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Photo courtesy of Mayme Ohnemus Will Troyer with Anne Engbers, Jacque Greenman, Mona Painter, and Ladonna Herbert after his program at the community hall featuring his new book, Bear Wrangler. |
By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times
Cooper Landing Correspondent
The crowd at the community hall was happy to rush through the Cooper Landing Historical Society meeting in order to get to Will Troyer’s recent slide program about his new book, Bear Wrangler. Will’s stories, and anecdotes had us laughing and totally absorbed as we watched pictures from his 30 years of work in Alaska for the U.S. Department of the Interior as a fish and game warden, pilot, bear biologist, and refuge manager.
Will was on the cutting edge of bear research as evidenced by the innovative way he tranquilized his first brown bear with ether and a hand-pumped bug sprayer and almost knocked himself out in the process. He was everywhere and did everything; it seems to me, when it comes to working in the natural world of Alaska fish and game. The Cooper Landing Museum is selling Bear Wrangler for $26.95. Will’s previous books are From Dawn to Dusk: Memoirs of an Amish-Mennonite Farm Boy, and Into Brown Bear Country.
Halloween fun for kids and adults
Thanks to Virginia Morgan and Mayme Ohnemus for filling me in on community events while I’m traveling in Texas. The Halloween parties at the school and Sunrise Inn sounded like some good times. Twenty-eight kids and about 30 adults partied at the school on Halloween afternoon with the kids parading in their costumes, playing games, showing off their haunted house, and enjoying treats with the older guests. Martha Brewer came with spiked hair, someone dressed as a nun, and George Anderson, Shirley Wilmoth, and Nana Sether also in costumes. Barb Atkinson was the judge at the Sunrise Inn party and Sharon Koecher won first prize as Dog, the Bounty Hunter, I heard.
Winterfest gear swap big success
The recent Cooper Landing Community School sponsored Winterfest gear swap at the school was also a big success during Saturday afternoon and they plan to make it an annual event. That evening, Mike Harpe conducted an avalanche safety seminar at the community hall, which was followed by Warren Miller’s new movie, Children of Winter. Later avalanche beacon practice was held out on the ballfield in the dark. Some 55 people from Anchorage, Girdwood, Moose Pass, and Cooper Landing came for the day’s activities.
Mayme Ohnemus hosting ice cream social
Mayme Ohnemus is sponsoring an ice cream social and game night Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. in Helen Gwin Common Room at Eagles View senior housing. It’s an adults’ party and you are asked to bring your favorite ice cream topping. Mayme’s new book, Sexy Senior Dumpster Cleaner Friends Helping Friends Favorite Recipes, can be found for sale at The Shrew’s Nest for $20, which goes to benefit the Cooper Landing Senior Citizen Corp. Inc. after expenses.
Health Fair coming up
The Community Health Fair is scheduled for Nov. 15, at the school, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Flu shots, blood tests, developmental screening, dental health screening, and more will be available. Contact Jen Belisle-Harpe at 595-3545 or on her cell phone (907) 229-3421 for more information.
Cooper Landing Community After School programs being offered
After school programs being offered are Junior Achievement for children kindergarten through the eighth grade on Mondays and Thursdays at the school at 3:30 p.m. For the younger kids, Our Community helps them appreciate the responsibilities of citizens and opportunities available in their community regarding jobs. They practice decision making skills and discuss how money is used in the community. The older kids get Economics for Success and explore personal finance and education and career opinions based on their skills, interests, and values. Introduction to Spanish is being taught with both an instructor and an online course using the computers at Cooper Landing School on Mondays and Thursdays. The online course cost is $100. Instructor cost is $5 per session.
Register for 4-H
Want to join 4-H? A meeting is scheduled in Moose Pass to include Cooper Landing on Nov. 10. Around a dozen kids have signed up already. For more information contact Yvette Galbraith at 595-6051. Leadership skills, citizenship, community involvement, and more comes from 4-H and interesting subjects from animal science, to shooting sports, to robotics, to theater arts.