Monthly Archives: April 2007

Nominations for the 2007 Alaska State Fair Farm Family of the Year Due June 29, 2007

Alaska agriculture is a vital, 32 million dollar industry, composed of a wide range of businesses including farms, ranches, nurseries, and gardens. The Alaska State Fair and the agricultural community want to applaud the efforts of these farmers by honoring one family that epitomizes the spirit of Alaska farming.

We need the public’s help in nominating friends and neighbors for the 8th Annual Farm Family of the Year award. The Alaska State Fair established the award in 2000 to honor an Alaska farming family and show appreciation for all the hardworking Alaskans committed to agriculture and aquaculture in the state.

The 2006 recipients were Rex & Bryce Wrigley and their families. Wrigley Farms was formed in 1983 when Rex & Bryce moved their families to Delta Junction from Idaho. Wrigley farms has successfully produced a wide variety of agriculture products ranging from broccoli to barley; they are very active in their agriculture community and church.

The selection committee is comprised of members from the Farm Services Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the University of Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the state Division of Agriculture, and the Cooperative Extension Service.

The Farm Family selection committee will accept nominations and select a family using the following criteria:
1. Production of quality Alaska Grown products (not based on quantity);
2. Community involvement (civic organizations, school, sports, church);
3. Involvement in agricultural industry organizations (local, state and federal, etc.) and,
4. Overall farm family image, farming history, and unique or special production.

The award, sponsored by the Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union, will be presented at the Fair on opening day, August 23, 2007. Nominations should offer details about the family and how the family members fulfill the criteria. The nomination should be mailed to:

Farm Family
Alaska Division of Agriculture
1800 Glenn Hwy, Ste. 12
Palmer, AK 99645

or faxed to: (907) 745-7254. or emailed to: Amy_Pettit@dnr.state.ak.us

The deadline for nominations is June 29, 2007.

The Alaska State Fair Farm Family of the Year award was established in 2000 to honor an Alaska farming family and show appreciation for all the hardworking Alaskans committed to agriculture and aquaculture in the state. Nominations are accepted annually, and the winner must meet criteria such as production of quality Alaska Grown product, community and agricultural organization involvement, and overall image.
2000 Huppert Family – Paul Huppert came to Alaska in 1952 and homesteaded in the Mat-Su Valley. He worked as Produce Manager for Matanuska Maid until the Produce Division was sold in 1964. Paul purchased the Produce Division and formed Palmer Produce. Today many members of the Huppert family are involved in the farming enterprise including Paul’ s son Gerald Huppert, his daughter Paula Giauque, his grandson Josh Lutz, and his granddaughter Terri Bernowski.

2001 VanderWeele Farms – Ben & Suus VanderWeele – Ben and his wife Suus began their farming operation in Mat-Su Valley in 1967. Today the VanderWeele operation consists of 160 cultivated acres that are operated by Ben, Suus, and their three children – Glenn, Rodger & Michelle and 25-30 seasonal employees. VanderWeele Farms successfully produces a variety of vegetables including potatoes, carrots, lettuces, cabbages and onions.

2002 Havemeister Farms – Bob & Jeanne Havemeister – Bob’s parents, Arnold & Emmy arrived in the Mat-Su Valley in May, 1935, one of 200 Colony families selected by the federal government to settle and farm here during the Depression. Today the farm covers 200 acres owned and leased, and the Havemeisters milk about half of their 150 cow herd, producing approximately 2.2 million pounds of milk/year. The current operation is a high- tech dairy that tags and logs in the cows and tracks milk production, age and offspring.

2003 Rempel Family Farm – Mark Rempel – The Rempel Family Farm came into operation in 1960 when Mark Rempel’s father, Dietrich, purchased the acreage from the federal government. Mark bought the farm in 1990, became organic in 1992 and USDA Certified Organic in 1995. Today Mark operates 12 acres producing 70 varieties of organic vegetables. The Rempel Family Farm booth is always popular at area farmers markets.

2004 P&M Gardens – Paul Dinkins – P&M Gardens opened in 1976. Today it consists of a nursery wholesale operation with 10 acres of land, 200,000 square feet of growing houses, a retail store, shipping and warehouse area and a fleet of trucks that deliver plants across the state. The success of P & M Gardens has lead to the need for over 70 employees during the peak season.

2005 Calypso Farm and Ecology Center – Tom Zimmer & Susan Willsrud – Calypso Farm began in 2000 as an effort to educate the community about local food supplies. Today Calypso is home to a fast-growing Community Support Agriculture
(CSA) operation which this past year supported 45 shareholders. The farm consists of 2.5 cultivated, terraced acres in a forested area 10 miles out of Fairbanks. In addition to growing food, Calypso works collaboratively with local organizations to provide handson educational and research opportunities in ecology and sustainable agriculture.

2006 Wrigley Farms – Rex & Bryce Wrigley was formed in 1983 when Rex & Bryce moved their families to their families Delta Junction, Alaska from Idaho. Over the years Wrigley Farms has successfully produced oats, oat hay, barley, brome, broccoli, potatoes and hogs. Rex and Bryce are both active in their area Soil & Water Conservation District and Farm Bureau Chapter. The family is also active in their church and community.

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – The 22d Annual Retiree Appreciation Day will be held May 5 at the Last Frontier Community Center. All military retirees and their families, regardless of branch of service, are invited to attend.

The day’s activities will begin with cholesterol screening from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

The speaker session will be held from 10 a.m.-noon. Maj. Gen. (Ret.) William Matz, president, National Association for Uniformed Services will address legislative issues concerning retirees and Mr. Joseph Montoya, TRICARE Retiree Dental Program coordinator will discuss retiree dental care.
Visitors may update ID cards, renew on-post vehicle registrations, attend a health fair, and gather information from a number of post agencies at the Information Bazaar and Health Fair from noon-2 p.m. The health fair portion includes cholesterol tests, eye exams and blood pressure checks. Personnel will be on hand to discuss physical therapy, shoes and exercise, healthy backs and nutrition. The Medical Activity-Alaska will also have Vials of Life available for the retirees.

Lunch (Roadhouse Hearty Buffet) will be available from noon-1:15 p.m. at the Chena Roadhouse located inside the Last Frontier Community Center. The cost for lunch is $15.30, payable in advance to Sharon Harris. A transition briefing for the new Bassett Army Community Hospital begins at 2:15 p.m.with a tour of the hospital immediately after.

Interior Alaska is home to 2,536 military retirees and 152 surviving spouses of deceased military retirees.

For more information, retirees may call Sharon Harris at 800-478-7384 or e-mail her at Sharon.harris@richardson.army.mil.

A briefing on the move from the old to the new Bassett Army Community Hospital at Fort Wainwright will be held at Fort Greely’s Gabriel Auditorium on Tues., May 1, 3-4 pm & again at 6-7 pm

The briefing will include:

• Facility/care enhancements
• Service impacts during transition

The briefing is for all TRICARE enrollees–(active duty/reserve members, retirees, family members)

CV Farms will be in Delta on Friday, April 28 for 5 to 6 days.

On this trip they are offering 3 kinds of apples, strawberries, asparagus, potatoes, lettuce, spinach and alot more.

They will be located across from the Buffalo Gas Station. Look for the big orange truck.

Have you been “spring” cleaning?
Has it got you steaming?
Dressers and Closets “bursting” at the seams
Odds and Ends “stacked” up to the beams
Is your garage “bulging” at the doors?
How long has it been since you’ve seen the “floor”?
Rid yourself of never ending “dusting”
From piles and piles of things just a “rustin’”
Bring them to the “Yard Sale” at the Community Center
A $10.00 space will make you a “Renter”
Turn the items that you may have considered to “trash”
Into someone else’s “treasure” for hard cold “Cash”

Aglow will be hosting a Community Yard Sale at the Community Center on Saturday the 19th of May.

Please call Kathy Fields at 590-7100 for more information, and to reserve a space.
Others numbers to call would be Dawn Somerlot at 590-4110 or Anne Reierson at 378-9252

Fort Greely, Alaska–The Fort Greely Installation Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) will meet at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, 23 May 2007 at the Community Center in Delta Junction, Alaska.

The goal of the RAB is to give individuals who represent the diverse interests of the community the opportunity to regularly review progress and interact with the decision makers concerning Fort Greely’s environmental restoration program. The aim is to increase public understanding and the quality of the installation environmental restoration program.

The RAB meetings are held quarterly, are announced in advance and are open to the public.

The RAB assisted with the restoration efforts required by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process from 1995 until portions of Fort Greely were withdrawn from surplus in 2001 to support the U.S. missile defense program. The RAB is now assisting with the installation environmental restoration program.

The RAB membership currently includes: the Community Co-chair, Stephen Hammond, the Fort Greely Installation Co-Chair, Lieutenant Colonel Gregory McClinton, Fort Greely garrison commander; community members Dick Anderson, Steve Fields, Pete Hallgren, Tom Miller, Mike Murphy, and Carol Stock. A representative from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation participates in each meeting and a representative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is invited to participate in each meeting.

Members of the RAB have committed to a goal of attending all RAB meetings and devoting ample time to review any related Army documents within prescribed time frames.

Public participation on the RAB is strictly voluntary. The Army does not provide financial support to the public members for their services nor are members compensated for work hours lost or time invested.

For more information about the RAB and its activities, call Stephen Hammond at telephone 907-895-5441, see the RAB’s website at www.smdcen.us/rabfga, or call Christine Boerst, Fort Greely director of public works and environmental coordinator, at telephone 907-873-4665.

Senate Finance will take public testimony on AGIA (Natural Gas Pipeline) on Monday April 30, 2007 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Delta Junction LIO. We are located in Suite 218 of the Jarvis Office Building. Call 895-4236 for questions or directions.

Fairbanks, Alaska—A conference highlighting Alaska homegrown specialty and gourmet foods will take place in Fairbanks, May 4–5 at the Hutchison Institute of Technology’s culinary arts facility. Sponsored by Cooperative Extension Service, the event is specially designed for Alaskans interested in the specialty food business.

The conference aims to provide resources to guide small business owners through the food product development process and features keynote speaker Stephen Hall, author of “From Kitchen to Market.” Hall is president of Food Marketing International, a company that coaches specialty food firms who would like to expand their businesses.

The first day of the conference features a trade-show, which includes taste-testing participants’ products giving attendees a chance to explore business partnerships. The second day consists of roundtable discussions moderated by small-business professionals on business-related topics such as brand design, website development and customer service. The sessions will focus on experiences of industry professionals, business experts and Alaska’s own successful specialty food entrepreneurs.

The event is also geared toward individuals interested in starting product production, restaurateurs interested in carrying local products and others in the food business. Although the event is tailored to the food industry, organizers say the concepts of networking and overcoming geography apply to many Alaska small businesses. There is a $75 registration fee. For more information call 474-2420 or visit www.uaf.edu/ces.

We are gearing up again for the summer season of softball. If you are willing and able to help out with odd jobs for the season please contact Hanni Marchuk at 907-360-9731 during the day and 895-4018 in the evenings. There was a lack of help last season, and if no one is willing to help out this year we may not be having a Softball League during the summers anymore!

Umpires are badly needed, if you are willing to be an umpire this year please contact Hanni at the numbers above. Pay is $20/game. We will arrange to educate you on the slow-pitch softball rules if you have never umpired before, so don’t let a lack of experience stop you!

Men’s League is on Monday nights beginning June 4th. Coed League is on Wednesday nights beginning June 6th. Team Rosters with a minimum of 9 players must be turned in by May 25th or that team will not be able to play. This is for scheduling purposes.

All Team Rosters and Registrations may be mailed to Hanni Marchuk, Po Box 514, Delta Junction, AK 99737. Please make check or money order out to Delta Softball League, send cash through the mail at your own risk. Team Fee’s must be post-marked or delivered to Hanni Marchuk by May 25th or you will be taken off the schedule. Player Fee’s are due with registration; no registrations will be accepted without payment. All players must be registered and fee’s paid before their first game. If someone is not in town until after the season begins they may still register and join a team.

If you are new in town or don’t have a team please call Hanni Marchuk or Richard Lester and we will do our best to get you on one.

Anyone entertaining the thoughts of putting together a team need to communicate any scheduling restrictions well in advance so we schedule accordingly. Game times were as follows last year 6:30, 7:45, and 9:00.

Team and Player Fee’s for those planning on playing in the first games are due by May 25th. I will not be accepting Fee’s the day of the first season’s games. This causes delay’s in the start of the games and causes headaches for those of us trying to get the season off to a great start, so get your player’s fee’s in on time.

Team Fee: $200
Player Fee: $25 men’s
$25 co-ed
$40 both

If you have any questions concerning the Delta Softball League please call Hanni Marchuk during the day at 360-9731 or in the evenings at 895-4018.

This week the Carefree Test kitchens are doing a bit of time travel and heading back to the good old days of March 2002. In the past two weeks I’ve had countless requests from worried pet owners to run a few recipes for home made chow for Fido. Although I don’t ever re-run a column, (although it’s tempting after 18 years of writing!), I’m happy to oblige with this revised and updated list of ideas for pets. I also want to let you know that lists of the products affected by the pet food recall are available free at the Delta Library and on line at menufoods.com. I haven’t heard of anyone in town who actually purchased any of the suspect food, and I sure hope all our beloved local critters stay healthy.

To view the rest of Dog Treats Recipes we invite you to browse our Carefree Gourmet pages.

Interior Health officials are gathering to review the latest studies on how abusive environments can affect the development of young children, and how entire communities can help support victims of violence. Read more.

No bears have been spotted yet, but due to light snowfall and warmer temperatures, private vehicles will be able to drive as far as the Teklanika River rest area at Mile 30 in Denali Park through May 18. Beginning May 19, the park shuttle bus system will begin providing access beyond the Savage River. The first 15 miles of the park road will be open to private vehicles throughout the summer season. More information here.

Premier Dennis Fentie and Governor Sarah Palin have yet to meet to discuss the outcomes of the joint Alaska-Yukon railroad study which was completed in July 2006. In January, Fentie announced a meeting with Palin would take place in the “immediate future”. The study consists of 225 documents and outlines a route with Carmacks as the hub, a segment heading north to Delta Junction and one heading south to a deep water port in the Inside Passage. Read more

After last January’s tank farm fire at Pump 9, the state Department of Labor’s Joint Pipeline Office and Alyeska are looking at several areas that may need safety revisions including evacuation procedures. Read more here

83 year old Ted Stevens became the longest longest-serving Republican in U.S. Senate history on Friday, April 13. Although he’s served 39 years in office, he remains behind six Democrats on the all-time longevity list. Read the highlights of Senator Stevens political career here

Exclusive to the Delta News Web

Well, not exactly a sellout, for no admission is charged to enjoy the Delta Christian Drama Association presentations—this the sixth now—but the 3 evening run was entertaining, well attended and highly acclaimed as usual!

Unlike the earlier productions, this drama is contemporary – Paradise Gulch is a fictional town in Montana—and is an original script co-written and co-directed by George and Gaylene Hosier.

Executed by a cast—oh, my there aren’t words, at least in this reporter’s vocabulary, to express the admiration we have for this cast of 10, most of whom have no acting experience, but DO have enthusiasm, dedication, and faith.

The hundreds of man-hours of preparation by cast and other volunteers were evident—there were no glaring errors, no glitches, no gaffes, and no disasters.

Volunteers included set design and construction—a magnificent painting, depicting a “wild Montana skies” and landscape view from the window of the Spangler home, done by Vladimir Kurilchenko—the ranch house furniture built by Josiah Holbrook—music by several sets of musicians, including Ms Beth Abbott and Ms Autumn Abbott, and Ms Anna Kurilchenko—without the young dedicated Christian volunteers, these productions could not be actualized—thanks to them, and many other indispensable volunteers whom we have failed to acknowledge by name. They are all magnificent!

The drama concluded with a play within a play, using a total cast of 20, some of whom were called “extras”. Truly, there are no “extras” in this enterprise, for it was obviously a team effort and a labor of love.

The playwright combined a sort of slide show, voice over, pageant, object lesson, morality play, and grand finale spectacle – the magnificent costumes and showmanship we have come to anticipate from this group and this wardrobe mistress.

If you missed this show, you missed a treat, a winner, and an affirmation of faith by the participants. If you have attended none of the six presentations by DCDA, make a resolution to see the next one—try it, you might like it.

The Legislature will be taking public testimony on the Natural Gas Pipeline Project on Saturday 4/21/2007 beginning at 1:00 PM.

Delta LIO will be a site for this if there is any interest.

Please call the Delta LIO by 4:30 PM on Friday 4/20 if you wish to testify on this project. 895-4236

A beginners beading class will be taught by Viki Faber, well-known Delta beader from 1:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday May 19.

In this class, you will learn basic beading techniques and complete a beading project. This project may be a suncatcher or a pair of earrings.

A small fee of $15 to cover beads, needles and other materials. For more information, please call Viki at 895-4667 between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm.

This class is being sponsored by Delta Junction Aglow. For more information about Aglow, please call Fran Hallgren at 895-5532 or Kathy Fields at 895-1950.

The Mountain House Mad Hatters Relay for Life team will be having “dessert Tuesdays” as a fundraiser at Adams Ribs Restaurant until the Relay for Life event May 11th.

Every Tuesday there will be several desserts, made by Mad Hatter team members, available to enjoy by donation to the American Cancer Society.

Also on the following Friday nights, April 17th and 24th, team members will be the servers and all tips will go to the Relay for Life.

Come out to enjoy a good meal and support the fight against cancer.

Thanks to Mark and Miki Adams for their generous support of the Mountain House Mad Hatters Relay for Life Team.

For more information or to make a donation to the team contact Janice Templin-Weller at 895-4292.

The next membership luncheon will be held on April 19, 2007 at noon at Clearwater Lodge. Lunch is $12.00.

Guest Speaker is Karl Hanneman, Manager of Public and Environmental Affairs and Special Projects, Teck Pogo, Inc. Karl will present a slide show providing an update on the Pogo Mine including some of the challenges faced in 2006.

Pogo is an operating underground gold mine with a current estimated gold resource of 5.6 million ounces averaging 0.41 ounces/ton, a projected mine life of 10 years, and an annual production rate of between 350,000 and 500,000 ounces of gold. Newly constructed, gold production began at the mine in early 2006. As of the end of the second quarter 2006, the mine was still in the commissioning phase, and was not yet operating at commercial production levels. The mine is owned by Sumitomo Metal Mining, Inc. – a member of the Japanese Sumitomo Group. Through a joint venture agreement with Sumitomo, Teck Cominco, a Canadian mining company, has a 40 % interest in the property; its wholly-owned subsidiary, Teck Pogo, Inc. (TPI) is the mine operator. (11/06 Northern Alaska Environmental Center)

All who RSVP by April 17, at 4pm will be entered into a drawing and the winner will receive their meal free. Call the chamber office at 895-5068 for reservations.

Dr. Duane Gish, UC-Berkeley Faculty Member and well-known author, lecturer and debator for the Institute for Creation Research, will be speaking numerous times April 15-17.

Sunday (4/15)-10:00 a.m., Bible Baptist Church (“The Bible and Creation”). 11:00 a.m., McGrath Rd. Baptist Church (“The Bible and Modern Science”). 6:00 p.m., Bible Baptist Church (“The Scientific Evidence for Creation”).
Monday, April 16, 3:00 p.m., UAF Wood Center Ball Room (“The Issue – Creation/Evolution”). 7:00 p.m., UAF Wood Center Ball Room (“Creation, Evolution and the Fossil Record”).
Tuesday (4/17) – 10:30 a.m., Bible Baptist Church – speaks to homeschool students (“Dinosaurs and the Bible”). 3:00 p.m., UAF Wood Center Ball Room (“Intelligent Design or Blind Watchmaker?”). 7:00 p.m., UAF Wood Center Ball Room (“Origin of the Universe”).

For most meetings, Q&A time is planned. All meetings are open to the public without charge. Dr. Gish will gladly autograph any of his books he has authored.

IDEA Homeschooling Program presents its 9th Annual Curriculum Homeschooling Fair at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks, April 19 & 20th. Approximately 60+ exhibitors will have curriculum and materials available for purchase, order, or examination.

The exhibit hall will be open from 10-6 on Thursday, April 19th and 9-4 on Friday, April 20th. A total of 30 workshops will be available for parents to attend on these days.

IDEA homeschooling families get FREE admission; there is a $20 charge (reimbursable by some other homeschooling programs) for non-IDEA families.

Door prizes are awarded throughout both days.

See the ideafamilies.org website for complete lists of both workshop topics/presenters and exhibitors.

An otter hams it up for some members of the Delta High School Band on their recent trip to Cordova. Submitted by John Netardus