Photo courtesy of Carrie Williams
Recycling aluminum is a program provided by Green Star of Soldotna.
By Susanna LaRock
Turnagain Times
Cooper Landing Correspondent
Cooper Landing School pulls its weight at the Great Aluminum Can Round Up
Carrie and John Williams made a delivery of 388 pounds of aluminum cans to the Central Peninsula Landfill in Soldotna early in the morning on Sunday, April 29. One might ask, why would a couple want to spend a Sunday morning back hauling recyclables? But for Carrie and John Williams, backhauling recyclables is a way of life.
Ever since Carrie started the Cooper Landing Recycle Center in 2006 as part of her AmeriCorps job, she and her husband have worked tirelessly at the volunteer-run recycle center making sure that all of Cooper Landing’s recyclables get into the right hands.
When Carrie heard about the Great Aluminum Can Round Up and the opportunity for Cooper Landing School to make money by recycling cans, she signed the school up and has been signing Cooper Landing School up for the contest every year.
In the contest, schools all over the Peninsula compete to deliver the most aluminum cans on weigh in dates throughout the year.
There are divisions for large medium and small schools. Each school earns a certain amount of money per pound delivered, and schools delivering the most poundage in their division get a bonus amount added to the money from the aluminum. Last year Cooper Landing School won the contest in the Small School Division and received over three hundred dollars for aluminum delivered and winning the contest.
It looks like Cooper Landing School may be a front-runner again this year, thanks to all of the community members who have recycled their aluminum cans, and thanks to Carrie and John Williams who spend their Sunday mornings backhauling recyclables.
Cooper Landing Mobile Health Clinic Re-Opening for the Season
Cooper Landing Mobile Health Clinic is having its grand opening Tuesday, May 1. There will be a meet and greet with the new Nurse Practitioner Kelly McNatt and her staff.
After May 1, the clinic will be open every Tuesday, providing medical care, which is accessible to everyone, even those without health insurance.
The Cooper Landing Mobile Health Clinic is located behind the Wildman’s RV Park at Milepost 47.5 and all are welcome to call (907) 595-3334 for medical appointments.
Bring the Pledging Back to the Snail-a-Thon
The Snail-a-Thon is a time-honored event that has been happening in Cooper Landing since 1980. It is a five-mile walk/run/bike race that the whole community participates in on the third Saturday in May. In the early years of the event, Cooper Landing School students would go from door to door soliciting dollar pledges for each mile that they completed of the Snail-a-Thon.
The money collected by the students would go to the Community Club as the Snail-A-Thon was a fundraiser for the Community Club. Over the years this tradition has faded, but this year the Parent Advisory Committee and the students of Cooper Landing School are bringing it back.
The Cooper Landing School students will be asking for pledges from members of the community during the first couple of weeks of May. The proceeds will go to the Cooper Landing Community Club for Building Maintenance of the Community Hall. Please be sure to support this fundraiser and the children’s efforts to raise funds for a local non-profit organization.
2nd Annual Cooper Landing Amateur Film Festival
The 2nd Annual Cooper Landing Amateur Film Festival will be taking place Friday, May 4 from 7-10 p.m. at the Cooper Landing Community Hall. There will be several amateur films screened for the viewing pleasure of the public.
Last year’s films included an instructional video on blacksmithing, some fishing, ice skating, and skiing videos, and a couple of very entertaining short stories. Who knows what this year has in store, but it promises to be a night of fun filled film viewing.
Pancake Feed
Cooper Landing Senior Citizens will be putting on a pancake feed Saturday May 5 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Cooper Landing Community Hall. Each breakfast will cost $9 and will include as many sourdough, buttermilk, or potato pancakes as you can eat plus a side of sausage and some orange juice and coffee.
All proceeds will benefit the Senior’s Bus Garage finish work. The pancakes are delicious and the folks serving them up are friendly.
Community Garden Meeting May 10
Spring is in the air and it’s time to start thinking about gardening. Jean Parsons, the new Community Garden Coordinator, will be hosting an organizational meeting Thursday May 10 at 3 p.m. at Raven’s View Senior Housing Commons Room.
If you have had a garden bed at the Community Garden in the past and would like to have it again this season, or if you have not had a bed in the past, but would like to have one this season, this meeting is a great time to put your name in. Garden beds cost $20 for the season.
Those planning to attend the meeting should bring gardening gloves and come prepared to pull weeds and neaten up the garden area.
Looking for a Few Good Volunteers to Help With Community Hall Clean Up
Have you attended events at the Community Hall, like the Softball Tournament, Film Festival, Pancake Feeds or Meetings? Have you wondered, how can I do my part to make sure that this building is useable for years to come? Well now is your chance.
The annual spring-cleaning of the Community Hall is coming up Saturday, May 12, and every hand helps. Please get a hold of Deb Carlson at debrahc@mac.com or 907-242-0088 to sign up for a cleanup duty that suits you. Remember, everyone likes a party, but no one likes to clean.
If everyone comes together to clean up it can be more like a party, join your community in this fun cleaning day.
