State of Alaska
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Avalanche Closure Notification
Thursday February 28, 2013
There will be intermittent closures today on the Seward Highway for avalanche hazard reduction work between Girdwood and Bird (mileposts 99-90). Motorists should expect delays of up to 45 minutes between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
Updates will be posted on the 511 system. http://511.alaska.gov/
Sue Lang of Seward leads a training session about water safety information booths, during the Coast Guard Auxiliary summit held Feb. 22-24 in Anchorage. Lang, state chair for National Safe Boating Week, was named Alaska 2012 Auxiliarist of the year. The Auxiliary is the Coast Guard’s uniformed, volunteer civilian component, with more than 39,000 members nationwide. They donate thousands of hours each year in a range of missions including public education, vessel safety checks, pollution response, and search and rescue. Photo by Auxiliarist Drew Herman.From runnersworld.com
For the past 16 years Tom Walsh has spent every Independence Day on a mountaintop above Seward, Alaska, tallying the agony.
Walsh is the lead midcourse timekeeper for the Mount Marathon Race, the second-oldest mountain footrace in the world and, after the Iditarod sled-dog race, the most famous race in the 49th State.
Contrary to its name, the Mount Marathon Race isn’t a legend for how far it stretches through the vastness of Alaska, but rather for how much unpleasantness it crams into so small a package. Starting in downtown Seward, racers run a half-mile to the foot of Mount Marathon, then scrabble about 2,900 vertical feet straight up cliffs and mud and shale before finally staggering to Race Point. There, Walsh and others note their time and bib number, hand them water, and send them hurtling back downhill in what more resembles free-fall than running—over snowfields and rock fields and waterfalls and crags—until they reach the finish line back on the streets of Seward.
All of this occurs in 3.1 to 3.5 miles, depending on your route, and on trails so close to town that spectators waiting at the finish line can follow nearly every tortured step high on the mountain. By yardstick the contest is briefer than a postwork jog around Central Park. By every other count—sheer adrenaline, lung-bleeding exhaustion, potential for disaster per mile—there may be no other run like it in the world. Blood flows freely. Bones break frequently—arms, shoulders, cheekbones, legs. Sometimes, worse happens. The race has been run 85 times, and it is wildly popular. As an isolated people who long ago learned to make their own fun, Alaskans will tell you without much hyperbole that Mount Marathon is their Olympics.
Independence Day under the undying Arctic sun can be warm and lingering and nectarine-sweet. Last July 4 wasn’t one of those days. By afternoon the weather was as bad as Walsh could ever recall—windy and rainy, high 40s. He and coworkers had been on the mountain since morning, first to work the women’s race, then the men’s race that began at three o’clock.
A bit after five o’clock a longtime racer straggled to Race Point, a false summit marked by a large rock. The racer said he was the last guy. Walsh and his shivering comrades waited about 45 more minutes, then headed down the empty peak.
The Mount Marathon course roughly describes a treble clef—runners don’t descend the same route they ascend—and as Walsh hiked down that afternoon, he saw another man slowly climbing, about 100 yards away, and dressed lightly as racers do, in black shorts, black T-shirt, black headband. It was more than two hours since the winner had broken the tape down in town. “How far am I from the top?” the racer called out.
“About 200 feet,” Walsh yelled back.
Dear Arts Council Members and Lovers of the Arts:
Seward Arts Council’s Port City Players are currently putting on the play “Duck Hunter Shoots Angel” a must see that combines tabloid journalism with the wit and thought provoking messages of Mitch Albom (Remember Tuesdays with Morrie?) Don’t miss this performance Feb 21st thru 24th and Feb28-Mar. 2nd at 7pm at the Seward High School. Current members get in for $10, $15 for general admission.
Have you filed for your PFD yet? If you’d like to further support the arts in Seward we are just a Pick Click Give away!
Finally, we would like to announce that we are searching for a web master who would like to join our board of directors. We have a website up we just need a tech minded sort who would like to help keep it populated and announcing all of the important things we have to announce. If you are interested please respond to this e-mail address. This is a volunteer position and requires attendance at monthly meetings and a few spare hours each month to devote to the web.
The Seward Tsunami Swim Club is anticipating its annual fund raiser, The Swim a Thon on March 29, 2013. On Feb 28 the club will “ KICK OFF” the event. Swimmers will be armed with pledge forms and enthusiam to begin canvassing the community for support, either in the form of a pledge per length, or a donation. Seward Tsunami Swim Club (STSC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation run by an all-volunteer board with the help of many parent volunteers and the support of our high school pool and staff. STSC is open to children from kindergarten through 12th grade, is affiliated with Alaska Swimming and USA Swimming, and has been providing a positive after-school competitive swim experience for the youth of Seward and Moose Pass since 1988.
Our swimmers learn the fundamentals of both recreational and competitive swimming in a way that promotes confidence and self-esteem. They also gain valuable experience in developing life skills such as self-discipline, goal setting, and being a positive team member. Club members practice daily after school and attend at least one meet a month. STSC also sponsors The Candy Cane Splash – our annual home meet which is attended by over 90 swimmers from area swim teams.
Our club has seen tremendous growth in the last few years. This year we have 53 registered swimmers in ages ranging from 6 to 17. Our club proudly represents Seward in peninsula meets as well as championship meets in a variety of locations in Alaska and the lower 48.
The Seward Tsunami Swim Club funds this positive youth opportunity through monthly club dues, meet fees, and our spring Swim-a-thon. We have been able to offer season scholarships to swimmers and keep our monthly dues affordable through fundraising and the generous support of the community. The club also purchases needed training/pool equipment with these funds.
So…. Fund raising will start February 28th. The Swim a Thon will take place March 29. Please be prepared to sponsor one of our swimmers when they call on you, or consider making a donation directly to the club.
Please make your tax deductible checks out to “Seward Tsunami Swim Club” at the above address. If you have questions about our club, please call Peggy Hamner 362-6034
Thank you for taking an active interest in giving the youth of the Seward area an opportunity to develop physical conditioning and self-confidence needed to attain future life goals.
Sincerely,
Peggy Hamner, President
Seward Prevention Coalition is a group of community volunteers from a variety of backgrounds advocating wellness and positive change in Seward. The Coalition was formed in 2005 and now consists of over 40 members from 18 different organizations in Seward and the surrounding area. The mission of the Seward Prevention Coalition is “Partnering to promote all dimensions of wellness through education, advocacy and support.”
Through community interviews and assessments, Seward Prevention Coalition has identified that:
· Seward has a culture of acceptance of underage drinking and drug use.
· Seward has a culture of acceptance of unhealthy drinking and drug use and modeling irresponsible behavior to our youth.
Seward Prevention Coalition is in the process of assimilating the projects and ideas from the January 24th Town Hall Meeting….stay tuned and if you are interested in joining the Coalition or helping with projects on prevention of underage drinking/drug use, please email Joanie at : prevention@seaviewseward.org
Here’s what other Alaskans are doing to prevent underage drinking and drug use:
Port City Players of the Seward Arts Council is going into final rehearsals for “Duck Hunter Shoots Angel”. Opening night is Friday,Feb 15 7pm at the high school theater. It is a comedy with a message. Doug Capra is directing, and that assures its success. The producer is Linnea Hollingsworth. Lighting is by David Endresen. He also designed the set. Fred Moore was the carpenter. Dot
Good day readers of Seward City News. I have been enjoying the new site theme and have been working too tighten the options so as to present the most recent information on the site in a coherent way. When I work on the theme options, the site offers two buttons at the bottom of each page, one is Save Changes and the other is Reset All Options. At some point last night I must have pushed the button Reset All Options. This is why the site looked so different this morning, it had reverted to it’s original, showy theme with all of the options we might use if this site were NYT.Com. I have readjusted the options to show the site as it has been but these things take some time to reset on individual computers.
This was my mistake and I apologize to our readers. I’ll continue to work at getting things back to normal. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Paul Tougas
Owner/Manager SewardCityNews.com
907 491 0008
Great team work last evening with the snow machine accident at Lost Lake. The team made if back out about 10:30 last night and delivered the patient to the Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Nice work.
A Memorial Fund has been set up at the First National Bank in honor of Doug Fletcher to help the family with the expenses of this untimely accident – Any and all contributions will be appreciated and should be made to the “D. F. Memorial Fund.” A memorial service will be held at the First Methodist Church on Thursday.
Iris Darling
Greetings Neighbors,
Attached is my latest newsletter. (Newsletter 2013.01.29.pdf) It provides an update on the first few weeks of session. I will be sending out regular newsletters during this session and holding several town hall meetings. I look forward to keeping you informed and hearing your thoughts, concerns, and ideas.
Thank you,
Cathy
Senator Cathy Giessel
Senate District N (House Districts 27 & 28)
Chair Senate Resources Committee
Session contact:
State Capitol, Room 427, Juneau, AK 99801
Office 907 465 4843
Toll free 800 892 4843
1:06pm Small rolling earthquake felt in Seward
1:55pm Update from http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/seis/recenteqs/index.html
51 miles (81 km) NNW of Seward
Our reservation desk is open daily 7:00 am to 10:00 pm
Life of Pi
Saturday Dec. 22nd
1:00 matinee 7:00 evening
Merry Christmas
From Carol A. Lindsey Harbor Enterprises Inc.
Start the new year with compassion and generosity by supporting your local pet advocacy nonprofit, SOS Pets based in Seward through the PFD Pick. Click. Give. program. Application period is January 1 and March 31, 2013. SOS Pets strives to promote responsible pet care. Spaying or neutering your pet is the most effective and inexpensive way to reduce pet suffering. We provide reduced cost vouchers worth $30 to community members.
