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2018 Salmonberry Contest, Recap of 2017 event & Interview with our 2017 Guest Celebrity Judge Kirsten Dixon!

| July 30, 2018 | 0 Comments

by Jenny Chissus

SalmonberryDelightsContestLOGO2018There are quite a few things that come to mind when you think of summer in Seldovia, and one of the very special ones, is the fact that we are a haven for Salmonberries!  We’re in our 2nd year of hosting the Salmonberry Dessert Contest, and we agreed that we needed to divide up the categories a bit as we had such a variety of treats last year!  We will have two categories in our renamed “Salmonberry Delights Contest”!  Sweet OR Savory – thanks to Kirsten Dixon for that description of last year’s event!  This allows folks to submit both the “Sweet” Salmonberry Desserts as well as “Savory” Salmonberry Dressings, sauces & other.  We’re excited to see what this year will bring!

The audience loved when the judges began sharing of all the treats once they had judged their portion.  This year we will have a People’s Choice winner as the crowd truly enjoyed getting in on the tasty fare!  So, to all entrants, please have enough for the 3 judges as well as some to share tastes with the diners at the Boardwalk as they will each have one vote!  This worked out beautifully last year, as the three judges just take a taste of a pie or cake so there is plenty to share… but when it is just a candy, scoop of ice cream or a muffin, there is not much to go around!  So keep that in mind!

Bring your entry before 6pm and sit down for dinner and a front row seat to the contest judging that begins at 7:30pm!

I know many folks who don’t live in Seldovia can’t wait for the season and make trips to our side of the bay for these elusive fruits!  Last year, as we looked back at our photos from 2016, we figured we would be safe to have our contest in late July!  Not so!  Our lack of sun and warmth last summer led to a mediocre and VERY late summer crop of salmonberries, so we moved the event to the end of August! Thankfully, it all worked out to the good, as Kirsten and Mandy Dixon were able to make the event in August, and never would have been able to swing it in July!  This year, the berries are ripening and plentiful, if you can beat the crows!

Last year, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go – if folks would find any berries – if anyone had great dessert recipes to create something for a contest… but when 7:30pm drew near, we had 25 entries!  We had to bring out two more tables to manage the dessert feast!

We had salmonberry coffee cake, salmonberry swirl cake, lemon salmonberry marscarpone cake, salmonberry cheesecake, brie cheese with salmonberry chutney, salmonberry cake with fireweed honey sauce, chocolate covered rice crispy salmonberry truffles, salmonberry shortcake, salmonberry crumble bars, salmonberry rhubarb pudding cake, salmonberry smoothie, salmonberry cheesecake bites, salmonberry sweet buns, salmonberry custard pie with shortbread crust, brie with salmonberry lemon cream cheese and salmonberry jelly sauce, angel food cake with orange butter salmonberry sauce, love of salmonberry pastry with cream rose salmonberry essence, etc!  It was incredible!

Thanks so much to Jeremiah and Angela and the Boardwalk Hotel staff who worked hard to accommodate all the entrants, people and fun!  They did a phenomenal job!  We look forward to having the contest there again this year!  Thank you for hosting!

Enjoy the Slide show from last year’s event below – where you can see the winning entries and amazing chefs and bakers of Seldovia!  Get inspired!

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Interview with Celebrity Chef Kirsten –

It was such a privilege to meet and host Kirsten and her daughter Mandy in Seldovia.  Thanks so much to Valerie Granath from the Bridgekeeper’s Inn who offered her B&B for the two of them to enjoy a night in Seldovia after the contest!

I had a chance to visit with Kirsten and wanted to share some of her thoughts after the event was through!

Jenny – When you were invited to be a judge, what made you say “Yes”?

Kirsten – I enjoy any opportunity to visit Seldovia. We’re such close neighbors! At Tutka Bay Lodge we just feel that we are part of the Seldovia community and of course, I’m a huge fan of salmonberries and I’m a huge fan of our wild edibles bringing people closer together.

Jenny – You’ve been to Seldovia before, how was this visit?

Kirsten – Every time we visit Seldovia, it’s always a little bit more vibrant and active than the time we were there before.  People are super kind and friendly and very warm and inviting to us.

Jenny – What was the highlight of your stay?

Kirsten – It was a quick and short stay, but we were amazed at all the incredible baked goods submitted into the contest. So many talented cooks and bakers, both sweet and savory.
Jenny – Was the contest what you expected?  Why? Why not?

Kirsten – No, it certainly wasn’t what we expected. The talent and variety of the entries along with so many people entries, over 25!  It was pretty amazing!  The food at the restaurant was incredible, the company was wonderful, the music was really beautiful, and overall the evening with such great fun.  The bed and breakfast was sweet with such a lovely morning breakfast.

Jenny – This was our first time hosting a contest like this.   Next year, what could we do better?
Kirsten – We had a last-minute impromptu plan to share the desserts with people who were at the restaurant. I think this is a really fun way to bring observers into the event. Next year perhaps, you can ask the participants to make one entry for the judges and one to share with the crowd.
Jenny – There were 25 desserts, what was the best part about getting to taste all those yummies, and the most difficult?
 
Kirsten – The worst part was that each dish was so delicious. The best part was that I handed my leftovers to Mandy to save for later to eat at the bed-and-breakfast but the worst part again was that Mandy ate them all before we left the restaurant!
Jenny – Any other thoughts you’d like to share?
Kirsten – Look at what an amazing community event this was, even though it wasn’t the best berry year we’ve ever had. Imagine what it will be like next year. (I am already hoping for a better crop).
Jenny – Would you consider coming back again, maybe bring your cookbooks and do some book signing and perhaps a cooking demo?
Kirsten – Absolutely. Mandy and I are working on a new cookbook that will be out in the spring of 2019. We would love to share some of our new recipes and ideas – and, of course, learn from you as well.

Join us for the 2018 event, Saturday, August 11, 2018 at the Boardwalk Hotel!

All entries need to be registered at the hotel between 5:00 and 6:00pm.

Judging will begin at 7:30pm!

Flag Day 2018 Dessert Potluck

| June 13, 2018 | 0 Comments
Flag Day Dessert Potluck

Flag Day Dessert Potluck

The first of 4 Races this summer in Seldovia!

| June 7, 2018 | 0 Comments
by Jenny Chissus
Memorial Day Weekend is the start of our Seldovia Summer!  The sun is shining, the days are lengthening, snow birds are returning and summer businesses are opening up to receive the plethora (Ok, maybe not quite a plethora – but its a great word!) of visitors and locals out and about to enjoy our community.  We love our long winters and the time spent with family and friends in Seldovia, but we also look forward to the many friends and family that come to visit during our beautiful summers as well as visitors that grace our streets, enjoy our restaurants, activities and outdoors and create a bustle of activity in our community!
The Runners!
It is a funny thing about this first Annual Memorial Day 5K!  I’ll tell you the story.  Somehow, it managed to be put into the events for Seldovia in the Homer Chamber visitor’s guide.  Not sure how that happened, as we have never had a Memorial Day race.  But it must have been kismit – as one of our local business owners, an avid runner himself, Steve Bainbridge said “It’s on the calendar, we have to have it, I’ll run it!” and took on the challenge of coordinating the event.  Thank you Steve!
Out of the clouds and rain, came a beautiful day for a race!  It was certainly meant to be.  We had 18 participants in this inaugural event.  Enjoy the slideshow below – along with celebrating the winners in each category.
   
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Heather Renner - 1st place Adult Female
 Ben Hamster - 3rd place Adult Male
Martin Renner - 2nd place Adult Male
Lance Williamson - 1st place Adult Male
Holly Martinson - 2nd place Adult Female and Liv Kullberg - 2nd place Youth Female
Some of the Winners!
 Melissa Peterson - 3rd place Adult Female
Lukas Renner - 1st place Youth Male
Frida Renner - 1st place Youth Female
Heather Renner - 1st place Adult Female
 Ben Hamster - 3rd place Adult Male
Martin Renner - 2nd place Adult Male
Lance Williamson - 1st place Adult Male
Holly Martinson - 2nd place Adult Female and Liv Kullberg - 2nd place Youth Female
Some of the Winners!
 Melissa Peterson - 3rd place Adult Female
Lukas Renner - 1st place Youth Male
Frida Renner - 1st place Youth Female
Heather Renner - 1st place Adult Female
 Ben Hamster - 3rd place Adult Male
Martin Renner - 2nd place Adult Male
 
Awards!Adult Male
1st place — Lance Williamson
2nd place — Martin Renner
3rd place — Ben Hamster
Adult Female
1st place — Heather Renner
2nd place — Holly Martinson
3rd place — Melissa Peterson
Juvenile Male
1st place — Lukas Renner
Juvenile Female
1st place — Frida Renner
2nd place — Liv Kullberg
Kachemak Bay Running Club Logo
In addition to Steve Bainbridge who coordinated the event, thanks so much to all who helped put this together.  It truly was a team effort!
We want to give a special thanks to Andy Haas and the Kachemak Bay Running Club for sponsoring the race, providing insurance and bringing some folks across the bay to participate!  Also, Tobben Spurkland showed up with the Start and Finish signs and performed the timing for the event, Adam Hilts helped with set up and take down and helped man the airport turn around to direct runners, Ted Moore, Jenny Chissus, Devin Chissus and Chuck Nagel also managed the course direction at key turns so that runners didn’t get lost in Seldovia.  🙂  Seldovia Property bought the bibs and Vivian Rojas helped with registration and course management with Steve.
Overall – it was a very successful first of four races this summer in Seldovia!  If you want to have another chance at a running challenge, we have the Salmon Shuffle 5K on the 4th of July, the Jakolof Bay 10 Mile Run/Bike on the 28th of July, and we finish the season with the Labor Day weekend End of Summer Mini Marathon 5K and 10K on September 1st.
Running and walking is great in Seldovia, as you can run on dirt, sand and gravel (not too much concrete) and the traffic – well there is very little.  Steve has started to coordinate a group of runners – The Seldovia Running Club – and he has some ideas up his sleeve!  If you are interested in gathering with fellow runners, then please stop by the Harbor Inn Coffee and Gift Shop on Main Street and check in with Steve – he loves to talk running.  🙂  Maybe someday there will be 5 runs on the calendar in Seldovia!

Come run in Seldovia!

So proud and thankful for our Seldovia Veterans!

| November 10, 2017 | 1 Comment

SeldoviaVeterans2017

K Bay Air Offering Top Notch Scheduled Service to Seldovia

| October 20, 2017 | 0 Comments
Dylan & Scott with KBay Air

Dylan & Scott with KBay Air

We had the pleasure to host Scott and Dylan from K Bay Air at our local chamber meeting this month.  It was a great success!  Not just because they provided lunch!  They purchased the food from our local businesses, and both Scott and Dylan were eager to let us know that they look forward to serving our community in a concrete and cooperative way!   I asked Scott Jackson, who is the General Manager for K Bay Air a few questions to introduce himself, the team and the business to Seldovians who were not present at our meeting!

1) Scott, tell us a little about you and how you came to K Bay Air!

My wife and I moved to Homer in 1994.  I went to work for Homer Air as an aircraft mechanic and soon became their Director of Maintenance.  A few years later, I went online as one of their pilots.  10 years later, we rented out our place in Homer and moved outside so I could pursue an advanced degree in Business and Marketing, and gain senior management experience and Captain flying corporate jet aircraft.  However, our hearts and minds were always looking back towards Alaska and thinking about our wonderful friends in Homer and across Kachemak Bay.  We moved back in June and when the opportunity arose to lead K Bay Air (bay operations), I knew this was the perfect job for me.  It brings together 20+ years of experience in aviation, business, and marketing.

2) What do you feel K Bay Air brings to the residents and visitors of Seldovia?

Seldovia has so much to offer its residents and visitors.  While we are a transportation company at our core, our desired business is really to be a partner with the people who live and work in Seldovia.  We are pulling together an extraordinary plan to boost the economy in Seldovia.  This plan ties in with our sister company Alaska Bear Adventures, one of Alaska’s most successful bear viewing companies.  We will be offering overnight packages in Seldovia to literally 2,800 plus visitors that contact us annually.

3) What does your schedule look like through the winter?  I see departures at 9:45am, 11:50am, 2:50 and 4:50 daily – but is there a chance flights might do a quick return to Homer and leave Seldovia earlier?

The benefit of K Bay Air rests with our ability to be consistent yet flexible.  Every customer that calls can be assured that our dispatchers and pilots will work hard to pull together a flight that fits their needs.  As our company grows, we anticipate that airplanes and pilots will be assigned solely to Seldovia.  This will offer the best flexibility for “quick turn” flights.

4) Your current rates are $62 OW and $124 RT, and you are also offering 55 pounds of freight free per passenger, but what is the per pound cost for freight?  Are there any other specials offering right now?

If you follow us on Facebook or keep an eye on our website, you might notice that we enjoy mixing things up a bit.  You can count on a steady stream of innovative ideas from K Bay and even a few game changers from time-to-time.   We have our customer loyalty program known as the K PAX 5.  Essentially, purchase five RT tickets and the 6th is free.  In November, we will be offering a FREE round trip ticket to Homer via an “in Seldovia” drawing.  Keep an eye on Seldovia Chatter Box Facebook page for details.  Our Freight Rate (exclusively for Seldovia) for anything over 55 lbs. is 0.39 lb.  However, for businesses that fly large volumes regularly, we work on an individual basis to give them the best rate.

5) Can you introduce us to your pilots?

Experienced pilots are the key to safety and to our success.  Through many years of beach landing/bear viewing operations, we have become very proficient at finding the right pilots and training them to fly in some of the most challenging conditions in Alaska.  Dylan Skirko and I will be your primary pilots and we have a couple of our seasoned bear/summer pilots that flew the bay last year that will fill in on an “as needed” basis.  Our goal is to provide our passengers with trusted and familiar faces at the helm.

6) Can you tell us about your planes?

Currently, we fly all Cessna 206 aircraft.  These airplanes have a proven record in bush Alaska and have an extraordinary dispatch reliability rate.  They can carry heavy loads in and out of the villages, and have reasonable operating costs.  Most aircraft that operate in this environment quickly take on the “tired workhorse” look due to the frequency of flights, and loading and unloading.  I have heard many comments from our customers that they appreciate the time, money, and effort that we spend on keeping our aircraft in top condition.

7) We so enjoyed having you at our meeting – and welcome as a new member!  You spoke a bit about how you are looking forward to working with current Seldovia businesses to bring in new business to Seldovia, can you tell us about that?   Can folks connect with you directly if they are interested in being a part of what you are putting together for your guests for summer 2018?

A couple of weeks ago, the K BAY Air team put together a long-awaited hamburger/hot dog cookout across the bay and during our time there, we had some great discussions with folks on how to improve our service. One idea that came up was having a local phone number that is simple to remember and easy to dial. Here it is!  907-235-8787   If you have suggestions, the K Bay Air staff will work hard to implement them.

Yes….. I encourage anyone in Seldovia that offers lodging, meals, charters, tours, entertainment, and other visitor related activities to contact us (907-235-8787) to see if they might be a part of our Seldovia Visitor’s package.  I will be spending a lot of time in Seldovia meeting with business owners and putting together the calendars, and marketing programs that will drive the success for the upcoming season.  We are already booking Bear trips for 2018, so we will be working very quickly to pull this all together.

LinwoodHalloweenPartyK Bay Air is dedicated to partnering with people and businesses in Seldovia. That being said, we are excited to be a part of the famous Linwood Bar and Grill Halloween Party on October 28th. K Bay and the Linwood are offering one FREE seat/round trip ticket for the winner of the “Best Couples Costume”. Judging begins at 10:00 pm. Good luck to everyone and have a great time!

8) Anything else you would like to relay to the community of Seldovia?

K Bay’s company motto is “Serving Extraordinary People Everyday”.  Our love for the people across Kachemak Bay is what motivates us to work hard to go above and beyond.  As mentioned in the Chamber of Commerce meeting, we are dedicated to listening to your feedback and making necessary changes quickly to offer the best service possible.  We know the economic and geographical challenges that you face living in an amazing place like Seldovia and hope that you will allow us to partner with you in your daily lives and businesses.

Seldovia Chamber of Commerce Announces our Citizen, Business & Youth of the Year- 2017

| October 12, 2017 | 0 Comments

by Jenny Chissus

CITIZEN OF YEAR BANNERThe Seldovia Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce this year’s recipients of the Citizen, Business and Youth of the Year!  Thank you to the community for the nominations in each category.  There were many great nominees!  We had hoped to announce a date for the luncheon to honor these folks at the same time, but we are still working on finding a time that will fit all!  Be sure to give them a congratulations – each has well deserved this honor!

Thank you Byron, Owl’s Nest and Heidi for your faithful service to the community and doing your best to make Seldovia an awesome place to live!  We appreciate you!

 

Citizen of the Year:  BYRON McCORD  

  • Byron is always involved in projects that help make Seldovia a nicer place to live.
  • He has helped out with SVT’s kid hikes, including the overnight trip to the new Tutka Bay trail, carrying gear and food, being ready to provide medical assistance, and just being a responsible adult for kids whose parents couldn’t go along.
  • Byron volunteered as a trail builder for the new Tutka Bay trail.
  • He also helps to keep Seldovia beautiful by taking care of some of the plants around town.
  • Byron is a worker, a generous soul, and a serious-minded man whose devotion to helping should be rewarded. He probably won’t like being rewarded because he doesn’t do it for public recognition, but he deserves it!

Business or Non-Profit of the Year:  THE OWL’S NEST 

  • Mike and Karen have opened a new business and have faithfully kept long hours in order to serve the community.
  • They work hard to have a variety of items and they even bring in special items that are requested.
  • They are working hard to serve the community’s and visitors needs while providing year round service.

Outstanding Youth of the Year:  HEIDI SWEARINGEN  

  • Heidi takes on a leadership role in the community, as she attends meetings to boost morale and brainstorm ways to help the school.  She inspires and helps other students at Susan B English.
  • This young woman is approaching her school year with absolute positivity, rallying both herself and her fellow classmates to be all they can be.
  • Heidi displays a great work ethic, has held multiple jobs over the summer with a positive happy attitude.  She has assisted her family business at the Owl’s Nest by beautifying their garden frontage and is always willing to assist when asked.