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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...
The HistoryMakers, the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive, visited Anchorage the week of May 21, 2018, to interview 11 African Americans whose video oral histories will be preserved permanently at the Library of Congress and featured on The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Those interviewed included former commissioner for the Alaska Administration Eleanor Andrews; defense attorney Rex Butler; retired Superior Court Judge Lawrence Card; former Alaska Senator Bettye Davis; owner of Mayfield’s Quality Cleaners and E&S Div...
Emmy award-winning Alaskan filmmaker William (Bill) Bacon III, headed North to the Last Frontier in 1946, making a living as a cinematographer and photographer for over 50 years. An animal trainer and cinematographer for Walt Disney Productions until the mid-1960s (Charlie the Lonesome Cougar; Nikki, Wild Dog of the North; King of the Grizzlies and more), he began making his own documentaries in the late-1990s, including Tibet: A Moment in Time and Tibet Hope, films that focused on the exile of...
The Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission invites everyone to the annual Older Americans Month Kickoff Event at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center on May 2, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This free event features refreshments, entertainment, keynote speech from form state senator Johnny Ellis, and presentation of the Ron Hammett Award for public service. This year’s theme is “Engage at Every Age.” For more information, call 343-6590. Also in May, Fairbanks’ annual Senior Recognition Day event will be held Thursday, May 10 at the Carlso...
In recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Attu, a lineup of art shows, panel discussions, films and other events will be held in various Anchorage venues from May 17 to May 19. All events are free and open to the public. Here’s a preview: May 17: Film premiere of “When the Fog Clears,” directed by award-winning Japanese film director Tadashi Ogawa, seeks to make the “forgotten war” unforgettable. Featuring Kiska and Attu Island, which were occupied by Japan in World War II. Location: University of Alaska Anchorage Fine Arts Bldg...
Almost everybody over 50 has given at least passing thought to writing a memoir — a personal history. Most people drop the idea because they are too busy or think they would never be able to sit down and actually write such a thing. But some Alaska seniors follow through and get the job done. A few of them get really serious about it and gather each Tuesday at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center to participate in the center’s Memoir Writing Group. They meet to read each other samples of their writing, and their ideas, and to offer sug...
Ray Naddy could be looked at as an ultimate overcomer. He grew up in Duluth in a family that went through tragedy early in his life, leaving him with a speech defect. He struggled through school. It wasn't until about 1945 that tape recorders became affordable, and he was able to listen to himself talk. "By listening to myself on the tape, I was able to make the changes needed to be able to speak coherently," he says. After high school in 1947, he went to college and took an unusual turn. He...
When Jeff Cook of Fairbanks light heartedly agreed to raise money for the Real Men Wear Pink campaign last fall, he had no idea it would become a driving force in his life and lead to important health awareness for his own family. Cook, now retired, is the nation's top fundraiser for this American Cancer Society benefit program. In 2017, he topped more than 3,000 Real Men Wear Pink fundraisers in much larger cities. The new retiree raised more than $120,000 for the American Cancer Society, with...
What interests you? Musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein or the History of UFOs in the U.S.? Learning about Dena'ina culture or learning to read music? Maybe you'd just want a class in Children's Literature for Grandparents? Classes without homework, grades or papers – oh, my! Or maybe you just want to hear about the exciting trips around the world other people have taken. All that and more are in the course catalog for the spring term for OLÉ! OLÉ stands for Opportunities for Lifelong Edu...
A $500 grant to help Meals on Wheels recipients in Fairbanks with the cost of caring for their pets, unexpectedly grew into $2,500 thanks to an anonymous donor who read about the program in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The Fairbanks Senior Center was excited about the initial $500 grant from Meals on Wheels America, intended to help pay for the care of pets for homebound seniors. “For many of our Meals on Wheels clients, their pet is a family member,” said Darlene Supplee, executive director of both the Fairbanks Senior Center and the Meals...
It should have surprised no Alaskan that "middle-aged" Mitch Seavey of Sterling took first place for a third time in the 2017 Iditarod. Seavey blasted down the trail to win in a record-setting 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes, 13 seconds, close to eight hours off his 30-year-old son Dallas' 2016 record win - all at the record-setting age of 57. His win represents the spirit of a state where, no matter how old you are or where you're form or what your gender is, if you can hurdle the qualifying races...
One early January afternoon a few years back, I picked up a small box from the dining room table where my husband always piles our incoming mail. I was surprised to see the return address of one of my mother's cousins in California. We only correspond at Christmas time and I hadn't heard from her the past two years. Elsie had never before sent me anything larger than a letter, so I was immediately curious about the contents. Inside a folded letter lay on top of a tissue wrapped bundle. Upon...
Do you know an outstanding individual whose service, dedication and leadership have had a significant impact on the quality of life for seniors in Anchorage? The Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission is looking for someone just like that. The commission is actively seeking nominations for the 14th Annual Ron Hammett Award for community service, to be presented at the Older Americans Month Kick Off Event in Anchorage in May. Nominees for this honor must meet the following criteria: Nominees must be an Anchorage resident. Nomination may...
Fairbanks' Morris Morgan is 96 years old. He has been painting his entire life but he never sells his artwork, because he never knows when he might want to improve upon a piece. "I think a lot of people start painting and want to sell them right away," he said. "I was keeping them around to see what a mess I'd made of it. I try to learn from that painting, to the next one." His first-ever art exhibit didn't happen until 2015, and no one was more surprised to see all his work on display than...
Mabel T. Caverly Senior Center and Services in Anchorage seeks volunteers for its Phone Pal program. Volunteers will make calls from their home to seniors needing an extra friend to talk with them occasionally. Also, the program is looking for people who would like to receive a call from a Phone Pal. Call the Mabel T. Caverly office at 276-1496, or email director@mabeltcaverly.orgdirector@mabeltcaverly.org....
Seward Senior Center members will once again visit the Alaska SeaLife Center in January for the "FREEzing Wednesday Picnic". The annual event takes advantage of the free admission the SeaLife center offers on Wednesdays during the cold months, says Seward Senior Center director Dana Paperman. Meal "baskets" are provided, courtesy of the senior center's lunch program, and the visitors are introduced to new exhibits, animal feedings and behind the scenes tours at the SeaLife Center. The picnic clo...
Santa’s Senior Center in North Pole is temporarily moving while work is done on the building. Beginning in January, activities will take place at Moose Lodge, 300 South Santa Claus Lane, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This includes the usual midweek lunches and Monday and Friday exercise sessions and potlucks. Office hours will remain 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Staff request callers use the usual phone number and messages will be answered as soon as possible. The new location is expected to be used from January through June. Call 4...
A new program in Interior Alaska is helping both senior volunteers and the seniors they serve. The goal is to help people stay in their own homes as long as possible. The Senior Companion Program already has 18 volunteers on the roster, helping senior citizens in Fairbanks and Delta Junction, but director Cheryl LaFollette said there is always the need for more. "There are 15,000 seniors in our area," said LaFollette, in Fairbanks. "Seven hundred of those are 85 years old and over. "It's...
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Senior Center directors meet bi-annually to discuss common issues in senior services, sharing challenges and successes. Together, we create efficient and unduplicated senior services, assisting seniors in maintaining independent and quality lives. October's meeting brought three new leaders to the table, after long time directors Jan Fena (Soldotna), Rachael Craig (Kenai) and Ron Sloan (Cooper Landing) retired, taking with them an accumulation of 70 years in senior se...
Congratulations to Anchorage's Gordon Severson, selected for this year's Governor's Veterans Advocacy Award. From an Alaska Dept. of Military and Veterans Affairs Nov. 16 press statement for the award: "Gordon began his military service in 1946 at the age of 15 – fibbing on his age at enlistment. He began in the Army as an infantryman towards the end of WWII. After this service, he was working road construction in Alaska when the Korean War began. He re-enlisted in 1950 and was awarded the P...
Haines Seniors toured the new exhibit at Haines Sheldon Museum, "Everything From Afar Drifts Ashore," following a sack lunch at noon on Nov. 2. The exhibit's well-arranged photos and captions that tell the story of Tlingit and non-Native interactions in Haines from 1850 to 1900 is open to the public for two years....
For many of their dedicated fans, identical twins Julie and Miki Collins are frozen in time. After all, they have been writing books and weekly newspaper columns about their subsistence lifestyle for more than 30 years. But they are aging just like everyone else. The sisters are 58 years old now. The lifestyle they cherish is hard work and they can feel a few aches and pains that didn't used to be there. But they have no plans to change their day-to-day lives. "We're pretty well set up," said...
Soldotna Senior Center Fall Bazaar and Art Show, Nov. 3-4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Peruse arts and crafts from various vendors and enjoy refreshments for purchase from our kitchen. Call 262-2322 for more information. Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center Holiday Bazaar, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featuring 40+ vendor booths, food and drinks, the Latte Fun Espresso Stand, CERSC Gift Shop and more. Free entry. 688-2674 Anchorage Holiday Food & Gift Festival, Nov. 4-5 at the Dena’ina Center. Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Around 100 v...
While growing up in Glennallen, I was involved in 4-H and took several classes including basic sewing. The year I turned eleven (1966), I decided to make cloth placemats and napkins for our family of six to use for Christmas. Mom paid for the fabric I picked out at our local grocery/department store, owned by the Martin family. I cut out the placemats and napkins according to the 4-H pattern, which called for all four edges of the napkins to be fringed as well as two edges of the placemats. I...
