newsminer.com

DENALI PARK -- The Clear Sky Sportsmen’s Club desperately needs $30,000 to buy the nine acres of land that has been the longtime home to its clubhouse and trap range.

That price tag might as well be $100,000 because the actual amount is far out of reach for club members.

For years, the club house/trap range sat on land owned by longtime, original member Bruce Harden. Harden died in an airplane accident in June. No provisions were made to ensure the Sportmen’s Club always could use the property, and now it is for sale. It is located adjacent to the Clear Sky Lodge on the Parks Highway.

President Paul Van Dyke is asking club members for ideas on how to raise the money. It will be the main topic of the Oct. 8 meeting at the Rochester’s Lodge at 7 p.m. If you can’t attend the meeting, send your ideas to clearsportsmen@yahoo.com.

“We have well over 100 members,” Van Dyke said. “With that many good people thinking about this problem, we should be able to come up with a solution. If we are willing to work together, we can save the Clear Sky Sportsmen’s Club so it can continue to be enjoyed by future generations.”

Silk journey

World-class silk artist Karen Selk invites everyone to participate in the lives, hardships and joys of cloth artisans from Asia in a special presentation at 7:30 tonight at the McKinley Village Community Center.

The journey takes place through an extravaganza of visual images, handcrafted cloth, tales of silkworm rearing, yarn making, dyeing and weaving techniques. Gain insight into cultural traditions and sustainable cottage industry development in villages throughout China, Laos and India.

A $5 donation is suggested to help cover expenses. For more information, call 683-5050 or e-mail arctic.spinner@yahoo.com.

Manager of the year

Sarah Rash has been named manager of the year for Denali Park Resorts this year.

A lot of people in this area see her regularly but probably have no idea who she is or what she does. Sarah is truly one of those quiet leaders we always read about in books. She regularly attends community events throughout the borough, but she is quiet and unassuming.

Yet when she sees someone who needs help or recognition, she doesn’t hesitate to step forward. She attended a special workshop at Tri-Valley School in February to watch how a group of performers work with students. When she noticed one student going out of her way to help other youths, Rash let school administrators know. It is particularly noteworthy when community members point out good works, so that child received a special letter of recognition.

“Her easy manner and sincere interest in people made me want to go to the ends of the earth for her,” wrote one manager who trained under her. She described Sarah as patient and a wonderful teacher.

And yes, she lives here yearround.

Congratulations, Sarah.

Welcome, Aliana Thomas

Welcome, Aliana Katharine Thomas, who made a surprise appearance Saturday morning, two and a half weeks early. Parents Katie and Brian Thomas and older brother Carson happily added the little girl to their family.

One candidate files

The clock is ticking, and so far no one is applying to run for the Denali Borough School Board and only one person has filed to run for the Denali Borough Assembly.

As of Tuesday, Robert Kohlsdorf is the only candidate to file a packet, which includes a list of signatures from registered voters supporting the candidate and a financial disclosure form. Packets are available on the Denali Borough Web site.

The deadline is Thursday.

If no one files for seats, the election will be write-in only.

School board seats up for re-election include those held by Billy Graham, Cyrus Cooper, Brad Fabrizio and two empty seats from the north district. Borough Assembly seats up for election include Clay Walker, Baxter Mercer, Robert Kohlsdorf and one empty seat for the north district.

There are no seats open in Cantwell, so the Cantwell precinct will be closed.

Census workers needed

The Census Bureau is looking for census takers for the area from Carlo Creek to Windy Bridge, north of the Nenana River Canyon, beginning in January 2010. Pay is $25 per hour. Census officials will arrange a future time to meet job applicants at the borough office and answer questions.

Chamber mixer

There’s a new board of directors, new Web design and new goals for the Denali Chamber of Commerce.

Come to the Chamber Fall Mixer from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Chamber building. Meet the new board, hear its ideas, direction and goals, see the new Web design, share your own thoughts and meet new businesses.

Everyone is welcome to attend — business owners and community members.

There will be door prizes and complimentary beverages and hors d’oeuvres.

Kris Capps is a freelance writer. Her column appears weekly in the News-Miner. Contact her at kcapps@mtaonline.com.