newsminer.com

DENALI PARK -- Twenty-five years from now, in the year 2034, residents will dig up a time capsule buried at the new McKinley Village Playground.

“We chose this date since the original playground was built roughly 25 years ago — and it may be time for an upgrade again by 2034,” wrote organizers Martha and David Tomeo in an e-mail to neighbors.

Lest anyone forget, instructions have been left with the McKinley Community Club, which manages the playground and the Denali Borough office.

I won’t tell you exactly where it is buried, but items are sealed in an old bear-resistant food container, which should protect it from the elements for the next 25 years.

Included in the special stash are a Sept. 6, 2009, edition of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, a McKinley Playground T-shirt from the Moose Scat Scoot Fun Run, a map and brochure of Denali National Park, a Denali Borough pin and the approved borough matching grant application that helped fund the project, Alaska’s state quarter and other items.

Local youngsters included photos and notes that will be fun to look at in 25 years.

NHL hockey sticks

Last summer, NHL player Scott Gomez hosted an impromptu visit with a handful of student hockey players while vacationing in the Denali area.

Jason Motyka, one of the Denali Park Salmon Bake owners, arranged the visit between teens and Gomez, his childhood friend.

Gomez graciously chatted with young players, primarily members of Healy Hockey’s Bantam Team, signed T-shirts, and promised to send them all hockey sticks.

The hockey sticks arrived last week — along with several boxes of additional hockey sticks. Most of them are sticks used by professional players with their names embossed on the handles.

Healy Hockey will sell those sticks as a fundraiser at the Healy Christmas Bazaar on Dec. 5 at the Tri-Valley Community Center. Actual retail price is generally about $300, but Healy Hockey will be asking much less.

The fundraiser is expected to financially help the after school program that serves about 60 student and 20 adult players. Healy Hockey also teaches ice skating skills to non-hockey players of all ages.

Last live music

A summer filled with live music will come to an end at the Denali Park Salmon Bake this weekend when Salty Gravy plays bluegrass on Friday and Fairbanks’ own Sweating Honey plays on Saturday.

“Closing night is always our biggest night of the year,” owner Dave Coleman said.

It might be hard to top last weekend’s sold-out Keller Williams performance. People were scalping tickets in the parking lot for his one-night performance. There were even fans who followed Williams from Anchorage to Denali and Fairbanks the following night.

Watch for a separate story on that night of music at Denali on Friday which began with famous opera tenor David Cangelosi singing for more than 200 people at the Denali Princess Resort and ended with one-man-jam-band Williams playing for 300 people across the street at the salmon bake.

Neighbor-to-neighbor

Denali Princess Resort will host its third annual rummage sale on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Princess Homestead in Healy. About $1,700 has been raised in the past two years for the local nonprofit agency that helps borough residents in need throughout the year.

Pre-school donation

Princess employees’ annual Bachelor/Bachelorette auction raised $1,782 for the Denali Preschool and Learning Center — $500 more than last year. Princess employees also helped this year with service projects at Otto Lake and the cemetery.

“We have a great community of volunteers here,” said manager Susannah Whitaker.

Service project

The Relief Society and Young Women of the Denali Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are working to help both the Fairbanks area women and childrens’ shelter and the rescue mission.

They will knit/crochet and sew fleece hats, mittens and neck gaiters tonight from 6-7:30. On Sept. 23, they’ll sew canvas bags. Both sessions will take place at the chapel in Healy.

Donations of yarn, fleece, or heavy fabric are needed. Look for donation boxes at local post offices. Tax deductible cash donations also are accepted.

For more information call Karen Martin 683-1975, Jessie Clark 687-6641 or Catina Nichols 768-2345.

John Grys memorial

A memorial service for longtime Healy resident John Grys will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Catholic Church in Healy. Graveside service will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the Valley View Cemetery. Friends and neighbors are invited to a reception at the Tri-Valley Community Center at 3:30 p.m. Bring a story to share. John Grys and his wife, Louise, were longtime residents of Healy before moving to Fairbanks and he was an integral part of this community.

In memoriam

Sometimes people don’t have to live long to make a big difference.

That was the case with Susan Herman, who was lead instructor for the 2008-2009 Leadership Fairbanks class, through the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce. I was lucky enough to participate in this program and to spend time with Herman.

I probably only spent a total of about six days with her during our one-day-a-month sessions. After falling ill, she had to leave for medical care, but she made it back for our graduation day last spring.

Herman was an inspiring teacher, someone who could communicate her thoughts with just a look, whether it was lifting an eyebrow to hammer home a point, or lowering her chin and lifting of both eyebrows, which told me I better get that homework done.

When she heard about a high school project at Tri-Valley School that needed business expertise, she promptly arranged for Healy students to meet with experts in her department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I have a souvenir “UAF School of Management” pin that she handed out to the high school students that day. I keep it on my desk and think of her every time I look at it. That project will result in important real-life information for our borough, and she knew how important it was for students to understand how to get that information accurately.

I am envious of all the people who knew her longer than me. But I’m grateful for the short friendship we shared.

She taught me that one person can make a lasting difference in the life of another and that anything is possible.

A memorial is planned for her at UAF’s Wood Center on Friday at 4 p.m.

Kris Capps is a freelance writer. Contact her at kcapps@mtaonline.com.