 2190, Zach Anderson, $100; fifth, 1280, Alan Terrano, $100; sixth, 4188, Larry Stern, $100; seventh, 0740, Mary Hames, $100; eighth, 2766, Sueann Mudry, $100.
Also, ninth, 2169, Mary Magnuson, $100; 10th, 3189, Linda Christlieb, $100; 11th, 0995, Ariane Goudeau, $100; 12th, 4385, Amanda Martin, $100, 13th, 0977, Hardik Patel, $100; 14th, 0428, Arrowhead Transfer, $100; 15th, 4453, David Voluck, $100; 16th, 1680, Shelley Weinstein, $100; 17th, 1931, Juliana Yonts, $100; 18th, 0001, Rachel DeShaw, $100; 19th, 0074, Dawn Mahoney-Menendez, $100; 20th, 0796, Lauretta Martin, $100; 21st, 4225, Luke Bastion, $100; 22nd, 3429, Sandy Riggs, $100; 23rd, 0704, Kailyn Simmons, $100.
Also, 24th, 0059, BJ Maley, $100; 25th, 4263, Rob Dickey, $100; 26th, 0769, Maybelle Filler, $100; 27th, 1465, Harland Adams, $100; 28th, 2715, Jeff Slater, $100; 29th, 4302, Greg Jones, $100; 30th, 0945, Vic Wong, $100; 31st, 0418, Cyndy Gibson, $100; 32nd, 4314, Carrie Iwamoto, $100; 33rd, 1281, Mary Hames, $100; 34th, 2737, Terri Prater, $100; 35th, 4129, Kealoha Harmon, $100; 36th, 2751, Sitka Moose Lodge, $100; 37th, 0614, Ed Iwamoto, $100; 38th, 2324, Mary Suminski, $100; 39th, 0151, Bonnie Richards, $100; Red Lantern Duck, last place, 2095, Daniel Cooper, $100.
The Sitka Rotary Club and our Sitka Duck Race had a very successful year due in large part to our community supporters – 1,131 generous individuals and 156 businesses purchased tickets this year. Thank you all! We would like to express our gratitude to Alaska Airlines for their generous, continuing donation of two roundtrip tickets anywhere they fly, to Sea Mart Quality Foods – this year’s prize sponsor – and First Bank – this year’s ticket sponsor.
We continued our Business Sponsor Initiative introduced in 2018 and grew that part of this year’s race to a record 155 Business Sponsors. They were all very generous to our event: Absolute Tree Care; AC Lakeside; A & D Island Storage; A Little Something; American Legion Post 13; Alaska Coach Tours; Alaska Coastal Outfitters; Alaska Computer Center; Alaska Marine Lines; Alaska Raptor Center; the Alaskan Sailing Company LLC; Alaska Seaplanes; Alaska Storytellers; ALPS Federal Credit Union; Arrowhead Transfer, Inc.; Artist Cove Gallery; the Backdoor Café; Baranof Bruins Youth Wrestling Club; Baranof Chiropractic; Baranof Jewelers; Baranof Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group.
Also, Beak Restaurant; Blue-Eyed Bear; Brenner’s; Buckland Equipment; Captain Bob’s Trading Post; Catch Sitka Seafoods; Channel Club; Coastal Collision; Compass Rose Charters; Cooper Marine Services; the Daily Sitka Sentinel/Arrowhead Press; Davis Realty; Diehl Landscaping; the Donut Lady; Dumag’s Roofing Company; Edward Jones Advisors – Sara E. Hadad-Dembs; Ems Kitchen; Ernie’s Old Time Saloon; Evoke Video; First Bank; First National Bank of Alaska; F/V Minke.
Also, Fondell Knives; Foreign Auto; Friends of the Sitka Public Library; the Fur Galley; Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce; Guns of Alaska; Halibut Point Crab & Chowder; Harbor Heights Penthouse; Harbor Mountain Brewing Co.; Harry Race Pharmancy & Photo; Haunted Sitka; Highliner Coffee Co.; Horan & Company LLC; House of Liquor; Interiorworks & Mudry Construction LLC; Jeff Budd for the Arts; Jessie’s Uptown Dogs; B Jordan Photography; JSC Enterprises Lawn Maintenance; Karelian Bear Dogs of Alaska; Katlian Street Suites; KCAW – Raven Radio; Keith Custom Construction.
Also, Kids First Day Care; Kit & Co.; Law Office of Alecia Porter-Harris; Lemonstone Carpentry and Contracting; LFS Marine Services; Linharbor Rentals; Mangiare; Martin’s Taxi & Tours; Mean Queen; MeTV.Sitka Channel 7.1; Mim McConnell Baranof Realty LLC; Napa Auto Parts; Neurobehavioral Consultants LLC; New Start Pets;Northern Credit Services; Northrim Bank; North Star Yoga; the Nugget; Old Harbor Books.
Also, Old Tyme Barber Totem Square; Orion Sporting Goods; Our Town Catering; Pacific Services; Pet’s Choice Veterinary Hospital; the Pioneer Bar; Pizza Express; Precision Boatworks; Premier Training of Alaska; The Professional Development Company; The Raven’s Hook; Red Bear Construction LLC; R & R Financial Services – Mary Ann Johnson; R & R Financial Services – Rene Russ; Russell’s; Salon 264; Seafood Producers Cooperative; Sea Level Consulting; Sea Mart Quality Foods.
Also, Sea Mountain Golf Course; Sewing Solutions; Shee Atika Inc.; Sitka Bazaar; Sitka Bottling; Sitka Bulk Goods; Sitka Checkered Cab; Sitka Couriers LLC; Sitka Custom Marine; Sitka Historic Tours; Sitka Homeless Coalition; Sitka Moose Lodge; Sitka Pediatric Dentistry; Sitka Electric Company; Sitka Pel’Meni; Sitka Pregnancy Center; Sitka Shredding; Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal.
Also, Sitka Sound Seafoods; Sitka Soup; Sitka Studio of Dance; Sitka Swirls; Sitka Tours; Sitka True Value; Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL); Southeast Dough Co.; Spenard Builders Supply – Sitka; Spruce Tip Business Services; Stedman Insurance Agency; Stereo North Furniture & Appliance; Stewart & Assoc Real Estate; Stone Lantern House; Alaska Storytellers; Sweet Sisters Caramels; Tongass Threads Consignment Store; Trinity Business Services LLC; Vicwongs IT Consulting & Computer Support; Wayfinder Wealth; Welcome Aboard LLC; Work & Rugged Gear Store; Wells Fargo Bank – Sitka; Westmark Sitka Hotel; and WinterSong Soap Company.
This year, thanks to the efforts of many and the generosity of our supporters, we sold out our entire flock of 5,000 ducks at 1:34pm, June 11, 2022. (A request to increase our duck inventory by another 500 ducks is pending before the Sitka Rotary Club board.)
While we were busy selling ducks for 2022, the proceeds we received from the 2021 Sitka Duck Race were distributed from July 2021 through May 2022.
The funds were distributed as follows: $2,200 to Sitka Volunteer Fire Department; $2,000 to KCAW-Raven Radio; $750 to Sitka Babies and Books; $1,000 to Sitka Lutheran Church; $400 to Friends of the Sitka Public Library; $243 to SAIL; $1,000 to Salvation Army – Sitka; $2,000 to Baranof Bruins Youth Wrestling Group; $1,800 to Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop (free bike light project); $11,000 to Sitka Homeless Coalition; Pioneers Home Xmas.
Also, $1,000 to Rotary District 5010; $150 to Friends of the Sitka Public Library; $1,000 to Outer Coast; $1,000 to Sitka Cycling Club; $1,500 to Sitka Youth Soccer; $1,500 to Artchange, Inc.; $336 to The Dictionary Project; $1,000 to Sitka High School Filipino Scholarship; $1,000 to Sitka High School Cheerleading Team,
Also, $1,000 to Sitka Counseling – Benches & Birds Project; $1,000 to Greater Sitka Arts Council – Porchfest II; $250 to Girl Scout Troop 4140; $1,000 to KCAW-Raven Radio; $1,000 to Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum; $500 to Sitka Ham Amateurs Radio Klub; $1,000 to Waypoint For Veterans; and $686 to Sitka High School Track Team.
Thank all of you in Sitka and beyond, who through your purchase of Sitka Duck tickets, continue to allow the Sitka Rotary Club, now celebrating its 81st anniversary, to continue to fund local projects which help make Sitka the most wonderful place in the world! See you next year!
Rotary is the world’s largest humanitarian service organization, with 1.2 million members worldwide with goals to provide community service, promote integrity, and advance goodwill, peace, and understanding in the world.
The local club has its own initiatives chosen by the board and members. Besides providing mini grants to local nonprofits, Sitka Rotary has contributed to PolioPlus, the Rotary worldwide effort to eradicate polio; scholarships for three Tanzanian girls to attend school; Kids Fishing Day; and the Shelterbox program providing relief to areas affected by war and natural disasters. Sitka Rotary also provides dictionaries to 3rd graders each year; participates in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, organizes the annual Goddard springs work party; and cleans up the streets twice a year; among other initiatives. Those interested in Rotary may contact Sitka Rotary Club President Loren Olsen at 907-747-8697.
John Weitkamp,
Sitka Rotary ‘‘DuckFather,’’
Sitka Duck Race Committee
Sitka Rotary Club
