Tag: Seldovia
Congratulations to Jack and Shirley Nall
by Shirley Nall
Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Jack Marshall Nall
Laura’s First Impressions of Seldovia
by Laura Haskins
Coming into the Seldovia harbor the other day, I must admit, I was a bit anxious. Alan and I were very excited when he was offered the principal position, but he had been to town several times before and knew where we were going. And while I love a good adventure, I felt a bit blind coming across the bay that day.
I knew I would find a quaint fishing town nestled among some of Alaska’s most beautiful mountain scenery. I had seen pictures, after all, and Alan had been talking it up for years. But the heart and soul of a community is its people. Individuals create a collective character and give a place its personality and ambiance. I had heard wonderful reports of the “friendly, easy-going folks” who lived here but still I wondered; what would I find?
Well, I believe in first impressions and, Seldovia, you make a great one! I was overwhelmed by the charm of your boardwalks and the majesty of your landscape. Pictures can never really do justice to such an impressive panorama. But I was equally moved by the individuals I met – friendly and easy-going for sure, but also, genuine and sincere. You made us feel welcomed and at ease in such a short visit. We enjoyed walking around town and meeting folks as they worked in their yard and it was great visiting with you at church and at the dessert potluck. Thank you especially to Paul and Jenny Chissus and to Doug, Kathy, Les and Shirley Giles for your gracious hospitality.
Alan and I have said many times we could live anywhere as long as there were good people, and we’ve found good people everywhere we’ve lived. Seldovia is no exception! I’m still anxious about moving but this time it’s not because I’m blind. Now I can’t wait to come to town and really get to know the great people who make Seldovia home!
Editor’s note: Alan will be our new principal at Susan B English school this upcoming year. It was a total pleasure meeting both Laura and Alan on their first visit to Seldovia together! They are a very nice couple, authentic folks, interested in Seldovia and her people, and I am sure they will be a great addition to Seldovia and our school! They made a great first impression on us too! 🙂
First “Annual” Recycle Fashion Show
by Jenny Chissus
Wow, what a great show! I knew when I first read about this unusual fashion show idea – that it would be spectacular! This event would be the perfect opportunity for a few local artists/fashionistas to show off their talents in creative ways we could never imagine! From garbage bags, duct tape, foam and 5 hour energy bottles, to magazine pages, yarn, Grunden scraps, envelopes, dryer sheets and feed bags, there was a lot of waste put to amazingly good use!
With so much variety and obvious creative talent, it was a difficult fashion show to judge. Vivian, Suzie and Valisa were there, taking notes furiously as the gals took to the catwalk and about 35 folks enjoyed the show!
There were 4 categories:
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Models (in order of appearance): Tiffany, Ariana, Heli, Gwyn, Ashante, Andria, Sirena, Axenia, Heidi, Joy, Ariana & Sugar, Amanda and Lisa!
Fashion Designers: Tiffany, Amelia, Liza, Gwyn, Ila, Chaz, Amanda and Lisa
This was a benefit and fund raiser for the annual Fine Arts Camp that is coming up in July. Your support at this event and donations at any time are appreciated and welcome!
The Fine Arts Camp will be offering a daily schedule from campers 3-6, ages 7-11 and 12-18 as well as offerings for adults to enjoy! Everything from gymnastics, dance and circus activities, to chimes, story time, art and singing for the younger campers to Native American flute, Beg Fiddle, theater games, percussion – there will truly be a wide variety of activities to enjoy and learn during the week long course. Keep an eye out for the official flier – coming soon!
“En Plein Air” Weekend Event and Auction
The Seldovia Arts Council wishes to invite “En Plein Air” artists to discover our gorgeous corner of Alaska. We would love to have artists of every talent, both hobbyists and professionals, join the fine arts portion of our Solstice celebrations which will occur June 19th – June 22nd, 2014.
This is our 13th annual Summer Solstice Music Festival starting with musicians performing aboard the MV Tustumena Ferry during the trip from Homer to Seldovia on Thursday, June 19th. The Seldovia Arts Council sponsors workshops during the days of Friday, June 20th, and Saturday, June 21st with wonderful evening performances to follow on each of those dates. When the participating painters are not busy creating their own works of art, they can come enjoy the music.
“En Plein Air” artists will be surprised and inspired at every turn in and around Seldovia. Our sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking, whether viewed across the bay, over the surrounding mountains, or from the beaches. There are fascinating vistas of the small boat harbor, the old boardwalk, the bridge and slough, Main Street, and Inside and Outside Beaches, all within easy walking distance. Locations for joyful work are endless.
All artists are asked to bring their own supplies and easels.
There will be a brief welcoming meeting between 9:00AM and 9:30AM on Friday June 20th with maps available of town and surrounds for your assistance. We will end with a silent auction on Sunday, June 22nd starting at 11:00AM -12:45PM with Susan Mumma officiating. Snacks and coffee will be available. The public viewing space at Central Park, located in the heart of town, will be where all can view the artist’s work and where the auction will take place. In preparation for the auction each artist will be provided a numbered page on which to place the title of their work and the artist’s required minimum bid.
We hope that all artists will consider this invitation to be open, not only Solstice weekend, but all through the summer. The natural beauty will remain the same, and artists will be able to sell their work as they see fit.
Seldovia has a nice RV park and beautiful camping sites on Outside Beach, each with lavatory facilities.
For your planning and comfort, the following is information regarding lodging and availability of food:
Lodging: www.SeldoviaChamber.org or Seldovia.com/stay/lodging
Restaurants and Groceries: Seldovia.com/to-do/restaurants-and-groceries/
Souleymane’s Seldovia Goodbye
by Jenny Chissus
It has been a crazy year of changes for Souleymane Sidibe – who came to Seldovia on September 1, 2013 to attend Susan B English as a Junior. Souleymane was the second exchange student being hosted by the Haller family for the 2013-2014 school year.
He came to us from Bamako, the capital of Mali, with the YES Exchange Program and was selected as one of only 9 students from his country! His brother’s friend participated in the program before and thought Souleymane had strong english skills and would be a good candidate for the program. Once he was selected, the YES program looked for host families – and initially, he was going to be in Oregon, but somehow, thankfully for us, he was switched to come to Alaska!
When he found out he was going to come to Alaska, he looked on Google Maps online and saw it was all white, and he said “I knew it was going to be cold, when all I saw was white and mountains. I didn’t want to go there! I was scared of the cold, but after I got here, I understood and it wasn’t that bad, in fact I liked it, and I got used to it!” The idea of Alaska was totally new, and he didn’t know anyone who has been here before. He mentioned that most students select California or big cities in the lower 48. “I think that I was lucky to come here, and experience Alaska!”
What will he miss the most? “I will miss my family here in Seldovia, and high school basketball.” The main highlight was having a great host family! He mentioned that it was a lot like home, as he has 2 brothers and 1 sister and his cousins also live next door, so there is always a lot going on in the family home – so he fit right in with the Haller family. The other highlight for Souleymane on this trip was playing on the basketball team. They don’t have school sports in Mali like here, all the sports are played in clubs after school, so they don’t have the same team spirit that he enjoyed in Seldovia. He also broke his leg in 2013, so he hadn’t played at the high school level before, so that was a challenge he enjoyed.
What he appreciated most about Seldovia was the small community, and the genuine support and help they offer one another. It reminded him of home, and his circle of friends and family. It was surprising to him to see such acceptance and interest folks had in him from the start. He always felt comfortable and part of the community from the very beginning. He was very thankful for that! He enjoyed the community spirit, doing things together, all the support for the SBE teams and the school or other activities. “I don’t think you would find such a close community in a big city like Anchorage.”
What do you miss the most about Mali? “I miss the heat. It wasn’t too bad here though, they say it was a mild winter, so I’m happy about that!” Another thing that was a big adjustment for Souleymane was the school schedule. In Mali, they study every subject, every year of high school! So, in order to cover all the subjects, each day of the week is different. Here, you have 6 classes a day – and it is the same all semester. In Mali, you have a different schedule each day of the week – but you take all the same subjects every year – they just get harder as you get older!
Who would you like to thank or do you have any other things you’d like to say? “I want to thank my host family, to the community of Seldovia for accepting me, to my team mates and my friends and my teachers. Especially Ms Sensenig who helped me a lot in getting the application to go to the special program in Washington DC – I couldn’t have done it without her – she helped me a lot.”
Do you think you will come back to the US, and to Alaska? “I want to go to college in the US. I know Alaska, and I like it here, so I would like to come back. If I get a scholarship for another state, I would consider that too.” He is planning to study economics at the university level, and was disappointed that we are going to have Economics at SBE next year – as he will miss it!
Souleymane leaves Seldovia on Tuesday the 17th (tomorrow) for Mali, so Tonight, June 16th at 5:30pm – in Grand Haller style – there will be a Bon Voyage Potluck for Souleymane at the Sea Otter Community Center! Please join us to celebrate a great year, and give him a great sendoff, Seldovia Style! (Which means lots of great food, fun and laughter – and perhaps a few tears in this situation!)
Seldovia Time
