Homer Alaska - News

From Ninilchik to the south side of Kachemak Bay, Memorial Day weekend is recognized by locals as the beginning of summer. The numbers of campers, motorhomes and tents increase. The smell of campfires is in the air. Smiling fishermen are reeling in king salmon and halibut. Clam diggers are shoulder-deep in inlet mud. School work is a thing of the past.

Behind all the celebrating is the sobering meaning of Memorial Day. Originally known as Decoration Day, Monday is a day set aside for remembering those who died in service to the nation. It was first observed on May 30, 1868, according to information provided on the Memorial Day History Web site, www.usmemorialday.org. Moina Michael's poem, "In Flanders Fields," written in 1915, likens the red poppies growing in those French fields to "the blood of heroes that never dies," and is why red poppies have become associated with Memorial Day. The National Holiday Act of 1971 extended Memorial Day from a one-day event to a three-day weekend.

On Monday, services sponsored by American Legion Posts 16 and 18 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10221 will be held at Hickerson Memorial Cemetery on Diamond Ridge Road, Kallman Cemetery near Stariski and the Ninilchik American Legion Cemetery at Ninilchik bring the weekend to a close.

Beginning Friday, events fill local calendars as southern peninsula communities offer food and entertainment to locals and the many visitors taking advantage of the three-day weekend.

In Ninilchik, the local volunteer emergency services will hold its first annual chili cook-off Saturday. Live music for dancing and presentations by Firewise, a national program for helping communities reduce the threat of wildland fires, are part of the program. Admission is $5; servings of chili, hot dogs and drinks are $1 each.

Proceeds will help NES purchase much-needed transportation and rescue equipment for hard-to-reach areas within the emergency service's area of responsibility. Stretching from Mile 119 to Mile 145 of the Sterling Highway, trained volunteers respond to emergency situations along a 25-mile stretch of Cook Inlet beach, backcountry recreation areas and traditional Native-owned lands.

"We had one beach rescue that involved a two-mile walk. Someone had crashed his four-wheeler against a rock and had a broken clavicle, ribs and shoulder, was having difficulty breathing and was in a huge amount of pain," NES spokesperson Gina Wiste said as an example of challenges faced by the responders.

The goal is to purchase a Honda Big Red, fitted with applications to carry medical supplies and transport injured individuals. The price tag, completely outfitted, is around $50,000.

Entries for the cook-off must be prepared in a DEC-approved kitchen, which Wiste can help arrange. For entry forms and additional information, contact Wiste at (907) 252-2196.

Breakfast also is being served in Ninilchik Saturday-Monday, thanks to the hardworking NES crew. The menu includes pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit and beverages. Tickets for a quilt raffle will be available, as will the group's new cookbook.

The Anchor Point Memorial Weekend Family Fun Festival begins Friday with a family barbecue 6-8 p.m., at the Anchor River State Recreation Area's Slidehole Campground and karaoke at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10221 Friday evening.

Breakfast will be served at the Anchor Point Senior Center Saturday-Monday. Throughout the weekend there also are games for kids, horseshoe and pool tournaments, a free concert by the Air Force Band of the Pacific, and music for dancing provided by a local band.

Homer offers a variety of activities to keep visitors and locals busy all weekend. The 2010 Kachemak Bay Immersion Sea Kayaking Skills Symposium will be in full swing May 28-June 1. Local sailors take to the water Saturday in the Homer Yacht Club's first race of the season. Cottonwood Horse Park opens for the season with a cowboy race challenge and a chili cook-off, the fun beginning at 11 a.m. Monday.

Across the bay, the community of Seldovia also swings wide its doors with a friendly welcome. The second annual Human Powered Fishing Derby will be held Saturday and Sunday. The annual Craft Invitational Chainsaw Carving Competition is back to Seldovia for the fifth year, attracting artists, as well as admirers of their work. The carvers arrive in Seldovia today. The sound of their chainsaws will fill the air from Friday-Sunday. Awards for the derby and the chainsaw competition will be announced Sunday. See related story, page 3.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky.@homernews.com.