Sharon Koecher sits at her spinning wheel and shows off her wares during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Sharon Koecher sits at her spinning wheel and shows off her wares during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Spin City

Fireweed FiberFest comes to Soldotna

See photos from this year’s Fireweed FiberFest.

Visitors to the Fireweed FiberFest can be seen here at the Soldotna Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Visitors to the Fireweed FiberFest can be seen here at the Soldotna Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Alrene Haines, left instructs Donna Jones, right on how to use a spinning wheel during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Alrene Haines, left instructs Donna Jones, right on how to use a spinning wheel during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Sharon Koecher shows off a skirt made by her daughter Farrah Weinert during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Sharon Koecher shows off a skirt made by her daughter Farrah Weinert during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Farrah Weinert shows off some of her wares during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Farrah Weinert shows off some of her wares during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Cole Harmon shows off his great wheel – also known as a muckle wheel – during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. Harmon spins with qiviut, which is the inner wool of the musk ox and is harvested by Alaska Native elders in Nome. Harmon discovered recently that his wheel was built in the 1750s out of salvaged shipwreck wood by Quakers on the east coast. The wood itself is about 900 years old and was originally harvested in Scotland.

Cole Harmon shows off his great wheel – also known as a muckle wheel – during the Fireweed FiberFest at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Sept. 28, 2019. Harmon spins with qiviut, which is the inner wool of the musk ox and is harvested by Alaska Native elders in Nome. Harmon discovered recently that his wheel was built in the 1750s out of salvaged shipwreck wood by Quakers on the east coast. The wood itself is about 900 years old and was originally harvested in Scotland.

Previous
Report: Toxic chemical found in water of many Alaska towns
Next
Homer voters approve plastic bag ban; Evensen to serve on council

More in News

Retired Biologist and former manager of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge will “Looking Back, Looking Forward,” a talk about his solo trip on the Yukon River, on Tuesday evening at the Refuge headquarters in Soldotna. The Homer-based nonprofit organization Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges is hosting a virtual watch party in Homer. Photo courtesy of Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges
Looking back, looking forward

Robin West will give a talk about his 30-year career Tuesday evening at the Kenai refuge headquarters and virtually.

The Kenai Composite Squadron of the Alaska Wing, Civil Air Patrol is pictured on Jan. 26, 2026 with the first place state award from the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. Photo courtesy of Nickolas Torres
Kenai Peninsula students win cyber defense competition

A team of cadets won the highest score in the state after months of practice.

The cast of the Kenai Central High School Drama Department’s production of “The Addams Family” is pictured on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. The play will debut on Feb. 20 with additional showtimes into March. Photo courtesy of Travis Lawson/Kenai Central High School
‘The Addams Family’ comes to Kenai

The play will debut at Kenai Central High School next Friday.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District logo.
School board approves Aurora Borealis charter amendment

Aurora Borealis Charter School will begin accepting high school students in the next academic year.

Ryan Tunseth speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Assembly addresses formal presentations in code amendment

An ordinance passed Feb. 3 clarifies that formal presentations made before the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly should relate to borough matters.

Rep. Andi Story (D-Juneau), co-chair of the House Education Committee, speaks in favor of overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of an education funding bill during a joint session of the Alaska Legislature in 2025. (Juneau Empire file photo)
Juneau bill aims to stabilize education funding

House Bill 261 would change how schools rely on student counts.

The Alaska State Capitol building stands on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Mari Kanagy/Juneau Empire)
Ruffridge, Elam introduce new legislative bills

The representatives filed bills relating to tax exemptions for EMS personnel and dental care.

Members of the Kachemak Bay Search and Rescue group receive instruction from helicopter pilot Steven Ritter (left) on Jan. 30, 2026, during a training weekend at Kachemak Emergency Services station in Homer, Alaska. Photo courtesy Kasey Aderhold
Search and rescue group members receive certification

The initial cohort of a Homer-based search and rescue group recently completed a hands-on, nationally-certified training session.

A recent photo of Anesha "Duffy" Murnane, missing since Oct. 17, 2019, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo provided, Homer Police Department)
Calderwood pleads guilty to murder of Homer woman

Kirby Calderwood pleaded guilty to the 2019 murder of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane on Feb. 5, four years after his arrest in 2022.

Most Read