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Mona Painter/Turnagain Times |
By Mona Painter
Turnagain Times Cooper Landing Correspondent
Mary Louise Molenda hosted Cooper Landing School’s annual St. Patrick’s fund raising dinner at Sunrise Inn on March 13 and it was a rousing success. Monies earned go toward extracurricular school activities. Principal Christine Ermold and teacher Tommy Gossard were part of the crew. Susanna LaRock photographed the dinner guests as they entered the restaurant. Albums of guests from previous years were passed from table to table. Rebecca James saw to the raffles for donated baked goods. Tickets were given to each guest and several drawings took place at each seating. Young servers and helpers dressed in white shirts and green aprons: Kyle and Jimmy Milne, Lane Blair, Mike Williams from Skyview High School, Riley Christensen, Shelbe and Jimmy Holben, Isabel Daniell, and Hannah Norris from Moose Pass School. Also helping were Lori Bartlett, Yvette Rooney, Kristin Blair, John and Carrie Williams, Fred and Carol Kaatz, Jessie Daniell, Michelle Anderson, and Steve Lipscomb.
Roy Fowler was the guest of honor at a party March 8 to celebrate his 90th birthday. Under the pretext of delivering a crock pot of meatballs to a meeting at the community hall, Roy’s wife Alma got him to the hall. He followed her into the building to see what was going on and was shocked to find family, friends, balloons, and signs all for him. Roy and Alma’s son and daughter from Washington, Karen Freeman and Mike Fowler, were there. Roy’s sister Becky Deorge from Wash. greeted people at the guest book. Granddaughter Kelley Reed from Penn. came to the party as well as nephew Walter Combs and his wife, Marie, from Wasilla. Niece Sharon Wilcox flew up from central Oregon. Grandson Brad LaRock, his wife Susanna, daughter Clara, and friend Logan Day were there. Alma’s brother and his wife, Burl and Estilene Combs were able to attend. Before Alma and Roy were married, Roy played short stop and third base, semi-pro, for the Cardinals and his baseball career was the theme of his birthday cake.
The Cooper Landing Gun Club hosted an open house party on March 8 with refreshments and a trap shoot. The new clubhouse/classroom was open and toasty warm. Between 15 and 18 different shooters from the Landing, and around the peninsula enjoyed the competitions. Jon James won in trap and Annie Oakley, Laura Paulding won an Annie Oakley contest, and Lisa Sweeney got an honorable mention from Laura. Ten shooters at a time were lined up, shoulder to shoulder, for the Annie Oakley shoots.
Eighty people from Cooper Landing and Moose Pass enjoyed the String Trio performance at the school on March 14. Anchorage Symphony performers and private music instructors, Mari Jamieson on viola, Heidi Senungetuk on violin, and Cooper Landing’s own Virginia Morgan playing the piano performed musical magic. I heard even the youngest children were enraptured.
Jan Mitchell and Mayme Ohnemus flew to Juneau recently to lobby on behalf of Camp Fire’s Camp Kushtaka in Cooper Landing. They joined Camp Fire USA Alaska Council CEO Barbara Dubovich and architect Steve Fishback and met with several legislators and/or their aides with the result that a capital request for $510,000 as a statewide project for consideration in the senate capital budget was submitted. The money is needed for part the redevelopment of their camp. Camp Kushtaka is Alaska’s longest, continually running nonsectarian, coeducational, overnight camp accredited by the American Camp Association and it hosts over 500 children each summer, including several sessions for children who face mental, emotional or physical challenges.