I heard 17-year-old Esther Pherson, who moved to Ninilchik with her family three years ago, reminiscing about her Christmas memories which occurred in a country so different from ours. “Since I grew up in South Africa, we’d never wake up to snow-it would usually be a hot and sunny or rainy,” she said. “On Christmas morning, we’d excitedly open our gifts that were under our fake tree then go to church on Christmas Day, no matter what day of the week it was. At church we would sing our favorite Christmas carols and hear the most important meaning of the celebration-how Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem and came to die on the cross for us. We knew that no matter what gifts we got for Christmas, God gave us the best one, His son,” she exclaimed. “After church we’d return home and would be welcomed by the smell of turkey cooking. We’d play Christmas music as we prepared for dinner. After dinner we would call our family in Alaska and Ohio. Now that we live here in Alaska, we have both snow and family for Christmas.” Her eyes moistened as she added, “Even though I love having these, I’ll never forget our Christmases in South Africa or our little old fake tree.”

Ninilchik Alumni basketball game will be held at Ninilchik School gymnasium on Sat. Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. Whether you are young or experienced in years, a player or spectator, all are welcome to attend the annual alumni game. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens. Tickets will be sold at the door.

Terri Leman, Coordinator of the Ninilchik Health & Wellness Club invites the community to join the “Biggest Loser Contest” in January. This free event will be a fun way to encourage you to lose fat and gain strength and energy at the Health and Wellness Club located at the fairgrounds. The Biggest Loser Contest will run for three months: from the beginning of January through the end of March, with the Kick-off on Thursday, January 3rd, at 7 p.m. at the fairgrounds. “Don’t worry, we won’t be weighing and measuring in public. All of your information will be kept confidential,” assured Terri.
For more information give Terri a call at 567-3880 or stop by the club. Club hours are Monday-Thursday 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. and Friday 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free admission to the club is provided through collaboration between Ninilchik Traditional Council and the Kenai Peninsula State Fair.

Those who are having birthdays this week are Matthew Encelewski today; Steve Vanek and Jess McKellar on Christmas Day; Kristin Klaich and Thomas Vanek on Dec. 27, Nicole Leman and Casey Ogren on Dec. 28 and Linda Painter and Bob Simpson on Dec. 30.

Merry Christmas to all!

Warren is a finish carpenter and cabinet installer, and now that he is retired enjoys his lapidary hobby and sport fishing. Pat worked for a title company and was in real estate until she couldn’t stand the viciousness of the competition. “It was too cut-throat for me,” she said. “Now I have time to do things that I enjoy doing.” She said she especially enjoys canning, gourmet cooking and entertaining. She also likes to get together with the women in the community and is currently the vise president of the Domestic Engineers. She said that being involved with the Domestic Engineers promotes a sense of community and supports some good causes such as Close Up, Christmas care packages, the Easter Basket program and the Ninilchik Community Library. She told me that one event coming up was the Santa’s Store that opens at Ninilchik School where children can buy presents for their parents for 50 cents. If anyone is interested in joining the Domestic Engineers or donating items for Santa’s Store, please contact Pat at 567-7323.

One table near the Togni’s was the Domestic Engineer’s table selling homemade jams and jellies to help support Ninilchik School’s needs. They also raffled a quilted wall hanging with a backwoods theme made by Barb Lamont that Richard Digel won.

Ninilchik School band and music teacher, Lisa Nissley, reported that the annual holiday bazaar and rummage sale was a success. She said that proceeds from the table rentals and the band members’ rummage sale, the band met 50% of their goal of paying for their new band uniforms. Lisa mentioned that she was proud of the 27-member band who poured over catalogs and made a wise choice for their uniforms.

Happy Birthday to Abi Daniels, Carolyn Leman, and Daniel Self, today; Dan Leman on Nov. 20; Jesse Leman on Nov. 21; Willie Morris on Nov. 23; and Delores Lindeman and Brad Drake on Nov. 25.

It was fun to see many neighbors at the HEA barbecue held at the Kenai Peninsula State Fairgrounds a few weeks ago. I’m enjoying the free light bulbs that were handed out. Congratulations to Lee Wentworth for wining the door prize– a $50 credit on her HEA bill.

Don’t forget the Ninilchik Community Library’s annual meeting and potluck that will be held this Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the library. The potluck will be at 6:00 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m.

On Tuesday, Sept. 18, a surprise party was given to honor Doris Kelly on her 75th birthday. To celebrate her special day, Doris thought that she was going out for a quiet lunch with her friend Ethel Pherson, but instead she was surprised with a tea party organized by Suzan Cobb and Joy Pherson at Calvary Baptist Church. Since she was born and raised in Ninilchik, Doris’s knowledge is rich with local history and stories of days gone by. At the tea, her friends enjoyed sharing stories of how Doris has enriched their lives. One friend shared that Doris is a remarkable seamstress and has made countless quilts for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and children in her church. Ladies who attended the celebration were Terral Anderson, Suzan Cobb, Harriet Covey, Cindy Crabb, Vicky Daniels, Karen Grimes, Betsey Knox, Marian Hostetter, Marilyn Morris, Ethel Pherson, Joy Pherson and Lisa Westergaard.

Mark your calendars now to attend the Kenai Peninsula State Fair’s Annual Meeting that will be held on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. It will start off with a potluck so you are encouraged to bring your favorite dish and come prepared to share your ideas for making the 2008 fair a memorable one.

If you would like help the Ninilchik Lady Wolverines basketball team with a fund raiser to help upgrade the sound system for Ninilchik School and enjoy a great pizza at the same time, 15 inch pizzas made-to-order will be available on Friday, October 5th and 12th at Ninilchik School. Fundraiser organizer, Cindy Schnabl, requests that you call your order in early at 398-9095 or 398-9054.

Congratulations to Ed and Judy Harper as their anniversary is today, and to Mr. & Mrs. Joe Sallee as theirs is tomorrow. Birthdays this week are Bob Jacobs, today; Marla Kvasnikoff, tomorrow, Oct. 2; Susanne Oskolkoff on Oct. 3; and Patty Brown on Oct. 5.

I appreciate all those who are feeding me with news. If there is any news from your club, organization, school, fundraiser or family event that you would like to see printed here, please be sure to send an email or give me a call.

Tom Osterman of south Cohoe was selected as an intern for Senator Stevens and Tom will soon travel to Washington DC. His airfare is provided and he will be paid for his work, although he must provide for his own housing. Competition is keen for the 30 internship jobs available each year in Congress. Tom is an exceptional student who graduated with a 3.95 GPA from Skyview High School this spring. He will return June 28 to work in the setnet fishery.

King salmon fishing has been slow in the Kasilof River perhaps due to the early date and cold weather. An adventure there occurred recently aboard guide Tom Corr’s drift boat. A fisherman from out of state took attention from his pole to photo a beaver. Simultaneously, a king ate the bait and his pole vaulted into the river. “It took half an hour to track the pole down, and it still had the king on it.” Tom said.

The first local public hearing regarding a lower Kasilof River boat launch was held on May 21 at Tustumena School. About 100 people attended including Representative Mike Chenault, Senator Tom Wagoner, Department of Fish & Game Sport Fish Director Charlie Swanton, Mayor Williams Chief of Staff Tim Navarre, Acting Area Superintendent of Parks and Outdoor Recreation Jack Sinclair, the unofficial leader of the Satori Way neighbors, Cindy Smith, and many others. The big news of the evening was that Jim Trujillo, owner of Ed’s Kasilof Seafoods, has withdrawn his property for consideration as a public boat launch site. For Satori Way residents and local people with habitat concerns, this was welcome news. Trujillo has allowed his site to be used for a haul out, but most people were more comfortable with Jim’s oversight than the State’s. These people site problems with the state dipnet fishery and its impact on river mouth dunes, bears, and the historic “Watchman’s Cabin” as reasons for their misgivings. Twice the legislature has approved spending more than two million dollars to secure the Trujillo property or another appropriate site. Twice the governor has vetoed the funds. Testimony on the evening ran mostly in opposition of any facility that promoted powerboats on the lower Kasilof. This hearing offered direction for State Parks, who has hired the engineering firm of HDR Alaska, Inc. to evaluate the sites. HDR will look at several sites and make recommendations. Comments were collected in a big box at the meeting and further comments can be sent to Julie.Jessen@hdrnic.com.

Johnson Lake Road, Tustumena Lake Road, and Crooked Creek Road are all scheduled for some paving. According to Representative Mike Chenault about seven miles of these roads will be paved. A $50,000 grant for improvements at the Kasilof Historical Association’s museum was approved by the leislature and survived the governor’s veto process, but a $70,000 grant for a columbarium at Spruce Grove Memorial Park was vetoed.

Carter’s are from New Mexico and Steve is an oil field worker. Tara and Chase were sequentially born and life was good, but in 1997 the family was thrown into a crisis. Twelve-year-old Chase started running a low fever and then developed bruises the size of dinner plates. Upon finding out that the bruises were linked to school bullies, Delores said, “I went to school and told them this better stop.” Chase got sicker, however, and doctors knew they were dealing with something serious. He and Delores flew to Seattle where suspicions of leukemia were confirmed. But treatment for the disease had progressed remarkably. Survival rates were in the 50-60 percent range and Chase was cured after three years of treatment.

The Carter family rejoiced when Melissa married Brandon Creeze and they had baby Levi. Then a second crisis hit. Brandon died in a plane crash. Melissa was pregnant and Lydia was born several months after the accident. Melissa mourned for a couple years and Delores helped in every way she could. Eventually happy times returned. Tara, who has 7-year-old DeAnna, works as the Director of Activities at an assisted living center in Anchorage. Chase is in college and Melissa has a good job in Texas.

But another crisis descended. Deloris had pneumonia in 2006 and a long bout of diarrhea followed. After many doctor visits, in Dec 2007 cancer of the pancreas was determined. She had chemotherapy treatments in Anchorage, but then went to Tulsa, Oklahoma for two months of treatments. Chase dropped out of school to accompany her. At the time he was ready to student teach English classes in Russia and his sacrifice meant a lot to Delores. “He said I took care of him 10 years ago and he was going to take care of me, now,” she related, with a catch in her voice.

Now Chase is in summer school and on May 19 Delores goes to the Mayo clinic in Minnesota. Doctors say there are six types of pancreatic cancer. They hope to discover her type and direct treatment designed specifically for it. Meanwhile, Steve is set to retire from Chevron on May 31 and Melissa is transferring back to the Peninsula and going to work at Tesoro.

The Kasilof-Cohoe Cemetery Association met on May 13 at the McLane Center. Jan See chaired the meeting. Among those in attendance were Brock See, Mary Jo McElroy, Jerry & Peggy McGerry, Dick & Jean Evenson, Dave Letzring, Lyle Cole, Joan Lahndt, Susan McLane, Catherine Cassidy, and myself. The association is in the process of applying for non-profit status and attempting to get additional property from the state. The state has not yet let the association know of the fate of their grant. Cemetery plots can be bought for $300 and it s possible to bury two people on one plot.

The Soldotna Lions club will hold its annual Spruce Grove Memorial Park clean-up May 24 at 10:00 a.m. Lunch will follow at See’s. Jan See, the clerk of the Kasilof-Cohoe Cemetery Association, and Lyle Cole, the sextant; are held in high regard. Jan has served graciously for four years and Lyle for 46 years. Jan had invited the Lion’s Club (and any other workers who show up) to lunch.

Razor clams are a bust at Clam Gulch again. This failure is accentuated by their consistency for the past hundred years. In fact, having personally dug in barbaras, I can attest to clam shells being a common find. According to Nicky Szarzi, a Homer biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the clams ran into trouble in 2001, but the problem didn’t show up until that age class matured, in 2004. Before the age of three years, clams are too small for people to notice. Clams eat phytoplankton, but biologists don’t know why the clams are failing to grow. Typically, razor clams are considered good eating size by the age of 5 or 6 years, and clams live to about 13 years old. Since the problem appeared beginning with the 2001 age class, it is not yet known whether the clams will also die prematurely.

Nicky says there are still plenty of little clams and digging won’t impact them. I can vouch for digging having no great impact —there aren’t many diggers. For more than 30 years low tides have attracted hundreds of diggers. Last week we had a couple extreme low tides, tolerable weather, and squat for diggers. The high price of gas and tiny size of clams seems to have withered the shovel wavers.

Mysteriously, the clams at Ninilchik are still big. Whatever the problem is, it starts several miles north of that hamlet. Clams reach sexual maturity at the age of 2 or 3 years, and yes, there are two sexes. Apparently, clams lead a sheltered life and dating doesn’t happen. Both sexes simply release their seed into the sea and the mixing Inlet joins the twain to form a life. The system has merit. There are none of the dating hardships so rampant with humans and moose. Baby clams go through a six-week phase as free swimmers. This is pretty amazing if we consider the tides. Somehow these lambs of the clam family stay on location, or enough of them make it back to the Clam Gulch area to sustain their existence. Eventually, clams grow a tiny shell and drop down out of the water column to the sand. The clams are protected by a state recognized beach designation. Clam Gulch State Critical Habitat Area stretches from Happy Valley to Cape Kasilof.

The Research Triangle Institute (RTI) of North Carolina has been in the local area performing interviews for the Substance Abuses and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Public Health Service. RTI is conducting the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Lucky people who are selected for the 45-minute interview get paid $30 for their cooperation. The questions relate to substance abuse, income, and insurance. The government uses the information to determine the success of drug prevention programs and the need for treatment facilities, as well as numerous other applications. Lynda Purvis, one of the interviewers, was born in Fairbanks and has been staying at Clam Gulch Lodge.

The Spruce Grove Memorial Park cemetery association is holding a meeting at 5:30 May 13 at the McLane Center. The public is welcome.

The Bush family has started a petition to name the Kasilof River bridge after Bobby Bush Jr. He was 41 when he died last July following a battle with diabetes and liver failure. The disease showed up out of the blue after he returned from a four-year stint in the army and a tour of duty in Iraq. Bobby was in a tank division involved in the initial attack of Desert Storm. At the time he got the disease, no one on either side of his family had any history of it. For Bobby, diabetes led to kidney failure and dependence on dialysis machines.

Soldotna’s bridge is named after David Douthit. Like David, Bobby graduated from Soldotna High School in 1984. David was the only Alaskan killed in Desert Storm. He was 24 and left behind a pregnant wife. Captain Benjamin Tiffner, son of Timothy and Judy Tiffner of Soldotna, was killed in action on November 7. Tiffner’s have called Soldotna “home” since 1998, but their roots are in West Virginia. That state has named a major highway bridge after Benjamin. Seventeen service men and women from Alaska have been killed in the on-going Iraq war. Including soldiers stationed in Alaska, that number jumps to 109.

Before joining the Army, Bobby Bush Jr. married a local woman and had a son, Blade, and daughter, Lacy. His marriage broke up, however, and while stationed in Germany he married a German who already had several children. They added a son, John, together but also divorced. Later Bobby had a second daughter, Mantanya, but didn’t remarry.

Frank Bush served in the Navy during WWII. Frank and his wife, Irene, moved to Kasilof in 1958. They raised nine children, several of whom, like Frank, have worked in the petroleum industry. Their children are Jimmy, Billy, Eddy, Bobby, Shiela, Ronny, Donny, Johnny, and David. Bobby married “Buttons,” and they had two children, Bobby Jr. and Karen. Buttons, from Tacoma, is an only daughter with 10 brothers. Karen works at the Mercantile, where the petition is available. Ultimately, the authority for naming a state bridge belongs to the state legislature.

Kasilof Public Library raised over $2,000 in their book fair, an amount considered excellent by librarian, Katja Wolfe. She extends her sincere thanks to the community for their support.

Assemblyman Paul Fischer had a Pacemaker and defibrillator installed during surgery in Anchorage on May Day.

On May 8 at 9:00 p.m. PBS television will air “Alaska, Off The Beaten Path,” a movie about the Haeg’s life in Chinitna Bay.

The Kenai Peninsula Historical Association spring meeting is May 3 in the Kasilof Community Church building, next to Kasilof Mercantile. Members from Seward to Kenai to Homer will be attending. The featured speaker is Dr. Linda Chamberlain of east Homer. She is an authority on dogmushing mail delivery and will speak on that subject at 1:00. Kasilof Historical Association will be hosting the meeting and the public is invited. After the meeting, a tour of the McLane Center museum and historic cabins will be offered.

White, vacuum/tank trucks are frequently seen driving through Kasilof and are involved in gas field operations. Gas wells produce by-product fluids, which are separated at well sites. These fluids are picked up by vacuum trucks and, for proper disposal, hauled to the Kenai Gas field on Kalifornsky Beach Road. Gas field drilling operations are planned for local gas fields and will begin as soon as road restrictions go off, enabling the drill rig to be mobilized. Kenai Gas Field is technically in Kasilof.

Backhoes in Kasilof should be extra careful in the future not to dig up phone lines. Alaska Communication System (ACS) owns a fiber optic telephone line, which is buried through Kasilof. ACS has contracted with Tyco Telecommunications to lay a submerged fiber optic cable from Anchorage to Nikiski. It will then hook to the existing line, which runs thorough Kasilof to Homer. From Homer, Tyco will lay a new cable on the ocean floor all the way to Florence, Oregon. The work is planned for this summer. In the past a broken phone line could disconnect half the Peninsula, in the future it could disconnect Alaska from the States.

Mike Sipes of the tallest hill in Cohoe is back from Quito, Ecuador. He has been to South America more than ten times. Originally he went for adventure, but recent trips have been for possible involvement in agribusiness and for personal dental work. Mike has had major dental reconstruction at Quito over the course of a couple years. He has nothing but praise for the Ecuadorian people and dentists.
“I have to do something to offset Borough taxes,” Mike said. “They are taxing me out of my house.”

A work party from Kasilof Community Church has recently built a 1200 square foot house for the MacRae family on Elaine Ave off Cohoe Loop. Chuck Morse headed up the work party. Jim and Dianne McRae already had a basement and recently bought material for their house, but after surgery on his brain, Jim was unable to build it. MacRae’s have a chicken farm of about 300 birds.

Kasilof Eagles Club offers Sunday breakfast potlucks from 10:00 -1:00 at their “Aerie” (Eagles nest) on Jason Road. They are raffling off a large framed print called “The Bear.” Tickets are $1 each, or 6 for $5 and the drawing will be on Mother’s Day.

Kenai Peninsula has 11 public libraries. The one in Kasilof is housed in Tustumena School and they are holding a book fair this week. Hours are Mon-Thu 9:30-6:00, and Fri 9:30-noon. Katja Wolfe is the public librarian and Rosy Thompson is the school librarian. The public library hours are normally Mon, Tue, and Thu, 2:30-6 p.m.

Kelly Hagelund and Willow King had baby Brynn on February 3. She was born at the Women’s Way Midwifery in Soldotna and joins siblings, 6-year old Caius and 4-year old Adarra. The family lives on Capella Drive, across from Kasilof Storage. Kelly is an electrician and has been working for Kiner Electric on the Soldotna Hospital project. Willow is a connoisseur of cannery work. Her dad, Rich King, is a Cook Inlet drift fisher who has seen some water under his bridge. Willow grew up in awe of Wards Cove cannery, in Kenai. She has spent the past few summers working at the old Wards Cove plant, now leased to Kenai River Seafoods. This summer Willow will wield a spoon and a spatula as she heads up the galley.
Kasilof Historical Association will be hosting the Peninsula Historical Association spring meeting May 3 in the Kasilof Community Church building. Members from Seward to Kenai to Homer will be attending. The featured speaker is Linda Chamberlain, PhD, MPH, of east Homer. She is an authority on dogmushing mail delivery and will speak on that subject at 1:00. The public is invited.

April 10 the McLane Center was bulging with history as early homesteaders took turns reliving events. Among the speakers were: Joan Lahndt, who was born in a Kasilof cannery building in 1927; Pat McElroy, who homesteaded in 1958 and ran into some impromptu situations while welding, firefighting and bear hunting; Ruth Johnson had never seen a woodstove when she left Chicago in 1942. Now she knows the ups and downs of woodstoves better than Santa Claus. Grant Phillips hired Morris Coursen in the deep-snow spring of 1956. Morris dozed a trail from the Sterling Highway to Grant’s homestead near Ciechanski Road. This became the first road on that side of the Kenai River and much of it was eventually adopted into Kalifornsky Beach Road. Stan McLane was born in Seldovia in 1922 and raised in Kasilof. Marge Madden filed on a homestead in 1954, but her children caught polio and delayed her move to Kasilof until 1958. Katie Vasilie Macleod was a nurse with doctors Gaede & Isaac in 1968. She was the head nurse when the hospital opened in Soldotna, and became a nurse at Tustumena School. Bob and Mary Haeg went to live with the bears at Chinitna Bay in 1975. They have retired to Kasilof.

Meanwhile, Shirley Karlen was born in Oregon, raised on a dairy farm and attended Lewis & Clark College. In 1951 Shirley went to Anchorage with her mom, who moved there because she had relatives at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Shirley decided to attend college at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in 1952. She returned to Lewis & Clark in 1953, however, and graduated as a lab technician. The next year she got a job in Anchorage at the Native Hospital. By then Shirley had fallen in love —with skiing. So she attended the University of Colorado for adjacent skiing opportunities and acquired additional medical certification. Afterward she returned to Anchorage to work in a hospital for the Territory of Alaska.
Eventually, interest in skiing drew Grant and Shirley together and they married in 1958. By then Shirley’s mom had married Dick Nielson and moved with him to the Sterling area, where (in 1956) they ran Naptown Inn. Shirley joined Grant on the Kasilof homestead, but in 1959 they sold their setnet site to Pat McElroy. Grant drifted in the Inlet until 1968, when he began seining in the lower Inlet. Eventually he fished Kodiak and Prince William Sound, as well as chasing herring from Southeast to Togiak.

Grant and Shirley have three girls. When they were old enough for high school, Grant built a log home above the river on Sandwick Ave. Grant and Shirley also have a cabin in Halibut Cove and have been retired from fishing since about 1998. In the interim, their daughters have all married, had children and live in Kasilof. In addition to racing as a youth, Grant spent several winters working at Alyeska and skiing there. He recently visited a couple of his grandkids in Montana, where they are attending college. They all went to a ski resort there and enjoyed the slopes.

Kasilof Public Library holds their annual Scholastic book fair the week of April 21-25. The Tustumena School library holds their book fair in the fall and the sales from their 2006 event was over $2,000. The library’s cut is 25% of that money, but they realized a $1,100 value by buying items from the company putting on the fair. The public library sales were $1,500 in their 2007 book fair and they also realized a value exceeding 25% by buying from the bookseller. The library will look like a bookstore for the event. If someone prefers regular library visits to owning their own books, cash donations are always accepted and appreciated.

Quality Asphalt Paving has equipment staged by the Kasilof airport, waiting for the frost to go out to start work on Kalifornsky Beach Road.