Recent Articles
The Gazette is Taking a Leave of Absence
by Jenny Chissus
This is a difficult post to submit. Seldovia.com will continue to be a great resource for local information about Seldovia, hotels, restaurants, flight services, ferries, merchants and services, however, the online blog/newspaper page is taking some time off.
It is funny to say this, but as small as Seldovia is, you would think that there wouldn’t be much required to keep up with the news and happenings in our community. It is not! There is a lot going on! Working full time as a Realtor, and wanting a personal life as well, is creating the need for me to simplify and focus on the things that are most important to me, and to my family. For the time being, as much as I love writing for the paper – I don’t have the time to make it what I would like it to be, what it deserves to be.
Therefore, the Seldovia Gazette will not be posting for an undetermined period of time. The Facebook site Seldovia.com will remain active – as I still receive information that is valuable to Seldovia, and want you to know that I will be posting there on a casual basis.
Thank you for your readership and I appreciate your support of this great community!
The calendar from www.SeldoviaCalendar.com will continue to be featured on the home page of Seldovia.com – so you can always touch base there for upcoming information and events. This calendar is maintained by SVT and so you will need to address any changes or additions to that calendar by writing to Laurel Hilts at lhilts@svt.org.
There are many different entities hosting activities, calendars and events and they are already listed online! Under the Organization tab on Seldovia.com, you can visit the individual websites for SVT, SOCC, SAC, The Library, etc to receive all their current information. The Facebook Page “The Seldovia Chatterbox” has become a great location for all of Seldovia to post their individual activities to a public forum online! It works! You can click here or click on the image to the left – which will take you directly to that site to see what is happening in the community of Seldovia.
Another Facebook page has come into it’s own, and that is the Seldovia Free Buy Trade or Barter group, and obviously this works great if you have something you are looking to sell, buy or trade locally! It operates like the Classifieds – but it is free, and a great resource for items in our community off the road system! So if you have something to sell – check it out!
DISCLAIMER: Seldovia.com is not responsible for the material or information posted on any of the above mentioned Facebook sites. When you click on these hyperlinks, you will be taken off of the Seldovia.com site.
Just say “E hele mai ana au” – I’m coming!
by Jenny Chissus
As you may have noticed – I’m so excited about these three gentlemen coming to Seldovia! Our final glimpse will be of Richard Ho’opi’i who is accompanied in this video by George Kahumoku, Jr.. This concert will feature all three artists: Led, George and Richard – and I didn’t want to give it all away by putting them all together – so you will just have to show up Tuesday night at 6:30pm for the potluck and 7:30pm for the concert! Bring your favorite Alaskan dish to share and get an opportunity to meet these grammy award-winning Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters!
UNCLE RICHARD HO’OPI’I is one of Hawai’i’s most beloved singers. Known as one half of the popular Maui duo, The Ho’opi’i Brothers, which recorded 7 albums, he has practiced the traditional Hawaiian art of leo ki’eki’e (falsetto) for most of his life. He and his late brother, Solomon were recipients in 1997 of the prestigious National Endowment of the Arts Folk Heritage Fellowship, America’s highest honor for traditional artists. After the passing of his brother, his 2003 CD Ululani represented a new journey for Richard as a solo artist. Richard is featured on four of George Kahumoku’s compilation CDs. Born in the tiny village of Kahakuloa on Maui’s remote Northwest coast, Uncle Richard grew up immersed in the rural Hawaiian lifestyle of family, church, taro farming, fishing, and homemade entertainment. There was no TV, not even much radio, so everyone in the village made music. “They taught us so much more than music; it was a whole way of living.” Uncle Richard knows that, like all Hawaiian artists, he maintains a rich cultural legacy. “When you sing Hawaiian music,” he says, “you’re representing the kupuna (elders), who have guided and inspired you, and all the musicians that came before and will come after.”
Biographical information is taken from the press release prepared by Pasifika Artists Network LLC. More about each artist may be found on his website.
Masters of Hawaiian Music:
George Kahumoku Jr,
Led Kaapana,
“Uncle” Richard Ho‘opi‘i
coming to Seldovia with much Aloha and fun.
September 23
Bring your family to this community event at
Susan B. English School.
Alaskan/Hawaiian Potluck at 6:30 P.M.
Special performance at 7:30 P.M.
Tickets: $15.00 for adults, $8.00 for children and $35.00 For families.
Hele mei hoohiwahiwa! Come Celebrate!
by Jenny Chissus
Here’s another peak into the treat we are in for in Seldovia on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 – as Grammy Award Winning George Kahumoku Jr. is coming to Seldovia along with two other Hawaiian slack key guitar masters for an intimate concert at SBE for Seldovia! Don’t miss this fabulous event! Bring your favorite Alaskan dish to share at the potluck at 6:30pm and then the concert begins at 7:30pm. See you at the school!
GEORGE KAHUMOKU JR. lives on Maui with his wife, Nancy, maintaining their 3-acre farm, growing fruit and vegetables, dry-land taro (for his famous home-made poi) and tending goats, chickens, ducks, and miniature horses. With over 25 solo, collaboration, and compilation CDs to his name, George celebrates over 10 years of his famed weekly Slack Key Show on Maui, which produced 4 Grammy-winning CDs; his most recent solo CD was nominated for a 2012 Grammy in the Regional Roots category. He founded the Hawaiian Music Institute at University of Hawai‘i-Maui College to preserve the legacy of Hawaiian music and to prepare the next generation for careers in music. A renowned storyteller, George collaborated on the book A Hawaiian Life with long-time friend Paul Konwiser to capture his hilarious, entertaining on-stage stories. This project led to his film biography Seeds of Aloha. For the last 15 years, George Kahumoku Jr.’s Annual Maui Slack Key Guitar and ‘Ukulele Workshop creates one of the great musical learning experiences in the Islands today, and embodies George’s belief in sharing, celebrating, and perpetuating the unique music and culture that is Hawai‘i. www.kahumoku.com.
Biographical information is taken from the press release prepared by Pasifika Artists Network LLC. More about each artist may be found on his website.
Masters of Hawaiian Music:
George Kahumoku Jr,
Led Kaapana,
“Uncle” Richard Ho‘opi‘i
coming to Seldovia with much Aloha and fun.
September 23
Bring your family to this community event at
Susan B. English School
Alaskan/Hawaiian Potluck at 6:30 P.M.
Special performance at 7:30 P.M.
Tickets: $15.00 for adults, $8.00 for children and $35.00 For families.
Chamber Awards Dinner Saturday, October 4th
by Ian McGaughey
Mark your calendars for 6:30pm on Saturday, October 4th at the Seldovia Conference Center for the Seldovia Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Awards Community Potluck Dinner. Everyone is invited!
Congratulations to Mark Janes, the 2014-2015 Citizen of the Year. He received nominations from the public noting his contributions on volunteer boards and committees, and for his service as coach of the Seldovia Sea Otters basketball team. Comments on the nomination forms included: “Mark does everything and he is always Santa for the school kids. He volunteers tirelessly. He serves on the SOS Board of Directors (including as president two years) and the Board of SOCC. He is head of PAC. He’s on the Booster Club. He is the local auctioneer. He cooks for almost all the school fundraiser events. In addition to being the boys basketball coach, he volunteers all the time. Most recently he took the team to Palmer for a week-long camp—on his own time! He is a great citizen, we need more people like him.”
Other nominees for the honor were Craig “Chunk” Barnard, “Sunni” Hilts, Rod Hilts, Lisa Stanish and Suzie Stranik.
The winner of Business or Non-Profit of the Year is the Seldovia Boardwalk Hotel, Pub & Grill. Owners Jeremiah and Angela Campbell were noted for the hard work they put into the renovation and opening of the hotel, as well as the excellent food and atmosphere they offer in their restaurant. The business has provided several good, dependable jobs for individuals in Seldovia.
Other local organizations nominated for Business or Non-Profit of the Year were the Crabpot Grocery and Dillon & Dillon Timber & Log Wrights, last year’s winners.
The Outstanding Community Contribution by a Young Person for 2014-2015 has been won by Chance Haller. Chance’s dedication to Seldovia Fire and EMS were noted in the nominations, as well as being a super role model for other Seldovia youth.
Other young people nominated were Aiden Philpot, Dylan Waterbury, Olivia Turner and Skylar Bond.
The election for these honors was held at a recent Chamber meeting with the public invited to vote. Thank you to everyone who made nominations and joined in the voting.
Please be sure to come and bring a dish to the potluck dinner in celebration of our winners and nominees. Let’s recognize how fortunate we are to have so many talented, giving and special people in our community!
Ho’olu komo la kaua! Come Join Us!
by Jenny Chissus
OK, so you may or may not have been exposed to Hawaiian Slack Key guitar music before – so I had to give you a glimpse – and share this video of one of the THREE INCREDIBLE artists that are coming to Seldovia on September 23rd to play for us. This short video highlights Ledward Kaapana! Don’t miss this fantastic concert – we are so very lucky to have this caliber of artist coming to our beautiful community! Thank you to the Seldovia Arts Council and Susan Mumma for making this connection and bringing these masters to town! Let’s show them some great Alaska/Hawaii Aloha Spirit!
LED KAAPANA grew up in a family of musicians in Kalapana, in the southernmost district of Hawaii Island. His teachers included his mother, Mama Tina Kaapana, from whom he learned to sing leo ki’eki’e (Hawaiian falsetto singing), and his uncle, Fred Punahoa. “We didn’t have electricity, not television, not even much radio,” says Kaapana. “So we entertained ourselves. You could go to any house and everybody was playing music.” Throughout his career, Ledward has dedicated himself to perpetuating the traditional style and repertoire of his home, beginning in his teens with the musical group Hui ‘Ohana which produced 14 best-selling albums and became a key figure in the resurgence of traditional Hawaiian culture and music during the 1970s. Launching a solo career in 1983, Kaapana has continued to garner acclaim for his improvisational melodies and falsetto vocals. Recognition by his peers earned Led four Grammy nominations in his own right and three wins on slack key compilations. He has won multiple N? H?k? Hanohano(Hawai‘i’s “Grammy”) awards, including Favorite Entertainer of the Year in 2009.www.ledkaapana.com
Biographical information is taken from the press release prepared by Pasifika Artists Network LLC. More about each artist may be found on his website.
Masters of Hawaiian Music:
George Kahumoku Jr,
Led Kaapana,
“Uncle” Richard Ho‘opi‘i
coming to Seldovia with much Aloha and fun.
September 23
Bring your family to this community event at
Susan B. English School
Alaskan/Hawaiian Potluck at 6:30 P.M.
Special performance at 7:30 P.M.
Tickets: $15.00 for adults, $8.00 for children and $35.00 For families.
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