FAITH:
Connect Palmer Inc.
www.ConnectPalmer.org (907) 746-9675
Connect Palmer is a Christ Centered Training Center and Housing for Women located in downtown Palmer. Connect Palmer’s two primary programs are God’s Work Design, and LIFE Connect. We also have Sarah’s House, which a Safe and Caring place for ladies, without homes, to live while they participate in our back to work and life skills programs.
We also offer different community assistant programs, such as The Locker, to provide personal care and basic house hold cleaning items and Scarlet Tapestries which offers basic sewing skills instruction. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
OTHER
Mat-Su Health Services, Inc.
www.mshsak.org (907) 376-2411
Dedicated to improving the health of our community, one person at a time – through affordable medical, dental and behavioral health care.The clinic is a Federally qualified Health Care Center and we accept Medicare, Medicaid, and most other third-party insurances. For those who qualify, there is a sliding scale payment, based on household income.
We offer early morning and evening appointments appointment. You can also contact our 24/7 behavioral crisis intervention line by calling the main number: 376-2411.
PETS & ANIMALS:
Alaska Animal Advocates www.alaskaanimaladvocates.com (907) 841-3173
Alaska Animal Advocates is a non-profit group of dedicated volunteers who are devoted to enriching the lives of companion animals in Alaska.
In order to do this, we will place homeless pets in loving environments, address medical concerns, spay or neuter, microchip, vaccinate, and offer training as is needed.
We believe that every animal deserves a loving home, for his/her entire life and Alaska Animal Advocates will provide the resources to make this happen.
In order to make this mission possible, we need the help of volunteers and foster homes.
FAMILIES & CHILDREN:
Denali Family Services
291 East Swanson Ave. Wasilla, AK 907-222-2331 or eolivares@denalifs.org
Denali Family Services provides therapeutic foster care to Alaskan children with mental health needs. If you are committed to working with a team, receiving training and implementing positive interventions to schoolage children and teens, we need your talents and skills.
We are in search of professional, therapeutic foster parents who are willing to make a commitment to the children of Alaska by providing a stable home environment.
For more information, please call or email our Foster Care Recruiter, Ernestina D. Olivares, at 907-222-2331 or eolivares@denalifs.org
Mat-Su Health Foundation healthymatsu.org (907) 352-2863
The Mat-Su Health Foundation offers financial and strategic support to well-managed 501(c)(3) organizations that offer services and practical solutions to significant health-related problems impacting the citizens of the Mat-Su Borough.
The foundation also offers academic and vocational scholarships to Mat-Su residents who wish to pursue health and wellness related careers.
COMMUNITY:
Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) Charitable Foundation www.mea.coop/mea-in-the-community/round-up meacontact@mea.coop 907-761-9300
Since 2011, the MEA Charitable Foundation has given grants to fund projects impacting libraries, playgrounds, seniors, veterans, recycling, at-risk youth, and much more. In 2018, MEA Charitable Foundation reached over $1,000,000 in contributions to the community with Operation RoundUp® Program! Organizational grants are capped at $10,000, individual grants are capped at $2,500. Please remember to check our website for requirements and submit your completed application — including financials!
ARTS:
Valley Arts Alliance www.ValleyArtsAlliance.com
Valley Arts Alliance, bringing the community together through the arts... We are a place for both new and established artists of all types— painters, sculptors, musicians, and those involved in the performing arts—to network and to experiment with new ideas and media.
We work with local libraries, schools, museums, art councils, and music and art groups to create more venues for the arts, and to help promote art related events.
Join us at our informal weekly meetings, every Thursday @ 11 at Sophia’s Cafe, 9191 E Frontage Road, Palmer-Wasilla Hwy. Check out our archives www.ValleyArtsAlliance.com
CONSERVATION:
Valley Community for Recycling Solutions
www.valleyrecycling.org (907) 745-5544
RECYCLING: Be part of the solution. DROP OFF: The community recycling center is located at 9465 E Chanlyut Circle, next to the MSB Animal Shelter at the Central Landfill. Follow the smells.
HOURS: Drive through drop-off is open Tues – Fri 10:30 to 6:00 and Sat 10:00 to 3:30. Recycle cardboard, aluminum cans, magazines, this newspaper and more. Remember to REDUCE, REUSE, and then RECYCLE!
ONLINE: Visit our website for more details, follow us on Facebook.
To learn more, visit our classroom. Volunteer opportunities available. Make a difference in your community!
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES:
Mat-Su Regional Adult Basic Education (Nine Star) MatsuAdultEd@ninestar.com (907) 373-7833
Mat-Su ABE provides basic education in math, language arts and English as a second language (ESL), aiming to raise student skills beyond the high-school level in order to pass tests like the GED, enter training programs or college, and advance on the job. Enrollment is open to all adult residents of Alaska, year-round. Youth Employment for ages 16-24 not in school -- get a job, keep a job, advance on the job. Nine Star 300 N Willow 373-3006 (in the MYHouse building)
FAITH:
Valley Interfaith Action (VIA) www.valleyinterfaithaction.org (907) 230-1006
To address quality of life issues for all residents of the Mat-Su Borough, utilizing the faith values of our members, developing community-wide interest and mobilization around quality of life issues.
Through training, leaders address community problems by providing forums for discussion, researching alternative solutions, and working as facilitators with residents and leaders for institutional change.
HOMELESS YOUTH:
Mat-Su Youth Housing (MY HOUSE) myhousematsu.org (907) 373-4357
MY House is a homeless youth drop in center with two for-profit businesses that train and employ homeless youth. Gathering Grounds Cafe is a coffee shop with homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and baked goods. Steamdriven is a trendy thrift shop featuring Steampunk items made from repurposed donations by our youth designers. Fiend2Clean and Young People in Recovery offer support for substance abuse recovery with activities and events.
We offer transitional housing for qualified 18-24 year olds, Outreach services to connect homeless youth, organizations and groups to services, and access to Public Health and NineStar job/education services on site.
SOCIAL ADVOCACY:
Wasilla Homeless-Committee www.wasillahomeless-committee.org (907) 521-2949
Wasilla Homeless-Committee is a 100% volunteer organization funded by private donations and regular fundraising events. Our sole purpose is to assist the homeless, those at risk of homelessness, and others who do not meet the criteria for help that is required by other advocacy agencies in the valley.
Wasilla Homeless-Committee provides case management, housing search assistance, move in assistance, job search assistance, clothing, furniture, help with transportation, and resource guidance for homeless and disenfranchised in the Mat-Su Valley.
Visit our website for application, or call 907521-2949. Find us on Facebook facebook.com/ wasillahomelesscommitteepage
4TH MONDAY
RECITAL & TALK
4th Mondays - 7:00 PM
Hitchcock Piano Studio (907) 745 3134
MENARD CENTER
OUTDOOR MARKET
May 31- Aug. 11 – 10AM
Menard Outdoor Market
Curtis D Menard Center 1001 S Clapp St, Wasilla (907) 232-4129
DRAG RACING (POINTS)
07/14/19 – 10:00 AM
Alaska Raceway Park 5599 Race Way, Palmer raceak.com
DRAG STRIP TEST & TUNE NIGHT
07/17/19 – 4:00 PM
Alaska Raceway Park 5599 Race Way, Palmer raceak.com
CAREGIVERS
SUPPORT GROUP
07/18/2019 – 10:00 AM
Primrose Retirement and Alzheimer’s Resources of Alaska 889 Elkhorn Dr, Wasilla (907) 373-5500 primroseretirment.com
JILL CHOATE
BASKETRY WORKSHOP
07-19-2019 - 07-21-2019
9:00 AM - Yule Farm LLC
Across the Way Workshop (907) 982-7746 yulefarm.squarespace.com
LARSON CHIROPRACTIC
SPORTS PHYSICAL EVENT
07/18/2019 – 1:00 PM
Larson Chiropractic 1001 E Bogard Rd, Wasilla (907) 376-2225 larsonchiropractic.com
NASCAR/INEX
OPEN PRACTICE
07/19/19 – 4:00 PM
Alaska Raceway Park 5599 Race Way, Palmer
COMMUNITY
CAR-DBOARD CITY
07/19/2019 – 5:00 PM
Alaska State Fairgrounds
2075 Glenn Hwy, Palmer (907) 357-6160 familypromisematsu.org
RESOURCES IN THE VALLEY & ANCHORAGE
07/20/19 – 9:00 AM
Alaska Attachment & Bonding Associates
AABA Office Library
619 S. Knik-Goose Bay Road, Suite J, Wasilla (907) 376-0366www. akattachment.org
14TH ANNUAL FIREWEED FESTIVAL
07/20/19 – 11:00 AM
Yearly in July
Trapper Creek Community Services Assoc., Inc. 9971 E. T.C. Park Circle (907) 733-7375
NASCAR/INEX RACES
07/20/19 – 6:00 PM
Alaska Raceway Park 5599 Race Way, Palmer raceak.com
ZUMBA IN THE PARK
July 20 & 27 – 3PM Kabayan Inc.
Filipino American Community of Mat-su, Wonderland Park 594 W Nelson Ave (907) 322-9463 kabayaninc.com
GREAT ALASKAN CANNABIS BOWL
07-27-2019-07-28-2019
Settlers Bay Golf Course Trich Productions www.trichcorp.com
SEVENTH ANNUAL BEER & BACON FESTIVAL
07/27/2019 – 1:00 PM
The Lakefront Anchorage 800 Spenard Rd, Anchorage
DRAG RACING (POINTS)
07/28/19 – 10:00 AM
Alaska Raceway Park 5599 Race Way, Palmer raceak.com
WAYNE BURKHART MEMORIAL SLIDESHOW
07/31/19 – 2:00PM
Level Seven Spiritual Center, Palmer 907-315-6661
FRIENDSHIP
AWARENESS MONTH
August 1-31, 2018
MY House (907) 841-2794
NASCAR/INEX OPEN PRACTICE
08/02/19 – 4:00 PM
Alaska Raceway Park
5599 Race Way, Palmer raceak.com
NASCAR/INEX RACES
08/04/19 – 6:00 PM
Alaska Raceway Park
5599 Race Way, Palmer raceak.com
2019 YOUTH SUMMIT
08/06/2019 – 4:00 PM MY House, Wasilla
The Glenn Massay Theater 8295 E College Dr, Palmer (907) 373- 4357
DRAG RACING (TOP ELIMINATOR)
08/11/19 - 10:00 AM
Alaska Raceway Park
5599 Race Way, Palmer raceak.com
AARP PRESENTS GENERAL AND FRAUD PREVENTION
08-20-2019 – 3:00 PM
Senior Education Wasilla Senior Center steele@mtaonline.net 907-376-2608
WORKING WITH SCHOOLS
08-24-2019 – 9:00AM
Alaska Attachment & Bonding Associates (AABA) (907) 376-0366 www.akattachment.org
CHRISTMAS FRIENDSHIP DINNER SILENT AUCTION & RAFFLE
07-21-2019 – 3:00PM
Palmer Elks Lodge Raffle, Dinner, Auction Find us on Facebook
Contributed
by Todd
Farnsworth
Guitar strings die. Sometimes, a quick passing – often times a prolonged decline, till they are but a ghost of their past glory. But they do have a lifespan, and unfortunately, they can only take your abuse for so long.
“Dead strings” can happen for various reasons, but I think it’s safe to say the simplest and most common reasons are corrosion/ wear and being overly stretched. Corrosion will typically be from oils and gunk building up, eventually penetrating the wrap wire on wound strings. Not surprisingly, you don’t want a nasty buffer betwixt the two pieces of metal (core and wrap wires). Plain strings (unwrapped) still breakdown and stretch, though they typically will last a tad longer.
Overly stretched strings have quite simply been tuned too many times. Think of your strings as elastic, which is essentially what they become on a long enough timeline. You tune them to a certain tension, beat them with a pick or hand, tune some more and expect them to stay true for months. What happens is you continually stretch them, and they actually get thinner, albeit on a small scale. Those 10’s you started out with are closer to a 9 one month in; those 9’s, an 8. You see what I’m saying?
Another part of how long a string lasts depends on how often you play and your playing style. For example, if you play with a heavy hand, heavy pick and every day for a couple hours, those strands of metal will only be reliable for a couple weeks, tops. And that may be optimistic. In contrast, if you play once a week for an hour, just running some finger style licks, you can probably get away with the same set of strings for a couple (or even a few) months.
So, what can be done? There are things like coated strings and string cleaners to help reduce the corrosion aspect of string wear, but the stretching and abuse factor still remains. You could own so many guitars that you can’t possibly play them all very often, prolonging string life. And of course, there are the ever-present exceptions to the rule. But most likely, the simplest solution is to ditch the dead strings and change your strings often.
One of the biggest reasons to change strings often is the sound and tone. You’ll likely perceive more volume and projection, as well as richer harmonics and overtones. Aside from that, you will gain tuning stability and liveliness – the opposite of dull, dead strings. In short, there’s a reason that professional musicians use fresh strings in the studio and touring musicians change strings nightly.
One final thought on dead strings vs. new strings - you’ll want to play more. That breath of fresh air, so to say, will likely inspire you to play more, and that’s the best part! I know, I know, changing strings can be a chore, particularly if you have multiple guitars. Thankfully, your local tech can take care of that for you, if you wish. But regardless of the means, the end is worth the momentary burden. After all, don’t we all want the best for our babies?
Contributed
by
Jill Farris
1st, 2nd, 3rd place and People’s Choice will be displayed with the entrant’s name at the Valley Community for Recycling Solutions’ (VCRS) fair booth on the Purple Trail, Miners Loop. Prizes will be awarded thanks to our sponsor, Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling (ALPAR).
Judging Criteria:
1. Materials made exclusively from recycled or previously used materials (40 points)
2. Overall creativity of utilized materials (20 points)
3. Overall attractiveness of artwork (10 points)
4. Weather worthy and/or anchored to make it so (10 points)
5. Lightweight enough to be moved for display purposes (15 points)
6. No more than one square yard in width and length, height limited only by stability (5 points)
Special Specifications:
1. No sharp or jagged edges.
2. Art should self-supported. Non free-standing art should come with hardware for mounting on the VCRS booth. (Please confirm guidelines for weight restrictions on all hooks).
Exhibit Drop Off – Irwin Building: Friday, August 9, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, August 10, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
After the fair, entrants are welcome to donate their entries to VCRS. VCRS will either display the items at the recycling center on the outdoor education trail or auction them off during a future fundraiser. In either case, the creator will be given credit for creating the item.
Exhibit Pick Up – Irwin Building: Tuesday, September 3, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday, September 7, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
907-745-5544 www.valleyrecycling.org education@valleyrecycling.org alaskastatefair.org
Contributed by Josh Fryfogle
Music in The Park, the City of Wasilla’s annual concert series, reached all new heights this year!
Produced in cooperation by Michael C Marketing and Make A Scene Magazine 2019’s concert series brought in an unprecedented number of attendees, and expanded the offering into a vendor fair, with food trucks and fun activities for all ages, too!
Michael Consalo and Josh Fryfogle worked together to create the connectivity and community experience that was clearly well received.
The Jangle Bees, Braided River, Those Guys, and The Jerry Wessling Band headlined the 4-week foray into local music and art, with additional performances by John Cook, Roland Olayvar, Long Nights Moon and Josh Fryfogle.
With the musical performance being the centerpiece of this event series, the production invested heavily in hiring an incredible three-person sound engineering team with Mountain Sound and Entertainment
This made all the difference, not only for the performers, but for the audience. Many of the musicians made mention of the exceptional performance experience, and we were proud hear it! The audience certainly appreciated the sound experience.
The rain during the first event didn’t stop us, with several hundred in attendance, and the following three weeks increased in attendance, with a total estimated attendance at nearly 2,000 people over the four Friday series.
Thanks to those community members that volunteered as well – many of you showed up at just the right time, when your help was needed. It’s amazing how things just work out, when we work as a community to make community happen!
