Cooper Landing News:

Annual Community Library Celebration

By Mona Painter

Mona Painter/Turnagain Times
Janice Cooper, Katie Green, J.B. Weber and Phil Weber at work during the Cooper Landing Community Library Sweepstakes gala on Nov. 3 in the community hall. Phil Weber was master of ceremonies
Turnagain Times Cooper Landing Correspondent


Phil Weber, master of ceremonies, kept things moving at the annual Cooper Landing Community Library Sweepstakes party Nov. 3. Head Librarian Brearley “Bee” Wilson planned the much looked forward to event with Katie Green and others on the library staff. Arden Ranken Holbrook with help from Laura Paulding prepared and served the lavish refreshments which included a huge display of fruit cascading down several levels.
Terri Orr wrote names on the scoreboard while Katie Green wrote checks for the winners and Janice Cooper kept track of the whole business. Several of the 80-plus guests were asked to draw tickets from the big cage including Anna Wheeler, Jean Romig, and Linda Gephardt. The five top winners were Darwin and Geneese Peterson $275, Barry Wilson $300, Carol Galbraith memorial $700, Ken Hammock $1000, and George Heim who won the big $2000 prize. Gary Galbraith donated the Carol Galbraith memorial to the library. Carol started the library 25 years ago.
The Cooper Landing Historical Society and Museum raffle was held during the midway intermission of the library sweepstakes. CLHS Vice President Mike Gephardt drew the winning tickets. Sue Simpson won the king-size flannel quilt made by the local Cooper Landing Quilters under the direction of Alma Fowler. Bee Wilson won the Alaska Wildland Adventures raft trip for two on the Kenai River. CLHS netted over $2000 from the raffle.
Everyone I talked to had a great time at the library sweepstakes party citing good food, suspense, and lots of fun even for those who didn’t win a prize.
Residents of Eagles View Senior Independent Housing and other seniors put on a Halloween party Oct. 26 for all seniors and little kids. Some came in costume and all had a good time from decorating the common room with items they made to enjoying each others company and the festive treats at the get-together.
The Cooper Landing Community Club meeting Nov. 1, and the Cooper Landing Advisory Planning Commission meeting Nov. 7 apparently didn’t offer the right kind of inducement after all the partying since neither had a quorum and no business was conducted.
The new cast iron wood stove will get a test run when the museum is opened Nov. 13 for the meeting regarding our local bears. From Bobbi Jo Skibo: “In light of recent and ongoing bear related issues in Cooper Landing, a group of residents are hosting a meeting to discuss opportunities and needs to keep our community safe and bears away from food sources like garbage, chest freezers, smokers, livestock, etc. We hope both residents and businesses will attend.” Brown bears looking for food recently tried Peterson’s basement at one end of the community, and visited Betty Fuller at the other end, making stops between to demolish Nick LeMieux’s crabapple tree, and the Ohnemus mountain ash. Fortunately the bear didn’t come upstairs where the Peterson’s were sleeping.
The annual museum Christmas open house will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 1 and 2 with refreshments, items to buy, a decorated tree for photo ops, and a silent auction on the Christmas quilt made and donated by Jan Mitchell and Linda Gephardt.