Wearable Arts Show
Dear Editor: On March 16, the Greater Sitka Arts Council held their 11th Wearable Arts Show: ‘‘On the Edge.’’ It was by far one of the best shows produced to date. We have so many people to thank for their assistance and dedication to making this show possible. It was a successful event for artists and their models, enthusiastic audiences, and overall support of our non-profit arts council.
Jeanne Stolberg was an amazing asset with her knowledge of the sound system at HCH and her ability to adapt to situations that were outside of her sphere of influence. Charlie Morgan for his lighting expertise. CariBeth Gundrun for her last-minute assistance with back stage. Melinda McAdams for keeping the backstage running smoothly. Amanda Roberts as emcee.
The amazing Harrigan Centennial Hall staff. They offered suggestions which helped the event run smoothly for audience and performers alike. They are always cheerful and accommodating and come highly recommended from all of us at the Greater Sitka Arts Council.
Sitka Flowers and Sitka Slayers brought a fun wearable art element by creating flower crowns and selling delicious treats before, during and after the event. They graciously donated a portion of their proceeds to support future Arts Council events.
Thank you to Stephanie Rebecca Patton for flying jazz musician Dean Grech all the way from LA to set the tone for show with your amazing cover of “Living on the Edge” by Aerosmith. What a dynamic duo!
Thank you to Carla Whiteside of Sugar Chic Salon for her willingness to provide stage makeup for each performer – your artistry really puts the icing on the cake.
The Pub for providing us a space for an “after hours” meet and greet.
The Wearable Arts Committee who worked endlessly for months to produce this event – Angela McGraw, Bill Foster, Bobbi Jordan, Pat Hughes, John Stein and Amelia Mosher.
Thank you to Old Harbor Books for selling tickets – we appreciate your ground support.
Thank you to Suzanne at the Sitka Soup for saving the cover for us.
Sitka Sentinel for advertising and hosting us in the Weekender.
Thank you to KIFW and Rich McClear hosting us on Problem Corner.
Special thanks to Erin Fulton of KCAW for hosting us on the morning interview, and Max Kritzer for recording PSAs.
Thank you to Arrowhead Press for printing tickets and flyers and editing as needed.
Thank you so much to our generous sponsors who believe in our mission of improving the lives of Sitkans: Sea Mart Quality Foods, First National Bank Alaska, Tongass Threads, Harry Race Pharmacy, Megan Pasternak, Shauna Thornton, Jeff Budd of Checkered Cabs, Waddell & Reed, SEARHC, and of course our sincerest gratitude to our Presenting Partner, Alaska Airlines, for their unwavering support.
Last but not least, the real stars of the show, everyone who designed and modeled an outfit. The creativity and energy that goes into these wearable art pieces is phenomenal. Through attention to detail, planning and practicing, and many sleepless nights of building and constructing – it is not uncommon for an artist to spend a year or more creating their wearable art piece.
Congratulations to Caryn Kraft for winning the “People’s Choice” Award with her piece “On the Edge of CD’s.” We intend on expanding on this honor for next year’s show, adding a variety of categories and exciting prizes for participants.
Planning is already underway for next year’s show. The theme will be “Silver Linings” and we will be providing a series of workshops to support designers in the construction of their work. We invite you to join us! Like us on Facebook to stay informed, www.Facebook.com/greatersitkaartscouncil or email us at thinkartthinksitka@gmail.com to get involved.
Greater Sitka Arts Council
Board of Directors,
Amelia Mosher, Executive Director,
Greater Sitka Arts Council
Reunions
Dear Editor: The last week in May I went berserk with absolute delight! Sheldon Jackson School graduates from the 1960s had a reunion on the beautifully restored historic SJ Campus. I kind of crashed their party to say hello and welcome them and they gave me a wonderful gift: The Gift of Good Memories.
“Those were the best years of my life” said a graduate of SJ class of 1964. She had organized previous reunions in Anchorage and at her present home on Whidby Island in Washington. This was the first reunion of SJS alumni on the historic SJ Campus since the sudden and sad closure of the SJ College in June 2007.
Helen Mercado and others brought together an impressive book and series of fine events to celebrate a 20-year reunion of Sheldon Jackson School in 1987. The High School part of SJ closed in 1967 after 50 years and 696 students graduated from around Alaska. The Junior College (SJJC) and then Sheldon Jackson College continued until 2007.
Now the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, the Sitka Sound Science Center, the Sheldon Jackson Museum, the Sitka Counseling Center, Sitka Youth Advocates, Hames Center and the Sitka Summer Music Festival continue the strong, and diverse, educational themes on 20 acres of the original 351 acres of the campus.
I had almost forgotten those good years, the validating years of three high schools in Sitka. I almost forgot that I am 10 years older, Sitka High School Class of 1954. And I almost burst out singing the Sheldon Jackson Fight Song, a lively poem in song that links SJS graduates across the state: “Now draw near with a song and cheer for the school by the Western Sea…” What spirit and what spunk!
Actually, the Sitka High classes of the 1950s had a whole series of wonderful reunions beginning in 1980. The local alums organized them beautifully and they were great fun.
Classmates, their spouses and sometimes faculty from afar came to recall, celebrate and validate what a truly fine time we had at Sitka High. Also in late May, 17 1950s alums and their spouses met for our monthly lunch at the Nugget, especially to welcome Sherry, cheerleader SHS class of 1953.
We 1950 folks are getting pretty old and a bit deaf now, but what fun to see who is still alive! Since returning to Sitka 10 years ago, I haven’t heard much about SJS or SJJC or SJC years. But there are a whole lot of local connections to the school over the decades. And that is an integral part of Sitka and Alaska education. Add Mt. Edgecumbe High School and University of Alaska Southeast and you have Sitka as a large, continuing, vital center of education.
On Tuesday 4, 2019, Rebecca Poulson wrote an excellent article about her work, plans, and community engagement in thinking, sharing, and posting a large comprehensive project, Voices of Sheldon Jackson School and College. Thoughtful signs on campus will capture highlights of the project. Cheers to all who had connections to SJ in the past and all those working on this important project now. Watch for voicesofsheldonjackson.wordpress.com.
What a privilege being happily overwhelmed – even a bit berserk – with good memories. Cheers for Reunions!
Nancy Yaw Davis,
Sitka High School 1954
Seafood Extravaganza
Dear Editor: The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association recently hosted a seafood extravaganza for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and Council meeting attendees at Halibut Point Recreation Area. Guests enjoyed a beautiful Sitka evening at the park while savoring halibut, king salmon, blackcod, crab, rockfish and lingcod locally prepared by Chef Edith Johnson of Our Town Catering. Retiring council members Theresa Peterson and Buck Laukitis were guest of honor at the event.
ALFA would like to thank the many sponsors who made this event such a success. Sponsors include: the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, Ocean Conservancy, Sitka Sound Seafoods, Seafood Producers Cooperative, Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust, Icicle Seafood, Halibut Coalition, Silver Bay Seafoods, Sitka Salmon Shares, Alaskans Own, Oceana, Alaska Marine Conservation Council, Petersburg Vessel Owner’s Association & Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers. Special thanks to Tim Ryan with Sitka Sound Seafoods for the halibut, tents, tables, coolers and assistance with set-up; SPC for the black cod tips; Alaskans Own for providing salmon, halibut and rockfish; Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers for the donation of king crab; Carolyn Nichols for baking chocolate chip cookie bars; and Sitka Salmon Shares for the donation of lingcod. And a very special thank you to ALFA’s wonderful team of summer interns: Julia Kaplan, Natalie Armstrong, Stephanie Maltarich and Clark Edwards, for their hard work towards a fun evening!
The event took place in collaboration with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting, which was held at Harrigan Centennial Hall June 3-10. The Council is responsible for developing management policy for the federal waters fisheries off Alaska.
This reception would not have been possible without the help of our event sponsors, Sitka community members, and local fishermen. Thank you to all who contributed and attended. Please visit our website at alfafish.org to see pictures from the event and learn more about ALFA programs.
The ALFA team:
Linda Behnken, Dan Falvey, Willow Moore-Olbrych, Tara Racine, Tracy Sylvester and Paul Olson
Walk, Bike Conference
Dear Editor: Thanks to everyone who supported last week’s Alaska Walk and Bike Conference in Sitka.
In addition to some great partners from outside of Sitka, our conference got critical assistance from local organizations, including SEARHC, Sitka Community Hospital, the Sitka Cycling Club and Sitka Trail Works.
The Aspen Suites Hotel was a wonderful host. The hotel gave us a great conference rate, the use of their conference room and even included a complimentary room for our main speaker, Elle Steele. The Mean Queen at Totem Square hosted the Bikes and Bites event on Thursday night, which was great.
Thanks to the Daily Sitka Sentinel, Raven Radio, and Northstar television for covering the event and running announcements beforehand. Visit Sitka and the Chamber of Commerce helped with ideas, promotion and welcome signs, and devoted their weekly lunch meeting to this topic.
Thank you to local presenters Holly Marban from SEARHC, Walking College Fellow Charles Bingham, Lynne Brandon from Sitka Trail Works and Rick Petersen from Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL). After Rick’s presentation at the Walk this Way Lunch and Learn, SAIL loaned us wheelchairs and other mobility devices that we used on our walk/roll audit. It was eye opening to see the many barriers people face with our transportation system.
We had a steady stream of nutritious and delicious food from the Fisheye Organic Café, and this conference couldn’t have happened without our friends at the Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop and their fleet of quality bike rentals. The week kicked off wonderfully with a check hand-off behind Harry Race, as their tip jar from May’s National Bike month was generously dedicated to the Sitka Cycling Club. ThanksTrish!
Finally, a big thank you goes out to everyone who attended any part of the conference. Our goal was to get at least 50 people to at least one Alaska Walk and Bike Conference event, and we end up with 70 locals. Thanks for participating and thanks to everyone who is working to make Sitka a bikeable and walkable town. With this year’s success plans are in the works for expanding and bringing the conference back to Sitka in June of 2020. We even have the conference theme selected: Walk, Bike, Roll, creating a healthy, equitable, and sustainable transportation system for everyone.
Gunalcheesh, Salamat and thanks,
Doug Osborne, Sitka
Medical Care
Dear Editor: As a 40-plus-year resident of Sitka, I’ve been a ‘‘customer’’ at Sitka Community Hospital several times and was very pleased with the quality of care and professionalism of all who work there. To think of losing this fine community asset has bothered me, as it has many others.
Last week I was a ‘‘customer’’ of Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital, first in their emergency room with a racing and irregular pulse, and later as an overnight guest for observation. The care I received there was exceptional. ER personnel quickly found that my thyroid was overactive and the heart monitor they attached, which I wore for the next 22 hours, determined I was experiencing atrial flutter (a cousin to atrial fibrillation). Every person I encountered was pleasant, some even jovial, and proficient. So, while losing our community hospital is difficult for all concerned, we can be thankful that we have such an outstanding facility to take its place.
Bob Ginn, Sitka
