Monthly Archives: September 2006

The Visitor Information Center will be closing for the season this Friday, September 15, 2006 at 4:30pm. We have had a good visitor season and statistics will be available at the end of the month.

Now is the time to purchase those souvenirs and gifts you have been meaning to get to send to family and friends out of state. Chamber members will receive a 20% discount on all items this week. Even if you don’t want to purchase anything, stop by anyway and take a tour – we have some awesome displays! We also have lots of free local and state information.

Our visitor Center staff will be happy to visit with you and tell you about our chamber businesses. Some of them offer great gifts and services that you may not be aware of.

In the United States, Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year, designated in memory of those who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks. However, the name does not seem to have caught on in the American vernacular; most people still refer to the day as “September 11th”, “9/11″, or some variation thereof.

U.S. House Joint Resolution 71 was approved by a vote of 407-0 on October 25, 2001. It requested that the President designate September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day.” President George W. Bush signed the resolution into law on December 18, 2001 (as Public Law 107-89). It is a discretionary day of remembrance.

Initially, the day was called the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims Of the Terrorist Attacks.

On September 4, 2002, President Bush used his authority created by the resolution and proclaimed September 11, 2002 as Patriot Day. He has continued to make similar declarations every year since.

On this day, the President directs that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff and displayed from individual American homes, at the White House, and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments, home and abroad. The President also asks Americans to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time) marking the first plane crash on Sept. 11, 2001.

Some countries have also shared Patriot Day with the U.S. as well. For example, in Canada, the prime minister orders flags on the Peace Tower (in Ottawa on Parliament Hill) and on all Canadian diplomatic missions in the U.S be flown at half-staff.

Some greeting card companies have released Patriot Day cards, causing controversy among some. However, many companies, such as Hallmark, do not offer cards specifically for Patriot Day.

Despite the law’s passage and President Bush’s proclamation, the effort to make Sept. 11 a national holiday has been rejected by many who view the effort as an act of jingoism and “handing the emotional victory over to the terrorists.” Specifically, many object to the naming of the day as ‘Patriot Day,’ as the day is intended as a memorial to the victims of a terrorist attack and arguably has nothing to do with patriotism or patriots.

From “Wikipedia,” the free encyclopedia

FORT GREELY, Alaska — The public is invited to a briefing about plans for Fort Greely’s Enhanced Use Lease project on Sept. 13. Greely Development Partners will present general information about the project at 6 pm that Wednesday at the Delta Community Center across Delta Junction’s City Hall.

In June, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District and Fort Greely agreed to work with Greely Development Partners (GDP) to transform approximately 110 acres within the main cantonment area of Fort Greely into a lodging and RV facility, medical clinic, and power generation facility under the Army’s Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) program.

Additional information about this EUL is available . For more information, contact Les Ozawa, 907-873-4604

Fall is in the air and with the changing of colors come thoughts of pumpkins. The Chamber is hosting a Halloween Bash this year on October 21. So mark your calendar and get your little goblins, witches, pirates and clowns ready for a BOO of a good time. There will be games, crafts, costume contest, pumpkin carving contest and treats (no tricks) for kids and adults alike. We’ll even do the “monster mash” at the Halloween dance. There will be just enough “spook” and a lot of fun at this family event. Look for more details as the event gets closer and if you would like to help call Dawn at 895-5068

Well, we the holiday season is just around the corner…and that means that we need to start thinking about putting Christmas lights on the Visitor Information Center. It is always nicer to decorate outside when it is 50 degrees above zero instead of 50 degrees below. So, Dawn (the Special Events Coordinator at the Delta Chamber of Commerce) is looking for some volunteers to help put lights up in mid-September.

She has access to a man-lift from AIRPORT Equipment Rentals, now she just needs helpers. Volunteers Needed: 1 person that can run the lift and 1 or 2 people to help hang the lights. Everyone is welcome. A tentative decorating time is September 14 at 4:45 p.m. Please call and let the Delta Chamber of Commerce know if you would like to help. If you are interested then give Dawn a call at 895-5068.

City of Delta Junction
Welcome to the Last Frontier

The original document is located at City Hall if you want to see the document with the signed signatures.

To have a dial-gauge pressure canner tested, bring the canner lid only – the entire canner is not needed. It is not necessary to test weighted or rocker-type pressure regulators because they cannot be adjusted and will usually remain accurate.

Bring you canner lid to the CES office located in the Jarvis Officer Center between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Testing most days can be done the same day, but depending on scheduling may require it be kept until the following day.

The United States Department of Agriculture recommends having pressure canner’s tested yearly to assure safe canning practices. For further information please contact the CES office at 895-4215.

From the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service

The Delta Community Library will be hosting a Laptime for 0-2 year olds on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month from 10:30 to 11:15 am, starting on Tuesday, September 12. The Laptime will include stories, songs, and finger/hand play rhymes geared to babies and toddlers with the participation of a parent. Contact Nancy at the Library 895-4102 or Kathy Swartz 895-4358 for more information. We hope to see you there!

Delta resident Tim Smithen escaped serious injury Sunday evening when his plane crashed at the BLM runway. According to Alaska State Troopers, Smithen activated the navigation lights in his Ford Experimental Aircraft as he made his final approach for landing, which somehow caused a loss of power. The plane crashed only feet away from a power pole and overhead power lines. Smithen was taken to Family Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries and released.

Delta Jr. Varsity ready to battle

Delta High School Cheerleaders

Casey Dominguez making a tackle

We want to thank Lisa Lima for submitting photos of the JV football game.

Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner reported the September 1 test of an interceptor rocket and a nonexploding warhead called the Exo-atmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) was a success. The components are part of the MDA system housed at Fort Greely. Read details about Fridays test here.

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday of September. In 2006, Labor Day will be September 4.

The origins of the American Labor Day can be traced back to the Knights of Labor in the United States and a parade organized by them on September 5, 1882 in New York City. They were inspired by an annual labor parade held in Toronto, Canada. In 1884 another parade was held, and the Knights passed resolutions to make this an annual event. Other labor organizations (and there were many), but notably the affiliates of the International Workingmen’s Association favored a May 1 holiday. With the event of Chicago’s Haymarket riots in early May of 1886, president Grover Cleveland believed that a May 1 holiday could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Thus, fearing that it might strengthen the socialist movement, he quickly moved in 1887 to support the position of the Knights of Labor and their date for Labor Day.

Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The September date has remained unchanged, even though the government was encouraged to adopt May 1 as Labor Day, the date celebrated by the majority of the world. Moving the holiday, in addition to breaking with tradition, could have been viewed as aligning the U.S. labor movements with internationalist sympathies.

Labor Day is generally regarded simply as a day of rest and, unlike May Day, political demonstrations are rare. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water activities, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. However, of late, schools have begun well before Labor Day, up to the 15th of August in many urban districts, including Nashville and Atlanta.

One of the largest modern traditions of Labor Day in the United States is the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, hosted by Jerry Lewis to fund research and patient support programs for the various diseases grouped as muscular dystrophy. The telethon raises tens of millions of dollars each year. In 2005, despite the recent catastrophe caused by Hurricane Katrina, nearly $55 million was raised over 21 hours.

Text taken from Wiki-pedia

A memorial service in celebration of Susan Butcher’s life will be held Sept. 2 at 4 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Family and friends will be seated in Davis Concert Hall. A limited amount of additional seating will be available in the Salisbury Theatre, which is next to the Davis Concert Hall. Parents with children under 6 will be seated in Salisbury Theatre. Parking will be available at UAF, as will traffic direction and shuttle bus service. The service may be broadcast on KUAC- Fairbanks at a later date, which would allow the Alaska community and others to share this day with the family. Condolences may be sent to: The Monson Family P.O. Box 60249 Fairbanks, Alaska 99706

For information on how to donate in Susan’s memory, click here

ECON One Research, a legislative consulting group has reported to the Port Authority that the route through Delta and on to Valdez would be in the producers best interest, especially if LNG was delivered three years earlier than first proposed. Click

City Clerk Pat White was involved in an auto accident with a moose earlier this week. She will be coming home today. Pat will have casts on both arms and hands for six weeks. Her family will be staying with her throughout her recovery. She thanks everyone for their prayers and asks that you please continue to pray. Greetings can be sent to City Hall at Box 229.