Sorted by date Results 351 - 375 of 415
Betty Berry settles into a friend's living room couch early on a grey April morning and opens up a journal, "Elberberry Tales," stories told by her father-in-law, Frank Olin Berry. His words had been captured and written down in the 1950s by a family friend. What Betty holds in her lap is a true treasure, a fascinating history of early Anchorage, its pages full of old black-and-white photos taken by her father-in-law, and stories previously kept within the Berry family. Frank's tales begin...
Diners had Navajo tacos as the first of a new monthly feature of ethnic and regional foods at Haines Senior Center lunches. Basic Navajo fry bread, interpreted in different forms around the country, becomes Indian fry bread in Haines. One diner, Marilyn Wilson, taught her daughter and granddaughter to make fry bread with yeast, but she liked the version made with baking powder, she said. Cindy Jackson, manager, said the April meal was to feature Indian dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala, Curry Rice...
The Pioneers of Alaska Women’s Igloo #11 proudly presents “Let’s Tip our Hats to Fun and Fancy” Annual Salad Luncheon and Style Show featuring fashions from “Garden Gate of Palmer.” The event will take place Friday, May 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Palmer Moose Lodge. Be prepared for great food, beautiful models, fabulous entertainment and terrific door prizes. Tickets are $10 at the door or in advance from any member of the Palmer Women’s Igloo #11. For more information, contact Pat Gersich at 376-1350 or Dee Brown at 745-3839....
"Where are you from?" "How long have you lived here?" Anchorage is known for its diversity, as a melting pot for people from all over the world, so these questions frequently pop up when introductions are being made. Three women of varying cultural backgrounds decided to submit a proposal to the Anchorage Centennial Committee, focusing on where some of this community's people came from and why they have stayed. Vivian Melde is Filipino and African American. "There is even some Chinese thrown in...
Dear Editor, Thank you so much for the “Jesse Lee Home” article (January 2015 edition). For many years I have wondered what became of the Jesse Lee Home. I was thrilled when my childhood friend, Linda Nystrom, of Anchorage (now Linda Hamilton, in Chugiak) sent me the article. Jesse Lee was my home in the late 40s. Precious memories! I was Alice J. James. Do you know of any meeting group I could contact? If so, anyone with information about the home and its former residents can contact me at my mailing address. Thank you, Senior Voice, for wha...
Anchorage is celebrating its centennial year, 2015, in many ways. One of the first events to come to life, reflecting the community's unique history, was a project of the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters Guild. A show called "10 Decades and Counting – the Story of Anchorage in Quilts," made its debut in September in the ConocoPhillips atrium. It's an intriguing, stunning display, not only of local quilting skills, but of the colorful history of Anchorage, told through the traditional medium of q...
Congratulations to the Alaska International Senior Games (AISG) for their award for "Excellence in Games Promotion" at the National Senior Games Annual Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico in January. "We're very excited about receiving this award for the fourth year in a row," Darnall said. "Our 100-volunteer staff works hard throughout the year to make the games a success for seniors 50-plus." The 2015 Alaska International Senior Games will be held in Fairbanks, August 7-16. More information...
It's the 56th year for the Cordova Iceworm Festival, and for more than half of those years, Barbara Beedle chaired the festivities. Current chair of the annual event, Darrel Olsen, calls her "The Mother of the Iceworm Festival." "It's definitely an 'only in Cordova' event," he comments, laughing, "and Barbara long spurred on all that made it one of the most unique, successful festivals in Alaska." Planned for February 2-8 this year, where else could you find locals gathered with visitors from...
Tod Sebens helped unlock computer mysteries for Haines seniors during January. Following one senior's interest in adding to her skills, he volunteered to teach free sessions at Haines Senior Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 3 p.m. After a general introduction of the material, he answered individual questions from the class, which was composed of beginners to more advanced users. Site Manager Cindy Jackson said she was delighted with the enthusiastic reception of the course, the latest...
The New Year, 2015, represents a landmark year for one agency, AK Child & Family. "It's our quasquicentennial," states Denis McCarville, president and CEO. "How many organizations or businesses in Alaska can make that claim?" Hardly any, even if they know what quasquicentennial means. "The agency can trace its roots back to 1890, so it is our 125th anniversary, our quasquicentennial," he explains. The history of AK Child & Family underscores not only its roots as a faith-based center meeting uni...
Author and educator Dr. James Lewis Simpson was another of the early childhood residents of the Seward Jesse Lee Home. Now age 90 and living in Oregon, he shared some of his early stories in a phone visit with me. His memory is incredibly sharp. "I'm one of the main characters of the Home in Seward," he said, laughing. "I was placed there by my father when I was four years old. My mother had left us when we were living in Chickaloon, Alaska. I am Ahtna Athabascan. My dad had heard of the Home...
The Last Frontier Honor Flight is a local chapter of the national organization of the Honor Flight Network. Our mission is to honor and thank veterans – especially World War II, Alaska Territorial Guard and Korean War veterans – by bringing them to Washington D.C. at no cost to them. The Last Frontier Honor Flight has been privileged to do this for 77 veterans since October 2013. Each one of these veterans came home with a renewed spirit knowing that they have not been forgotten and their ser...
"There's a lot of senior volunteer power behind the annual Anchorage-area Christmas Bird Count." That testimonial to senior volunteerism comes from Louann Feldmann. She's education chair of the Anchorage Audubon Society and will head this year's local Christmas Bird Count (CBC). "We coordinate our bird count with the National Audubon Society," she says. "It's a nationwide, continent-wide happening and will take place on Sunday, December 14 this year." She adds happily, "It's free! And for the...
Picking out a new calendar is one of the best treats of the New Year. It doesn't matter whether it's a gift for family or friends or one to use yourself. Some people have calendars in every room. Some have a wall calendar, a pocket calendar and a desk calendar. There may be a picture and a page for every month; every week or every day. And some Alaska seniors are creating their own calendars. Both Mat-Su Senior Services in Palmer and the Ninilchik Senior Services Center are using their own...
The City of Anchorage was founded in 1915. It was what has become known as a "Tent City." One hundred years later we will celebrate her centennial with an amazing skyline. Alaska Artist Byron Birdsall created a "Centennial Print," depicting the modern skyline in contrast to the original tent city. The print was signed by all of Anchorage's living mayors. Artique, a local gallery, marketed 450 numbered prints. The Anchorage Pioneer Home Resident Council purchased Print No. 205 as a gift to the...
"People laugh at me," says Maria James, chairperson of the Senior Veterans Group at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center (ASAC). "I seem able to spot a veteran – often a cap with pins and medals is a clue – and I chase after them." Maria is in hot pursuit because of her compulsion to let them know of their benefits as a veteran, and to encourage them to get to know other veterans at the center. "So many veterans are not aware of the benefits available to them," she says. Known for net...
When Alaska was transferred from Russia rule to the United States, it was up to the Americans to establish a way to deliver mail across its new possession. The Russians had not used a postal system. Communications between Russia and Russian America was handled by dispatch cases transported by Russian supply ships. Russian residents sent and received both business and personal mail through the Russian commanders in their communities. Three months before Alaska was formally handed off to American rule, the first post office in the northern...
While today's television landscape is littered with so-called reality programming, westerns dominated the airways in the 1960s. One of the most popular was "The Virginian," which ran for nine seasons on NBC from 1962 to 1971, and starred James Drury as the unnamed, mystery foreman of the Shiloh ranch, set in Medicine Bow, Wy. Drury celebrated his 80th birthday in April and, far from retiring, continues to travel the country greeting fans at western festivals (see www.thevirginian.net). He is...
"Where's my calculator?" Eyes popping in surprise, Rebecca Parker proclaims, "Yes. It's true. I have been in Anchorage for 41 years!" Becky and I have known each other for most of those 41 years. We'd met long ago as members of Alaska Press Women, now called Alaska Professional Communicators. I am sitting with her in her new office setting at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, where she has recently been named General Manager. Feeling like old friends who hadn't had a chance to visit in sever...
Providence Seward Mountain Haven (PSMH) is a long-term care facility tucked away in the trees on the side of a mountain in Seward. I had the opportunity to visit Alaska Native Elders living there on two recent occasions and prepare traditional lunches for them. The staff purchased salmon, vegetables, berries and bread dough and we prepared the food on-site. I chopped vegetables for salmon soup, which included cubed salmon, carrots, celery, onions and rice with salt and a little bit of pepper. Wh...
Cyrano’s Theatre Company in Anchorage is presenting “4,000 Miles,” by Amy Herzog as its September production, playing Sept. 4 through Sept. 28. Although the title may be reminiscent of the classic ‘On the Road…’ films with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby and the play is a romantic comedy, it is most certainly far richer in its exploration of the relationships between young and old. It is the story of a 21 year-old young man who, after a lengthy bike trip, finds himself visiting his 91 year-old grandmother who lives in New York City. They are very di...
Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan and the Anchorage Sister Cities Commission will welcome Mayor Kotaro Yamaguchi and 29 additional honored guests from Chitose, Japan, on Aug. 5 to celebrate the Municipality of Anchorage's 45th Sister Cities Anniversary with Chitose. Chitose is Anchorage's first and oldest sister city, dating back to 1969. Then-mayor Goerge Sullivan, father of today's mayor, was instrumental in establishing this sister city relationship. A transportation hub for Japan's northernmost...
Bethel’s Eddie Hoffman Senior Center is moving out of its home. As reported by Bethel radio station KYUK, Bethel’s tribe ONC runs the senior program and can’t afford to keep it in the building that’s housed it for years. The senior program provides over 80 meals a day, many delivered to homebound clients, and up to 25 to 30 seniors visit each day. Bus service runs members to the post office, grocery shopping and on other errands. The program is expected to be moved out of its building by the end of September. While a new home has not been se...
The Kenai Peninsula Fair takes place Aug. 15-17 in Ninilchik. Admission price is $6 for seniors. Along with the usual exhibits and competitions, there are numerous musical headliner acts, carnival rides, racing pigs and much more. Information is available on the fair’s Facebook page and at www.kenaipeninsulafair.org. This year’s Alaska State Fair in Palmer takes place Aug. 21–Sept. 1. Senior (age 65 and older) admission is $9 weekdays, $10 weekends (discount of $2 if tickets is pre-purchased before Aug. 20). Other pricing packages are available...
"This is the heart of Sitka for so many seniors." Anita VanDyck shared this with me as she was busy serving desserts, fresh fruit cups, to several tables at Swan Lake Senior Center for the Friday noon meal. Anita is a longtime volunteer there. Fridays are Bingo days at the center and site manager Sandi Koval had assured me there would be quite a crowd. About 40 people had gathered there on a bleak, damp Sitka day, but inside there was sunshine. The minute I entered, I felt welcomed, almost as...
