ART IS HAPPENING IN THE VALLEY!
MORE ON PAGE 8 OF MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE
‘THE ODD COUPLE’ OPENS IN JANUARY
MORE ON PAGE 14 OF MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE
ADOPT ROO THE DOG
READ MORE ON PAGE 10 OF THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
SUBMIT YOUR OWN EVENTS & ARTICLES ON OUR WEBSITE
COMMUNITY & EVENTS
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 2
COMMUNITY & EVENTS
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 3
used in Alaska. One hundred percent of your donation will be used to buy more fabric and supplies. Contributed by Linda Kau, Quilts of Valor® Foundation
can read her complete story on the Foundation’s website, www.QOVF.org.
The Quilts of Valor® Foundation’s mission is to cover our service members and veterans touched by war with comforting Quilts of Valor.
Some of our local quilters, the Forget Me Not Quilters of Alaska, have focused on veterans at the Alaska Veterans and Pioneer Home in Palmer annually and at The Last Frontier Honor Flight Welcome Home ceremony twice yearly. Individual requests come through the website and are completed either at various group award ceremonies around the community or at the recipient’s workplace or home. You can nominate someone touched by war at www.QOVF.org by clicking the link to request a QOV.
In 2017, alone over 350 Alaskan veterans were honored with their own personal award. Since the first group was formed in the Mat-Su Valley in 2011, over 1000 resident veterans across the state have been recognized. Quilts of Valor® are not charity, but are awards given for services rendered to defend the freedoms of our country. The founder of QOVF tells her story of having a dream one night while she was waiting for her own son to return home from his duty in Iraq in 2003. The next morning, she remembered the dream and thought of how she could show her respect and support for our military. From that dream, nearly 180,000 Quilts of Valor have been awarded all across America. You
Would you like to join our mission? You can help by joining us as we sew on the 4th Thursday of each month at the Wasilla Senior Center or other venues throughout the year.
Contributed by June Gerteisen
in Anchorage. This year’s AK Beer Week runs Fri Jan 12 through Sun Jan 21 with craft beer-centric events throughout the entire state. That’s TEN DAYS of CRAFT BEER. Join Arkose in celebrating great beer in Alaska at these events:
AK Beer Week, Jan 12 – 21, 2018 This is an exciting time of year that not only brings out year-round support from local beer aficionados, but beer-seeking geeks from the Outside as well. AK Beer Week boosts our winter economy with travel and hospitality dollars, but it also promotes this great state as a destination for craft beer, and all the other local things involved in the enjoyment of craft beer: food, service, lodging, and activities. AK Beer Week is anchored by the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival that takes place this year on Jan 19 and 20 at the Egan Center
The Quilts of Valor® Foundation is a non-profit organization, established and operated in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contact Alaska State Coordinator Linda Kau at Linda. Kau@QOVF.org or 907-864-0770 to learn more about the organization.
Donations are gladly accepted and can be made by going to www.QOVF. org and clicking the donation link. Be sure to mention the funds are to be
Wed Jan 17 – noon to 1 p.m. Radio Book Club on Big Cabbage Radio Listen to Arkose Brewery Co-founder & Creative Director June Gerteisen discuss the book “My Beer Year” by Lucy Burningham with host Judy Gette. Tune in at 89.7 Palmer, 89.5 Sutton, and 91.5 Glacier View. Thurs Jan 18 – 3 to 7 p.m. Tasty Thursday with Pho
Nora at Arkose Brewery Enjoy our Tasty Thursday small batch with the authentic Laos/Thai cuisine of the Pho Nora food truck. Fri & Sat Jan 19/20 Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage. Get tickets at auroraproductions.net/ beer-barley
HEALTH & COMMUNITY
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 4
COMMUNITY
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 5
COMMUNITY / NON-PROFITS / POLITICS
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 6
ADULT PIANO LESSONS Hitchcock Piano Studio ........ 745-3134 APPAREL & CLOTHING All Seasons Clothing ........ 357-0123 D’s Tuxedo ........ 707-6585 Mimi’s Closet ........ 376-2661 Mila’s Alterations ........ 830-8339 ART & CRAFTS Artists Uncorked… 982-2675 Shane Lamb Gallery… 746-3343 The Gallery ........ 745-1420 BOOKSTORE Fireside Books ........ 745-2665 A Black Sheep Shop ......... 376-8198 CAFÉ & COFFEE Alaska Artisan Coffee ........ 745-5543 Espresso Café ........ 376-5282 Gathering Grounds ........ 376-4404 Vagabond Blues……..745-2233 COOKWARE All I Saw Cookware ........ 376-3177 CREATIVE ENTERTAINMENT Artists Uncorked ........ 982-2675 EDUCATION Learning Essentials ........ 357-3990 FLOWERS & GIFTS Flower Flingers ........ 745-5550 FOOTWEAR Northern Comfort ........ 376-5403 HEALTH & WELLNESS All About Herbs ........ 376-8327 Invest in Yourself Fitness .... 830-6072 HOME DÉCOR Cover Ups Designs ........ 746-4739 PIZZA Humdingers Pizza ........ 745-7499 PRINT SERVICES The UPS Store ........ 376-6245 RADIO 95.5 The Pass ........ 631-0877 REPAIR, RESTORATION Comtronics ........ 373-2669 Premier Electric ...... 357-4220 S&S Drilling ...... 746-0225 SMOKE SHOPS Alaska Pipe Dreams ........ 746-1500 Light It Up Head Shop…. 745-5483 SPECIALTY GIFTS Alaska Midnite Scents ........ 357-7364 Non-Essentials ......... 745-2258 THRIFT SHOPS Red Barn Thrift Store ........ 745-5050 Steam Driven Boutique ........ 376-4404 Turn-A-Leaf Thrift Stores ........ 376-5708 Willow Rose Thrift Store ......... 495-ROSE TOYS Just Imagine Toys ........ 357-1543 Learning Essentials .......... 357-3990
Contributed by Michelle Overstreet, MY House January is Sex Trafficking Awareness Month, and at MY House, we are sharing information, raising awareness and empowering our community with the information needed to stop this scourge on our youth. This is a difficult topic to write and read about. Nobody wants this in their backyard. But the reality is that it is happening here, and the victims are most often homeless youth. A recent study by Loyola University found that Covenant House Alaska has the highest rates of sex trafficking of any Covenant House in the USA. As a Covenant House partner, our staff has been trained and have worked alongside the Anchorage staff, and we see the same issue here in the Valley it’s not just Anchorage. In February 2017, a MY House staff member picked a 19 year old up from the parking lot of a Mat-Su hotel in a white-out snow storm. She reported that she and nine other young women were being trafficked out of the hotel. She got in the car wearing bedroom slippers and without a coat, carrying a plastic grocery bag
with a hairbrush and a couple other small items. Traffickers frequently take victims’ ID, shoes, clothing and in Alaska, anything that would keep them warm should they decide to leave the situation. No coat, no shoes, no escape. We rarely see youth “abducted” for sex trafficking. In most cases they are “in love” with their recruiter, who grooms them to feel obligated to participate no matter the abuse dished out. We also have reports of parents who sell or trade sex with their children for drugs and money. Usually starting around age 12, addicted parents looking to exploit their children will start talking about sex acts as “commodities”. In one case, a client’s parent sold her virginity, telling her, “You’re just going to lose it anyway, we might as well get something for it.” If a child tells you about abuse of this kind, please do not disregard it. It can lead directly to being trafficked -being “sold” becomes (in their world) part of a family-based relationship. Many times, by the time we hear these reports, clients are past the age for an OCS intervention. We partner with a treatment program out of Anchorage with safety and treatment ties across the United States and work to have young victims
placed in one of those programs, but many are not so lucky. If you see something that doesn’t look quite right, call for law enforcement. Here are some examples: 1. A young person with an older person who appears to control their communication with others, such as the older person keeps their phone, interrupts conversation when started or answers questions for them. The younger person may seem “coached” on what to say. 2. A person who is not dressed for the weather, lacking warm clothing and possibly wearing clothing that is revealing or provocative and in a public place as though “waiting” for someone. 3. A person with few personal belongings, no identification or papers to be able to obtain legal ID and lacking a stable place to live or not able to tell you where they live. 4. A person who appears disoriented or confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse. 5. A person who is fearful, timid or submissive, afraid to speak up or engage in conversation. Local law enforcement is trained to support intervention in trafficking situations, and there are FBI agents that work in the trafficking business statewide and nationally. Working together and being aware and alert to the signs, we can protect the youth in our communities!
POLITICS
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 7
POLITICS / OPINION
Contributed by Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain A new year, putting off the old and embracing the new. We look forward to all the great things the new year will bring. Salvation is quite a bit the same. Before we are saved, our lives are characterized by sin. Galatians 5:19-21 explains: “19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of
Contributed by Rick Small, Abolitionist Society of Anchorage/ Mat-Su Valley Why, when one talks to a state legislator, who claims to be a follower of Christ and claims to want to stop the rampant “legalized” child sacrifice in our state, do they cower and begin making excuses for their failure to act righteously? Two reasons: fear of man, and not enough fear of God. Proverbs 24:10 tells us that if we faint in the day of adversity, our strength is small. It is past time that we change that. And, before you point a finger at a state legislator, look in the mirror. This is talking about you as well. We can’t expect them to take death threats and all the other pressure that Satan will apply, unless we are willing
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
on the cross to pay for our sin debt, and then defined love. Godly love is so much more than sending cards, buying candy, candle-lit dinners or romance.
After we are saved, the Spirit of God lives within us, and transforms our lives characterized by sin, into lives characterized by righteousness.
It is a commitment between a man and a woman forever.
Galatians 5:22-23 explains: “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Love is the central theme of the upcoming Valentine’s Day. We learned in December that God is love. He loved so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die
to do so as well. Every legislator needs a thousand brave soldiers for Christ, willing to stand with them and fight for what is right. Proverbs 24:11 tells us that we are to rescue those who are being led to the slaughter. Every single day in Alaska, five babies are led to the slaughter, and our present Alaska statutes codify that slaughter as acceptable. Those statutes need to be changed ASAP, and the executive branch needs to enforce them. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The time for justice is always now!” He was right, and we know it. We have not been acting righteously. It is past time that we change that. Proverbs 24:12 tells us that God sees what is going on, and He will not hold us guiltless if we fail to act righteously. On Judgment Day, we will not be able to say, “I did not know.” We know.
Matthew 19:4-6 explains: “4And he (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Babies, little boys and girls, who are created in the image of God, are being murdered. More than five times a day at various stages of development before they reach the stage of toddler, their lives are snuffed out. And, no matter what anyone tells you, we the people, and more specifically, we the followers of Christ in Alaska, have the power to stop their “legalized” slaughter. Satan can’t stop us. Those who want the murder to continue can’t stop us. The only thing that has and can continue to stop us is our own cowardice. So this is what it is going to take, and let’s start with me, “I was a coward. I was faithless. I was disobedient to the commands of our mighty God. I repent. I will no longer be a coward. I will no longer be faithless. I will be obedient to the commands of Almighty God. Out of love for Him and appreciation for His sacrifice for me, I will rise up.”
PAGE 8
Godly love requires us to love others. 1 John 4:7-8 and 21 explain: “7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” The challenge for us in 2018 is to choose whether to live in God’s Spirit and salvation or to be alienated from God and live in the flesh. Love vs. hate, life vs. death, hope vs. despair. We must all choose. Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain 907 715-4001
Now it’s your turn. And I do mean now. Delay is not an option. Victory is our normative state! PS: Yes, there are steps to be taken. However, not a single one of those steps will go in the right direction with any strength whatsoever, until I repent… until you repent. After you repent, one of the first steps will be to defy any and all wicked judges who attempt to thwart our righteous action. #HB251 addresses that. #HB250 corrects the statutes to stop the “legalized” slaughter. Become completely familiar with the Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate and the ideology of modernday abolitionism. Then, rise up with us. www.DefyTyrants.com www.AbolishHumanAbortion.com www.AbolishAbortionAK.com
POLITICS / OPINION
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 9
PETS & COMMUNITY
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 10
EDUCATION & COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY EVENTS
MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA
PAGE 12
Contributed by Carolyn Lambrecht 34th Annual Gun & Outdoor Show January 20-21, 2018 – 10AM Wasilla High School Hockey Blue Liner Booster Club Wasilla High School 701 E Bogard Rd. Wasilla Cost: $5 General, FREE Ages 0-5 The Wasilla High School Hockey Blue Liner Booster Club presents the 34th Annual Gun and Outdoor Show on Saturday, January 20th and Sunday, January 21st, from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $5 per person, kids under 5 are free. The event is held at Wasilla High School, 701 E Bogard Road, Wasilla, AK. If you are among the first 200 people over the age of 18 through the door per day, you are automatically entered to win a new shotgun. There are over 150 vendors! Come and take a look! There is so much to see. Ladies, there is plenty for you as well. All the proceeds from the admission go to support the Wasilla High School Hockey Program and keeping kids on the ice. Because of this event, it helps to make our hockey program one of the most affordable hockey programs in the area! Don’t miss out! Support a great cause and you could win a new shotgun at this year’s Gun and Outdoor Show.