UPDATE: On Your Mark, Get Set, Crow!
More Than 100 Runners Tackle Girdwood-Eagle River Wilderness Race
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Around 108 runners stampeded off a bridge Saturday's rainy morning on their way to Eagle River, 22.6 miles away.
Confronting them was a three-mile, 2,000-foot climb to the top of Crow Pass, a 10-mile descent through an overgrown trail to eventually cross thigh or waist-high Eagle River, then another nearly 10-mile slog to the Eagle River Nature Center.
Prior to the start, runners had received a warning: it's going to be a cold one. A steady drizzle made the 50-degree morning feel downright chilly.
And with a capacity for 150 racers, only 108 bibs were picked up.
This year the 41st-annual race is going to be a little "longer and slower", Race Director Matias Saari said as he packed up gear below a tent at the start.
Later he sent a text: "two come from behind wins".
Crossing the finish line three hours and 33 minutes later, Allan Spangler had a five minute lead over 18-year-old Zan Griffis. Spangler "caught and passed" Griffis with three miles to go, Saari said, and Christy Marvin "chased down" Shauna Severson to be the first woman to cross the tape. The two took 8th and 9th overall.
A new trail section adds nearly a half mile to the run. The time limit for completion was increased to seven hours.
Read the entire story at the link below;
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/one-your-mark-get-set-crow
Young Entrepreneurs Bring Lemonade, and Style, to Fair
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Tucked in a tent guarded by three enormous cottonwood trees, 11-year-old Hazel Kavaganis tallied her day's fortunes.
"I sold half my stock, a bunch of people signed up on my website, that I'm still working on, and, what else?" she said, clicking long, colorful fingernails.
One a table beside her lay sets of 10 hand-painted Gel X Nails. Months before the Forest Fair, Hazel began to craft a product line for a booth she calls "Talk to the Hand".
She ended up making 33 kits, some painted like bumblebees, others green and black aliens, others jade, others crimson, some pink.
The nails are hot sellers. Names and email addresses crowd a clipboard resting nearby.
"This is her deal," said her father, Bill, a masseuse at the Alyeska Nordic Spa, who sat nearby. "But she gets her entrepreneurial skills from her mom."
And each year, there's been something different for the young entrepreneur. Last year, it was embroidery and magnets.
"Everybody thought it was cross-stitching. But it was embroidery," said Hazel, who wants to go to college for cosmetology and hopes to open a salon someday.
Hazel operates one of several "Kid & Teen" booths at the Fair, a vending reservation that gives younger people the opportunity to "take on the entrepreneurial skills to vend and create unique products," according to the Fair's website. Kids 12 and under receive free booth space while teens will have to pony up $150 for a space.
There are 32 kids booths. Last year's event had "an overwhelming number of applicants", the website reported. Only hand-crafted items are allowed to be sold.
"We are so grateful to the Forest Fair for making space available for kids," Bill said, looking on.
Forest Fair, in its 51st Year, Launches This Weekend
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Tara Starlight was putting the final touches on her booth "Starlight Coffee" when a volunteer approached. "Do you want some coffee?" she asked. "This one's on the house."
She was ready to go Thursday afternoon with a beverage menu of coffee, cold brew, mocktails and a special concoction called "Raspberry Danish": cold brew with a cream cheese soft top.
Starlight is in her second year as a vendor and took an opportunity to move her stand to a new location near the ballfield fence. "I can see the main stage from here," she said, smiling. Last year she said she sold at least 1,000 cold drinks alone.
Her crew is her family. "The teenagers are sleeping in the back of the van," said Starlight, who works for the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition.
Meanwhile, across a cluttered path, the Talkeetna Spinach Bread crew was busy assembling its stand. The widely popular food booth began more than two decades ago, said owner Ross Benischek. He nodded toward his son Finn, 22. "During our first year, my wife was pregnant with him," Benischek said.
Since lines are long for the crispy, garlicky, cheese-topped bread, Forest Fair volunteers moved the youth performance stage closer to the bread stand's queue, said Terri Adkins, the event's vice president. Youth performances run 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. on Saturday.
And while a couple new food booths have cropped up—like "Papaya Tree", which sells Southeast Asian street food—a main attraction may be the Fair's revamped wine garden.
Read the entire story and more pictures of the Forest Fair at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-fair-in-its-51st-year-launches-this-weekend
Portage Lake Tsunami Could Reach Turnagain Arm and Whittier
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A hulking mountain face slowly sinking toward Portage Lake could collapse and send a massive wall of water hurtling into the Portage visitor center and down a valley six miles to Turnagain Arm, according to experts and a Forest Service emergency action plan.
Geologists fear a landslide-triggered tsunami more than 1,000 feet high could, like sloshing water in a bathtub, sweep through valleys, enter the 2.5-mile long Whittier Tunnel and even breach the 500-foot Portage pass, sending muddy water and debris into Passage Canal.
Yet, as catastrophic as it sounds—and given growing concern about landslides, sporadic news coverage and heightened awareness—few warnings have been issued about the possibility of a major disaster at a popular tourism destination that opens Friday.
"You think about some dramatic event like a tsunami on Portage Lake and it sounds pretty implausible until after it's happened. And that's kind of an instinct we, or at least a lot of people, have," said independent geologist Bretwood "Hig" Higman, who has consulted for the government on a number of landslide risk zones.
Portage's Begich, Boggs Visitor Center, a popular tourism destination that sees up to 1,000 visitors a day, sits directly in the path of a potential tsunami and 2.5 miles from the toe of Portage Glacier.
Higman estimated a catastrophic tsunami at Portage has one in 30 yearly chance of occuring and a wave that magnitude would give a person two to four minutes to evacuate. The landslide is currently moving at a rate of a meter per year.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/wgi9ksy0q9anl722d312tgv8c3zo5v
UPDATE: Water Spout likely just a Freeze-Thaw Drainage Issue
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A gushing fountain of water near Girdwood's School was likely due to a backed-up french drain and is outside city water utility's purview, according to a local official.
"It appears it is a curtain drain, or a French drain, that helps drain water from the school play field," Kyle Kelley, Girdwood's service area manager, wrote in an email.
"The Field drain was probably frozen underground and built up pressure with the spring melt, and got over 1.5 inches of rain yesterday in that storm cycle," Kelley wrote. "It finally broke open and gushed out from the water buildup, giving the appearance of a broken pipe."
Kelley said by the time he inspected the area, water was "back to flowing slowly out under the vegetated mat like it was installed to do."
A spokesperson for AWWU said the draining water was not part of its infrastructure.
Glacier Valley’s Heliport and Explosives Depot moves closer to construction
By Chase Berenson
TNews Staffwriter
At the March 9th meeting of Anchorage’s Planning and Zoning Commission, the Commissioners unanimously passed PZC Case 2026-0042 to change the definition of the Girdwood Airport (GA) zoning district in a way which would allow a heliport and explosives depot to be built in the southeastern reaches of Glacier Valley. There is a lot to unpack in that sentence, but this work ensures the safety of Alaskans will improve while driving the Seward Highway in winter.
According to Alaska Statute (AS) 19.05.030 the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT) has nine legally enshrined duties, and number seven on the list is to “develop and implement an avalanche control plan to protect persons who use public highways.” To perform that duty, the DOT created the Snow Avalanche Program to improve motorist safety by reducing avalanche hazards while also minimizing avalanche-related traffic delays and road closures. The Snow Avalanche Program has existed since the 1970s and their tools and methods of work have changed dramatically over the decades.
Read the entire story at the link below:
Aggrieved Hope Residents and Creekbend Reach Agreement on New Rules for Music Venue
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Under the purview of a retired superior court judge, a group of residents in the tiny, end-of-the-road town of Hope have reached a deal with operators of a popular music park.
A memorandum of understanding, struck between Creekbend Company and Friends of Hope, was forged March 20 and cleared the state Alcohol Control Board this week. It sets allowable noise levels, limits attendance, and regulates parking at the venue, among other conditions.
"Overall, I'm feeling very good about it," said Liam Bureau, vice president of Friends of Hope. "It feels very fair to me. In the true definition and spirit of compromise, both parties conceded significant things. And that's what allowed us to meet in the middle."
Conflict between some property owners and Creekbend has been brewing since the company began to expand its event grounds, add music acts and amplify sound. They complained about cars blocking driveways, public inebriation and unauthorized camping in a community that lacks a local police force and relies on a volunteer fire brigade.
"Based on what had happened so far—really the last almost decade leading up to this—this will be certainly the largest conversation that's happened around this topic within the community, and also this will lead to the most concrete changes of anything so far," Bureau said.
Messages sent to Creekbend were not returned in time for publication.
From now on, according to the MOU, no more than 700 people can attend an event at Creekbend and it must designate at least three "amplified-music-free" weekends between May and September in the coming year.
Sound levels at the company's property cannot exceed 65 decibels between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. and the MOU limits noise to 50 decibels outside those hours.
Read the entire story at the link below:
DOT plans for years of Seward Highway construction
By Chase Berenson
TNews Staffwriter
The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT) has been receiving bids for multiple projects in March that have potential to impact Girdwood residents and frequent Seward Highway drivers. Two different projects both had due dates for bids last month: a project to install variable speed limit signs and a project to resurface the pavement of the Highway.
The announcement of these projects comes just weeks after the controversial Safer Seward Highway project public comment period ended on February 27th.
One of the two projects is looking for vendors to plan and design variable speed limit (VSL) signs for the Seward Highway from milepost 90 to milepost 118, or approximately from Girdwood in the south to Rabbit Creek Road in the north. This encompasses the entire area of the Safer Seward Highway project plus nine additional miles. VSL signs allow the DOT to modify the speed limit of the Seward Highway electronically, particularly in adverse conditions such as winter weather. This work will be paired with VSL installations on the Richardson Highway near Fairbanks.
The DOT claims that this project will reduce car crashes caused by winter weather because the speed limit will be dynamically adjusted based on weather and road conditions in real-time. The VSL installation project will also integrate real-time data from the DOT’s Road Weather Information System (RWIS) sites and traffic count stations. During the design phase of the project, the DOT intends to install four more traffic count stations and multiple new RWIS sites to ensure there is enough data to make educated decisions along the entire VSL section of the Highway. The DOT anticipates installing at least 16 VSL signs in the 28-mile stretch of the Seward Highway. This project is modeled after a similar VSL project on Interstate 80 in Wyoming.
Within this section of highway, the speed limit is currently a fixed number which does not change due to conditions. From milepost 90 to approximately milepost 100, the speed limit is 65 miles per hour (MPH); from approximately milepost 100 to approximately milepost 118, the speed limit is 55 MPH. This speed limit does not change with the weather or road conditions, however even if driving under the posted speed limit drivers could still by cited by the Anchorage Police Department for violating 13 AAC 02.275(a) which states, “No person may drive a vehicle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent considering the traffic, roadway, and weather conditions.”
This project will include many phases of work, including planning, design, public involvement, speed study, utility coordination, and others. After two years of project planning and design, construction is scheduled to begin on May 15th, 2028. As of April 1st, there is no publicly available information on which companies submitted bids for this work nor for how much they bid.
The other Seward Highway project is looking for companies to resurface the pavement of the Seward Highway from milepost 90 to milepost 99. This work is outside the geographic extent of the larger Safer Seward Highway project, and is fully encompassed within the VSL project area. In addition to resurfacing the Seward Highway itself, this project will also resurface the Indian to Girdwood Bike Path, more commonly known as the Bird-to-Gird, within the same area of Highway mileposts 90 to 99. More than simply resurfacing the pavement of the road and path, this project will also include repairs to culverts and upgrades to guardrails and signs along the Highway.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/dot-plans-for-years-of-seward-highway-construction
Girdwood P&R Publishes Draft Parks Master Plan
By Allison Sayer
TNews Staffwriter
Girdwood Parks and Recreation has published a draft Parks Master Plan. According to Girdwood Service Area Manager for the Municipality of Anchorage Kyle Kelley, “This plan is to capture the improvements that the community wants to see in its future parks. The plan will guide Girdwood Parks and Rec in future planning, fundingand prioritizing of improvement projects for each park parcel. This plan will build on the park facilities and infrastructure we have now in our current parks.” The plan is meant to provide guidance for decisions over the next ten to fifteen years.
The only currently funded project is a new picnic pavilion in Lions Club Park, secured by grant and fundraising efforts by Girdwood Lions Club. According to Kelley, construction on this will begin in 2026.
A wide range of desired facilities is listed throughout the Girdwood area. Numerous strategies have been proposed for making these a reality, including partnerships with commercial, public, and non-profit entities.
According to the plan document, “[Survey] respondents expressed the highest levels of support for volunteering, community-led fundraising, and municipal bonds dedicated to Girdwood parks. A majority of respondents also indicated support for a visitor-paid tax, such as a bed tax or recreation tax, while increased facility rental fees received lower overall support. Overall, the survey indicates a preference for public investment and community participation over reliance on user fees.”
The document, available at https://girdwoodparksplan.com/, describes desired enhancements for Girdwood Park (a.k.a. Forest Fair Park), Moose Meadows Park, Lions Club Park, Town Square Park, and a proposed “Glacier Creek Park,” in addition to identifying areas for future parks.
The highest community priority identified for the Girdwood Park and California Creek Park area is improved year-round restroom facilities. Reconfiguration to avoid user conflicts, addressing flooding and drainage concerns,upgrading existing playground equipment, and adding covered features to the skate park are also proposed.
A small, elevated plaza is proposed between the skate park and the playground. Sloped grading could provide amphitheater-style seating for summer performances and a small sled hill in the winter.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-pampr-publishes-draft-parks-master-plan
Trump Protest Draws Two Dozen locals
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Just over two dozen souls braved subzero temperatures in Girdwood Saturday to register dissatisfaction with the way Donald Trump is handling federal affairs.
Bundled against the wind and passing "Hot Hands" around, protesters received overwhelming support from motorists—thumbs ups, waves, and honks.
Organizer Emma Kramer said she was disturbed by news that the United States and Israel attacked Iran, but didn't have time to make a sign specific to that issue.
So she grabbed one of about 20 she had prepared.
This one read, "Love thy neighbor and love thy Constitution".
"We're keeping opposition to the Trump regime going," Kramer said of the monthly rallies. "We like catching folks as they're coming into town. It's good to see Girdwood's got soul."
Paul Crews brought yellow and blue flags to show support for Ukraine.
"Someone's gotta show support for Ukraine and it's not the government," he said.
Despite a biting cold, protesters stood at the corner of Alyeska and Hightower for more than an hour. Jacky Graham held out for most of that time before bundling up her sign to leave.
"It's fogging cold," she said under a halo of breath.
See more pictures at the link below:
Hope Residents Take Action Against Popular Music Venue Creekbend
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A group of residents in the tiny, end-of-the-road community of Hope are taking their complaints about a popular music venue to a state agency in charge of alcohol permits. The group, Friends of Hope, says noise, traffic and public inebriation have gone too far.
The group, founded to challenge the festival operator's liquor license, has organized a non-profit and enlisted the help of an attorney.
The move has elicited an email alert by the company, Creekbend, which runs a restaurant and holds concerts and weddings on its property.
Creekbend has become a popular destination for weekend music fans, hosting bands from Alaska as well as national artists.
"We're not trying to close down his business at all. We want a few concessions from him to not have as many venues," said Jim Skogstad, who lives down the road from Creekbend and helped organize the group.
He said Friends of Hope seeks limits on Creekbend's noise level and that music from weekend festivals, which last year amounted to 44 events, can be heard throughout the small, historic town and goes as late as midnight on some days.
Efforts to convince Creekbend owner, Steve Thomas, to "slow down" by restricting noise levels and the number of events have been ignored, Skogstad said.
"[Thomas] has no intention of cutting back and is only moving forward," he said.
Thomas, reached via text Saturday, is on vacation and did not reply to a request for an interview. In email and social media posts, Creekbend went on the defensive.
In a post on its Facebook page, "Team Creekbend" said with "misinformation circulating, we feel it's important to share some context" and changes it has made to "reduce impacts", including increased on-site parking, additional signs, sound buffering, security, dumpsters and reusable cups.
In its post, Creekbend admitted "parking has been a recurring concern" and blamed "a town organization" for resisting efforts to "pursue infrastructure that supported our business".
Among documents on Friends of Hope's webpage is a Nov. 26 "Notice of Violation" by the state's Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board for unauthorized changes to Creekbend's establishment.
Of around 600 properties in Hope's valley only about 125 are occupied year round. The town center has only a dozen streets and is a popular visitor destination for hiking, fishing, rafting and mountain biking, as well as for the town's isolated, romantic and mining-era appeal.
Read the entire story at the link below:
Girdwood celebrates First Friday at local businesses
By Allison Sayer
TNews Staffwriter
Several Girdwood businesses celebrated First Friday on February 6, hosting guest artists, musicians and makers. Visual artists Justin DeWolf and Kelsey Kroon exhibited their work at Coast Pizza and Girdwood Center for Visual Art, respectively, and were on hand to meet and greet with patrons.
Kroon’s work reflects both her upbringing in an Alaska maritime family and her current work crewing films and TV, often on the open ocean or Alaska’s shores. Recent work for a TV show brought her to Unalaska. She found buoys that escaped from trawls on the beaches there, brought them back, and painted them with animals to represent bycatch from the trawl industry.
Other pieces in the show were painted on pieces of marine trashher brother Branden cleaned from a beach in Akun, Alaska, while working for a tug and barge company. Kroon said she often collects beach trash in her travels. Sometimes it finds its way into her artwork, and sometimes she just disposes of it.
“Everything feels negative and downtrodden,” reflected Kroon, “at least I can try. Maybe it can help others to try, too.”
Kroon’s next big project is to help with the Alaska Wildlife Alliance fundraiser at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub on March 30.She plans to help with publicity, donate art for the silent auction, and gather art from other donors. A short film Kroon directed about salmon, Silver Rush, will be screened at the event.
Justin DeWolf has had several shows in Alaska. The work displayed at Coast Pizza was a mix of new pieces and work dating back to 2016.
DeWolf shared that, while he is currently well, he had recently been through “a health scare.” This brought about a period of introspection and inspiration for him. The three new paintings exhibited all depict roads in some way, a reflecting a “mood of where I’ve been and where I’m going.”
The roads in DeWolf’s paintings are also scenes “normal Alaskans have seen.” One painting shows a blur of headlights and taillights on the Seward Highway in the foreground, with a subtle yet intricately painted background of the mountains at night. “Tourists may not be on the Seward Highway at 1:00a.m,” said DeWolf.
In the future, DeWolf, a graphic designer by trade, hopes to be part of expanding local art events and gallery shows. He stated that even a few years after COVID, he doesn’t feel the same level of energy behind live events as in pre-COVID years. He hopes to be part of making arts events in the Anchorage area bigger and more vibrant.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-celebrates-first-friday-at-local-businesses
Girdwood 7th Grader's Peace Poster Rises Up
By Skogen Swygman
TNews Contributor
When local middle schooler Aria Rice's art class gave an assignment last fall to make peace posters for the 2025 Lions International Peace Poster Contest, Aria took up the challenge.
Aria found out last Friday that she won the statewide competition and will find out in February whether she won the international competition.
Going with this year's theme of "Together As One", Aria designed a poster that included flags as well as people of many cultures together in one image.
Aria's poster was among 600,000 entries submitted worldwide in the annual peace poster contest.
¨It started as something simple but then I found myself working for hours on it at home,¨ said Aria.
When asked how her poster might symbolize a need for world peace, Aria said, ¨I feel the world is really divided. I think if we come together, we can really accomplish some really awesome things,¨ she said.
¨I never thought I would get a chance,¨ Aria said after being asked about her reaction when the news was broken to her. ¨I was, like, super excited and ran up the stairs and was, like, freaking out!¨
Read the entire story here:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-7th-graders-peace-poster-rises-up
(Cub Reporter Skogen Swygman is a 7th grade student who authored the article about fellow 7th grade student Aria Rice’s Peace Poster award)
Chugach Electric project underway in Girdwood
By Chase Berenson
TNews Staffwriter
Chugach Electric, the electric utility that serves the Turnagain Arm, is continuing work on the replacement of the Girdwood to Indian transmission line. This work is happening in the wetlands between the Seward Highway and the Alaska Railroad track and intersects Toadstool Drive.
The Girdwood to Indian transmission line covers approximately 12 miles of the utility’s Quartz Creek Transmission Line, a 90.4-mile line that runs from Cooper Landing to Anchorage. This line was built 64 years ago and is reaching its end of life, and Chugach has been replacing the line in sections. Approximately 36 miles of the line had already been replaced prior to the start of the Girdwood to Indian section, and this is the sixth section to be replaced. Once completed, this piece of critical infrastructure will ensure reliability between hydroelectric plants on the Kenai Peninsula and power plants in the Anchorage area.
Because the transmission line is fed by power sources to the north in the Anchorage area and the south on the Kenai, the flow of power into the Turnagain Arm communities largely won’t be directly impacted; while the line is being replaced, Girdwood will still receive power from the south while Bird Creek and Indian will still receive power from the north. The only exceptions to this are two scheduled power outages for Girdwood, one on Thursday, January 29th, from 12AM-4AM and a second on Tuesday, February 10th, from 12AM-4AM.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/chugach-electric-project-underway-in-girdwood
AKRR receiving bids for timber trestle repairs in Whittier
By Chase Berenson
TNews Staffwriter
The Alaska Railroad is currently receiving bids for work to perform repairs on the timber trestle at the Whittier Barge Slip berthing area. This work is part of the Railroad’s Whittier Terminal Master Plan, which the Railroad said is designed, “[t]o renew the Whittier Terminal as an efficient, resilient, and balanced facility that safety meets customer needs and empowers economic growth for the State of Alaska.”
Whittier is a unique city, in that most of the city’s land is owned by the Alaska Railroad, which is a corporation owned by the State of Alaska. In Whittier, the Railroad owns 291 acres, including a barge slip, uplands container handling/storage area, rail yard, and support facilities. This terminal was designed and built by the military during World War II and then acquired by the Railroad in 1960 when the military withdrew from Whittier.
The railroad says that the “barge area [is] showing [its] age” and is an example of “aging waterfront infrastructure,” leading to these repairs. The Railroad is looking to hire a contractor to perform all phases of the repair work, which includes mobilization/demobilization; installation of new timber diagonal and horizontal cross bracing; installation of pile straps and pile – cap strap connections; and site clean-up. The contractor will be providing all their own equipment and facilities, which the Railroad will not provide utilities, marine access equipment, or support facilities.
Read the entire story and more photos at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/akrr-receiving-bids-for-timber-trestle-repairs-in-whittier
Protestors Brave Cold and Slush in Saturday Demonstration
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
At the edge of Alyeska Highway Saturday afternoon a man inside a truck jutted his head from the window and yelled, "F***k immigrants" at a group of a dozen protesters.
One of a long line of vehicles heading toward the Alyeska mountain Saturday, the man's invective was not lost on demonstrator Indavady Sopraseuth, who wore a thin, lace white headscarf above a fleece jacket.
"I'm a direct product of U.S. imperialism," Sopraseuth said as cars passed, many honking support. She said her parents are refugees from Laos who fled to the United States to escape nearly continual bombing during the Vietnam War.
"Before the conflict started, the US was bombing every day, 24-seven," said Sopraseuth who moved recently to Girdwood from Utah. "Two million tons of ordinance was dropped on Laos before and after the war. Thirty percent of unexploded ordinance is still in the ground."
Her father left his country for Thailand before immigrating to the United States. Her mother was born in a refugee camp.
Saturday's rally was organized by Emma Kramer, who said she was in Zoom meetings with nationwide organizers "pacing my cabin, wondering what to do."
"I was going to quit when others said they were going," Kramer said. With winds whipping fresh slush over ice, Kramer drove the unmaintained, perilous Crow Creek Road to hold a sign, "Defund ICE".
Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/protestors-brave-cold-and-slush-in-saturday-demonstration
Girdwood Ladies Help Serve Storm Evacuees - and You Can, Too!
By Allison Sayer
TNews Staffwriter
Longtime Girdwood resident Jackie Collins, former resident Mereidi Liebner, and I, a Girdwood moonlighter, met up at the Wyndham Garden Anchorage Airport Hotel on November 18 to help serve meals to people who were forced to evacuate their homes in Western Alaska.
The Wyndham Hotel is one of the hotels across the city housing people whose homes were destroyed by Ex-Typhoon Halong. Bean’s Cafe, already tirelessly serving Anchorage’s homeless population, has answered the call to provide hot meals for hundreds of people living in hotel rooms.
Volunteering was extremely easy, and I’m including some tips in this article in case others would like to volunteer in the future.
We signed up to volunteer using the portal on the Bean’s Cafe website: https://beanscafe.org/volunteer/. Bean’s Cafe discourages people from “just showing up,” so registering is the way to go. They accept volunteers 16 and older, but 16 and 17-year-olds need an adult supervisor. There are many locations and time slots throughout the city, so it’s important to communicate clearly with people you’re hoping to volunteer with about where and when you want to go.
We washed our hands, donned plastic aprons, gloves, and head coverings, and got to know our supervisor. Hot tip: You can escape a hairnet if you pull up your hair and wear a beanie. Unless you have a long beard.
The serving trays were already set up when we arrived, with a large warmer holding back ups. Our job was to make plates or to-go boxes and to help people bag up snacks. In addition to hot meals, guests were encouraged to take back snacks including crackers and fruit. The fresh fruit was definitely a hit.
We’ve all had the experience of showing up to volunteer somewhere, only to find ourselves hunting down some tool for half our shift.
This was absolutely not the case here. Serving utensils, back up fuel for the chafing dishes, bags, boxes, etc. were all available and easy to find.
Things were fairly slow. Sometimes twenty minutes would go by without a customer. Then one or two people would come in, each requesting a number of meals for their families.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-ladies-help-serve-storm-evacuees-and-you-can-too
YES GIRDWOOD, THERE IS A CHRISTMAS TREE
By Brooks Chandler,
TNews Board of Directors
Clark Griswold himself would have smiled as the Girdwood/Turnagain Arm Lions Club flipped the switch at 6 p.m. Friday signaling the advent of the 2025 holiday season.
Lights artfully arrayed amongst the branches of a stately spruce gleamed through a light fog in downtown Girdwood.
The lighting ceremony followed a robust round of Christmas carols accompanied by pounds of cookies and hot chocolate. The sugar consumption season has also begun!
Lions Club president Heather Durtschi said the tree lighting was coordinated by a club committee including, Seth and Wendy Beaubien, Heather. Durtschi and Kathy Trautner.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/yes-girdwood-there-is-a-christmas-tree
More Than Just Skis. Swap Brings the Community Out
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The Flexible Flyer, a retro runner-sled and called the "Chevy" of steerable runners, has a sticker for $30. Tempting.
Then there is the blue foam roller near the register. Taken.
The light-blue Norwegian Lobben boots? A tad too tight.
Saturday's Ski and Sport Swap had much more than skis (though there were plenty). Patrons roamed through rows of outdoor clothing, tried on boots, and picked through hats at the annual local exchange, a fundraiser for Four Valleys Community Schools.
There was a flashy rainbow-dayglow vest, kids bikes with training wheels, headlamps, Thermarests and neon pink pants.
"Someone was selling mini Power Wheels," said Four Valleys Director Julie Johnson, referring to packages of Matchbox. "That (name) might be from the 80s but that's what I call them."
Johnson said a new digital system of registration and payment eased the process of selling and buying gear.
Johnson said all the hallmarks were in place for a successful event. "There were lots of people, lots of stuff and all the technology worked," she said.
As she roamed the Daylodge in an orange volunteer vest, Johnson said she noticed how some items, like children nordic ski boots, were essentially passing from family to family in the fashion of a true community exchange.
She said people sell things on Facebook, but "it's fun when it goes through the swap because Community Schools benefits." Proceeds, including those from vendors such as the local Powder Hound Ski Shop, help the organization "hit our mission of serving the community," Johnson said.
Read the entire story and more photos at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/more-than-just-skis-swap-brings-the-community-out
Girdwood Mushroom Expert Co-Authors Alaska Guide Book
‘Mushrooms of Alaska’ To Be Published This Month
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The humble mushroom crouches on a tuft of neon green lichen, its purple cap resplendent in a shard of light cutting through the forest.
Along comes a stampede of teenagers, rushing, pushing and jostling. Then, one sees it.
"Look!" says a girl with a top hat over black bangs. She squats to meet the humble mushroom eye level.
"Don't touch it," her friend warns. "It might be poisonous."
A quick text and photo to an amateur mycologist reveals its title: Russula emitica, "The Sickener". And another fact: "No mushrooms are poisonous to the touch."
The girl opens a journal to sketch the Russula.
"Is it edible?" a friend asks.
"Well. It is called 'The Sickener'."
A few days later, she's on the trail with a mushroom book.
The young naturalist's fascination reflects what conservationist Rachel Carson wrote 70 years ago—a "sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years."
When a sense of wonder took hold of local fungi expert and author Kate Mohatt 30 years ago, as she collected mushrooms near her home in rural Wyoming, it didn't let up.
Mohatt began collecting mushrooms when she was 15. She didn't care to eat them. In fact, she thought they tasted "disgusting".
Mushrooms were mysterious because she couldn't identify them. Then again, she would soon learn no one else could identify them. Her field guide didn't cover her Wyoming countryside. A sense of wonder was activated.
"It was just, what are all these things and why doesn't anybody know anything about them? I just kind of got obsessed," Mohatt said. "I think that's a common story. I mean, when mushrooms are fruiting, when you see a bunch of them out, it's really eye-catching and you want to know what the hell they are."
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-mushroom-expert-co-authors-alaska-guide-book