Daily Sitka Sentinel

March 30, 2023, Community Happenings

Spring Fishermen’s Expo

To Be Virtual April 4, 5

Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust are hosting a Spring Virtual Fishermen’s Expo 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 4-5 to provide educational workshops and training to new and experienced local fishermen as well as others with interest in the fishing sector.

Workshops and presentations will be offered in a virtual format.

Commercial and subsistence fishermen of all gear types can attend free and interactive classes and training courses on commercial fishing insurance, management updates on halibut bycatch and and pending salmon bycatch actions, business planning for fishermen, break-even analysis, preparing for your lender, deckhand logbook updates, troller-led oceanography in Southeast Alaska, ALFA’s crew training program and others.

Presenters are Maddie Lightsey with Alaska Boats and Permits, Jess Sarsfield with AgWest Farm Credit, Marc Wheeler with Spruce Root, Sunny Rice and Gabe Dunham with SeaGrant, Linda Behnken and Natalie Sattler with ALFA, Kirk Johanson and Dylan Hopper with SeaMountain insurance and Tyler Hennon with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. 

Attendees can participate in as many sessions as they are able. Raffle prizes are available for those who attend sessions.

Contact Natalie Sattler at program.director@alfafish.org or 907-738-1286 with any questions. Visit alfafish.org for a full schedule of events and to register. All presentations will provide time for questions and discussion. 

The series is part of a push by ALFA and ASFT to provide resources and educational opportunities for fishermen, especially those who are just starting out in the industry.

“Thanks to the support of our sponsors and ALFA’s membership, we are able to offer these workshops free and open to the public,” said ALFA executive director Linda Behnken.

ALFA is an alliance of small-boat commercial fishermen who support sustainable fisheries and thriving coastal communities by involving fishermen in research, advocacy and conservation initiatives. 

ASFT is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening fishing communities and marine resources through research, education and economic opportunity.

Lutherans Plan

Holy Week Events

Sitka Lutheran Church announces Holy Week and Easter services.

Palm Sunday worship, April 2, will be at 10:30 a.m.

Maundy Thursday, April 6, and Good Friday, April 7, services will be at 6 p.m.

On April 9, Easter Sunday services will be at 10:30 a.m. Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday services are both in person and via Zoom.

Child care will be available on Easter Sunday. The church is located at 224 Lincoln Street. For information and to receive a Zoom invite, call 907-747-3338.

Holy Week Services

Slated at St. Peter’s

Holy Week Services scheduled at St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church are:

–April 2, Palm Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., in person and on Zoom;

–April 6, Maundy Thursday at 5:30 p.m., in person;

–April 7, Good Friday at noon, in person;

–April 7, Holy Saturday at 9:30 a.m., on Zoom;

–April 9, Easter Sunday at 6 a.m., Zoom only and 10 a.m., in person and on Zoom.

All are invited to these special services. For information, contact the church at stpetersbytheseak@gmail.com or call (907) 747-3977 and leave a message for a call back. The church is located at 611 Lincoln Street, and is open every day to stop in for a time of quiet, prayer and rest.

Girls On The Run

By Sitkans Against Family Violence

For the fourth week of Girls on the Run, participants have been learning about emotions and expressing our emotions. Girls learn there are no “bad” emotions, just ones that make us comfortable or uncomfortable. Teams practiced skills to identify their own emotions and express them in a positive and constructive way.

Girls learned the four key phrases for effectively expressing their feelings: “I feel…when you…because…I would like for you to…” Teams related this week’s GOTR themes to the Southeast Traditional Tribal Values of “respect for self, Elders, and others,” and “be strong in mind, body, and spirit.” Here’s what girls said about being emotionally healthy: 

–“It’s important to figure out what you’re feeling, because if you don’t then you kind of overreact on everything, even things that don’t make sense. And you might put [that feeling] out on other people instead of calming down.”

–“If you’re having a bad day and someone’s trying to help you and you just yell at them, you make them feel bad.”

–“If you’re feeling really stressed and alone and someone asks you to take deep breaths, you should because it can help you keep calm.”

Throughout this season, GOTR will provide the Sitka community with updates from the program. We also hope to give mentors, parents, and guardians an opportunity to pass on skills from GOTR to the children in their lives! Here are some conversation starters for talking with kids about emotional health: 

–What are some uncomfortable emotions for you? Comfortable?

–Why is it important to express our emotions?

–Let’s think of a time when you could have used “I’’ statements to communicate how you were feeling. (For example, “I feel thankful when you keep your room clean because it shows you care. I would like for you to keep taking care of your space.”)

Girls on the Run is an empowerment-based program for girls in third  through fifth grade, currently in its 14th season at Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School.

GOTR is more than an after-school activity; it is a program designed to bring girls together with strength and resilience and prepare them for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. Through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games, GOTR prepares girls for a final celebratory 5K Fun Run on May 13 while teaching life skills and unleashing confidence! Community members are welcome to join in the 5K or be cheerleaders along the course! Girls on the Run is brought to you in Sitka by the Pathways Coalition. Call 747-3493 for more information.

‘Speaking Grief’

Film to Show

Brave Heart Volunteers will host a viewing of ‘‘Speaking Grief’’ 6-8 p.m.  Tuesday, April 4, at the Pioneers Home Chapel.

The event starts at 6 p.m. with the movie starting at 6:30. Viewers can  join BHV for cookies and conversation after the movie.

‘‘Moving away from the idea that grief is a problem that needs to be ‘fixed,’ ‘Speaking Grief’ validates the experience of grievers and guides those wishing to support them,’’ a news release said.

Go to www.braveheartvolunteers.org for more information.

Visiting Author

At Public Library

Visiting author Dr. Rita Banerjee will tell about her work in literature and film 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, at Sitka Public Library.

The event is free and open to the public. For information, contact Margot at 747-4020 or email margot.oconnell@cityofsitka.org.

Celebration for

Library’s 100th

Year Saturday

Sitka Public Library will hold its 100th-year celebration 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Centennial Hall and at the library.

Food carts will be on the grounds of Centennial Hall and Sitka Public Library throughout the event. On sale will be hot dogs from Jessie’s Uptown Dogs; fry bread, Rachel Moreno; and Japanese-inspired food by Enoki Eatery.

At the library from 1 to 3 will be a family photo booth, rock art, community art show, Sitka Tribe of Alaska table with free children’s materials and activities, community art project, and library swag. A short program at 1 p.m. will be followed by a costume contest at 1:30.

At Centennial Hall, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. will be live music and cupcakes.

Pioneers Meet;

Invite Others

Sitka Pioneers of Alaska will have a history program and potluck dinner 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at the Unitarian Hall, 408 Marine Street.

Parking is available in the back.

Alaska residents of 20 years-plus are welcome. For more information, go to pioneersofalaska.org or call 907-738-8891.