newsminer.com

Boy, this is winter, huh? If it gets much colder, my pipes might freeze. And I’m not talkin’ about water pipes. Outhouse forays have been brutal this week. I know all the kids at school were hoping for a “cold day.” It has to be negative 50 at the bus barn to cancel school, and they finally got their wish on Tuesday. I’m guessing the person who set that rule grew up in a freezer. They should move the thermometer to my house and they’d never have to go to school. I’m certainly not going anywhere, thanks to a van that doesn’t like weather past 20 below.

It’s probably from Anchorage.

To my amazement, we’ve got two squirrels that seem to only come out if it’s minus 40 or colder. Don’t these guys hibernate? You can’t tell me our shop insulation isn’t keeping them warm enough. And all the sunflower seeds they eat. The other day, they knocked on the door for soup and hot cocoa.

Tuesday was officially the coldest day I’ve experienced in Alaska at 58 below. I went outside and my mittens broke. One area of our house was producing its own weather around the door. We got an inch of snow and predictions were for another 1 to 2 inches overnight.

This year, I’m thinking of getting my wood stove and honey bucket a Valentine.

Book club started at library

A new book club has been formed at the library and is meeting every third Monday of the month to discuss the group’s chosen book. The first meeting was in January, but it’s not too late to join. The group will focus on one book per month and will be choosing books by genre; one month fiction, another month humor and so on. At least 12 people have joined the group so far. Contact librarian Joyce McCombs at 895-4102 for more information. The next meeting will be Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the library.

Spaghetti feed

Next weekend’s Festival of Lights kicks off with a spaghetti feed at Delta Presbyterian/Faith Lutheran Church on Feb. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. Menu items include spaghetti, garlic toast, coleslaw, a dessert and a drink. Meal prices are $9 for ages 12 and up and $4 for 11 and under. Take-out is available. Don’t miss this great meal produced by expert homestyle cooks!

Festival of Lights events

Make plans for your road trip now! Delta Junction is celebrating winter with lots of activities for everyone on Feb. 16. Things start with a Galleria and Trade Show at the Delta High School large gym from 10 am to 4:30 p.m. Vendors will be selling crafts, food and everything in between. Live music usually occupies the entrance. Also from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., watch ice carving demonstrations by Random Acts of Art as they carve up blocks of ice in front of the visitor’s center.

At 4 p.m., the much-anticipated Polar Bear Plunge winners (or losers, depending on your point of view) take their icy dip in a tank full of cold water courtesy of the local volunteer firefighters. This is a crowd-pleaser, no doubt about it.

At 6:30 p.m., the Light up the Night Parade begins near Granite View Sports. This is a parade full of brightly lit floats, people and maybe even Bigfoot. (My potential entry.) You can still sign up to be in the parade. Just call the Delta Chamber of Commerce at 895-5068 for more information. The parade ends at the city park where the fireworks show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Finally, you can warm up inside City Hall in the old library room where steel drum band Pantheon will perform at 8 p.m.

Wow. Let’s hope the weather turns friendlier or we all grow pelts. Should be a fun weekend.

Who will take the plunge?

There are lots of nominees this year and lots of buzz about who will get to jump into the icy water for the Polar Bear Plunge next weekend. Here are the standings as of Friday:

• Gwen Leivdal, Alaskan Steakhouse, 70 votes

• Mike Paschall, Delta Wind, 23 votes

• Jon Loschiavo, Missile Defense Agency, 15 votes

• Patsy Ewing, Clearwater Lodge, 10 votes

• Col. Besch, Missile Defense Agency, six votes

• Svetlana Malyk, six votes

• Arlin Pyatt, Sawmill Creek Lodge, six votes

Folks with five or less votes include: Chris Johnson, Katrina Vecchiarelli, Youth Pastor Brian Whitson of First Baptist Church, and LTC. Hildreth of 49th Missile Defense Battalion.

Place your votes around town in the designated cans. This is going to be good! Check the Delta Wind newspaper and the Delta News Web (www.deltanewsweb.com) for voting updates.

Dance and dinner

Women’s Aglow is hosting its annual dinner and dance at the community center on Feb. 16 from 6 to 10 p.m. Titled “Fire in the Ice,” the event will feature a candlelight dinner and music by the band The Legends. Tickets are $36 per couple or $20 for singles. Contact Kathy Fields at 590-7100 for tickets or more information.

Dart tournament

The Delta Clearwater Moose Family Center is hosting a dart tournament Feb. 17 starting at noon. To sign up, contact the dart manager at 895-4300.

What happened to the grizzly bear?

When I walked into the IGA the other day, I couldn’t figure out what was different. Then it hit me — the grizzly bear is gone! The first thing you see, unless the donut case distracts you, is that giant grizzly bear. I always thought it was kinda cool to have a stuffed grizzly bear in our grocery store. How many towns have that? After a quick call, I was told the owner of the bear moved to Wasilla and the bear went with him. It is now on display in the new Sportsman’s Warehouse there.

What a bummer!

I don’t know what the owner of the IGA thinks about this, but I sure would like to see something else take the bear’s place — a moose, a bison, a giant weasel — something. That space sure doesn’t look right filled with apples and green peppers.

Hey, on second thought, maybe they could get more donuts.

Think on that.