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One of the best things about Alaska is its ease with intergenerational relations. It's not unusual to see a 90-year-old walking along a beach with their 10-year-old friend, or generations still living under the same roof. And it is especially important here where Alaska Native languages and cultures can sometimes be undercut by modern life. First Alaskans Institute will address this at its annual Elders and Youth Conference, October 14 through 17 in Anchorage. This year's theme, Na Ganiyaatgm,...
After news of gold found in the Klondike spread during the summer of 1897, many people in the Lower 48 left their jobs and families to head north to search for their fortunes. And soon a hoax, perpetuated by promoters looking to profit off of the stampede, would eventually birth one of Alaska's most picturesque little towns. 1897-1898 headlines rang out with "Gold in Alaska. Valdez Trail – Best Trail!" But the reported pre-existing trail turned out to be a glacier that was twice as long and s...
With the cost of solar panels having dropped from about seven dollars to a single dollar for an (uninstalled) watt, for many, solar has become a cost effective consideration —even in Alaska. The resulting cost savings of installing solar as your primary energy source varies widely on conditions and location throughout the state. And the telltale sign as to whether it is worth the investment, or will, in other words yield a quick ‘pay back’ time, is dependent largely on how much you now pay for a kilowatt of electricity, which you would be su...
A growing number of grandparents are taking care of grandchildren due to the opioid abuse crisis that has swept the nation, as well as other circumstances. Of the 65 million grandparents in the United States in 2012, 7 million, or 10 percent, lived with at least one grandchild, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And the numbers are growing. Assisting families Other factors— illness, death, loss of employment — also threatens the fabric of a family. “We actually supported a grandfather whose wife had to go to the hospital and who had a brother...
The Alaska Training Cooperative presents “Traditional Health Based Practices: Behavioral Health Continuing Education,” a foundational course on traditional lifestyles and health practices of people living in Alaska prior to western contact. Eight-hour class sessions are offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 28, Nov. 9, Dec. 7, Feb. 8 and Mar. 8 in Fairbanks and other sites throughout the state via live, interactive, web-based delivery using Zoom. Trainees will be introduced to beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge of health promotion and mai...
September is jam-packed with lots of great health fair choices in your local community. Alaska Health Fair events offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable, comprehensive and private blood tests (starting at $20). These tests can help you learn about your overall health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. Alaska Health Fairs will be held at the following locations and times during September. For more information, call 907-278-0234...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in August. This month’s focus is part two of “Designing a Supportive Dementia Care Environment,” with showings from a training DVD by dementia expert Teepa Snow. Sept. 4, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 11, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 18, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 25, open house and workshop at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Suppo...
One evening last winter while searching my TV recordings for a certain movie I wanted to watch, the words "Bus Life Ever" caught my eye. Curious, I clicked to learn more and soon was intrigued. It was a show out of Denver, Colorado, from the Home Improvement channel featuring three bus rebuilds. For the first one, the guy was going to raise the roof with a budget of $45,000 to $55,000. The second project was to remove the complete interior and start from scratch with a budget of $100,000 to $150...
U.S. Revenue Cutter Service captains saw a need for supplemental food for Alaska's Native people in the Last Frontier during the late 1880s, as whale and seal populations had diminished. And since marine mammals were among the Natives' primary food sources, the captains became concerned for the well being of Natives living in Bering Sea villages. Capt. Michael A. Healy remembered seeing something in 1881 that might answer the problem of sustaining Alaska's Native people. While serving as...
Alaskans annually play a waiting game with winter. The frenzied pace of summer begins to slow around mid-August as kids and grandkids return to school, daylight wanes, and weather patterns become a bit more unpredictable. But should this stop you from exploring the 49th state? Never. Autumn's shift merely indicates an entirely new season of travel, especially in Alaska's Interior region, where crowds thin noticeably after Labor Day. Fairbanks plays hub to the greater Interior that includes...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will conduct a Rural Outreach Meeting in Nome, September 12-15, 2018, for purposes of learning about elder-senior needs in Norton Sound. This meeting will include a visit to Shishmaref to meet with elders/seniors and agencies serving seniors as well as in Nome. In addition to ACoA’s board meeting and agency visits, the focus will be to gather input from seniors and their families, providers, and other public members about what is working well in Nome for older adults and what needs improvement with r...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in August. This month’s focus is “Designing a Supportive Dementia Care Environment,” with showings from a training DVD by dementia expert Teepa Snow. Aug. 7, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 14, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, hosted by Paula Koch, 3 p.m. Aug. 21, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m....
My first experience at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer was back in the mid-1960s as part of a group of young 4-H girls from Glennallen. A couple mothers drove us in to Palmer to see our projects on display and pick them up the next day when the fair was over. I was too young to know how sleeping arrangements were made for the group, but I do remember we all spent the night at Janet Kincaid's home. Current owner of the Valley Hotel and Café and the Colony House Inn, Janet was in the hospitality...
Tanana Valley State Fair is from Aug. 3-11 in Fairbanks. Senior admission (age 60 and older) is $20 for a Senior Season Pass and $5 for a Senior Daily Pass. Free admission for seniors on Senior Day on Aug. 8. Events include a senior luncheon, pie eating contests, rodeo, performances by Little River Band, Austin Burke, Rose’s Pawn Shop, Dawn McClain, and Marty Brown, Star Wars Costume Contest and much more. For a full schedule of events visit http://www.tananavalleyfair.org. Kenai Peninsula Fair takes place Aug. 17-19 in Ninilchik. Senior a...
The 2018 Alaska International Senior Games (AISG), held August 10-19 in Fairbanks, will kick off with the Opening Ceremonies and Gala Games at Pioneer Park's Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts on August 10, 6 p.m. The annual torch lighting ceremony sets the tone for AISG's 65 events, including 20 different sports ranging from team sports like basketball and tennis to individual sports like swimming and archery. "All athletes over 90 will have a torch in the torch lighting ceremony," said...
Water in the Chena River inched up ever higher during July 1967 when 3.34 inches of rain, instead of the normal 1.84 inches, fell on Fairbanks. The city's 30,000 residents weren't too worried, though. Most were in the midst of the Alaska Purchase Centennial, celebrating the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. But when 6 inches of rain fell during a period of five days, the river did crest. And on the evening of August 14, it spilled over its banks at 18.6 feet. The massive amount of wat...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in August: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Aug. 14 and 28), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Aug. 1 and 15), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can cal...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in July. This month’s focus is “Take care to give care,” with discussions on how caregivers can better care for themselves while they are caring for their loved one. July 3, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 17, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 24, open house and picnic at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Progr...
Alaska is in full bloom in July, and this includes festivals. There is absolutely no reason to not find some fun with so many opportunities around the state. Here are a few highlights. Girdwood Forest Fair, July 6-8. Features Alaskan artists, hand-crafted items, exotic foods and entertainment from all over Alaska. Fun for the whole family is kicked off with the parade at 10 a.m. on Sat. July 7. www.Girdwoodforestfair.com Chugiak-Eagle River Bear Paw Festival, July 11-18. Celebrate with this year’s theme “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Am...
Summer has finally arrived in the Last Frontier. After a wet, windy spring, Alaskans are fueling up and hitting the highways and byways in search of a night or two (or many) among Alaska's wild spaces. If one were to look at the numbers, RV (or car) visitors to Alaska only make up 78,000, or about four percent, of the state's two million annual visitors, but there's no mistaking their impact. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, RV parks, campgrounds, and even highway pullouts are packed with rigs,...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in July: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (July 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (July 18; July 4 is holiday), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (July 5, 12, 19 and 26), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast com...
Editor's note: This story in our print edition included an error regarding the timeline of these Senior Benefits Program changes. In the second to last paragraph, the date should have read July 1, 2019, not 2018. Fairbanks’ Senior Recognition Day, an event to honor Alaskans 65 years and older as part of Older Americans Month, included an additional celebratory event this year - the official signing into law of House Bill 236, otherwise known as the Senior Benefits Program extension bill, by Governor Walker. As of May 10, the program will be ext...
As a Girl Scout, I learned the motto, "Be Prepared". This mostly meant building first aid kits, knowing how to start a fire, setting aside water and food or other preparations for emergencies. In my current career (no longer a Girl Scout), the advice to be prepared takes on a bit of a different meaning, although no less practical or important. Being prepared can mean saving time and money on food and food preparation as well as helping meet nutrition goals like eating more fruits and...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in June. This month’s focus is World Elder Abuse Awareness Month. It is not a celebratory occasion, but rather a day to talk about preventing, identifying and responding to elder abuse and financial exploitation. June 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 19, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 26, open house and workshop a...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in June: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (June 12 and 26), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (June 6 and 20), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (June 7, 14, 21 and 28), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can call the...
