Musk Ox Farm: Run With The Bulls! MORE ON PAGE 3 OF THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
Contributed by Randi Bernier 2021’s Friday Fling season is well under way, and as we head into the back nine, the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce would like to take a moment to extend an invitation to check it out for the first time, or come back to see something new in the rotation! Friday Fling has been a welcome return to the warm community spirit that Palmer provides, and that has been evident in the number of smiling faces we see around the market! Friday Fling is the casual variety daytrip you never knew you needed to help unwind after the work week, and kick off the weekend proper. With a multitude of rotating culinary treats, unique crafts, live music, and Alaskangrown produce, there’s something for everyone, every week. We tend to think of the holidays as primetime for the shopping season, but why not plan ahead for once? Strolling
through the market, you’ll find a multitude of extraordinary Alaskan-made crafts, which could end up being your next big gifting hit at your next big holiday! And if you’re anything like this author, shopping for someone else usually yields a gift or two for the shopper themselves. These artists have something for every aesthetic choice and every occasion, and every week leads to new discoveries.
bloom, so get them while you can!
This season has proven to be a little mild temperature-wise, but that hasn’t stopped anyone. We see dedicated crowds even on rainy days, and a little blustery Palmer wind certainly hasn’t slowed the number of slushie-seekers and ice cream chompers we’ve seen about.
We thank everyone for a wonderful first half of the summer. We’ve really felt the community spirit flood this community in a way that only Palmer can. We’re looking forward to seeing you the rest of this summer at Friday Fling!
These colder temps have meant the crops are a bit slow to grace us with their presence, but we anticipate some super succulent cole crops as a result... yum! And for you fans of the finer things out there, peonies are now in
If you’re feeling a bit peckish, Fridays are a great time to try out something new. With a smorgasbord of food truck options available week to week, your taste buds will thank you for taking a vacation from that sack lunch in your cubicle. And if you happen to have a day with the kids, the pony wheel is always a crowd favorite!
Friday Fling runs until August 20th, 2021 from 11am-6pm. There are two live music sets every Friday from 11:30-1 and 4:30-6. There is no charge for admission and everyone is welcome.
A Place To Gather & Grow
MORE ON PAGE 2 OF THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
COMMUNITY
Contributed by Debbie Filter, Trapper Creek Community Services Assoc., Inc. 15th Annual Fireweed Festival 7/24/2021 – 11AM Trapper Creek Community Services Assoc., Inc. Trapper Creek Community Park Mile 115.2 Parks Hwy, 9971 E. T.C. Park Cir. Trapper Creek FREE Admission The fireweed flowers are blossoming in Trapper Creek and that means the Fireweed Festival will be in full bloom on July 24th! Bring the family, your friends and visiting guests to a fun-filled day! All ages will find something to enjoy! Children’s activities will include wilderness skills and knowledge will be shared. The playground and
humongous bubbles will keep your little ones entertained while you shop at amazing craft booths, dine on delectable treats, enjoy live music and partake in a Goat Yoga class! Goat Yoga classes will be held between 1:00p.m. and 2:30p.m. Other adult activities include a kayak raffle and a table raffle with an amazing assortment of items, including cash value gift certificates. Need not be present to win! Also, split-the pot and rippies will be there for your enjoyment! The festival begins at 11:00a.m. and will finish up at 8:00p.m. We have plenty of free parking and no admittance fee. Thank you, in advance, for supporting this annual FUNdraiser to keep our community park building, ski
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trails and cemetery the beautiful place it is. Musicians: Bands: Stage Times: Taylor Finkenbinder 11a - 11:45a Kat Straw 12p - 12:45p *Available* Wash Your Hands 2p - 2:45p Mountain Waxwings 3p - 3:45p Gregor 4p - 4:45p Phil and Friends 5p - 5:45p Boot 6p - 6:45p Trapper Creek Jam Band 7p - 8:00p Sponsored By: Trapper Creek Community Services Assoc., Inc www.TrapperCreek.org tccommunityservices@yahoo.com 907-733-7375
Colony High School welding students and Home Depot teamed-up and made a bench for us. The grant allowed us to purchase 5 greenhouses and 65 planters that are just the right height for those wanting to garden and for those who are no longer able physically able to bend.
Contributed by Marlene Munsell, Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc. Some magical transformations have been taking place on our campus, from construction of a new apartment building to many garden upgrades, both here at WASI as well as at Mid-Valley Senior Center and Blueberry Pointe in Houston. The seed to upgrade the gardens was planted last summer when I visited with seniors who wanted to garden but could no longer do so because of physical barriers. Thus, we began to look for ways to make it happen. In January, a grant from the State of Alaska COVID Cares Act for Older Adults came open and we were so blessed to be picked as the recipient of that grant. The Senior Garden Project ensures seniors have fresh vegetables available to eat, improving their nutrition. In addition, it greatly benefits those who feel isolated and alone as caring for a garden offers a purpose and camaraderie that some seniors find lacking in their lives. This project addresses both of those needs. It also offers a reason to get outdoors, challenges to solve, and reasons to rejoice. Glenda Willeford said, “It gives me a reason to get out of my apartment.” She has dialysis three times a week, but even when
tired she goes out and checks on her plants. She just harvested her first tomato with immense pride! “This is my first time gardening,” she said with a big smile. It has been amazing to see the transformation in the gardens, but most of all in the seniors who live here. The gardens are giving them a healthy and happy reason to gather together. More seniors are making their way out of the apartments to garden or just to walk around and admire the work of others. Wendy Mack said, “Some seniors come out at the same time and make it a social occasion. We have such a good time together.” Another senior said that she had not left her apartment at all. But now that she can enjoy gardening despite her physical challenges. She has a reason to come out. Benito Gamboa, a WASI resident, had a vision to plant flowers at the WASI park for others to enjoy, and that was made possible when we received a huge donation of flowers from Jacobson’s Greenhouse. Benito dedicates his time to making our campus pretty by trimming trees and bushes, and cleaning around all the landscaping. He would also like to see benches throughout our campus so seniors can sit and enjoy the outdoors. The
Lastly, this program is open to any senior who wants to garden at either one of our campuses or at home. We were able to extend our supplies and help those who could not afford to purchase gardening supplies including many homebound seniors in our Meals on Wheels program. We have been blessed to have many community partners that have added to this project, and we are grateful for their support, especially Wal-Mart, Aurora Gardens and Jacobson’s Greenhouse who donated pots and plant material. WASI is planning a “Block Party Summer Celebration,” Saturday, August 14th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to share and celebrate summer. Come see why we have been named Best of the Valley eight years in a row. For sponsorship and volunteer opportunities please call 907-206-8792 or email marlenem@alaskaseniors.com. Comments from Meals on Wheels participants: “Was unable to plant this year because of being in too much pain. The free plants really motivated him to start planting in his garden box.” “Using garden plants for extra food as it is financially more difficult to come by. Very grateful for the plants because they are fresh and provide extra food.” “Very grateful for assistance. Sometimes she cannot pay utilities and it is between food and utilities. Using garden plants for extra food.” “Called to say thank you for the plants and she was so happy to see them growing on her deck.” “Very grateful for plants. He said he was afraid he would not be able to plant anything this year and would not have been able to if not for the donation of plants from WASI.”
COMMUNITY Contributed by Kerry Nelson, The Musk Ox Farm 19th Annual Running with the Bulls Run/Walk 8/8/2021 – 11AM The Musk Ox Farm 12850 E Archie Rd. Palmer Cost: $15 - $40 It’s the 19th Annual Running with the Bulls Run/Walk at The Musk Ox Farm! We’re so happy to announce that we’ll be hosting the race in person this year! The course takes you through our 75 acres of pastureland and past our herd of 81 musk oxen with incredible views of the mountains. While you won’t be literally running alongside our bulls, you will get to see the entire herd as you run past them in their pastures and around the perimeter of our 75-acre property - a section that’s not open to the public any other time of year! We offer a 1K Kid’s Fun Run, 5K or 10K course option. WHEN: Sunday, August 8th 11:00AM: 1K Kid’s Fun Run: Open to ages 0-7, parents welcome to run with their kiddos! 12:00PM: 5K Run/Walk: Enjoy a 5K
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run or walk along the course! 10K Run: Up for a challenge? Try running the 10K course! VIRTUAL: Choose your own adventure from wherever you are! You’ll have between August 8th - August 15th to complete your 5K or 10K activity. The course is considered moderate to challenging, as no part is paved at any point. It takes you over mowed pastureland, and there will be sections of uneven footing and some hills. A large portion of the course is not shaded, so don’t forget the sunscreen! Water is not provided on the course, so please plan to bring your own. There will be water available for filling bottles and camelbacks prior to and after the race, and light snacks will be provided. All participants will receive a commemorative race t-shirt! Register by July 23rd to receive your shirt by race Day. We can’t wait to see you on the course this year! REGISTER & MORE INFO: www.muskoxfarm.org/rwb2021
in need and hear the many “thank yous”. Contributed by Lauralynn Robison, MatSu Food Bank Board Member Recently, I had the honor and pleasure to drive the MatSu Food Bank minivan in the Wasilla July 4th Parade. I heard a lot of clapping and “Thank you for all you do” being yelled at us, from many families in our community. As a volunteer board member, i must admit this was the most heartwarming experience ever! Our volunteers, Melissa and Diana, passed out many treats to the children who attended this parade, and they too received many “thank yous”. We have individuals who volunteer in the Pantry every day and receive a
multitude of “thank yous”. Volunteering is the most rewarding experience you can imagine. Giving your time, talents and treasures to our community, will be appreciated by not only the organization for whom you volunteer, but appreciated by the community in which you volunteer. The MatSu Food Bank has many opportunities coming up over the next few months, for which we would be delighted to have you come visit us and sign-up to volunteer. We can always use volunteers in our Panty, located at 501 East Bogard Road. Help us, help the families who need our services. By helping us, you too, can be a huge part of giving back to those
The MatSu Food Bank will be at the Alaska State Fair five days this year, collecting canned food at three entrance gates. No One should go hungry! Please take a minute to visit our web page, www.matsufoodbank.org. See the many ways you can contribute, by volunteering and making donations, us help our community. Please contact us at (907) 357-3769 to schedule time to volunteer. You can also follow us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ MatsuFoodBank. Thank you for all your continued support, we deeply appreciate our community!
COMMUNITY
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
participate in practice interviews and receive valuable feedback. Contributed by Sherry Carrington, Connect Palmer Thank you everyone who has supported and volunteered at Connect Palmer. We celebrated our 7th anniversary in May 2021. We are excited that we will, once again, be offering our work ready program called “God’s Work Design”. We offered this program several times during our first few years, but our key volunteer coordinator moved out of state. We had scheduled and were gearing up to re-start the program in May 2020. We had to cancel because, like the rest of the world, COVID-19 happened and we were unable to host it at that time. Last month we were very happy to hire Amy Lalor as our new God’s Work Design Program Manager. We are thrilled to announce that this year’s first God’s
Work Design will be held August 9th through August 27, 2021. We will run it again November 1st through November 18, 2021. In 2022, we will run the program once each quarter throughout the year. God’s Work Design is a 3-week program. There is an application and an interview process to participate in to be accepted into the program. Those wishing to apply can find the application online at www.connectpalmer.org or at our training center at 202 S. Alaska St. We take six students each session. The applicants that are accepted as students will experience a workplace setting. They clock-in Monday through Friday for the three weeks, from 8am to 4pm. The first week, students will work with staff and volunteers to create an application packet, which will include job applications, a resume, a reference letter and a cover letter. They will also
The 2nd and 3rd weeks, they will apply for jobs and attend workshops taught on many work-related topics by members of the community. They will also be asked to participate in local volunteerism and as opportunities open, job-shadowing. There are several incentives available to qualifying students. Lunch is provided each day for all students and staff by local volunteers. Weekly gas vouchers are available for those who qualify. Thrifters Rock donates a voucher for work appropriate clothing and for the August 9th program, Emma Rose Hair Design is offering haircuts to qualifying students. Students that complete the program may qualify for rental or utility assistance (the maximum amount is $150). It is awarded on a sliding scale, based on the participation of the student. A minimum level of participation is required to qualify. The goal for each student is apply for a
POLITICS & OPINION Contributed by Dick Palmatier I am writing this because, after a lifetime of thinking about the following, I have come to certain conclusions about religion and why I am here, and would like to share some of them if anyone is interested. I mostly have opinions, subject to change upon presentation of good evidence, and only a few beliefs (also subject to change). I don’t believe in a god, gods, angels, devils, elves, ghosts, abominable snowmen, Santa Claus, the tooth fairy or any other supernaturalfictional being. I believe I am a product of a haphazard random occurrence where a particular sperm penetrated a particular egg cell, and which resulted in my exiting my mother’s womb nine months later. I came into this world a product of evolution, with no designated purpose other than to exist, make myself happy, and to aid in the happiness of those I soon learned to love. Being an aware animal, I decided early on that how I viewed myself was of utmost importance. I consider myself, mainly, a person who tries to behave in a good
manner toward others. I care what those whom I love think of me, but have decided it’s none of my business what any others think of me. When I die, I believe, that will be the end of me. No afterlife. No rewards or punishments by a spooky entity counting my sins, adding up my good deeds, and deciding whether I should spend the rest of eternity burning in Hell or playing a harp while floating on a cloud. I will be dead! This is my life. Here and now. In this span of time. I have some regrets, but realize that most of my mistakes were made because of my ignorance at the time, and I would do better now. I like science because of the way it finds it’s truths; by testing, retesting and proving mostly beyond a reasonable doubt, that something exists. Scientists hypothesize, then test and open their findings and their minds to the retesting by other scientists. Their methodology is such that the possibility for error is minimized by blind and double-blind testing. I find all of this reassuring in that the facts given to me by true scientists are less likely to be compromised.
minimum of 30 jobs during the three weeks. These jobs will be applied for both in-person and online. The cost of this program is $375 per student. There are scholarships available for anyone in need. A scholarship application may be requested by contacting Connect Palmer at 907-7469675 or Amy@connectpalmer.org. There are also many ways to volunteer, from signing up on the meal train, https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/ wkv537, to helping with computer skills and resumes. We also need transportation volunteers to assist in taking students to volunteer sites, to drop-off applications or resumes and to job interviews. So, if you or someone you know needs help looking for work, please contact us at 907-746-9675 or Amy@connectpalmer.org. If you are interested in volunteering; there is a volunteer application on our website, www.connectpalmer.org, or contact katie@connectpalmer.org.
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FAITH is usually the reason most religions give to explain their beliefs because they really have no facts to explain them. A belief based on Faith alone, not open to review, serves no purpose other than to allow the person involved not to have to think about that question any further. Because a person believes something is no reason for you or me to believe it. A belief is a belief, and a fact is a fact. That thousands, or even millions, of people believe in a particular supernatural phenomenon does not make it so. The supernatural is by nature unproveable. The Faith-believers may believe the way they do out of fear of the unknown, or because of their need to be accepted by their affiliated tribe. Other reasons, throughout history, has been the threat of punishment or even death by the leaders of the existing religious cults. The universe is enormous. It is about 93 billion LIGHT-YEARS wide. Light travels at 186,000 miles per SECOND. Nothing travels faster. It is 13.8 billion years old and contains hundreds of billions of galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars with untold planets surrounding each star. The Milky Way, our home galaxy, stretches some 100,000 light-years across. Andromeda, the next nearest galaxy is 2.5 million light-years
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away. (Heaven is where?) The Dutch philosopher, Spinosa, said that you can’t find God in the scriptures as it is nature and all of its laws, which comprise “god”. Personally, I find happiness and contentment in being outdoors where I can see and listen to the sights and sounds of nature. Not to be happy in the “church” of your choosing would suggest you need to find another. I opine that faith is the stubborn adherence to a belief, both unproven and unproveable. If there are facts supporting your belief, your belief is not based on faith, it is a real belief. Therefore, faith remains as something only supportive of the unbelievable and is proof of nothing. Science and logic tells us we cannot prove a negative. This is why scientists hypothesize before testing a theory. We non-believers cannot prove the non-existence of a god. It’s up to the believers to prove he exists, and they haven’t done it yet. And please don’t use the Bible to prove the Bible. To conclude: This is all indicative to me that no entity who looks like you and me and possibly has 99% the same DNA as a chimpanzee, as we do, could possibly have created and be controlling it all!
POLITICS & OPINION
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500 feet from our family home. The next day I went to the Northern Alaska Environmental Center and picked up a publication dated February 2011 entitled “Coal Ash in Alaska, Our Health Our Right To Know”. This publication is available here at this link. tinyurl.com/akaction The author, Alaska Community Action on Toxics.
Contributed by Teresa de Lima
woman scorned.
A citizen’s petition to the federal government? Why??? What on earth would possess someone to do something like that? It’s an uphill fight all the way. A Sisyphean effort. But when one has the lofty goal of exposing egregious misdeeds carried out on the populace, one becomes energized by employing the power of the citizens’ petition. One hopes that one’s concerns be addressed, reparations be made, and lives improve. After all, the people who work for the federal government are public servants, there to do a job that supports the stated mission for whom they work. Nae- doesn’t really work that way. You have to wait years. One wonders if there is justice. One hopes so. One knows who Karma is. And that other saying about the
I was driving home one evening after putting in a day at work (or trying to work) and afterwards taking care of my parents, Rose and Don de Lima, before heading home to my children. A normal long day for a person of the sandwich generation. I was bone tired. You see, I’d been taking care of my beloved for seven years by then and there were 200+ doctors visits, with a dozen by ambulance to the Emergency Room. The illnesses were staggering. I was listening to the local radio station and a report by KUAC’s Dan Bross came on. The report was about coal ash and toxic chemicals found in coal combustion waste in Alaska. Boy, did my ears ever perk up! As a matter of fact, the coal fired power plant that powers most of Fairbanks and beyond is less than
After analyzing our situation, I decided the only thing that I could do for my parents was to move them back to Manley Hot Springs. Neither wanted to go to the Pioneers Home. And thankfully, they had the Manley house. There were two sides to that coin though because of the Manley house and the Fairbanks house, my folks did not qualify for Medicaid and so there were A LOT of bills that were not covered, even with Medicare Part D. (Whatever the heck that means). No private insurance. Thank God in Heaven above for mothers native health care. But that doesn’t pay for prosthesis for your boob or pacemakers or the prescriptions that your dad is on or the custom shoes that have to be made when all of your toes are amputated because the drugs you are being treated with do not effect the condition because the poison is raining down on you 24-7 [twenty four seven]. That poison being Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, Lead, Zinc, Barium, Beryllium, Selenium. Figure 7-3 Metals Concentrations in Surface Soil Aurora Power Plant Fairbanks, Alaska from Site Inspection Report dated September 2013 prepared for the EPA Region X by EE&C.
and learn about World War 2 history there.
ever change that. To make something happen, to pass a bill in Congress, you have to work with both Democrats and Republicans. What we should focus on is common goal: to save Americans’ lives by making money and by creating jobs.
Contributed by Huhnkie Lee Greetings friends, this is Huhnkie Lee, running for 2022 US Senate as an independent Alaskan. As a practicing Christian, I’m notoriously friendly to other candidates. So, I strongly encourage them to implement the plans outlined here if they get elected instead of me. //:-) Earlier this year, I wrote a white paper about Pebble Mine, which you can download freely at https://privpapers. ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_ id=3833159 . Basically, the idea is this... Go ahead and mine the gold, copper, molybdenum in Pebble, make 500 billion dollars there, and save Alaskan lives. Pebble Site, besides minerals, has an amazing tourism opportunity. The biggest lake in Alaska, Iliamna Lake is there. Kodiak Island and Katmai National Park and Bristol Bay are around Pebble Site as well. Aleutian Chains is there as well. So, if we mine Pebble, make $500 billion dollars, and build a highway from Mat-Su to Pebble Site, then people can travel there by cars. People around Pebble site will find tourism gold, as well as mined gold. Imagine people sailing, hopping from one to another island along Aleutian Chain, all the way to Attu Island, to visit
Now, yet another humongous opportunity is a new trade route between Alaska and Russia/Asia along the Aleutian Chain. How wonderful a shipping industry would it be, if the cargo ships simply sail along the Aleutian Chain Islands, staying over some hotels in some Aleutian Islands along the way? We’ll need initial investment money to make this trade/tourism industry and Pebble money can provide that. Of course, Alaska has more to offer than Pebble potential. We got Arctic National Wildlife Refuge too. Another $500 billion dollar there with oil and gas. If I become US senator next year, I shall work with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and yes, I will work with both Democrats and Republicans and make ANWR oil/gas development happen. How? I’ll convince them that ANWR development won’t hurt the environment and polar bears, just like I’ll persuade them Pebble won’t hurt a single salmon. My dear fellow Alaskans and Americans, let us be realistic. Fifty percent of Americans will always be Liberal/ Democrats, 50% of Americans will always be Conservative/Republicans. That will never change, and no one can
Once we build Pebble Mine and ANWR oil/gas, we’ll be left with one trillion dollars. We can invest some of that for social programs to rehabilitate drug addicts, criminals and homeless people in Alaska. All we need to teach them is how to work, how to study, and how to have fun without breaking the law. We, law-abiding and hard-working citizens, learned how to live good from our parents, but not everyone was blessed with good parents like us. So, once we make one trillion dollars from Pebble/ ANWR, we will help out people who are less well-to-do. Another vision for Alaska is farming of Alaska’s wild plants and wild animals. Russians learned how to tame and farm moose, as you can see in the following documentary for free: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=2UZpOvnAL_M I think we can farm any wild animals, including tigers, elephants, lions, leopards, etc. What if they refuse to breed in captivity? No problem. We got amazing reproductive technologies available these days, including artificial insemination. We will get them pregnant, snatch their babies, and sell them. Sounds too harsh? Well, my dear fellow
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Please excuse my run on sentence. I am a 7th generation Alaskan, born in Fairbanks. I grew up in a town that had a one room school for kids from kindergarten to eighth grade. We were taught social responsibility by an enormously important person in the village. We were taught that mission statements mean something. The mission statement of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to “protect human health and the environment”. The mission statement of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) is “conserve, improve and protect Alaska’s natural resources and environment to enhance the health, safety, economic and social well-being of Alaskans”. I did not go to college. I do not have any formal training other than that for piloting an aircraft. In my humble opinion, neither the EPA or ADEC are fulfilling their mission statements. After hearing what I have to say, you decide for yourself. I will continue to share my experience with you. I love my hometown. I enjoyed a quick trip to Fairbanks this week. It was so wonderful to see some of my friends. Some parts of Fairbanks are just beautiful. There are many new restaurants and I look forward to returning. I hadn’t a chance to explore in depth, but what I did see in my follow up to coal ash makes me want to get in a little plane, take some nice aerial shots, time stamp that info and get it to the Feds. Again. I’ve heard it said before, don’t take it personal, Teresa. Hmm. Really? I beg to differ.
Alaskans and Americans,where do you think your puppies and kittens come from? Does a stork come fly, carrying those baby cats and canines to deliver to your doorstep? No. Baby snatching and baby selling of animals are the reality of animal farming that has been done everywhere in human history for tens of thousands of years. Animal rights activists? We will convince them to. How? Like this: Farmed animals never go extinct. Let’s say, we farm polar bears. We can rent out baby polar bears as pets and take them back after they grow too big. Let’s say polar bears live for 15 years on average. In their 13th birthday, we shall harvest polar bears and sell their furs. We can make serious money here. And, we shall release about 5% of farmed polar bears, back to their natural habitat. What if the climate changes and the polar bears start to starve? Again, no problem. We’ll feed them. With ANWR oil/gas money, we can build a highway from Fairbanks all the way to ANWR. We can have a fully-fenced polar bear safari, which will also serve as a feeding zoo. Polar bear cubs can be petted as well as fed by human patrons in that polar bear zoo. It will be safely operated. People will feed polar bears by dropping the food they came with, through a funnel or conduit built-in through the fence. As you can see, the possibility in Alaska is endless. So, vote for me next year. Thank you //:-D
POLITICS & OPINION
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
husbands, and be cremated alive? Was Joan of Arc way ahead of her time as a feminist statement? Contributed by Cathy Medici, 2015 American feminists are at a crossroads of debate. Discussion about defining waves as segments in time can be intriguing. That debate is interesting to both adherents to feminist persuasions, and those not persuaded. The first wave had as its primary focus, eventual suffrage. That achievement in 1920, after a century long struggle, ushered in an ironic extended nap, until a reawakening some forty years later. Recognizing the significance of acquiring the vote has fallen away, in the consciousness of present-day feminists. Awareness within American feminism of the now commonly articulated waves came to popular acceptance, with the generational shift from the second to the third wave. The second wave’s inception is tied in time to a beginning in the late 1960s, and an ending in the early 90’s. The third wave, beginning at the end of the second, has now surpassed the roughly twenty year duration of the second. That raises the question of the possibility that it is time for a progressive fourth wave. The adage that hindsight is better than foresight is relevant. Questions raised by younger participants in the third wave, about the circumstances and role model personalities from the past, contain some interesting challenges. It may be quite constructive to look back further in time, before the 19th century initial wave and integrate feminism with principles of global multicul-
turalism. Consideration starts with the impact of European Imperialism on the participation of women, in absorbed societies. Any multiculturalist will assert that Western influences eroded local cultures in deleterious ways. An obvious example was the absorption of India into the British Empire. Fourth wave feminism could instill awareness of cultural preservation and diversity. The popularity of yoga in the West came from both Hindu and Buddhist meditation practices. Its broad western acceptance originated in the 60s counter culture. The closely related practice of sati or sutti, articulated in Sanskrit, was drastically abridged by British intrusion into India’s culture. The human rights of India’s women were subjected to Western disruption. No longer were women allowed to exercise their cultural persuasion, and climb atop their husband’s funeral pyre for cremation. Women in India had their identity changed through male chauvinist imperialistic dictation, forcing widow status upon them. Is it time to foster a reinstatement of the right of India’s women to display their complete, absolute identification as extensions of their husband’s life? That aspect of an Indian woman’s liberation could become globally accepted. Is it time for feminists in the West to affirm the multicultural, cosmopolitan revival of female sati by way of yoga? Should they demonstrate solidarity with Hindu women by completely merging their identity with their
It adds perspective to cultural diversity to make multiple queries along the same lines. It is generally accepted in academia, that European Imperialism had draconian, degenerating, exploitative disregard, as per Marx, for the people subjugated outside the West. When multiple European powers colonized China in the 19th century, prior to the advent of feminism, they forced an end to the crushing and binding of the feet of aristocratic girls. Is it time for a renaissance revival of the identity of women in Chinese culture, reversing the domineering, diluting influence of the West? Can China be persuaded to value cultural diversity, revert to pristine, preindustrial, sustainable mud huts and let females once again choose to have their feet crushed? Perhaps, like being incinerated with their husbands, it would add to cultural diversity amongst western feminists, if they would join in global, female liberation from masculine, western dominance and have their feet crushed. A dialogue over fashion accessories behind burkhas might now be in order, in the transition into the fourth wave. Can burkhas be recognized for their gender neutral influence on Zorro and Darth Vader? Would considering Mata Hari’s vocal range and dance movements, contribute to a broader debate of women’s issues, shifting focus from current pop culture preoccupation beyond Kardashian derrières? Can questions of political significance be debated, drawing on prominent women from the past like Catherine De Medici? While ruling in Paris, did she
sovereignty in our national presidential vote, Alaska will be part of the problem — the national crisis we are facing. Contributed by Wes Keller Belated Happy 4th! We must recognize the significance of this national holiday more than ever before. By next July 4, 2022, we will be in the big election cycle of crucial significance for future generations. The long-standing awe and esteem for the superiority of America’s founding values has been tarnished by the polarization of the 2020 election fiasco. The power and dignity of voting was gravely damaged and must be restored quickly. Our society has been rudely jerked out of an era of lackadaisical voting to suddenly find our voting power was likely stolen! We had better spare no expense re-certifying election credibility if we expect meaningful future July 4th celebrations. I encourage you to keep the red, white and blue décor up all year! This is a way we can each take part to help defeat the ridiculous aversion to patriotism we are seeing happening recently while watching for other things we can do to help repair the damage. It is as if we have researched and found a perfect house, car, property to buy… a “deal”. But, when we try to pay, we find our identity has been stolen, our bank account emptied, and our credit destroyed. There is no “quick fix”, we
have simply become marginalized because of theft! As voters, we seem to have lost the control and rights we presumed we had! The only consolation we have is we are supposedly “on the Board of Directors” to catch and punish the thief and re-secure our dignity. It turns out we really haven’t been paying enough attention so now there is confusion on how to make the repairs. My hat is off to the few State legislatures who understand this, and to various organizations in America such as the Heritage Foundation, who are working hard to restore election credibility. Do not make the mistake of just assuming justice will automatically prevail in this matter! We must never forget the Judiciary and Executive Branches have an intrinsic interest in an ever bigger and stronger government! By original design, applying founding values, government power is supposed to be limited by “We the People” via elected representatives in the legislative branch. It is very disappointing to see our Alaska Legislature continue to flounder on this issue. Some good election bills have been introduced by clear thinkers, but they languish in committees as victims of ignorant, petty politics. If our legislature does not stand up and assert Alaska’s constitutional state
We celebrate, confirm, and review the source and maintenance of “unalienable” human rights described in the Declaration of Independence every July 4th; “…certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men…”. The parades, the red, white, and blue, the picnics…, they all celebrate what the Statue of Liberty iconically proclaims to the seven continents of the earth; our government (America) is here to secure these rights for all who legally join us and become Americans! We dare not forget this bottom-line, intentional design for our limited government. We have become “dull” and lost much of the excitement of America’s greatness and how it is sourced in traditional, monotheistic, constitutional values. We need to sharpen-up these values immediately to defeat the foolish, failed philosophies being promoted in our schools, our reactionary knee-jerk social media posts, and the popular media. Ask yourself what “unalienable” human “rights” are: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is not as simplistic as you may have come to believe. Every signer of the Declaration — actually, every rational human being — can
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manage bimbo eruptions any differently, than current prominent political women? Further back in time, we could ask what of Cleopatra’s contribution to feminine political development, through notable seductions. Was it an early example of male chauvinism, when Marc Antony outlived her? He couldn’t have been preoccupied with eating Doritos, so why did he neglect addressing her untenable political circumstance? When Plato wrote The Republic and admonished women to take a greater role in society in both government and business, did he have any idea how wealthy he would make lawyers in that process? If his masculine advice has not been implemented to the satisfaction of feminists in the past 24 centuries, is it all because of a vast, masculine wing conspiracy, including head bonking on invisible ceilings? Why did a man, Plato, first articulate the core within feminism, framing the debate, and not a woman? Will that realization lead to Dudeology Studies departments for masculinist meninists in universities, with motorcycles, beer, and fishing in the syllabus? Can gender identification in language ever get past word processors trying to change “meninist” to “feminist?” What a stride forward for gender equality that would be, richly deserving celebration! Did Albert Einstein die without completing his cosmological constant theory, because he did not take into consideration the causation for the constant, cyclical movement of matter through time and space, in terms of living room furniture? Is the current circumstance anything more than a nihilistic, past tense, abandonment of the core of western culture?
and does “justify” the denial of these rights in certain circumstances! Such as cases of self-defense, war, incarceration for crimes committed, and pursuits oppressing another’s pursuits without restraint. The default question is what rational moral standard will be used to restrict unalienable rights? If you think it through, you will see this question inevitably requires religious analysis! If our society claims no absolute values, to be utterly secular and areligious, we would not be able to claim “rule of law”. Law is not law if it is not based on some ultimate moral value. Religion is inevitable and, as goes the individual “religion” of voters, so goes the nation. Remarkably, our government is specifically banished from “establishment” of ANY religion, so each person must bring his or her standard of absolutes with him/her when voting or working for government. These standards are meant to be applied in transparent public debate to shape and enforce our laws. This has been working wonderfully well (America IS Great), arguably because the voting majority embraced “true” religious concepts of justice, forgiveness, mercy, love, holiness, and Supreme-ness of the one true God. We are about to find out if these foundational truths will prevail so America’s greatness can be restored! Wes Keller | www.WesKeller.com
POLITICS & OPINION Contributed by Doug Ferguson Sadness and gratitude are two emotions I’ve intensely been feeling lately. Gratitude for having had the privilege (there’s that nasty word again!) of living in five distinct regions of the United States in my lifetime, and, in each one lived and seen what wonderful opportunities existed for a full life that were present in each. Sadness to see this land of freedom and promise in which I was born disappearing before our very eyes, most likely forever, or at least in its present form. I’ve previously written about this sad process hoping that enough people see it for what it is, thus to offer resistance to what is happening. No more. Either people see it or they ignore it. It’s staring them in the face. Esteemed historian and scholar Victor Davis Hanson’s most recent opinion piece in “American Greatness” titled “The Cruel Progressive Creed Undoing Civilization” probably does the best job of stating this plight of Western Civilization today, America being the focal point of the huge changes underway. You should read it. His first paragraph sets the tone for the rest of his very pointed and unsettling article: “Debt is suffocating us. Our currency is on its way to being Lebanonized. Most major American cities are broke, dirty, unsafe, and run by either corrupt incumbents, neo-Marxists, or both. The law is optional,
and applied asymmetrically on the basis of race and ideology. The past is found guilty by the laws of the present and so it is being undone.” He then talks about the boarder crisis and our military decline: “------There is no U.S. border; it is an abstract construct that millions will illegally cross in the next few years, ostensibly because they will become future soldiers in the progressive wars for America to come. The idea of merit that built America is a dirty word, replaced by medieval tribalism of hiring and promotion by superficial appearance. In just five months, Joe Biden created a desert and called it progress.” After reviewing the range of actions and events in almost every aspect of our culture, he ends with the following: “The new progressivism is not the old Democratic Party, or even 1960s’ liberalism. It is a cruel creed, a faith-based ideology that allows no apostasies. Progressivism envisions humanity as a marbleized abstraction, not incarnate humans. If need be, it will alter language, change names, cancel people, erase events, and destroy elements of existing civilization. It stereotypes both adherents and opponents as either useful or disposable. And the carnage it wreaks on the masses is always acceptable damage for these terrifying visions of the anointed.”
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I completely share his pessimism about the future and will not be writing again to convince others of this, but will be documenting and celebrating the life I have had for future generations to read about. At the same time, I mourn the sadness of it not being there for my descendants and the youth of our country. In that spirit I offer the following verses: Ode to My Native Land I am an American native son, My forebearers came here for freedom and opportunity, My seed was planted here. My Childhood showed me how to stick up for myself, It also taught me to how to fail, then succeed with others and learn life’s wonders.. In my teenage years, I learned how rules and work get results, But yet how life still could be fun. As a younger man I learned important work skills, And gloried in being needed and free. As a peacetime soldier, I learned to respect, And honor those who had been in combat and fought for me. As a worker I found the satisfaction Of leaving something better than it was
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before. As a young adult, I had the freedom to marry, Regardless of my parent’s wisdom or my lack thereof. As a Father, I learned to be a parent, a teacher, and mentor, Not always the best, but still loved. As a Man, my close friends were of different races and religions. As a grownup I had complete freedom to make mistakes, And managed to make some big ones! In midlife I learned that in America, one can always Start over, despite their mistakes, if one is honest and owns up to them. As a Senior, I have learned true love, peace, compassion and To have gratitude for all these life lessons. In America, my beloved native free land, During my lifetime all these things were possible. So long America! It’s been good t’know ya! Doug Ferguson is a retired engineer living in Palmer, Alaska who has had a life-long interest in science, math, earth sciences, astronomy, history and of course, human behavior.
POLITICS & OPINION Contributed by Marilyn Bennett What does having a flag on your property signify? Is flying the American flag now a divisive act? It seems that every year, there are more and more people who are offended by our flag. The New York Times ran a story this year that seemed to state that our flag that was once a unifying symbol is now alienating to some. Who are those people who are alienated by our flag? The flag was designed to be inclusive of everyone, which is why two stars were added when Alaska and Hawaii were added to our Union as states. The flag is a symbol of respect for those who fought and died for the freedoms we all share. It is a shame that our schools are teaching our children to dislike their country and disrespect our flag and the national anthem. I watched several ivy league college students being asked if they were proud of being an American. They all stated that they were not proud and in fact were ashamed of this country. It doesn’t seem to occur to them that the reason
Contributed by Christian M. Hartley I have the utmost respect for Tam Boeve in her role as the Borough Assembly representative for District 7, and hope that she will be re-elected to that seat. District 7 is blessed with many qualified people who can run for the seat and serve the community. Like any organization that has an opening, we want the most qualified and most dedicated candidate to fill that role. When you vote for weak candidates, you end up with boondoggles and we all know
we are having such a problem at our borders is that many people in this world are willing to walk through water, climb walls and cross deserts to get into this country. Yet, these privileged college students think they are being cool by denigrating the most-free country that has ever existed.
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but up until someone came up with the dumb idea of “celebrating diversity”, which led to “cultural appropriation”. The melting pot strived to unite people while the current landscape only divides us.
It makes me sad, that behavior that has been normal since the founding of this country has suddenly become offensive. Our educational institutions are trying to make any patriotic display seem in poor taste or some kind of political statement. The schools are pushing a “Woke Culture” on our children that is dividing us into tribes. We were a nation that strived to be a melting pot of people. Over the years I have seen people from many nations come here, integrate into our society, intermarry and become one out of many.
I do not understand what an athlete or celebrity is thinking of when they disrespect our flag or our anthem. Do they think they are doing a good thing? Who benefits from the negativity of disrespecting our country? These people seem to feel that they are sending a message that they want change, but what is their blueprint for such change? This country has witnessed many changes over the years and has survived. The Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King brought in well needed change. Also, the Feminist Movement gave more equality for women in the workplace. Our country has been moving closer each year to the ideal of total equality of opportunity for everyone and this has been a good thing.
We learned to enjoy foods from around the world and fashion has taken on the styles of many nations and our music reflects a myriad of cultural traditions. The melding of many cultures and traditions has not always been smooth,
The current negative movements of defunding our police, denigrating our founders, tearing down statues and re-writing our history does not bode well for the future of our country. It is no longer a movement to improve our
how many of those we’ve had in the last decade. But did you notice that we haven’t had many since Tam Boeve was elected? Can you name one since 2018 when she was elected? Tam Boeve has been a voice of reason and a stalwart presence demanding equal treatment of all Borough residents for the same quality of services received by those in the core area. Before she was elected, Tam Boeve was serving. During the Sockeye Wildfire, Tam Boeve was there. Rebuilding homes after the Sockeye Wildfire? Tam
Boeve was there buying and donating supplies for the effort. Southcentral Floods, Tam Boeve was there. Montana Creek and Malaspina Fires, Tam Boeve was there. Since she was elected, she is still there every time. When public safety needed support to effect changes that many legacy representatives had rejected, Tam Boeve was there. Christmas floods in Willow, Tam Boeve was there. Southcentral Earthquake, Tam Boeve was there. McKinley Fire, Tam Boeve was there. And most importantly, she has been to every single meeting regarding the budget and listened to every minute of
civility that addressed the stereotyping within Amos and Andy will be extended to the whole culture. Contributed by Hulagu O’Kelly, 2016 Stanley Kubrick wasn’t impressed with his own film, Spartacus. It depicted sacrificial loyalty to leadership, during a Roman slave rebellion. The pivotal line, “I am Spartacus!” got the followers of the rebellion leader crucified, when they tried during interrogation, to shield his identity. The line has been used as a satire pitch, for endorsing nonconformist thinking ever since. I now say, “I am Spartacus, and I am Amos and Andy!” But how can I identify with all three people, all at the same time? It’s easy. Amos and Andy were a satirical stereotyping of black men,
Contributed by Patti Fisher I am writing to let your readers know about a gravel pit for which a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) has been applied for with the Borough. The pit would be located on Sylvan Road in Meadow Lakes just about two-tenths of a mile off the Parks Highway. The site,
Contributed by Katherine Baker This is a vitally important election for our country and for Alaska. Each state will be assessing the kind of leadership it requires and every voter will decide who best represents them. The voters of Alaska may very well give pause before giving their vote to Lisa Murkowski ever again. Can Alaskans be certain of what exactly Murkowski will do in Washington, DC? We can get a glimpse of what to expect based on her past ‘bouncing off the walls’ leadership style. In January of 2021, Murkowski made what could be the worst political power play in recent memory. Murkowski
playing incompetent buffoons. It was aired by CBS over 60 years ago. I, a middle-aged white man, can fully relate to those characters. Media ideologues, posturing as journalists routinely characterize middle aged, white, conservative males as ignorant, intrinsically stupid people; to be regarded as simple-minded dolts. Jackie Gleason’s Ralph Cramden, Carroll O’Conner’s Archie Bunker and of course, Homer Simpson was just a sampling. Meathead was their assumed hippie head antithesis. If there is to be a cathartic dialogue over the issues of environment, gender and race in the American melting pot, then eventually the same measure of
owned by the Alaska Mental HealthTrust, is surrounded on three sides by homes, closely abutting the property, with wetlands through the middle of the site, and on a narrow roadway. The CUP application lists approximately 1000 truck trips a day. The Meadow Lakes Comprehensive Plan written in 2004 has designated that site as the
threatened to change her political party and go Democrat. (Seriously, some Alaskans saw that as confirmation of what they already suspected). The Alaskan voters had been led to believe that they had elected a moderate Republican, as, for example, President Donald J. Trump is. Instead, after being elected as a senator from Alaskan by conservatives and expected to solidly and faithfully represent the state and its people, Murkowski wiped the bottom of her shoes all over their ballots. Murkowski had the rudeness (like her partner-incrime, Liz Chaney) to side against her state and the people who elected her. Murkowski opted to side with (wait for it…) the radical, not a bit moderate or
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When denigration is applied to a different target, does the shoe fit? If black and white people truly are the same in terms of humanity and dignity, and they are, then it will be recognized that they are both capable of prejudiced thinking. But since I have a limited motive for being Mr. Explainer or Mr. Fixer, I might just play the hand dealt, and get comfortable with projecting an Amos and Andy persona. Such a ploy could spare me social demands that I implement solutions, for gender confusion and thermometer fluctuations. I’m not actually a coward as some notable lawyers assert, when it comes to dialoguing about issues of
Town Center for Meadow Lakes. Placing a gravel pit in this location would be extremely detrimental to the physical, financial, and mental health of the residents which live directly next to the site, and to the community at large. This property is owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust. Contact was made
reasonable, hardcore, elitists extremist, the socialist fascists of the Democratic Party, the Biden-Harris-Pelosi-Schumer Show. What is that? No, really, what IS that? Would any true conservative, moderate or otherwise, pull such an erratic stunt? Reasonable minds all know the answer to that. In the past, whenever Murkowski opposed the duly elected moderate Republican POTUS and/or her Republican colleagues in the Senate, she would loudly and proudly proclaim how she wasn’t up for re-election in 2020. She bragged about it, actually. That sounds suspiciously like the Democrat strategy of “the people have short memories”.
country, but just tear down and criticize. It is especially unsettling that our children are being given such a negative view of their country as this cannot make things better. We are not, and have never been a perfect country, but we have more freedom than any country in the world. If we can throw off this terrible negativity that is dividing us, we can improve and grow even better together.
public testimony. A life of service to the people was the reason she was elected, and the fact that she continues to serve the community on top of her role on the Borough Assembly is the reason to re-elect her. She has kept her promises and not hidden from any of the hard questions that anybody has asked her. As taxpayers to the Borough coffers, we need someone who respects the costs of doing business along with the needs of planned growth. Tam Boeve understands both. Christian M. Hartley 907-354-2564
race in society. The horrific death toll in places like the Southside of Chicago from street violence appalls me. Will it be admitted that Lyndon Johnson’s socialist Great Society didn’t work as proposed? Or will that question be shoved into a historical revisionist, Marxist amnesia hole? Media megaphones assume I don’t care; again because I am a white, middle-aged, conservative male. If I play the witless imbecile, what can society expect of me? I’ll just let the tide flow in and out, the clock run out on social delusions, and exercise Irish, intrinsic satire. And then I can point out to equality advocating multiculturalists, that if they don’t accommodate the wise guy trait within Leprechaun Celtic culture, they are hypocrites denying their own credo.
with an administrator of the Trust, and he advised us that the health of the people in the neighborhood is “not their concern”. The administrator basically did not want to listen to our concerns about the proposed site. This site does not need to be developed for the gravel. It is a location which could be developed for many other uses, family residences, retail establishments or senior housing.
No politician can long stand without the support of the people UNLESS they can somehow control the outcome of the election and don’t have to represent the people or their state to get votes. Then the politician would have enormous power to do whatever they wanted. The office of the President of the United States isn’t on the ballot in 2022. Plan on voting anyway. VOTE. Every voice matters. Every VOTE matters. Your VOTE matters. No matter who you decide to VOTE for, please VOTE. Participate in history-VOTE. The power of the people is in the ballot box. The politicians have forgotten how they represent the people, the voter, you! Remind them. VOTE.
COMMUNITY
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APPAREL & CLOTHING All Seasons Clothing ........ 357-0123 D’s Tuxedo ........ 707-6585 Mila’s Alterations ........ 830-8339
Contributed by Robb Robbert, Wasilla-Knik Historical Society
Picnic & Musher Induction, located at Knik Museum, 13.9 KGB.
BOOKSTORE A Black Sheep Shop ......... 376-8198 Black Birch Books ...... 373-2677 Fireside Books ........ 745-2665
Knik Museum Annual Picnic & Musher Induction 7/18/2021 – 1PM Knik Museum Mile 13.9 KGB, Wasilla FREE Admission
After the potluck picnic, we will induct Jeff Schultz, Iditarod photographer, to the Mushers’ Hall of Fame.
CAFÉ & COFFEE Alaska Artisan Coffee ........ 745-5543 Gathering Grounds ........ 376-4404 Vagabond Blues……..745-2233
Please join us Sunday, July 18th at 1:00pm for the Knik Museum Annual
ART & CRAFTS Artists Uncorked… 982-2675 The Gallery ........ 745-1420
After the induction we will have a raffle and the dog team will deliver the mail (caches) with Jeff’s image to the Bjorn Cabin.
CANNABIS RETAILER Matanuska Cannabis Co. ...... 745-4211
Contributed by Kiki Kellar, Valley Charities, Inc.
CREATIVE ENTERTAINMENT Artists Uncorked ........ 982-2675
turn-A-leaf Thrift Store is encouraging kids (and parents) to get outside to learn more about the backyard birds that visit frequently.
EDUCATION Learning Essentials ........ 357-3990
Kids can pick up our free Backyard Birding Challenge checklist at the turn-A-leaf thrift store register area. The checklist provides 10 birds that are known in the Mat-Su Valley that are consistent visitors to Alaska.
FOOTWEAR Northern Comfort ........ 376-5403 HEALTH & WELLNESS All About Herbs ........ 376-8327 Just Botanicals ....... 414-3663 Lone Wolf Aura ........ 631-0482
Once young birders have completed their search of identifying the birds on the list, they can bring in their checklist to turn-A-leaf thrift store and receive a Backyard Birding Challenge Button and Certificate of Achievement.
HOME DÉCOR Peak Boutique ........ 746-3320 PIZZA Humdingers Pizza ........ 745-7499 PHLEBOTOMY SERVICES Valley Phlebotomy ........ 376-6435
Parents can even take it a step a further and teach their kids more about each species from Google searches on the internet to learn fun facts like an American Robin can fly 20 to 35 miles per hour.
PRINT SERVICES The UPS Store ........ 746-6245 REPAIR, RESTORATION Comtronics ........ 373-2669 S&S Drilling ...... 746-0225 Steve’s Toyostove Repair ..... 376-9276 The Powdercoat Shop .... 841-1300 SPECIALTY GIFTS Alaska Midnite Scents ........ 357-7364 Non-Essentials ........ 745-2258 The Wagon Wheel ........ 357-8980 THRIFT SHOPS Steam Driven Boutique ........ 376-4404 Turn-A-Leaf Thrift Stores ........ 376-5708 TOYS Just Imagine Toys ........ 357-1543 Learning Essentials .......... 357-3990
Contributed by Cindy Calzada Alaska Whole Life Festival August 6, 2021 – 12PM August 7-8, 2021 – 11AM Alaska Whole Life Festival Palmer Train Depot 610 S Valley Way, Palmer Cost: $5 The Alaska Whole Life Festival will be at the Depot in Palmer, 610 S Valley Way, on Friday, August 6, 2021 from 12pm to 6pm, Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, with a special musical presentation after the festival on Friday night from 6pm to 7pm put on by the Whirling Rainbow Foundation and Grandmother Drum International Peace project. Stop by and see all that the metaphysical and healing arts community has to offer you. Five-dollar entry with free lectures and demos each day once you’re in the door. See vendor list and lecture schedule on our Facebook page: “Alaska Whole Life Festival”. See you soon!
Contributed by Cathy Mosher Valley Republican Women of Alaska Membership Meeting 8/19/2021 – 7PM Valley Republican Women of Alaska Evangelo’s Restaurant 2530 E Parks Hwy. Wasilla FREE Admission Watch for changes for our August 19th
meeting and our awesome line up for August’s program. We are having our Chili Cook-off on Saturday, September 18th at Palmer Depot. We are looking for chili cooks. The winner of the cook-off will receive a trophy with their name on it. The winner is picked by popular vote of the public. Do not forget to put it on your calendar! Hope to see you there.
See us on our Facebook page, “Valley Republican Women of Alaska”, and visit our webpage, www.vrwak.com. Cathy Mosher cmosher@mtaonline.net Paid for by VRWAK P. O. Box 876739 Wasilla AK. 99687
COMMUNITY Contributed by Doris Thomas, Friends of Nike Site Summit Friends of Nike Site Summit is hosting morning and afternoon bus tours of Site Summit on Saturday, August 7th and Saturday, August 21st. Hiking tours of the former missile site in July and September have already been filled by those who had been on an advance notification list. The online registration link for all four tours is http://reg.planetreg.com/ NSS-Bus-2021. Those without internet access can reserve by calling (907) 929-9870 and making payment and reservation arrangements. The tour price includes round-trip bus transportation to Site Summit from the Arctic Valley Lodge parking lot. Tour
Contributed by Pat Younack Fabric Sale 8/21/2021 – 10AM Trinity Lutheran Church 10355 E. Palmer Wasilla Hwy. Palmer FREE Admission I am retiring from sewing. (Maybe.) After a lifetime of sewing, I think I want to quit. My mother taught all the girls in my family to sew. As a small child, it was hand sewing (Embroidery). Training
prices range from $55 for students 12-17, veterans and senior citizens, to $60 for adults. All participants must be at least 12 years of age. No infants in carriers are permitted. Reservations are required no less than three days in advance. Site Summit is culturally significant as the only one of eight Cold War-era Nike-Hercules missile sites in Alaska still standing. Tour participants will talk to veterans who were stationed at Site Summit, find out how the missiles were launched and learn about Alaska’s role in the Cold War. About Friends of Nike Site Summit: Friends of Nike Site Summit was formed by local volunteers in 2007 to advocate for the preservation of Site Summit. In
with Mom meant the inside of the piece had to look as good as the face of the project. Later, it was making your own clothing for school. In high school, all the girls had Home Economics classes for sewing and food. All the boys got to go to Shop classes. I am not sure what all they learned, but I bet it was more interesting than in our class. When I got married, I continued with sewing for the house and family. I always had fun with Halloween
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2009, it partnered with the U.S. Army (now JBER), the National Park Service, and State Historic Preservation Officer to preserve the historic mountaintop fortress overlooking Arctic Valley. FONSS’ mission is to preserve and interpret the site for the education of current and future generations about the Cold War, and, by doing this, memorialize the millions of veterans who served during the Cold War. FONSS is a committee of the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, and works in cooperation with JBER. Contact: Doris Thomas Public Relations Chairman (907) 694-3570 fonss2007@gmail.com
costumes. My husband almost never had a store-bought shirt. He liked the ones I made because they fit and had SNAPS. I worked at many other interesting jobs after the kids were in elementary school. One of the special places I worked was a small shop where we made wedding gowns for Sak’s 5th Avenue in New York. I moved on from there when I found out one of the gowns I worked on sold for $31,000 and my salary was $150 a week. In 1992, my husband and I moved to Wasilla and I bought my cousin’s custom sewing shop. My specialty of wedding gowns would not work in Alaska, but men’s custom shirts did. I also learned to work on Carhart’s and sled bags. I had fun entering things
in the Alaska State Fair. I even got a grand champion ribbon for a doll-sized wedding gown. Over the last years, I have mostly been making and selling the Alaska Nativestyle dress called Kuspuks or Atiglicks. 1 have made wrestlers capes, magic hats and even a ham for Valley Performing Arts Theater. My own stock of fabric grew recently by an inheritance from a friend. I can no longer turn around in my work room, so I am having a sale. On Saturday, August 21st, from 10 am to 4 pm. I will have crates and bags of fabric to sell. I have cotton, satin, wool, fleece, real cotton linen, knit fabric. I have real Japanese silk too, but I want to try my hand at painting silk first. Please come by Trinity Lutheran Church 10355 E. Palmer Wasilla Highway in Palmer Thank you Patricia Younack p_toosha@yahoo.com
PETS & ANIMALS Contributed by Angie Lewis, Alaska Animal Advocates Beautiful Bella is desperately needing your help. Bella’s family is moving out of Alaska, and they are not planning on bringing her with them. She has lived with this family her entire life and now is finding herself about to
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become homeless after 9 years of loyalty and love. Help me prove to Bella that there is kindness in the world. Call if you can help, even if it is just to foster her until a permanent home is found. Call Angie at Alaska Animal Advocates at 841-3173.
to the pound. He will not do well at the pound, because he is a very sensitive dog. Contributed by Angie Lewis, Alaska Animal Advocates Dash finds himself in a bad situation. His original family is in the military and has been sent to Japan. Dash was not able to transfer with them. Instead, he has been fostered by a family who no longer wants to keep him, and they are ready to take him
Dash is a beautiful, smart, loving boy. He is not familiar with cats and so would most likely chase them. In fact, Dash would do well as an only dog. He is not aggressive, but easily becomes anxious and stressed with other dogs. Please call Angie at Alaska Animal Advocates at 841-3173 to learn more about this boy.
We typically do not have control over the amount of fireworks that happen, but we do have control over how we help our animal family through this experience. Setting up a safe room in your house is a good strategy, such as a bathroom or bedroom. If your pet is crate trained, she might feel more comfortable in her crate. There are calming products that help to alleviate fear issues. ThunderShirts, a tight-fitting shirt, will swaddle your pet and provides constant pressure, which theoretically helps soothe your anxious pet. Make sure to use the shirt on a trial basis beforehand, so your dog does not feel shocked at the feel of it on her body. There are also calming pheromones that can be sprayed or used with a plug-in diffuser which releases calming pheromones into your room.
Contributed by Angie Lewis, Alaska Animal Advocates Watching fireworks can be a very enjoyable experience for many of us, but some people and animals find little joy in this ritual and are very stressed and anxious. The loud noises and bright lights can be quite frightening to these individuals, both animal and human. Dogs in particular have been seen to hide, shake, run and try to jump over fences. It has
been reported that the 4th of July holiday is the busiest day for shelters because so many animals run away from home in fear. There are things that you can do to make this less stressful. First, make sure that your pet’s identification information is current – microchips and collar tags. Check to be sure that your pet’s name, your phone number, and address is accurate.
CBD, made from the hemp plant, can offer a variety of products that help calm your pet, without getting them high. These products can typically be found in pet stores. For some dogs, having the television on or playing soft music can offer a welcome distraction to this stressful time. The best strategy to calm your dog is YOU. Without being overly dramatic or anxious yourself, which will just make matters worse, be there for your dog. Stay close and love her through this ordeal.
COMMUNITY Contributed by Joan Massart-Paden, Alaskan Scottish Club 1st Annual Tartan Tourney 7/24/2021 Registration Opens at 2 pm with a Shotgun Start at 3 pm. Settler’s Bay Golf Course Settler’s Bay Golf Course 7307 S Frontier Dr. Wasilla Cost: $125 per golfer, $500 team of 4 Could there be a more appropriate event that the Alaskan Scottish Club should host than a golf tournament? With Scotland being the home of golf, we think not! So, grab three friends and your favorite tartan schwag and join the Scots for a day of golf and Scottish fun! Register TODAY! https://alaskanscottish. square.site/ $125.00 per individual golfer or $500.00 for a team of 4. This entertaining tournament will host up to 30 teams of 4 golfers and will feature: fun games, a beer cart,
prizes, a golf bag toss, Grenades and Strings, closest to the pin and longest drive awards, dinner banquet after the tournament, and so much more! Plus, first drink is on us! The dinner will include: lemon thyme chicken, beef wellington, roasted potatoes with rosemary, roasted vegetables, salad bar, and fruit trifle The dinner banquet can be attended by Alaskan Scottish Club members who are not golfing for an additional fee of $40.00. This fee includes dinner and your first drink. Odem will also be providing a scotch tasting during the dinner! More about The Alaskan Scottish Club: The Alaskan Scottish Club is a non-profit organization established to promote the Scottish culture, heritage and teachings to the people of Alaska. We achieve this through events, workshops, concerts and other social gatherings in Alaska
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
throughout the year. The Alaska Scottish Highland Games is the largest event the ASC puts on and brings approx. 10,000 people throughout the State of Alaska and beyond together to celebrate the traditions and culture of Scotland. Money from this fundraising event will help to continue the events that the ASC holds year round, along with helping to fund the the Alaskan Scottish Club’s Education Assistance Program. This Program encourages and assists interested applicants in developing an understanding, appreciation and study of Scottish lore in music, sports, dancing, traditions, heritage, literature and art. Slàinte & warmest regards, Joan Massart-Paden, President Alaskan Scottish Club Tel: 907.229.0022 P.O. Box 244416 Anchorage, AK 9924-4416 Emails: president@alaskanscottish. org / adstrategies@icloud.com Website: alaskanscottish.org
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