Duane Ohnemus and Scott Davis are getting the public safety facilities site grounds in shape and would appreciate help. Call 595-1456 and leave a message for Rudy or Jerry if you would like to volunteer or to have the fire department to come to your property and work out recommendations for making your place more fire safe.
During the past three months, Cooper Landing Emergency Services, Inc. responded to 40 medical emergencies, two traffic fatalities, one vehicle fire at the library and two brush fires.
CLES President Scott Davis and Vice President Ken Jensen met with Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor John Williams regarding a $50,000 grant to make improvements on the fire and ambulance buildings. CLES sponsored the food concessions at the annual softball tournament and netted approximately $2000 with help from the volunteers. Donations are appreciated and can be sent to P.O. Box 510, Cooper Landing, AK 99572.
The 13th annual softball tournament, 10-day event culminated in the playoff on the first Sunday in June. Cheers and shouts from supporters of this year’s teams of Mountain Madness, Summit Lake Lodge, Alaska Wildland Adventures, Avalanche Acres, Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, Wildman’s, Bean Creakers, Float & Fish, Alaska Rivers, and Moose Pass could be heard across the river. Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge captain Dan Michels accepted the trophy June 3 after defeating the Bean Creakers. Softball games will continue throughout the summer on Sunday nights at the community center.
Cooper Landing Historical Society and Museum’s yearly fund raising garage sale is Saturday, July 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, July 8, from noon to 5 p.m. at the museum Mile 48.7 on the Sterling Highway. A large chest type freezer, building materials, furniture, books, dishes, and much more are for sale. Saturday is also the day for the estate sale at Helen Gwin’s apartment at Eagles View off Snug Harbor Road.
It was standing room only at the community hall July 1 for the celebration of Helen Gwin’s life. From Missouri and Ohio, nieces Faye Mayhew and Sue Snyder and Sue’s husband Orland, and great-niece and husband Connie and Joe Pecorario enjoyed meeting Helen’s friends and hearing stories about their aunt. Sue told a couple good ones about Aunt Helen, too, including a description of her young son’s fright during the first night of their trip to Cooper Landing 26 years ago. Aunt Helen told them they might see wild critters, and the boy woke to strange bear-like sounds which turned out to be Helen snoring on the living room couch. Sue said Helen got a good laugh from that story. We all remember Helen’s laughs and giggles and miss them. Music by Rosie Banse on the accordion, Darryl Hollingsworth on the bass, and Willie Johnson who sang “In the Sweet Bye and Bye” in Yupik added to a wonderful afternoon of honoring Helen Gwin.