Community
Register Now for Seldovia’s Fine Arts Camp!
by Betsy Scott
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did
something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it,
they just saw something. That’s because they were able to connect experiences
they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that
was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more
about their experiences than other people.”
-Steve Jobs
The Seldovia Fine Arts Camp was made possible with funding by Rasmuson Foundation through the Arts in Education Fund, and is administered, under contract, by the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
Thank you Susan B English School, the City of Seldovia, and our many local volunteers and donors who helped make this happen!
Mon-Fri, July 14-18, 2014
3-6 yr olds: 10:00 – 1:00 $50
7-18 yr olds: 10:00 – 3:30 $75
Scholarships available!
Adult classes every evening!
Meet our Instructors for 2014!
Eddie Wood is a percussionist, dancer, storyteller and actor from Homer. Originally from Spain, He is bilingual Spanish/English. Eddie has been involved in working with children for over 35 years. He has toured all over Alaska, the US, and internationally.
Sue Biggs is a published composer with pieces for choir, hand bells and children. She writes folk and gospel songs and is working on two children’s books. She is the music specialist and band director for Redoubt Elementary School, Music Director at Christ Lutheran Church, private music teacher. and plays music with her spouse, Jack Will, with the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra and others.Jack Will’s informal music education involved playing loud electric guitar. He has played banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, violin both on and off stage. He currently plays violin with the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra & local groups.
Craig Barnard is an energetic and generous community teacher of many physical arts, and will help students learn to control their bodies.
Susan Barnard is a longtime teacher of young children and will again be bringing her passion for gymnastics and circus art to our Seldovia.
Jenifer Dickson is mother of two young boys who enjoys writing children’s songs and teaching young children to love their own creativity. She will be teaching songwriting and how to get their chicka chicka boom boom on.
Valisa Higman studied art at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. Valisa’s work in both cut-paper and ceramics have been shown in many galleries in Alaska and Outside.
Betsy Scott is a passionate Seldovia community member sharing her music and storytelling with all ages.
Brian Slover is a self-taught in native american flute and has been playing for 13 years. He’s a longtime Seldovian and loves doing concerts with his students.
Scholarships are available! Join us for a performance & community dance Friday night, July 18th!
Register for one-on-one individual instruction on first day of camp.
DAILY SCHEDULE
Lunch and snacks provided
Drop-off at Sea Otter Community Center
Age 3 – 6 (Snacks between activities)
10:00 – 10:45 Gymnastics, Dance & Circus
11:00 – 11:30 Chimes & Story
11:45 – 12:15 Art ( Mon-Wed)
11:45 – 12:15 Singing (Thurs & Fri)
12:15 – 1:00 Lunch
Age 7 – 11
10:00 – 10:45 Chimes & Story
11:00 – 11:45 Gymnastics,Dance, & Circus
11:45 – 12:15 Singing & Songwriting (Mon-Wed)
11:45 – 12:15 ART (Th & Fr)
12:15 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 Percussion
2:00 – 3:00 Elective (pick one):
- Native American Flute
- Beg Fiddle
Theatre Games
3:00 – 4:00 Individual instruction
Age 12 – 18
10:00 – 10:45 Percussion I
10:45 – 11:30 Fiddle & Guitar
11:30 – 12:30 Percussion II
1:15 – 2:15 Theatre Study
2:15 – 3:00 Elective (pick one):
- Native American Flute
- Beg Fiddle / Mandolin
- 3:00 – 4:00 Individual instruction
Adult Classes in the evening: $10 for any or all classes, free childcare provided.
Sign up by June 30: Betsy Scott 234-8404
“En Plein Air” Weekend Event and Auction
The Seldovia Arts Council wishes to invite “En Plein Air” artists to discover our gorgeous corner of Alaska. We would love to have artists of every talent, both hobbyists and professionals, join the fine arts portion of our Solstice celebrations which will occur June 19th – June 22nd, 2014.
This is our 13th annual Summer Solstice Music Festival starting with musicians performing aboard the MV Tustumena Ferry during the trip from Homer to Seldovia on Thursday, June 19th. The Seldovia Arts Council sponsors workshops during the days of Friday, June 20th, and Saturday, June 21st with wonderful evening performances to follow on each of those dates. When the participating painters are not busy creating their own works of art, they can come enjoy the music.
“En Plein Air” artists will be surprised and inspired at every turn in and around Seldovia. Our sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking, whether viewed across the bay, over the surrounding mountains, or from the beaches. There are fascinating vistas of the small boat harbor, the old boardwalk, the bridge and slough, Main Street, and Inside and Outside Beaches, all within easy walking distance. Locations for joyful work are endless.
All artists are asked to bring their own supplies and easels.
There will be a brief welcoming meeting between 9:00AM and 9:30AM on Friday June 20th with maps available of town and surrounds for your assistance. We will end with a silent auction on Sunday, June 22nd starting at 11:00AM -12:45PM with Susan Mumma officiating. Snacks and coffee will be available. The public viewing space at Central Park, located in the heart of town, will be where all can view the artist’s work and where the auction will take place. In preparation for the auction each artist will be provided a numbered page on which to place the title of their work and the artist’s required minimum bid.
We hope that all artists will consider this invitation to be open, not only Solstice weekend, but all through the summer. The natural beauty will remain the same, and artists will be able to sell their work as they see fit.
Seldovia has a nice RV park and beautiful camping sites on Outside Beach, each with lavatory facilities.
For your planning and comfort, the following is information regarding lodging and availability of food:
Lodging: www.SeldoviaChamber.org or Seldovia.com/stay/lodging
Restaurants and Groceries: Seldovia.com/to-do/restaurants-and-groceries/
Souleymane’s Seldovia Goodbye
by Jenny Chissus
It has been a crazy year of changes for Souleymane Sidibe – who came to Seldovia on September 1, 2013 to attend Susan B English as a Junior. Souleymane was the second exchange student being hosted by the Haller family for the 2013-2014 school year.
He came to us from Bamako, the capital of Mali, with the YES Exchange Program and was selected as one of only 9 students from his country! His brother’s friend participated in the program before and thought Souleymane had strong english skills and would be a good candidate for the program. Once he was selected, the YES program looked for host families – and initially, he was going to be in Oregon, but somehow, thankfully for us, he was switched to come to Alaska!
When he found out he was going to come to Alaska, he looked on Google Maps online and saw it was all white, and he said “I knew it was going to be cold, when all I saw was white and mountains. I didn’t want to go there! I was scared of the cold, but after I got here, I understood and it wasn’t that bad, in fact I liked it, and I got used to it!” The idea of Alaska was totally new, and he didn’t know anyone who has been here before. He mentioned that most students select California or big cities in the lower 48. “I think that I was lucky to come here, and experience Alaska!”
What will he miss the most? “I will miss my family here in Seldovia, and high school basketball.” The main highlight was having a great host family! He mentioned that it was a lot like home, as he has 2 brothers and 1 sister and his cousins also live next door, so there is always a lot going on in the family home – so he fit right in with the Haller family. The other highlight for Souleymane on this trip was playing on the basketball team. They don’t have school sports in Mali like here, all the sports are played in clubs after school, so they don’t have the same team spirit that he enjoyed in Seldovia. He also broke his leg in 2013, so he hadn’t played at the high school level before, so that was a challenge he enjoyed.
What he appreciated most about Seldovia was the small community, and the genuine support and help they offer one another. It reminded him of home, and his circle of friends and family. It was surprising to him to see such acceptance and interest folks had in him from the start. He always felt comfortable and part of the community from the very beginning. He was very thankful for that! He enjoyed the community spirit, doing things together, all the support for the SBE teams and the school or other activities. “I don’t think you would find such a close community in a big city like Anchorage.”
What do you miss the most about Mali? “I miss the heat. It wasn’t too bad here though, they say it was a mild winter, so I’m happy about that!” Another thing that was a big adjustment for Souleymane was the school schedule. In Mali, they study every subject, every year of high school! So, in order to cover all the subjects, each day of the week is different. Here, you have 6 classes a day – and it is the same all semester. In Mali, you have a different schedule each day of the week – but you take all the same subjects every year – they just get harder as you get older!
Who would you like to thank or do you have any other things you’d like to say? “I want to thank my host family, to the community of Seldovia for accepting me, to my team mates and my friends and my teachers. Especially Ms Sensenig who helped me a lot in getting the application to go to the special program in Washington DC – I couldn’t have done it without her – she helped me a lot.”
Do you think you will come back to the US, and to Alaska? “I want to go to college in the US. I know Alaska, and I like it here, so I would like to come back. If I get a scholarship for another state, I would consider that too.” He is planning to study economics at the university level, and was disappointed that we are going to have Economics at SBE next year – as he will miss it!
Souleymane leaves Seldovia on Tuesday the 17th (tomorrow) for Mali, so Tonight, June 16th at 5:30pm – in Grand Haller style – there will be a Bon Voyage Potluck for Souleymane at the Sea Otter Community Center! Please join us to celebrate a great year, and give him a great sendoff, Seldovia Style! (Which means lots of great food, fun and laughter – and perhaps a few tears in this situation!)
A Total Loss, Yet, A Total Miracle
by Jenny Chissus, interview with Police Chief Shad Haller and a statement from SVT Fire Chief Rick Harkness
updated at 2:59pm June 6, 2014
photo by Chief Haller
Early Tuesday morning – estimates are around 2-3:00am a fire broke out at the Johnson home just outside of town, on Jakolof Bay Road. This large older home was tucked back into the woods, just past the Seldovia Lagoon adjacent to Outside Beach. The home was completely engulfed in flames and burned unnoticed and unabated until SVT Barabara Heights Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Rick Harkness was on his way into town and noticed the smoke. Rick immediately went to Chief Shad Haller’s home (as he doesn’t have a cell phone) and told Shad “It’s gone, it’s just totally gone! No need to call 911, there’s nothing left, the house is completely burned to the ground.”
Johnson Home before the fire – KPB Photo from 2009
Shad and Rick returned to the site by about 8:05am to assess the situation, and witnessed just a few residual licks of flame – the structure and all of its contents were a total loss, nothing remained, not a thing. Shad believes that the house was fully engulfed between 3-5:00am, and it looks like the flames reached between 80 and 100 feet high. Shad explained: “It is by the grace of God that the whole place didn’t go. As we all know when you throw spruce branches on a fire, it just crackles and instantly ignites. We were so fortunate! Had we not gotten the rain last week, I believe we would be looking at a whole different story!” The Seldovia Volunteer Fire crew was called at 8:39am, and on site by 8:55am.
photo by Jenny Chissus
By the time the Seldovia Fire Department was called, this was not a containment issue but a mop-up situation, so they were able, as a fire crew to use this tragedy as a training opportunity, and a chance to use all the equipment available to both the Seldovia City fire department and the SVT Barabara Heights Volunteer Fire Department. The initial effort was to water down the surrounding area and to soak the trees that were smoking around the site ensuring that there was no chance for the fire to spread underground.
There were many trees that were standing very close to the structure. The bark was burned off the trees, trunks were charred and branches were scorched as high as 70-80 feet up! It is a total miracle that the whole forest didn’t catch fire! The owners John and Judy Johnson had always protected those trees, as Judy didn’t ever want them removed from surrounding the home, so the family respected her wishes, even after her death. When you see the photos, though the home was a total loss, you will be astonished at how Seldovia was spared a massive wildfire. As Chief Haller mentioned, the rain of last week, soaking the entire Kenai Peninsula definitely played a role in saving us from a potentially devastating fire that could have impacted the whole area.
Rick and Radzy by Jenny Chissus
The cause of the fire appears to be a gravity-fed stove that was in the downstairs area. An investigator came in on Thursday to assess the situation and meet with Rick who had been in the process of moving into the home for the summer. It is not only a loss for the Johnson family, but Rick had completed the majority of his move to the property, and lost many precious antique items, including old guns, photos, documents, records and most of his personal belongings that he had recently moved into the garage. Thankfully, Rick has found a new place to live for the summer, and Shad mentioned that he has been well surrounded by friends through this ordeal. I had a chance to visit briefly with Rick who stated “I am very thankful for the people who approached me to offer help. I lost a lot, but I am grateful to the people who came forward to offer me whatever I need.”
photo by Chief Haller
In addition to Rick Harkness, who is the Fire Chief on the SVT Barabara Heights Volunteer Fire Department, and the first one to respond with the SVT Fire Truck, showing up to assist in the clean up and containment efforts were Brian Slover from the SVT Barabara Heights Volunteer Fire Department, Jan Yaeger from EMS, Tyler Tucker and Randy Bond from the City of Seldovia, who brought out the 4,000 gallon water tank, providing the necessary support to suppress the continuing ground level burn. Shad stated: “I also need to say thank you to Aaron Dillon, a young man who has been volunteering his time all over Seldovia from Dispatch, Fire, Harbor Master and has even spent several days with Doug Pieren.” Radzy, regularly the fire truck driver came out and worked the fire hoses along side Rick and Aaron, for hours to ensure that the fire was indeed out.
City Manager Tim Dillon and Police Chief Shad Haller, photo by Jenny Chissus
“In addition to fighting this fire, over the last few days, Radzy had to dispatch himself and drive the Ambulance due to lack of available volunteers during a recent EMS call out.” Shad exclaimed “The superstar of the day has to go to Janel Harris, anyone who wants to make the statement that it’s a mans world, fighting fires, obviously has not met this young firecracker. She ran dispatch and reported to the scene to run engine 1 as the Chief Engineer.”
Aaron Dillon – by Chief Haller
Radzy, Rick, Aaron, Randy, Tyler and Janel were out there for more than 4 hours making sure the site was secure and that there was no further fire risk to Seldovia. Though limited in numbers, Shad was proud of the team, and all the additional support during the episode: “Thank all of you, for a job well done!!”
Dousing the ground, cooling the debris
by Jenny Chissus
“Thanks also to the individuals who brought food and drinks out to the Crew. Laurel Hilts from SVT, came with a much-needed and majorly appreciated copious amount of coffee, and to Nancy Opheim for the very refreshing fruit juice!!” – Chief Shad Haller
Though the home was a complete loss, Seldovia was spared, and we are thankful to our Fire Crews, both the Seldovia Fire Department and the Barabara Heights Fire Department! As you can see, we are in desperate need of more volunteers at the Firehall, and would appreciate anyone’s interest in becoming a part of these very important volunteer crews! During the summer months, there are more people in town, more activity with bonfires and campouts, and we must not only be safe, but available to serve when an emergency occurs. Please, contact Chief Haller, Bobbi Sweatt, Bryan Barrett from the Seldovia Fire Department, or Chief Harkness or Alex Chartier from SVT’s Barabara Heights Volunteer Fire Department or any of our fire or EMS crew for more information about how you can become a part of these important crews!
Join the Seldovia Fire and EMS Department! We need YOU! photo by Jenny Chissus
This was quite a fortunate break, as this fire broke out when everyone was sleeping! It is a stark reminder that we must ALL be alert to smoke in the air, strange explosions, etc. and call in any unusual sightings or noises – as an early response to a situation can make a huge difference! Don’t assume someone else has called it in, or think that it isn’t your problem – let’s all remember that old adage: “Better safe than sorry!”
Also, the property has been staked off until all investigations are through, and it is against the law to cross that line until the investigations are complete, so please stay clear of the area as it is private property.
Seldovia Fire & EMS to Raffle a Brand New Rancher
by Jenny Chissus
So, do you feel lucky?
You should! We are so fortunate to have a great Fire and EMS Volunteer department here in Seldovia! In the last 30 days, we have had 5 emergency calls in Seldovia where our Fire and EMS services were needed.
We are lucky to have such a well-equipped Fire and EMS team, and that is due to a very organized and concerned group who works hard to make sure we have what we need to serve the community of Seldovia. Living remotely, we are on our own to immediately respond to emergencies and having the right tools, equipment and trained team is essential! Everything from oxygen (including expensive hazmat transportation to and from Homer) and EpiPens for allergic reactions (that can be up to $350 for two – and which also expire!) to all the supplies that are used in day-to-day operations, like gloves, antiseptic, bandages, ointments, etc. need to be on stock and immediately available to our teams. It is very expensive to have a functioning, efficient and well-stocked department that is ready to care for all types of emergencies!
To help raise funds, the Seldovia Fire and EMS departments have purchased a brand new Honda Rancher to raffle off on July 5th. Each ticket is $50.00 and there will only be 300 tickets sold. Once they are all sold out – they will be SOLD OUT. The value of the 4 wheeler is around $8,000 (Fire and EMS will take care of the withholding taxes incurred on the prize). The drawing will be held on July 5, 2014 at the Linwood at 6:00pm. Of course, you do not need to be present to win! Tickets may be purchased at the following locations:
- City Office
- City Harbormaster’s Office
- Seldovia Fuel and Lube
- KacheYak Trading Post
- Boardwalk Hotel
- Linwood Bar and Grill
- Creationz
If you have ever been served by our Fire and EMS crew, and want to acknowledge the GREAT work they do for us in Seldovia – this is a great way to make a donation – with a chance to win a brand new 4 wheeler! How fabulous is that? Their service and skills are invaluable to Seldovia, and my hope is that the tickets will run out far before their deadline, as folks show their support and belief in the importance of having a well-functioning department with updated equipment and supplies. Thank you in advance for your continued support of our Fire and EMS services here in Seldovia.
If you are feeling the desire to support the effort, but cash is short – you can always VOLUNTEER! Both teams are always looking for volunteers to help in a variety of capacities to serve our community.
Seldovia Time
