Items of Interest

by Bonnie Kenyon

Pat Proden: Rick and I were pleasantly surprised to meet Pat on the road the other day while we were covering a local race. Pat wasn’t running in the event but he was getting a bit of exercise on his bicycle. This was my second occasion to visit with Pat this summer. Earlier in the season, he had dropped by the cabin to say hello. Rick was out and about but my mom and I invited Pat in so we could catch up on his activities.

Many of Pat’s “activities” take him out of our neck of the woods, and I mean way out! He is Director of the Peace Corp in Tanzania with approximately 110 volunteers under his oversight. He is primarily responsible for the Corps’ health, environment, and education programs. Some of you will remember Jay Bitely who spent the winter in our town last year. Pat got to know him while Jay served as a peace corp volunteer math teacher in Tanzania.

At the present time, Pat is on home leave and in-between tours. Thirty-three months is a long time and I’d say he deserves a vacation; that is, if you call working on building and painting projects a vacation. In spite of the work, I could tell he was enjoying the labor of improving his McCarthy area property, seeing friends and visiting neighbors. I know Rick, mom and I certainly enjoyed hearing about a place far beyond the borders of Alaska. According to Pat, the Peace Corp is involved in 70 different countries and the country he has been assigned to is a great place to work, live and visit.

Welcome back to your McCarthy home base, Pat, and try to squeeze in some of that good old leisure time!

Tim Mischel: Rick and I were sorry to miss meeting Tim’s sister, Sharon Wald, when she came calling today. He and I had to run an errand and she came while we were gone. We decided to walk down to Tim’s place and see if Sharon was still in the neighborhood. Tim informed us she and son Joseph had just left the area to return to their home in Dickinson, North Dakota. This was Sharon’s second trip to McCarthy.

Tim has three sisters and one brother. Sharon, Tim’s older sister, is now an area property owner (as well as Joseph) and both are quite taken with the area, says Tim. Therefore, I am assured Sharon will return and I will eventually get to meet her face to face.

Happy Birthday, King Jim, from Princess Lindsay! That is what greeted Jim Kreblin when he got off work August 26. He probably just expected to pick up his vehicle at the Glacier View Campground and head home that evening but, instead, he was surprised by a group of approximately 18 people eagerly wishing him a happy birthday celebration. After all, 58 is nothing to sneeze about, Jim.

Birthday cakes, ice cream and lemonade and a group of excited well-wishers made the day special for Jim. Daughter Lindsay wanted to be sure “King” Jim knew how much he meant to her and his/her friends alike.

Lindsay Kreblin and Sarah Welty: It is always hard to say goodbye even if it is only temporary, but that is what we had to do concerning Lindsay and Sarah. Lindsay is attending Jackson Hole Bible College in Wyoming and Sarah is beginning her first year at Asbury College in Kentucky. Both young ladies are eager to learn valuable truths, gain new and lasting friendships and come home richer in character than when they left. Lindsay and Sarah, we send you our love and miss each of you very much! P.S. Lindsay, congratulations on winning the pie eating contest during the 4th of July festivities this year.

John and Barbara Rice: On the evening of Jim’s birthday party, Rick, mom and I also attended a dinner engagement at the Rice’s new home. Anna Wallin was also in attendance. We had a grand time visiting, inspecting John and Barbara’s new kitchen cabinets and, of course, sampling Barbara’s favorite dishes. My mom likes turnips (Rick and I aren’t normally that fond of them) and so do the Rices. Barbara had promised mom that she would make the three of them a special dish of creamed turnips. Rick and I are pretty brave and they looked delicious so we decided to at least taste them. Unfortunately for the three turnip lovers, we decided we liked them so they graciously shared them with the rest of us.

It has been a very busy summer for the Rices. Barbara managed the McCarthy Lodge gift shop and John worked in the office. They still found time to squeeze in several social events such as this particular dinner. They also played host and hostess to Barbara’s sister and husband, Sally and Chuck Yates, also of St. Louis, who drove up here specifically to see the Rices’ new McCarthy home. The Yates fit right in and made themselves at home in our town. The Sunday church dinners had an eager kitchen assistant in Sally. We were more than ready to keep her around!

Thanks for sharing your family and your home with us, John and Barbara. You both are a wonderful addition to the neighborhood.

Kelsey Smith: Kelsey and her mom, Peggy, have been the center of attention at our Friday mail days this summer season. Kelsey, 12, is turning into quite a gardener and cook with the help of her mom who is Kelsey’s most staunch supporter and teacher.

Kelsey loads up the back of her mom’s pickup truck with whatever veggies are in season from their garden on the Nizina River, a variety of canned goods such as cranapple butter and homemade ketchup and freshly-baked goods. Of course those of us who arrive to collect our Friday mail gravitate to the local “farmer’s market” (maybe we’ll get a few more farmers to contribute next year!). Some people don’t wait until they get home to sample the goods. One week Jürgen Ogrodnik sliced a plump turnip and passed it around. That didn’t take others long to see what they were missing. I doubt Kelsey returned home with any remaining turnips that day.

Congratulations, Kelsey, on contributing to the good health of our town!

George and Ted Cebula: Speaking of the mail plane.... Ted, who hails from Milwaukee, arrived on the Wednesday mail plane (September 7th) and was greeted by his brother George and dog Sophie. Both were eager to see Ted. Sophie especially likes it when Ted comes visiting because it means more walks and outdoor activity. For instance, today Ted stopped over for his morning cup of coffee and announced that he and Sophie were going to walk up to Kennicott to say hello to Terry and Dee Frady. Now that is quite a trek, I told Ted, but he assured me they would take their time and make it an enjoyable event – take a few pictures and visit with neighbors and guests along the way. Ted plans on being here for about 2 ½ weeks. Welcome back, Ted!

Don, Lynn, Sarah and Rene Welty: Don, who is usually off at hunting camp this time of year, has been enjoying the fall season at home for a change, says Lynn, and she is pleased to have him around the house. Daughter Sarah is settled in at Asbury College in Kentucky and Rene is busy working at Long Lake for the Park Service counting fish at the fish weir and helping to gather information for their research. In early October, Rene is planning to participate in a school district program called Outdoor Leadership which will take her to the state of Maine where she, and other young people, will canoe down the Allogash River and expand on their leadership skills for the future. Don and Lynn, I hope the “quiet” around the homestead won’t be too loud!

Mike Monroe: Things are “somewhat” quieter in Mike’s house at Kennicott these days. Daughter Michele and grandson Harley left for their new home in Texas but, shortly before they left, someone else came to live with Mike. Her name is Samantha (“Sam”) and she is 3 ½ months old. Sam was one of Julie Miller’s puppies that found a good home with Mike on August 12.

Mike tells me he started building his house October 1, 1976, and has been improving on it – little by little. I do believe that is the McCarthy/Kennicott “way.” Rick and I met Mike the winter of 1977 while we were living at Long Lake prior to moving to McCarthy. It certainly is great having Mike in the area full time now!

Local ladies shop and lunch: Writing about the Fradys reminded me of the shopping excursion several of us ladies made earlier in the season. It was a rather impromptu event, but it doesn’t take ladies long to gather when you mention the word “shop” and “lunch.”

July 15th was a mail day, so the plan was to meet at the mail shack and proceed from there to Fireweed Mountain Arts and Crafts – Terry and Dee’s gift shop in downtown Kennicott.

Peggy Guntis filled her truck with ladies and others made the 5-mile trip by 4 wheelers. We all met at the gift shop and spent considerable time oohing and aahing over the Fradys’ new location and the beautifully chosen gifts that filled the building. After making our purchases, we ladies walked across the street and had a delicious lunch at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Lunch was superb with a special treat from the chef on duty that day— Kennicott resident Jeannie Miller— a platter of fresh veggies and dip.

The ladies who attended the excursion were: Anna Wallin; Betty Adams and her mom Denny Vivian (visiting from Wasilla); Laurie Rowland, daughter Hannah and son Jubal; Peggy Guntis and daughter Kim (Homer); Dee Frady (we ladies managed to convince Dee Terry could handle the store while she took a ladies’ break); myself and my mom Neta Schafer (visiting from New Smyrna Beach, FL). I hope I didn’t leave someone out.

Dave and Renee Persón and family: If you are traveling from McCarthy to Kennicott these days, you cannot help but notice a new structure near the Tony Zak house. The beautifully-constructed log house belongs to the Persón family of Fairbanks. Dave (Laurie Rowland’s brother) and Renee have spent many a day visiting the McCarthy area. In fact, if you read Keith and Laurie’s article, Spring break ‘05, in the May/June issue of WSEN, you will recall Dave made the news with his snowmachine expertise.

I expect the Persóns are planning ahead for further spring breaks and we McCarthyites will see a lot more of this fun-loving family. Congratulations, Dave and Renee, on a beautiful addition to our town!

McCarthy-Kennicott Museum update: The summer season has come to a close but there is still work to be done at the museum. John Adams of McCarthy Building Services informed me that he is expecting a load of building materials from Homestead Supply of Glennallen to arrive any day now which will enable him to begin work on a new deck for the museum building. He hopes to have the work completed before winter sets in.

Meg Hunt and Ed LaChapelle: Speaking of hard work... Meg says, “I have pickled the beets and made a small batch of sauerkraut. We are eating tomatoes, but letting the sweet peppers turn red before eating them. The onions, carrots and potatoes await a later harvest. It’s always great eating this time of year, when all the hard work pays off!”

McCarthy-Kennicott Community Church welcomes Steven Austin: Guest speaker Dr. Steven Austin, PhD, geologist, gave a presentation on the eruption of Mount St. Helens during the Sunday morning service on August 21. Footage of Mount St. Helens before, during and after its 1980 eruption through aerial movies and slides embellished Dr. Austin’s lecture-style presentation that challenged conventional geology and gave significant evidence for creation versus evolution. Dr. Austin is also a contributor to the book Grand Canyon: A Different View.

Many thanks go to Paul Claus for flying Dr. Austin from Ultima Thule to McCarthy and for the words of his personal testimony to God’s grace that he freely shared with the congregation. More thanks go to Don Welty for arranging the meeting on such short notice and returning Dr. Austin to Ultima Thule.

The service was well attended and was followed by a luncheon.

Park Service opens kiosk door to local volunteers: On Friday, July 29, John Adams, Michelle Casey and Bonnie Kenyon met with Megan Brokaw, park interpreter, at the McCarthy Road Information Station at Mile 58 of the McCarthy Road to receive training on how to distribute information on visitor services and Park Service operations.

All three volunteers were asked to work at least one evening shift per week at the McCarthy Road station from the date of training through Labor Day weekend, enabling the informational kiosk to better serve the visiting public.

Wedding bells ring in Kennicott: We extend our congratulations and best wishes to Megan Brokaw and Richard Richotte and Stephanie Piekert and Aaron Miller. Both couples are celebrating their wedding vows in separate ceremonies in Kennicott—Megan and Richard on Friday, September 9th; Stephanie Piekert and Aaron Miller, on Saturday, September 10th.

Megan and Richard are employees of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park/Preserve. Stephanie and Aaron are residents of Kennicott. Stephanie is best known locally as “Spuddy” who owns and operates the Potato. Aaron is the son of Jim and Jeannie Miller also of Kennicott.

Announcement: McCarthy Area Council’s annual meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 30, at the Blackburn Center. Jeremy Keller, president, is encouraging all members and interested parties to attend this very important meeting. It is expected that several people from D.O.T. will be on hand to address issues such as the McCarthy Creek access. Mari Montgomery, University of Alaska Lands’ Manager, is also expected to attend and address the meeting. For more information, please contact Jeremy at 554-4407 or by email: ibuild@starband.net.