Adopt Ferrah

 
 

Contributed by Clear Creek Cat Rescue

Ferrah is a pretty, petite girl with a beautiful striped and spotted coat. She came to us declawed. She is a very sweet little thing, about 4 years old, who would love a home with a loving, settled family. She lived with another cat before, but he picked on her. So now she would rather be the only, although another mellow feline may be just fine.

When she came to us, she was injuring herself by excessively licking and biting her back end. After much trial and error with different foods and treatments, she seems to be doing very well on a special prescription diet. A relaxed environment without chaos is also helpful. And she will need a safe yard where she can go outside. She came from a village and loved to go out and explore and hunt.

Ferrah is ready to find her own special loving family. If you're interested in this little sweetheart, please give us a call at 980-8898.

 
 

Meet Bella: Sometimes Love Is Not Enough

 
 

Contributed by Angie Lewis, Alaska Animal Advocates

 

Although Bella adores her family, they simple do not have enough time to give her the exercise and attention that she needs.  Weimaraners are very high energy dogs who require a great deal of exercise and mental stimulation.

Bella is not getting even close to enough of either.  So, she has become destructive when she is alone, in a crate or left loose. Bella does great in a car. She cannot deal with being left without her humans. Bella chases cats and would prefer to be an only dog. At this point, her family has lost all patience with this loving girl and is ready to euthanize her. 

Please, consider either adopting or fostering Bella. She will need a family that is able to spend a great deal of time with her and provide her with the exercise she desperately needs. She is a purebred, who is spayed, microchipped and vaccinated. Please help save Bella’s life.

 

To talk more about this girl call Angie at Alaska Animal Advocates at 841-3173 or email akaarescue@hotmail.com.

 
 

The ART of Not Flying, 2020

 
 

Contributed by Carmen Summerfield

In May, I wrote an article, “The Art of Flying, 2020”, about my experiences flying during the early stages of this pandemic.

Well, the paranoia (in the aviation world, at least) is starting to dissipate. A few weeks ago, I had to fly to Atlanta for my periodic “refresher” course. All pilots attend these “refresher” courses to keep us up-to-date, and to let us practice complex situations in a “flight simulator”.

These “flight simulators” are far removed from the home computer types; our simulators are gigantic multi-million dollar behemoths that reside in their own dedicated building.

Built the exact size as the real airplane flight deck, all the windows look out on high resolution computer monitors which can accurately depict any terrain, city, or airport in the world.

Underneath the flight deck is a complex system of hydraulics, also tied into the main computer system, that can move the entire flight deck in all axes, simulating thrust, climb, descent, or braking. If you’re not strapped in, a quick maneuver can even throw you from your seat, just as in real life.

Any scenario can be programmed into the computer for the flight crew to experience. I can fly to Tokyo, and back, with side trips to Shanghai and even Moscow, in only a few hours. And any unusual situation or emergency that you can imagine can be set to happen. Sort of like “Star Trek”, isn’t it?

After I finished (and passed) the refresher training, it was time to travel back to Alaska.

Three months ago the terminals and the airspace was eerily quiet, like a bad movie. Now in early August, going through the Anchorage and Seattle airports, the terminals were much more crowded and the restaurants and shops were open. Everybody is required to wear masks.

On the airplane, all passengers and crew are wearing masks and the air is filtered to the same standards as a hospital operating room. The airline I was traveling on continued to block the middle seats, keeping passengers at safe distances.

The food and beverage services are still limited, to reduce contact between passengers and crew. Basically, you get a baggie with snacks and a bottle of water.

I like the reminder in the Seattle airport about social distancing; personally I like to use the term, “physical distancing”. We can still socially connect over the phone, so give someone a call today!

Now that I’m back in Alaska (and sharp as a tack), I’m not sure how much I will be flying. At this time, we are flying about 20% of last year’s activity. Except for cargo flying, which is way up (probably all of us ordering on line).

These flight simulators are amazing. and I actually look forward to these periodic refresher courses!

 
 

Palmer Museum of History & Art Photo of the Month: August 2020

 
 

Contributed by Richard Estelle

This month’s photo by Robinson, in the Palmer Museums’ Wimmer Collection, is of the face of Knik Glacier viewed from below at the bottom of the gorge after waters of Lake George had drained out. For many years, the glacier would annually advance to abut the mountain viewed at left in the photo, forming a dam on a large side valley. With spring and summer melting, the valley would fill with water (Lake George) until the water spilled over the ice and eroded a channel to escape. 

This erosion of the glacier face and release of the lake water became a dramatic event of calving ice and violent water flowing through the gorge in which this photo was taken. Until 1966, when the glacier stopped advancing to form the dam, his dramatic discharge annually flooded the river valley below, including riverside homes and the community of Matanuska. An additional photo by an unknown photographer, from our Bunting Collection, shows a large chunk of the glacier face, perhaps as high as a five-story building, calving into the raging water below as the lake emptied in a matter of days.

Photo of the Month is a project of the Matanuska Valley Historical Photo Project, which aims to collect images and stories detailing the Valley’s past. You can view our ever growing collection of historic images online at www.mvhphotoproject.org. If you have photos of the Mat-Su Valley area, or information about some of the photos you see, please reach out to us at director@palmermuseum.org or 907-746-7668. This project is sponsored by the generous support of the MTA Foundation.

 
 

Oil Painting Portrait Workshop in Palmer

 
 

CAPTIONS:

"Yellow Hair Tie" This is a painting I did of my wife a few yeas back.

"Woman in the White Dress" This is one of my newer figurative paintings. Inspired by some of the work of  John Singer Sargent.

"Firelight" This is a painting that is all abut the light, there is two light sources one is cool and the other is warm. I like the effects that the changes in light temperature will create. It makes for a dramatic composition.

"And All that Jazz" I often try and capture a candid moment in my models I want them to feel authentic and unposed. 

Contributed by Diane Paoletti

3-Day Oil Painting Portrait Workshop

September 25-27, 2020 - 9AM

Paoletti Studio of Art

Palmer

Cost: $400

This September, Paoletti Studio of Art will be offering a workshop with renowned artist, Kyle Stuckey.

This 3-day oil painting workshop will focus on portrait painting for three full days, September 25, 26 and 27. 

Kyle Stuckey (born 1987) began studying art during his high school years, by private instruction through Lori Woodward Simons and various workshops. He later became a member of the Putney Painters, where he was able to continue to hone his skills in the presence of some of the greatest artists today, including Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik.

His work is strongly influenced by his study of historical artists including: Waterhouse, Bouguereau, Sargent,  Zorn, and Alma-Tadema. Over the years, he has developed and refined his style, working with oil in impressionistic realism. 

“I paint in the way I see my subject matter, trying to mimic the way the human eye sees. Not everything is in focus at one time. Regardless of what my subject matter may be, in my paintings I focus on what I find inspiring in that subject. This way the viewer can see my vision and perhaps share in that experience. At the same time, I want my paintings to have visual variety in detail and texture by using the full potential of the oils with the variations of texture and transparency.”

He enjoys painting an array of subject matter: people, places, and things.  

Kyle has spent much time traveling around the world, painting as he goes. Originally from New Hampshire, Kyle has also spent time in Asia, Europe, Central America, and the U.S. West Coast. Now he lives in Charleston, SC.

This is a great opportunity to learn how to paint portraits in oil or advance your skills, with beginners and advanced artists both welcome. The class will be in Palmer at Paoletti Private Art Studio.

Contact me at 907-355-4632 or dianeypaol@gmail.com.

 
 

Faith & Oil: How the Alaska Pipeline Shaped America’s Religious Right

 
 

Contributed by K. L. Marshall

“Faith and Oil” tells the story of conservative Christianity’s relationship with America’s oil industry. It shows how the libertarian values of big oil companies, such as government deregulation of business practices and curbing laws that protect the environment, became embedded within the theologies of the Religious Right. These theologies of oil later found their being in the public consciousness through the rise of Sarah Palin and led to the election of Donald Trump.

When Katie Couric interviewed Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign, the Alaskan governorturned-vice-presidential candidate said, “Alaska is a microcosm for the world.” While Palin may not have been referring to the state’s diversity, two years later, in 2010, the US Census named the Anchorage neighborhood of Mountain View as the most diverse neighborhood in the entire country. Three of the city’s high schools are the three most diverse in the United States, and every other Anchorage public school ranks in the top one percent. In other words, by some measures, Alaska’s largest city is more diverse than New York City, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles. Travel about 35 miles north of Anchorage, to Sarah Palin’s hometown of Wasilla and the broader Mat-Su Valley, and the sight is vastly different. Small fundamentalist churches dot the landscape, and upwards of 20% of children are homeschooled by their parents. Wasilla represents the ideal of “Middle America,” the rural and suburban heartland where small-town politics uphold family values and a capitalist work ethic. Middle America stands for the family farm, the small business, and a Jeffersonian vision of democracy; to many, it also stands for homogeneity and the proverbial WASP—the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. Though diversity in the Mat-Su Valley is increasing, Wasilla remains one of the least diverse cities in the country. In some ways, life in the Mat-Su Valley seems to be a reaction against the modern, diverse center of Anchorage. Nothing in the state of Alaska is unaffected by its oil industry, which helps fuel the engine of modern America. Alaska’s oil fields brought jobs and an influx of cash, and with it, Alaska Natives entered the cash economy and immigrants traveled to the state looking for work. Oil money flooded the state’s coffers when an 800-mile pipeline was completed in 1977. Many people, resisting the modernization of Alaska, retreated into fundamentalist enclaves while themselves enjoying the benefits of the state’s oil-based wealth. Within a 35-mile stretch of Alaska, one can find the epitome of modernity and a fundamentalist reaction against it, both created by an economy and culture built around the extraction of oil. Alaska truly is a microcosm for the world. Nobody in the state has been more affected by its oil industry than the Alaska Natives, who have seen their lands polluted by oil and their millennia-old ways of life eroded. Many Alaska Natives have left their subsistence lifestyles and reshaped their cultures within the cash-based oil economy; efforts to increase drilling in the interior of Alaska promise to bring more money to the Native peoples, while Natives who resist drilling insist that they cannot eat oil or the money that it brings. The challenges that they have faced represent the challenges of indigenous peoples throughout the world who are struggling to hold onto their ways of life in the face of globalization and the continued growth of oil. While working on this book, I was confronted with another way that Alaska is a microcosm of the world. During the 2008 election season, an arsonist set Wasilla Bible Church, where Sarah Palin attended with her family, on fire with worshippers gathered inside. This hate crime committed against conservative Christians in Wasilla is just one in a growing number of hate crimes being committed against Muslims, Jews, LGBTQ+ communities, immigrants, minorities, and other groups all across the world.

K. L. Marshall is a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh School of Divinity. Her research focuses on the relationship between fundamentalist religion and nationalism.

 
 

Just What You Need

 
 

Contributed by Glenda Smith

Sometimes, life brings just what you need to remind you how fortunate you are. November 2008 was a monumentally down year; actually, as I approached the ripe old age of 55, my life’s mood seemed to careen into an abyss. A friend sent me a notice from a group looking for authors, no experience required. In fact, the only requirement was competent reading and writing skills in English and a one-year commitment. I applied, submitted a writing sample, and was accepted.

The writing group spanned the globe and we corroborated in groups, in computer online “rooms” called wikis. In addition to other parts of the plot, my group created the main character, Francesca Imbriani, a young Alaskan girl who lived on Finger Lake and was about to set out to change the world.  Unfortunately, I was only able to finish 11 of the 12 months, so my name is not listed in “The Crew” – the name given to the authors group. Nonetheless, the main character in “Passage to Redemption”, hails from her home on Finger Lake and is definitely a creative Alaskan and a heroine.

In March 2019, I was hospitalized with four cerebellar strokes. The remainder of 2019 included episodes of vertigo that left me feeling I was tumbling in space on a rotating roller coaster, inability to get my eyes to work together to read, writing I couldn’t even read, and lots of physical therapy challenges. January 2020 was winding up to the start of a great year with me planning out goals for my real estate business. Then the world news started in with coverage on a new novel coronavirus leaving havoc in its wake.

The mastermind behind the original group, Peter Lihou, of Acclaimed Books continued writing and soliciting authors since 2008. He contacted all authors on the previous “project”, as well as many others, and asked if we would participate in a group writing venture to provide a global view on the Covid-19 situation. “With Love, Comes Hope: Stories & Inspiration During The 2020 Pandemic”, was born, is done, and is available on Amazon sites worldwide in paperback and Kindle formats as an international anthology on the Coronavirus. Due to my own challenges in the year prior to the pandemic, I think my view is different than most; but I am excited to read the other contributions. I am again reminded how fortunate I am.

All proceeds from the anthology will be donated to Bridge2, a nonprofit organization. http://www.bridge2.gg/

 
 

Meet The Artist: Douglas Girard

 
 

Contributed by Douglas Girard

Douglas was born in California, but only spent 18 months there before his family moved to Africa. The grasslands and rolling hills of Africa never inspired him as did the mountains of the northern continents. He longed to be in northern forests looking out across a vista dominated by towering mountain peaks.

When he was 17, he flew by himself to California to attend Chapman College. A year later, he was accepted into Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. After graduation, he taught art at a private art school, gave private painting lessons, illustrated book covers and painted over a hundred plein air paintings of California's various landscapes.

In 1993, he and his wife decided to move to Alaska. He felt he was losing himself in the contemporary art movements of Los Angeles and wanted to find a way of painting that was more true to himself. When he finally moved to Alaska, he found landscapes that truly inspired him. In the mountains of the Chugach and Talkeetna ranges, he found those cathedrals of stillness he had dreamed about. 

“My artwork is created from a great love of the many changing moods of nature and the sense of mystery and expectation that is created from ever varying colors and shapes. On my many walks, I have rejoiced in the decorative quality of nature which inspires my illustrations. My goal is to make each painting a poem of color, light and form that captures the essence of my inspiration. Birds are as fleeting and mysterious as mist and cloud that can quickly appear and just as suddenly disappear. Our feathered friends are also symbols of the mysterious, eternal life force and a connection with the spiritual path. The act of creating the Celtic/Norse-inspired knotwork that you see in some of my work is my way of connecting with this spiritual path. Now, thanks to my wife, I view birds as highly symbolic and life enriching and the experience of being in their presence as an almost religious event. I hope I can share some of this delight with others that may feel the same way.”

“The COVID-19 virus has forced most of the art fairs that I usually attend to be cancelled. I have therefore refocused my attention on my website and social media. I have just launched my totally-rebuilt website with many new features like “The Wall Preview Tool”, which allows you to visualize my art in a sample room. You can select the room type and even choose your paint color to get a better feel for how large a given piece is and how it will look on your wall. I have also uploaded a huge collection of my Alaska landscapes that are now available as prints in many sizes and even as large as 4’ x 6’! You will also find my popular “Bird Blocks” as well as other images available on paper, canvas, metal and wood.

My website is studiogirard.com. For those interested in how and why I paint, I have started live painting sessions on my Instagram page @studiogirard. You can watch me paint and ask me any questions as I work on a painting. I have been going live on Tuesday afternoons, but I will be testing out other days and times to see which is more popular. I have the recorded sessions posted on my Facebook and Instagram pages. At the end of August I will be having a “Live Art Show” on Facebook and/or Instagram during, which I will be having for sale some unique prints and originals that are not available anywhere else. Stay tuned!”

Photo Credits:

MAS - Meet The Artist- Douglas Girard 1: Yellow Warblers are harbingers and emissaries of the sun with their bright yellow color. When you first see them, you surely know spring has arrived and that the cold north winds will give way to warmer days. They are very elusive, but when sighted will bring joy to your heart with their brilliant yellow color. The border includes Celtic knotwork, two warblers and a sun symbol. 

MAS - Meet The Artist- Douglas Girard 2:There is nothing like a sunny summer day in Hatcher pass. The lush green, the rocky peaks, the sound of ground squirrels and golden crowned sparrows, a gentle breeze on one’s face and so many places to explore!

 
 

Zucchini: The Versatile Vegetable

 
 

Contributed by Julie Cascio

What vegetable is versatile enough to be sautéed with onion, or with mushrooms; cut lengthwise and stuffed with sausage; added to casseroles; grilled as a kebab; made into pickles; baked in bread or pie; mixed with eggs for a frittata; added to soups or salads; made into a moist chocolate cake? You guessed it… Zucchini.

This summer squash had been eaten by Native Americans long before explorers arrived. In Europe, zucchini is most commonly grown in Italy. Its name comes from the Italians: zucca is Italian for gourd, and zucchini is a gourd of the pumpkin family. 

Zucchini is low in calories. One-half cup of cooked zucchini has only 14 calories. Of course, sauces and other ingredients added to the zucchini increase the calories. Zucchini has small amounts of vitamins and minerals, is a fair source of potassium and is low in sodium.

The zucchini plant has bushy broad leaves with hollow stalks and large yellow flowers. The fruit is smooth-skinned and dark green in color. Zucchini grows very rapidly in a sunny garden. Luckily there are a large variety of ways to enjoy it.

Store fresh zucchini in the refrigerator, with high humidity. Wash it after storing it as moisture drops promote rotting. Use it within a week.

Freeze zucchini to keep it longer. Cut into even size slices or cubes, blanch for three minutes, cool promptly in cold water and drain. Pack into containers, seal and freeze. Another option is to cook, drain thoroughly, pack into containers and freeze.

Drying zucchini makes great “chips”. Cut into ¼ inch slices, sprinkle with a little onion powder and dehydrate.

USDA does NOT recommend canning plain zucchini. During processing the zucchini becomes dense at the bottoms of the jars, making it unsafe.

Canning zucchini with acid makes a less mushy and safer product. The Alaska CES publication FNH-00260 has canning recipes for Tomatoes with Zucchini and Zucchini-Pinapple. Go to www.cespubs.alaska.edu

Food preservation online classes are happening. The calendar is on www.uaf.edu/ces/matsu or go to https://bit.ly/2CECoOs.

Whether you grow your zucchini, get it from a friend, or buy it, enjoy it!

Vegetable Salad with Zucchini

½ head lettuce

1 ½ cup thinly sliced raw zucchini

½ cup sliced celery

1 cup thinly sliced raw carrots

2 green onions and tops, chopped

5 radishes, sliced

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

¼ t salt (if desired)

½ cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup wine vinegar

Shred lettuce and toss with the zucchini, celery, green onions and tops, radishes and parsley. Mix together mayonnaise and vinegar and toss thoroughly until vegetables are coated with dressing. Serves 4

Zucchini Drop Cookies

1 cup zucchini, grated

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

½ cup margarine

1 egg, beaten

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon slat

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup raisins

Thoroughly combine zucchini, sugar and margarine. Add egg. Combine dry ingredients. Mix with nuts and raisins. Add to zucchini mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 375˚ Farhenheit for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

 
 

Why Be A Rock Collector?

 
 

Contributed by Marilyn Bennett

The often-asked questions of a rock collector are: Why are you collecting rocks? What's the point of collecting rocks? Where do you find cool rocks? What do you do with all of the rocks you collect?

There are many other questions, but for me they are all superfluous as my rock collecting has nothing to do with why or what. For me it is all about the simple elimination of all the other useless things a person could do while enjoying their second life. Now you might ask, “What is a second life?” It is simply that time in your life when your career (such as it was) is finished. Your children have become productive adults (or at least left home) and you are wondering, “What now?” 

I am sure that many of you have thought from time to time about starting over and beginning a second life. Certainly these past few months of being cooped up with lots of time to think, you have had the leisure to reflect on the question: What do I want to do in my second life?

I have been pondering that question for quite some time and considered many different options. When I retired and moved to Alaska, I thought I was ready to start my second life. Being a nerd, I looked up second life on my computer to see what other people were doing in their second life. Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was a website with over a million users called "Second Life".  

Thinking I would check it out, I clicked on and found that Second Life is a free 3D virtual world where users can create, connect and chat with others from around the world using voice and text. I saw that they accepted users over 16 years of age, that was a hint to me that it might not be the best place for an old retired lady. Also, I thought about the pitiful 16 year old who already thought he or she or whatever needed a second life. That made me reflect on that person under 30 who was ready for a second life and decided that person was probably not someone I wanted to meet even digitally.

I decided to wait on the digital second life for a few more years. It could be a hoot at 90 to become immersed in a virtual world and interact digitally with 16year olds, but I will put that on hold for now.

So back to real life. What are my options? I passed up many opportunities in my life and now have fewer choices. I love to garden, but that only occupies at best, four months. Last year, I took up making glass flowers in the winter and now have a whole garden full of old dishes that I turned into flowers. Began writing my memoirs and realized I had lived a pretty boring life. Starting checking out hobbies.  

Archery: I can remember shooting as a young person and it takes more arm strength than I have left now. I have allowed my body to get somewhat soft over the years. 

Astronomy: Standing outside in the cold at night, I am afraid that could be hazardous to my health and I have alway been more of a cuddle by the fireplace person.

Bowling: I used to be a pretty good bowler, but there are not any bowling alleys near our house and I hate to drive very far after dark with my poor eyesight. 

Dancing: Probably a little to late in life to get into any serious dancing and besides I have always had two left feet.

Fishing: Not enough patience and we can only eat so much fish. Some people do catch and release, but I have always thought of that as needless torture of innocent fish.

Paint Balling: I put this down as an interesting possibility, although I have been told that it can be a bruising sport and as you may have noted above I am a rather couch potato.

Pottery: This is a distinct possibility, however since I am not interested in selling pots I could end up with way too many excess items and my garden is already full of dishes.

Time to look at rock collecting again. It would give me an excuse to travel to exotic locations. I could collect rocks to enhance my gardens in the summer. I could alway paint colorful pictures on the rocks in the winter. I could join a rock collectors club to socialize with other "Rock Hounds", which is a cool name for rock collectors. Checked out the Rock and Mineral Club in my area and find that they are way beyond my level of expertise, but who knows I may learn something new in my second life.

“Rock Hound” sounds more serious than Rock Collector - Think I'll go with it...

 
 

Stay Day

 
 

Contributed by Justin Pendergrass

Stay Day started three years ago on the first week of September after the staff at MY House watched the Netflix show, “13 Reasons Why”. During a staff meeting, a MY House employee suggested that they begin focusing on suicide prevention and 13 reasons why NOT.

The director of MY House brought in Justin Pendergrass to begin working on this campaign after connecting with him years ago on his own battle with suicide. The last three years, Stay Day has been used to connect those around the community and help raise awareness in a more uplifting and positive way. Stay Day has connected over 50 different businesses over the last three years and continues to grow each year, providing t-shirts that say, “Stay, Discover What You Are Made For” to community partners and businesses to help provide that positive message.

This year for Stay Day, we will be mixing things up to accommodate those in the community who are protecting themselves from COVID-19. We will still be providing shirts to community members, but we will not have an in person meeting.

Instead, we ask that members of our community take a short 30 second video of why they stay on their phones and send them to Justin@myhousematsu.org to create a community video leaving a positive message. If you are a business please take photos of your team and you in the shirts Friday, September 4th and post them on social media tagging the MY House page. You can find us on Facebook throughout the month of September providing information on suicide prevention and telling stories of those who have made it through the fight.

For more information or to sign-up for t-shirts, please contact Justin Pendergrass at (907) 373-4357 or by email at Justin@myhousematsu.org.

 
 

Silvers for Seniors

 
 

Contributed by Charice Chambers

It was a shock and surprise, the last thing Matsu Senior Services had expected - a tote loaded with fresh silver salmon!

For nearly a decade, Northern District Setnetters, with the help of Copper River Seafoods, has donated a portion of a one day catch to Palmer Senior Center. It has become an anticipated summer meal for local seniors who take advantage of the Center’s daily meal service. With a low salmon return and all of the complications created by COVID-19, nobody expected the annual gift. Yet here it was, truly a silver miracle. In spite of overwhelming difficulties, Copper River Seafoods provided an ice-filled tote to deliver the silvers at peak perfection. The seafood processor has participated in the Silvers for Seniors program from its inception, often donating fish as well.

Silvers for Seniors is the brainchild of fisherwoman, Page Herring, and husband, Bob Cellers. Herring encouraged fellow members of Northern District Setnetters to donate a portion of one day’s catch each season to the Center. They enthusiastically agreed, and have continued their participation. Much of the credit for the program’s enduring success must be given to Herring who loves doing something special for seniors. For her, this year’s gift is especially poignant. It is dedicated to her father, Lebron Herring, who lost his life in a sudden storm while returning from setnetting in 1986.

Herring Sr. arrived in Alaska in 1965 in a Ford station wagon. Towed behind it was a Volvo stuffed with all the family’s possessions. He was soon joined by wife, Pansy, and their four children. The couple embraced the Alaskan lifestyle. Though employed as a US Customs officer at Anchorage International Airport, Herring lived to fish and hunt. Soon the family purchased a boat and a site permit. Before long, they had three boats and three permits. Dad had his, mom had one, and 22-year-old, Page, joined the family fishing business with the third permit. Her sisters fished as well. It was a real family business, and one that was quite lucrative.

With no children of her own, the Herring family business will end when Page pulls in her last net. The story is similar for many other family setnet businesses. It is a lot of hard work, at time dangerous, and with increased regulations, income has fallen drastically. The future for setnetting worries Page Herring. She hopes that in spite of all of its problems, young people will continue to carry on the tradition.

According to Matsu Senior Services head chef, Kevin Horstmann,, the fish will be put to great use. The Center will be able provide nearly 200 meals for local seniors and an additional 80 meals for local home-bound seniors through the Meals on Wheels program.  Additional salmon will be used in salads and salmon soup throughout the fall season.

Each year, Mat-Su Senior Services cooks up around 130,000 nutritious meals for seniors and eligible homebound individuals. At the present time, the Center’s dining room is closed to the public due to COVID-19. Currently meals are either delivered to seniors’ homes or picked up outside the Center. According to MSSS Chief Executive Officer, Elaine Phillipps, donations like Silvers for Seniors are a delicious and cost saving way to meet both financial and nutritional food goals.

 
 

Heroes Of Our Time

 
 

Contributed by Paul Magiire

I’ve spent the last 75 days in May-Su Regional Hospital and Maple Springs Rehab. Center in Palmer. Being institutionalized during this pandemic presents unusual circumstance, including “no visitors”, wearing masks, etc. My family became nurses, CNA’s, staff, etc. at both places.

When I transitioned from May-Su Regional to Maple Springs, I was picked up in a large van by two “heroes”, Hesse and Corey. Jesse hurdled van seats and at one point he was on all fours securing my wheelchair. We had a friendly chat on way to Maple Springs. I only discovered later that Jesse is the director of Maple Springs and realized he is a hands-on leader who walks the talk of caring and competence.

Many nurses and CNAs expressed their love of serving patients with joy at seeing patients’ success and recovery.

I’ve shared with many that nurses and support personnel are “beyond heroes” and the fabric of our Valley. While we may be distracted by the insanity of our times (pandemic, election, etc.), we’re in good hands when at our most vulnerable times.

 
 

Disaster Ready: 2020 Virtual Mat-Su Emergency Expo

 
 

Contributed by Debra McGhan, Mat-Su Local Emergency Planning Committee

September is all about preparing for emergencies and disasters: https://Ready.Gov  -  National Emergency Preparedness Month.

For more than a decade the Mat-Su Valley has been home to the annual Emergency Preparedness Expo; first at the Mat-Su College, and later as it grew much larger, the Menard Sports Center.

This year, it’s been like September since January when 2020 roared in with an unwelcome visitor and unleashed this corona virus pandemic on the world. Those who were not stocked up and prepared with supplies found out the hard way just how uncomfortable, inconvenient and downright scary that feels like.

No toilet paper, face masks, disinfecting wipes, meat… and lots of other things that just disappeared from store shelves. And are still often in very short supply. This has been a time to hunker down and figure out how we are going to survive. We must dig past the rumors and clutter and downright lies to find truth and fact. Instead of a world united, we have discovered a world divided, fractured and far from prepared.

But with every challenge comes opportunity. Instead of focusing on all we have lost, this is a time to zoom in on what we can and are gaining: cleaner public transportation, a lot more elbow room, time to slow down and just be home. Versatility in the classroom. It’s a time for creative adventures and finding new paths to address old problems.

For those struggling with underlying illness, loss of income and a myriad of other challenges, finding answers to scary questions is more important than ever.

The Mat-Su Emergency Preparedness Expo planning committee wants to help. This group of dedicated emergency management personnel and volunteers have been doing everything they can to help develop and launch new, innovative solutions to answer critical questions.

This September, instead of a one-day live event that brings hundreds of people together to learn and practice emergency and disaster preparedness, due to the COVID-19 virus, the planning committee has recognized the importance of a safer alternative to an in-person expo. And so the expo is going to move again. This time you can join the free, entirely virtual platform hosted on the Mat-Su Borough’s website through all of September and beyond.

You’ll find a multitude of informative presentations on how to prepare for everything from avalanches to wild fire. Plus activities for the kids, including the annual poster contest.

The top poster in each of five age divisions will win a family emergency preparedness kit and other great prizes. All just for drawing a picture to share what being prepared for emergencies and disasters means to you.

For people like Tim McDaniel, it means having a fire extinguisher primed and close at hand. He knows all too well the horrors of a fire that destroyed his home and took the lives of his beloved dogs.

“I had a space heater get knocked over and incinerate my entire world,” said McDaniel. “I’ve had to learn by losing everything the hard lesson of how important it is to be prepared and ready. Often just doing that can prevent the disaster in the first place.”

Lawrence Agosti would agree. He had what he described as a “humbling experience” one spring while riding his snowmachine with friends on the Kenai. It was one of those, ‘if it could go wrong it did,’ days.

“We got stuck out overnight in a blizzard with no real survival supplies. It was the most demoralizing moment of my life,” said Agosti. “I couldn’t believe how totally unprepared we really were for this ordeal.”

Agosti made it clear this experience made him realize that being prepared is THE most important thing we can control.

“If we had taken the time and effort to think about what could happen and what we might need, we would not have had to endure that horrible night. We almost died. We knew better. I know I’ll never make that mistake again.”

When disaster strikes, whether it impacts you, your family or the entire community, you may have questions. Many questions. Like, “What should be in my emergency kit? Where can I get a reliable weather forecast,” or, “Where is the safest place to be in an earthquake?”

The Mat-Su Borough Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) wants to help answer your questions about staying safe no matter what the situation. They’ve gathered information covering a host of topics from what to do if the power goes out to disasters like earthquakes, fires, floods, and yes, a pandemic.

You are invited to join the platform and share with your family and friends the 2020 Emergency Preparedness Expo online starting September 1, 2020. Come explore the variety of informative and interactive offerings. Bring your questions and your curiosity. Check it out online at https://matsugov.us.

If you have a great presentation to share, you can submit your idea to Talon.Boeve@matsugov.us for consideration to be included.

 
 

Metallica’s First Show of 2020: All-New Encore Drive-In Nights Concert On August 29th

 
 

Contributed by Melissa Keefe, Alaska State Fair, Inc. 

One Night Only at Drive-In Theaters Across North America 

Four Digital Downloads of S&M2 Album Included With Each Ticket Purchase 

With Special Guest Performance by Three Days Grace 

Ticket Info Available at ticketmaster.com/encore-metallica 

Metallica has confirmed its return to the stage for the first time since the September 2019 S&M2 concerts that opened Chase Center in San Francisco. Metallica will be the first rock band to be featured in the Encore Drive-In Nights series, with a full set showing August 29th at hundreds of drive-in and outdoor theaters across the United States and Canada, including the Alaska State Fairgrounds. Filmed for the big screen, the show will be shot specially for the Encore Drive-In Nights Series at a location near the band’s Northern California headquarters and will subsequently be edited and mixed by Metallica's award-winning production team to the highest standards possible. The concert, the band’s first show in nearly a year, will feature material from throughout their near four-decade career and provide Metallica fans with an intimate, unique and truly memorable concert experience. 

Pre-sale tickets, available exclusively to Metallica’s Fifth Member fan club, will go on sale on August 12 at ticketmaster.com/encore-metallica. General on-sale will begin on August 14th. Every ticket purchase, which admits one carload of up to six people, will include four digital downloads of Metallica’s S&M2, the long awaited album documenting the two historic concerts that reunited the band and San Francisco Symphony for the first time in 20 years.  

“In all of rock, it literally doesn’t get any bigger than Metallica,” said Walter Kinzie, CEO of Encore Live. “Over the course of their career these guys have completely redefined rock, touring and frankly what’s possible in terms of success in this industry. We’ve seen with our first two Encore Nights Drive-In concerts that fans absolutely dig the drive-in experience and we know that Metallica is going to blow the top off of this thing and take it to a whole new level.” 

The Metallica show is part of the Encore Drive-In Nights Series, which is presented by leading event production company Encore Live. Since June, Encore Live has partnered with drive-in theaters across the country to provide world-class entertainment in a safe, creative way. For more information and to see if a venue near you is presenting the show, visit encorenights.com or call your local theater. The August 29th show will also feature a special guest performance by Three Days Grace. 

Drive-in theaters hosting the concert will adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended guidelines as well as all state and local health mandates. Staff will wear personal protective equipment and enforce at least six feet of space between cars. The series will also use contactless payment and ticketing systems and limit capacity in restrooms. Guidelines around concessions will be enforced to abide by individual state regulations. For a full list of procedures that the Encore Drive-In Nights is employing to keep fans and staff safe, visit encorenights.com. 

Unlike traditional concert tickets that are bought for one fan’s individual admission, each purchase for Encore Drive-In Nights’ concerts will admit one carload of fans. That means up to six people can enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime show for one price. Additional information about Encore Drive-In Nights can be found at https://www.ticketmaster.com/encoredriveinnights. 

About Encore Drive-In Nights 

Encore Drive-In Nights showcases the world’s most iconic music stars with performances recorded exclusively for drive-in theaters across North America. From the safety of your vehicle, you will enjoy an exclusive cinematic concert experience under the summer night sky. Drive-in. Rock out. 

About Metallica 

Formed in 1981 by drummer, Lars Ulrich, and guitarist/vocalist, James Hetfield, Metallica has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 2.5 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include Kill ‘em All, Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, … And Justice for All, Metallica (commonly referred to as The Black Album), Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic, and Hardwired...to Self-Destruct, released in November 2016 and charting at #1 in 32 countries.  

Metallica's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden’s Polar Music Prize. Metallica’s newest release, the S&M2 album and film, arrives August 28 on the band’s own Blackened Recordings label. S&M2 chronicles Metallica and San Francisco Symphony’s September 6 & 8, 2019 S&M2 concerts that served as the grand opening of San Francisco’s Chase Center and reunited the band and Symphony for the first time in 20 years. S&M2 brings those historic shows back to life, capturing more than two and a half hours of James, Lars, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo joining forces with the nearly 80-strong SF Symphony, legendary Music Director of the orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas, and conductor Edwin Outwater.  

About Three Days Grace 

Three Days Grace is the internationally acclaimed and multi-platinum certified Canadian band whose most recent album is the Juno Award-nominated Outsider (RCA Records). The band most recently released their cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” Three Days Grace scored their 15th #1 single on U.S. Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs Chart with the album’s song “Right Left Wrong.” and they also have 16 #1’s at Mediabase. The band won the “Rock Artist of the Year” award at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. 

Media Contact for Encore Live 

Jake Klein 

646-660-8644 

jake@goldin.com 

Media Contact for Metallica 

Steve Martin 

steve@nastylittleman.com 

Media Contact for Three Days Grace 

Emilio Herce 

emilio@qprime.com 

Local Media Contact for Alaska State Fair, Inc. 

Melissa Keefe 

mk@alaskastatefair.org