From: “Joan Hansen” hansjoan@alaska.net>
To: news@peninsulaclarion.com>
Subject: KENAI NEIGHBORS COLUMN for MAY 30, 2006
Date: Thursday, May 25, 2006 12:18 AM

KENAI NEIGHBORS COLUMN for MAY 30, 2006
morris:safe

        Richard Warrington’s life changed the day after his graduation from high school in Breckenridge, Colorado. A series of circumstances resulted in his not wearing a helmet that rainy day as he rode his motorcycle into town to a job interview.
      The accident he had cost him a month in a coma and eight years of rehabilitation. He moved to Alaska  in 1986 with his family and his brain injury.  He met Mary at a singles group and they married in 1990. Mary had two brothers with brain injuries, so she knew the challenges that life sometimes presents.
       Upon arriving here, Richard found no one on the peninsula who could provide any services for people with brain injuries, so he founded Kenai Peninsula Brain Injury support group in 1993. This group works to help find and fund services to patients and to preach prevention to the public and in schools.
        A prevention presentation called “Don’t be a Dum-Dum” is taken to the schools to advocate use of safety always in whatever activities a person participates . They talk about reflective clothing for people who run, ride, ski or whatever in our darkened days, appropriate footwear for icy conditions, to always consider the use of helmets and protective gear on land and water, to “be safe and aware as you go about life’s activities”.
     Richard and Mary are members to the state advisory board of Alaska Brian Injury Network and work to help obtain services for people statewide with brain injuries. As a fundraiser, the first Awareness Walk was in 1996, with 18 initial participants walking, pushing baby strollers, riding in wheelchairs and carrying balloons and posters advising people about prevention. Through the years the number of people has varied, but Mary always tries to make enough potato salad to feed 100 at the barbecue at the end of the walk.
    Through the years citizens and local celebrities join the walk; one year Ted Stevens joined the group. Each year the local mayors, people from health departments, school board and assembly board members, representatives of the Mental Health Trust, and family members and friends walk to show their support of efforts to provide services throughout the state  to those who have brain injuries.
     Saturday, May 3 marks the tenth Awareness Walk. It is always held the Saturday after Memorial Day and begins at 11 a.m. at the Kenai High School parking lot and meanders through “beautiful downtown Kenai” to the Main Street green strip where a barbecue lunch awaits participants. Sponsor sheets can be found at Bridges and the Independent Living Center on Kalifornsky  Beach. You can call 283-5711 pr 262-6333 to register, or you can just register at the event on Saturday.
     Did you know that you can buy helmets for yourself and your children for a miniscule price and then trade them in for a new one when your child outgrows or damages them? People can go to the Independent Living Center any day or visit a booth at local health fairs to obtain these helmets. The awareness walk helps to provide this service to the Peninsula’s citizens.
    Richard and Mary invite you to  join in Saturday’s walk as a show of support for their efforts. “Come help make us all aware of the need for prevention. Just one brain injury will change your mind”. 

AROUND TOWN:
     KDLL Public Radio and the Kenai Performers are planning a evening of great fun June 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. at the Kenai Landing in a production called “The Mariner’s Revenge”. Sit back as fiddlers and flautists play Celtic shanties, Pirates sing, mermaids dance, and mariners sing, featuring some of the peninsula’s finest performers. Contact Marion Nelson at 398-3959 or email timsturmband@yahoo.com for more information.
   Happy birthday this week to  Charleen Karella,Madison Cheeseman, and Lois Duncan. Happy third anniversary to Derek and Mandi Hansen May 31.         

On a hill overlooking the North Fork of the Anchor River with a backdrop of distant volcanoes across Cook Inlet, a little fairy danced around in her red and white graduation dress. Earlier that morning, Kristin Klaich proudly received her kindergarten graduation pin and diploma from her teacher, Mrs. Debbie Schmidt at Nikolaevsk School. Her blue eyes sparkled as she switched her tassel and gave a big smile for the camera.

Many who attended the graduation would not have guessed that Kristin has faced more physical trials in her short 6 years than many will face in a lifetime. She has bravely fought Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) since she was a little over a year old. After numerous trips to the JRA specialist in Seattle and taking medications to prevent permanent joint damage, Kristin’s JRA went into remission for about a year. Joint pain returned this spring necessitating medication once again, but that doesn’t seem to have dampened Kristin’s spirit.

Kristin is the daughter of Steve and Bea Klaich who live on a ridgebehind the Russian Old Believer Village of Nikolaevsk. Steve and Bea were teachers at Nikolaevsk School when they met and married in the early 90¹s. Kristin’s siblings are Blake, 11; Kilina, 9; and Sophia, 4. Kristin lives an active life as she joins her family on snowmachine outings in the Caribou Hills behind their house as well as gardening, camping, hunting and fishing together.

Kristin told me about their caribou hunt in a remote area last year. “I spotted my mom’s caribou,” she said proudly. Bea said that while she was getting dinner ready Kristin spied the caribou and alerted her, enabling her to harvest a nice bull. Kristin plants her own little garden spot and displays her produce at the Kenai Peninsula State Fair each year.

The Klaiches have expressed how thankful they are to God for the doctors and the progressive research that has helped Kristin avoid losing mobility. I asked Kristin what her favorite activity was and she enthusiastically replied, “I love running around and playing outside!”

Around Town:
On May 20th there was a workday at the Kenai Peninsula State Fairgrounds. Marathon Oil Corporation proved food, drinks and lots of help while community volunteers helped with repairs on the buildings, trash pickup, hauling and spreading gravel, trimming bushes, and raking the lawn. Walter Jackinsky¹s celebrated his 90th birthday with his family and friends at the Carol Bock Hall last Saturday, May 20th. Have you caught a big king over Memorial Day weekend? Are you having any special out of town guests? Please send us news to include in your section of the Neighbor’s column.

Kasilof came up strong in the Skyview High School class of 2006. My neighbor, Rachel Osterman, is co-valedictorian and Kelsey Shields from Crooked Creek Road is co-salutatorian. Becky Kilfoyle, the other valedictorian, lives on Tustumena Lake Road.

Rachel was born in Michigan and moved to South Cohoe Loop during the summer of 2000. She is the Senior Class president and a member of the National Honor Society. This year Rachel was a member of Skyview’s Mock Trial team. They took 5th place at State. Rachel was also a member of the Battle of the Books team. Participants are given a list of books from whence questions will come. The team members divide the book list among themselves and each person becomes an expert on about four books. Competition across the state is done by teleconference. With the help of her participation, Skyview took the State title in 2004.

The Osterman family is academically industrious. Rachel’s brother, Martin, is a graduate of the Indiana Academy of Science and Mathematics, a state sponsored boarding school for exceptional students. He now attends Ball State University in Indiana. Rachel’s sister, Becky, graduated from Skyview in 2003 and is an enthusiastic student at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Rachel’s brother, Tom, is in Skyview’s class of 2008. He also has a high grade point average. During our interview he hammered away at math homework, keeping one ear on our conversation and making occasional contributions. Rachel’s Mom (actually step-mom, her mother is deceased), Melanie, works at ConocoPhillips doing computer drafting. She is a Peak Oilfield Services employee. Rachel’s Dad is attorney, Mark Osterman.

For work Rachel volunteered at the Kenai Animal Shelter last summer. She cleaned cages, showed animals to potential adopters and walked the dogs. In a related field, she plans to attend Montana State University and eventually become a veterinarian. The Elks Lodge awarded her a $1,000 scholarship.

Among the interesting social matters Rachel has been involved in was the recent “Let Eli Walk” campaign. Eli Hutchison is a stellar Connections Home School student from Kasilof who wrestled for Skyview and is also graduating. An issue came up in the opinion of some students after borough policy prevented Eli from walking through graduation ceremonies because of his home school status. The campaign was allegedly started by Skyview student, Jeff Dolifka, and aided by a letter to the Clarion editor from Kelsey Shields. Rachel and these students noted how Skyivew had embraced Eli while he took State championships for four years in a row and they opined the famous wrestler (who has also earned 12 credits from Kenai Peninsula College) should be part of their traditional walk.

Rachel is a model of politeness and of putting natural talent to good use.

Around Town

Kasilof Public Library goes on summer schedule June 3. Hours will be 2:00-7:00 Mondays and Thursdays

In between projects and dental appointments with her 13 year old daughter, Emily Gomulak, Dagmar Mayer and I found a moment to talk.

“I emigrated from Germany when I was 19 years old,” she told me. An Army wife, Dagmar and her (former) husband served at Fort Campbell, Kentucky two years before transferring to Fort Richardson, Alaska 17 years ago.

Dagmar worked for the federal government in Anchorage. After some time she moved to Soldotna and her husband moved Outside. She stated that she and Emily are recently estranged from her son, John, who is “out in the world finding his own way. “We put “FUN” in dysfunctional,” she laughed. “And, yes, you can use that quote,” she continued.

In the fifteen or so years she has lived on the Peninsula, Dagmar has had several occupations. “I was a stay at home Mom for a year,” she said. Emily is now 13 and looking forward to the 8th grade next year at Soldotna Middle School.

Dagmar attended New Frontier Vo-Tech Center studying accounting and computer information processing, followed by a job at Unocal. She has worked for The LeeShore Center - “several positions there. I did just about everything there was at the Seaman Building (location),” she said. “I was receptionist, eligibility technician for the Child Care Assistance Program, and administrator of the Child Care Food Program and Child Care Assistance Program before I left. After that I worked for the Community Care Center,” she said.

Dagmar can speak five languages - “not all fluently any longer. You get rusty,” she said as she listed English, German, Spanish, French and Arabic as part of her resume. It was a stint as bilingual tutor with the school district that helped her decide to go on to school. “I saw that there is not just a language barrier, but help was needed with cultural issues and background,” she explained.

Having obtained an Associate of Arts degree from Kenai Peninsula College, she is currently a full time student at UAA, planning to graduate in May 2007 with a Bachelors degree from the School of Social Work. “I’m looking for a practicum (location) right now,” she shared. “I hope to work in the Kenai/Soldotna area.”

I had to ask this busy lady what she does for fun. “Fun? What’s that?” she laughed. “I’m a real book hound,” she said. “I love to read medieval mysteries. My favorite is the Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries series. I just finished ‘The Sempster’s Tale’,” she continued.

During the summer months Dagmar cooks the early morning breakfast for guests at the Soldotna B&B Lodge. She and her daughter like to spend a lot of time outdoors. “I like to hang out with Emily and just have fun,” she said.

——————–

AROUND TOWN: Congratulations to Sonja Redmond whose interview appeared in this column March 21st. She emailed that she has passed the Alaska Bar Exam.

Congratulations also to all of the area graduates - high school and college - as well as those in the lower grades who are moving up next year. (Pre-schoolers to Kindergarten - Kinders to 1st grade - 8th graders to high school - seniors (high school) to freshmen (college). We’re proud of all of you.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone. Take time to remember the reason we celebrate Memorial Day. (click to follow the link) And, by the way - when I was a youngster (lo these many years ago) we celebrated the day ON the day - May 30th. Sad to say, not many folks today know the “real” date.

Thanks to the Clarion for increasing our printed word count. We’ve gone from 350 to 480 and I still ran out of room!

A few days ago I had the pleasure of having a very nice conversation with Darla Jones. She married her husband DeRay nine years ago and moved to Alaska.

“DeRay’s family drove up the Alcan when he was 6-months old and other than going to the lower 48 for school, he has been here ever since,” she said.

Darla and DeRay have 7 kids, 3 of which they adopted through the foster care system. Stockton is 8, Ashley is 6, Sydney is 6, Garrison is 4, Brayton is 4, Whitney is 2 ½ and Ashton is 2.

Darla said that when they made the choice to adopt, they knew that meant they made the choice to give up fancy vacations to places like Disney Land or Hawaii.

“We bought a camp trailer and take the kids camping. We have lots of fun and they love it,” she said. “Right now my kids think a trip to the Nikiski pool is as much fun as Disney Land”.

Darla’s family is obviously her priority. “We take advantage of what the area has to offer,” she said. “We go snow machining and the kids ride their 4-wheelers. It’s great family time. We want the kids to build good values, morals and a good work ethic”.

Darla and DeRay both have volunteered as coaches for the Boys and Girls Club indoor soccer teams where their children have played. “We are very lucky to have people in the community like the folks at the Boys and Girls Club that bring their talents to the area,” she said.

When I asked Darla what she would like to see change in the area she immediately said with a laugh, “Less snow! Is that doable?” Darla said she would love to have more shopping close by but that she likes the slower pace of a small town and is willing to make the trade off to make sure that her kids have a safe, fun place to grow up.

Around Town-

If you have an upcoming birthday or anniversary and would like it printed in the paper, give me a call. I’m always looking for local news to put in this section.

Silvertip Net and Gear at mile 6.5 Kalifornsky Beach Road is for sale. Randy and Rose Renner opened the store in 1985, naming it after a boat Randy began commercial drift fishing for salmon with in 1967. The boat’s name came from Silvertip Bears, a type of Grizzly.

Randy Renner and Rose Mahan married in 1975. They have three boys and a girl; Darrel, Buddy, Tyrell and Randy Rose. They also lost a child soon after she was born.

In fact, health issues have been a bit pronounced in the Renner family. Randy broke his back 25 years ago. More recently he had triple by-pass heart surgery. And sinus problems led to more surgery, which inadvertently left holes in his brain cavity. Follow-up repairs were needed to plug the holes. About a year ago he broke his pelvis while “breaking” a horse. Surgeons bolted a plate to it, but the bond became disingenuous and fell apart. So he went to Harborview Trauma Center in Seattle and had the bone stiffened with rods. “The doctors claim I’ll be back in the saddle by hunting season,” Randy says from his wheel chair.

Randy’s mother, Sue, passed away last month. Randy Rose has a type of Graves disease and had her thymus removed last fall. About five years ago the Renner’s brought Rose’s sister (Ms. Mahan) into their home. Crippled since birth, she needs complete health care. Randy installed an elevator to make the job easier. Their home above the store was added a few years back. Before that the Renner’s lived in a large house closer to the bluff. The house was sold to make more efficient arrangements.

As already mentioned, the family has horses and they enjoy hunting. Randy is a frequent visitor to Tustumena Lake. He owns a cabin on the lake by Bear Creek. Mike and Linda Sipes have a place nearby. “They make my place look like an outhouse,” Randy says, speaking of his neighbor’s real nice home. Eric Huebsch owns the old, historic lodge at Bear Creek. Grant Fritz and Pat McElroy have a cabin there too, as do Dallas Burford and Larry Keene.

Around Town

Congratulations to Lyle and Jessie Winters of North Cohoe. They celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary on May 13.

Jeff Berger, owner and manager of Deep Creek Custom Packing and Retail Store spent his first summer in Alaska when he was 16. The son of a chef from Bend, Oregon, he was hired as a cook for McKinley Park Station Hotel. He returned to Alaska every summer until he graduated from college. He met his wife Mary while at Western Washington University where he earned his degree in industrial and mechanical engineering. Currently, the couple’s son A.J. is in his third year at WWU majoring in business and environmental science. Their daughter, Anna, is a sophomore at Ninilchik School.

Jeff desired to raise his family in this community, but found no work. Therefore, he spent 10 years building a business that not only created a job for himself so he could live here, but also for140 employees in the summer and 40 in the winter. In 1986, Jeff expanded what was a seasonal processing plant to a year-round seafood retail business.

“One of Alaska’s biggest problems is that our resources get shipped all over the world as raw materials,” he said.

“From timber to mining, our state needs to create an environment to maximize the benefits of our natural resources.”

He further explained that processing seafood-adding value to the product before shipping it Outside- creates much needed jobs for Alaskans.

Jeff gives back to his community by serving on the board of Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, by being a chamber of commerce member in the communities from Kenai to Homer, and by serving as an emergency medical technician and volunteer firefighter. He is an active supporter of Ninilchik Emergency Services and expressed his excitement about the upcoming annual benefit breakfast held at the Kenai Peninsula State Fairgrounds over Memorial Day weekend. His brother Michael Johnson, a former chef for Captain Cook Hotel is helping with the breakfast this year. There will be upgraded menu including a choice of buckwheat, buttermilk and blueberry pancakes, whipped butter, eggs provencale, Black Forest Ham, sausage, bacon, and fresh fruit consisting of melons and strawberries. Jeff smiled,

“It will be the best pancake breakfast ever!”

Devin Scott Pennison was filled with excitement the evening I talked with him at the home he shares with parents, Scott and Deni, and brother, Andrew, 7.

The first question I asked Devin was how old he was. He told me he was 10, but quickly added on June 26 he will be 11.

He said he really wanted to go clam digging in Clam Gulch for his birthday party.

“Because I have not been clamming in a while,” he said.

He said he also enjoys finding star fish and sand dollars, which he said resembled small pieces of bologna. He also likes playing in the sand.

Devin is a true Alaska boy who enjoys four wheeling, jumping his snow machine, riding a dirt bike and hunting.

He said he likes going to the family’s cabin in Gray Cliffs, where he and his father shoot at targets and spruce hens.

“(Spruce hens) are delicious,” he said with a proud smile, adding that his parents taught him whatever animals he shoots, he has to eat.

While it is a hobby for Devin and his dad, Devin’s great-great grandfather, Don Johnson, was a bush pilot, guide and big game hunter. He hunted on every continent except for Antarctica.

Though his great-grandfather died before Devin was born, he said he is his hero because of all of the interesting things he did.

“He was one of the world’s greatest hunters,” he said, showing me the book “King of the ice,” by Helen Corbin, written about Johnson.

When he is not making good grades on math pages or playing his saxophone at Nikiski North Star Elementary, he is one of Miss. Patty’s helpers in the cafeteria. He also helps out for PTA activities.

During the school year he is involved in band, boy scouts and wrestling. At home he enjoys cooking, Arnold Schwarznegger movies and practicing string tricks.

Around town

Congratulations to Jacinda Broussard who welcomed baby Mya Jenn on May 17.

The Lighthouse Community Church is having several sport camps this summer, including baseball, basketball and cheerleading. For more information, call Randy Lewis at 776-8234.

Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Richard Bringle and Tony Collinsworth on May 25 and Joy Beckley on May 28.

      Stryker (Mark) McLane was dressed in black as he stepped to the microphone at Soldotna Middle School’s poetry slam recently. “Don’t ask” (about the ‘Stryker’), he said as he introduced himself to the audience.
      I asked . . .
      “Well, every other person has the name,” he told me. “Have you seen the big photograph at the college? It says Enid Stryker McLane,” he continued. “It’s a family name.”
      “I was pretty immature when I was young,” he said, “and I thought ‘Stryker’ sounded a lot cooler (than Mark).”
      “I like school - I like meeting people and using my creative ability. I’m going where I’m supposed to go in life - figuring out what I’m going to do. I want to do something creative,” he said.
      Stryker says he likes writing - “except when I’m forced to use a prompt. Ms. Fjelstad (his English teacher) forced us to write a poem about our mothers for a grade. I like to take a prompt and go in an entirely new direction - one the evaluators wouldn’t expect,” he said.
      Poetry is a recent genre of writing for Stryker. “I thought it might be something I’d be interested in,” he said. “I started one recently, but now I’m in a summer mode.”
      I asked Stryker what he would be doing once school lets out. “I’m going to, like, hang out - go biking - enjoy the nice weather,” he told me.
      He will likely also be involved with the family business, McLane Consulting, Inc. “Dad (Scott) is a surveyor. I help paint things like stakes for the property. I’m not really sure what they do, but the money is good,” he said. “I might go into the family business when I get older.”
      Alaska born, Stryker says he likes it, but “Soldotna gets boring. I’d like to travel and go to different places, like New York. Mom (Mari, a nurse at CPGH) is from the Philippines. I like going there because it’s so different,” he said.
      Stryker’s older sister, Mavica, is a sophomore at Soldotna High School.
—————————-
AROUND TOWN:
Think outside the TV box - Spenard Builders Supply

Aren’t the SBS quotes cool? Wouldn’t it be MORE cool to see YOUR news here in that spot? Drop me an email and we’ll see what we can do about that.

From: “Joan Hansen” hansjoan@alaska.net>
To: news@peninsulaclarion.com>
Subject: KENAI NEIGHBORS COLUMN for MAY 16, 2006
Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 11:23 PM

KENAI NEIGHBORS COLUMN for MAY 16, 2006
Helen Vellinga and her husband, Jack, moved to Anchorage from Washington state in 1974, and finally made the move to Kenai just four years ago at the urging of her mother, Gladys Musgrove.
One of Helen’s favorite interests involves fabric, needles and thread, with which she handcrafts intricate patchwork quilts.Through the years as her skills grew, Helen began to enter quilting shows. She has managed to win lots of first place ribbons at the state fair in Palmer and first place in the senior division of the Kenai Peninsula fair. Last year she won viewer’s choice at the Quilting on the Kenai show with a baby quilt. Not only do her nimble fingers create artistic fabric creations, but they also wield brushes for water color and oil painting. Both Helen and her husband have quite a competition going with their shared interests in digital photography, as well as bird-watching, she says.
Helen and husband have four children: one lives in Soldotna, while the others are in Texas, Oregon, and Washington. They have nine grand-children and three great-grandchildren. Family is an important part of her life, and Helen has researched extensively into genealogy. Her careful searches into family history have produced books that she had published on both her own and her husband’s family lines.
Helen likes living in Kenai first of all because “it is a slower pace of life than Anchorage”. She’s not crazy about the winters here, but loves the summers.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re at, you have to make up your mind whether you’re gonna like a place or dislike it. I’ve made up my mind to like the places I live, because it’s easier to get along in a place if you like it”, Helen philosophizes. And that’s the truth.

AROUND TOWN:
Everything sure looks better since everyone pitched in to help with the spring cleanup. Thanks to all of you who helped fill up those snazzy yellow bags that have become signs of spring.
The truest harbinger of spring, however, was the first mosquito of the year that I smashed while writing this column. Is that a Winnabago I hear?
The local restaurant business is really growing. Juan Rodriguez opened his Acapulco restaurant in the mall by Carr’s. The grand opening is this week. The Golden Buffet opened for business last week in the old Kentucky Fried Chicken building, the Jersey Subs shop will be opening next to the Thai Lotus on Willow Street soon, and the Kenai Landing is beginning to perk. We welcome you all to Kenai’s business community.
If you’re a fan of pop music, don’t miss the Kenai Central High band Pops concert tonight at 7 p.m. at the KCHS auditorium.