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Appropriately, the month of the year in which all 50 of the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving, has also been designated as National Hospice Month. While the term Hospice Care conjures up thoughts of death and dying, here in Alaska, Hospice of the Central Peninsula will be going out into the local community with homemade cookies and flyers to show their appreciation for our doctors, nurses, and health care providers. "It is true that Hospice will accept a case when a person is considered to be in their last six months of life. However, sometimes a person in Hospice care does make a recovery in which case Hospice will simply and happily close the case," Gail Kennedy, bereavement coordinator at Hospice of the Central Peninsula, told the Dispatch. While most people have heard of the wonderful organization of Hospice, a lot of people aren't exactly sure what Hospice does, and if and when they should be called. So Hospice volunteers plan to be increasing awareness of those issues during National Hospice month says Kennedy. "We're going out to speak at schools and colleges, and anywhere we're invited, to unveil what Hospice truly means and what services we provide in the community. We want the term Hospice to become something friendly and not scary," she said.

Many successful hunters this fall have become acquainted with Avery Hansen at the all new AK Custom Meats next to Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware on the Sterling Highway. That's because Avery is not only a very successful hunter himself, but also a second generation meat cutter and processor. "I grew up in Washington state, where my father had a meat processing house. We did things liked smoked turkeys, prime rib, and sausages. I moved to Alaska and was a fishing guide for eleven years. Then I got tired of that, and decided to go back to what I know how to do. I decided to open AK Custom Meats in Soldotna to meet the needs I saw here for another wild game processing house and specialty meat shop," Hansen told the Dispatch.

The popular hair stylist, Barb McMahill, has recently opened her own salon known as Bliss Hair Design, in Soldotna next to The Music Box on the Spur Highway. "It's just never too late in your life to do something new," said Barb, "After many years on the peninsula at other salons, I felt that at this time of my life, it was time to step out on my own and do what I love, in an environment that I love - working with my clients privately one on one," she said. McMahill has captured a unique atmosphere at her Bliss Hair Design studio that blends feelings from the past, with the contemporary comfort of modern furnishings. "In my mind's eye, I wanted to create peaceful surroundings. So I brought in some of the things that have brought me peace in my life from my home. I had my parent's favorite wing-back chairs shipped up, and re-covered in a contemporary fabric from the sixties. I added some things from my home to incorporate a sense of warmth and freshness, combined with the nostalgia of things that are timeless," explained Barb.

Homer Electric Association's (HEA) Energy and Conservation Fair held last week at the Challenger Learning Center in Kenai was huge success according to HEA spokesperson Joe Gallagher. "We had a larger turn out than we anticipated. The goal of the fair was to let our local vendors, who have a great deal of knowledge about energy saving devices, distribute this information to HEA members at one location. By all accounts from vendors and visitors, we achieved that goal. The response we received was so encouraging, that we hope to turn this into an annual event. Energy conservation is important to HEA, and the bottom line is that it can save our members money," said Gallagher. The following weekend, HEA hosted the same event at the Islands & Ocean Visitor Center in Homer.