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Editor's note: Some of the times and dates for the Black History Month events changed after our print deadline and have been updated in this online version of the story, below. This month, nine Alaskan African Americans and members of the Black Corps of Engineers will be saluted as Trailblazers by the Shiloh Community Development, Inc.'s Media Justice Project. This recognition is for achievements and contributions to the state over the last 75 years that are not often found in history books,...
Alaskans will find much familiar in Vancouver. On the shores of the Pacific Ocean, with a backdrop of the North Shore Mountains, the tail end of the Coast Mountains, it could almost be Anchorage or Juneau. But there's a difference. Home to close to 640,000 people, it's near the population count of 739,000 of all Alaska. But think of it – that means in the 1,111 square miles of the city you're among the number of people that inhabit Alaska's 663,300 square miles. Tight squeeze. Cosmopolitan w...
If you live in an Alaska town that has a solid cruise ship economy, then you probably long for the quiet tourist shoulder season. Pity the people who see no down time. Rejoice that you have a break. So maybe it's time you took a cruise just to see what all the fuss is about. The Caribbean? Panama Canal? How about a river cruise through some of the most celebrated towns of Europe? Choices, choices Unlike the big cruise ships that come to Alaska, river cruises offer levels of tour participation....
You're never too old to sit in Santa's lap. It's true. One year I was in Nordstrom admiring their stunning Santa Claus when a woman next to me confessed she still visits Santa every year. There is something about a Santa Claus that pulls on your heartstrings no matter how old you are. I look back at one photo of me sitting in Santa's lap and I have a look of total adoration. This is perhaps one reason my life companion is a hippie version of Santa. And still, a man with a white beard and long...
In Fairbanks, the North Star Council on Aging’s new Aging and Disability Center (ADRC) is going “full blast,” said Beth Grey, program coordinator for senior services. “We just opened October 1,” Grey said. “We weren’t supposed to open until January 1, but with the new regulations we opened early. We call it a soft opening phase, but it doesn’t feel like that.” There should be an open house in January, Grey said, once the program gets solidly on its feet. For the last 10 years, Fairbanks was served out of the Soldotna ADRC office, Grey said. Add...
Thanksgiving is more than a family feast, it is the story of how we came to be here in this country and how we were helped by the indigenous population. Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, is a time warp kind of place. As you stroll down the main streets lined with thatched homes and crude wood corrals of farm animals, performers in period dress will not break character. You ask about President Trump and they will say, "I know not of this Trump." This is where the Pilgrims spent...
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,...
This year Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood will hold its 106th Grand Camp in Ketchikan at the Ted Ferry Convention Center from Wednesday, October 17 through Saturday, October 20, 2018. Registration and an Alaska Native Sisterhood session will be from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16. Registration continues throughout the convention. As Senior Voice went to press the convention schedule had not been finalized. For updated information go to https://www.camp14.com/ The Alaska Native Brotherhood and the Alaska Native Sisterhood are...
Alaskans love to go to Hawaii. As our kissing cousin on just about any map we've seen since childhood, we are close – a mere six hours on a direct fight from Anchorage. In winter the Hawaiian islands are a godsend, warming us up physically with full sunshine, cool trade winds and lots of fresh fruits that lift our spirits. We return refreshed and tanned, and winter seems to flash by after the island respite. Friends envy our tans. Natural disasters plague Hawaii But this year Hawaii has been h...
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...
Note: With national attention on immigration now, this column is focusing on Alaskans visiting the homes of their ancestors. If you have an account of your trip, please contact dimitralavrakas@hotmail.comdimitralavrakas@hotmail.com. Cindi Lagoudakis, who recently returned from a visit to Greece, is a former acting mayor of Petersburg, Alaska, and a fine artist. SV: Why and when did your father immigrate to America and where was he and your mother from? My father came to the United States in 1947...
Last month, Senior Voice travel correspondent Dimitra Lavrakas wrote about various ways to appreciate historic lighthouses in Alaska and beyond. This month, she shares about her recent experience as a volunteer lighthouse caretaker in Massachusetts. It's sunset on a small, stony 52-acre island, 1.5 miles off the coast of Cape Ann, Massachusetts, and hundreds of seagulls take to trees and roofs to gaze at the setting sun. The birds do the same at sunrise, which comes at 4 a.m., and the gulls'...
If you watch public television's Rick Steve and his travel show, he always points out how travel helps him to understand people all over the world and that it broadens his mind. Good thoughts for sure, but I like to think of travel as I age as an adventure challenging me to actually get up and go somewhere else before I just fall apart or lose my reasoning. Oh, and to activate new brain cells, too. We've chosen to a trip that is more engaging than sitting in the car for hours like we did on the...
A safe haven for birds to breed There were times when I flew the milk run from Seattle to Juneau and stopped in at Yakutat - a place that always fascinated me. With its thick, deep green forests and rolling waves that attract international surfers, I always hoped we'd get weathered in so I could poke around, but it never happened. Not so for Aleutian terns that make annual stops here on their way to nest at Yakutat's Situk River Flats ever since the earliest recording of their migration in...
Scotland is a natural for Alaskans-mountainous, cold, windy, vast stretches of color in the fall, and Robbie Burns celebrations on his birthday in January complete with haggis (see description below). Pretty safe too, with no reports of terrorists attacks. And there's lots here to do from quirky winter traditions, to even quirkier foodstuff (like haggis) and long stretches of shoreline to hike. And of course double malt Scotch whiskey. Take a tour of a distillery and get a dram for free! I once...
I thought the older couple coming into The Harbor Cafe in Stonington, Maine, on Deer Island, for the Monday night two-for-one $19.99 special was going to bolt and run at the sight of strangers. It's off-season in Maine and locals yearn to see only locals about town, but there we were - enjoying that same special. "People here really expect a break from the tourists at this time of year," says Dana Durst, who along with Jay Brown owns The Inn On The Harbor in Stonington (www.innontheharbor.com)....
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...
In my travels I've found that, yes, chain hotels are always dependable just for the fact that they're, well, everywhere, but I really don't care for them. This summer we stayed at a Comfort Inn somewhere in Illinois, and it freaked me out that I couldn't open the window. And this is something that most chains do as the use of the heating and cooling system determines the air in the room. I like fresh air and do not like air conditioning – I believe most Alaskans would agree with me. I also r...
In a world seemingly full of dangers, it might be best to turn to countries where there have been civil wars and its people moved on to a more stable society. One place would be Ireland, the ancestral home to many Americans. Aside from peace there's also the convenience that English is spoken here, there are familiar foods and they brew most excellent beer. It was not always so. "The Troubles" (1969–1997) was a conflict between nationalists (mainly Roman Catholic) and unionists (mainly B...
It's hard to ignore the headlines of terrorist attacks on tourists or random acts of violence involving crowds, particularly at popular tourist sites and entertainment venues. It is a sad and frightening time to travel. What to do? The Department of State recently alerted U.S. citizens to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, particularly during the holiday season, advising U.S. citizens should exercise caution at holiday festivals and events through Jan. 31, 2018....
Part three in a series. The trails of wood smoke far behind us, we arrived in Dawson City, Yukon Territory, for its Riverside Arts Festival that coincided with Discovery Days. Annually, the 160 placer and hard rock miners take time off and flood the town for to celebrate the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. As the rush's epicenter, Dawson is a time capsule with dirt streets, historic building preserved by Parks Canada and a few left in their original state. I love this place. Busy weekend in the...
We hit the Alaska Highway after escaping British Columbia's own Bermuda Triangle - Fort St. John. Like a scene from the movie "Groundhog Day," where the main character repeats the same day over and over until they attain a higher consciousness, we circled that town in a desperate attempt to go in the right direction. Leaving Fort St. John, or so we thought, I suddenly realized the sun was on my left, signaling we were traveling south and not north. Amazingly, we maintained emotional equilibrium...
We roared out of Bennington, Vermont, to cover 977 miles the first day and somehow avoided speeding tickets. This after deciding we did not like Bennington and would return to my mother's home town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and so put the house up for sale. We worked on the house for over 10 months and it was high time to go on an adventure. And that would be to Dawson City, Yukon Territory, to participate in the Dawson City Riverside Arts Festival and then on to the family cabin across the...
Alaska craftspeople who work in gems and silver rush every year in late January to the Tucson Gem Show where 250 dealers hawk the supplies that keep local artisans afloat and viable for the tourism trade. It's a huge affair. Not so the small, regional wool and sheep shows where sheep farmers and yarn makers bring out their best to show and sell. The Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair in Cummington, Massachusetts, a mere blip on your GPS, is held Memorial Day weekend and is a real look into...
Palm trees and swans in the harbor may not seem possible in England, but in Cornwall it is. Its temperate ocean climate is the mildest and sunniest in all of the United Kingdom due to its position at 50.503632 degrees (Anchorage is 61.217381 degrees) with the Gulf Stream wafting warm air from the south. The region shares a literary mythical relation to Alaska. Considered a magical place, Cornwall is home to the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable, and notably his sister...
