Soldotna

A sign supporting the Stand for Salmon ballot initiative lies on the grass near the intersection of Bridge Access Road and Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday in Kenai. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna introduces resolution opposing “Stand for Salmon”

The Soldotna City Council will introduce a resolution at tonight’s meeting that would express the council’s opposition to the “Stand for Salmon” initiative. The resolution,… Continue reading

A sign supporting the Stand for Salmon ballot initiative lies on the grass near the intersection of Bridge Access Road and Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday in Kenai. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Brian Olson leads a meeting for the Borough Residents Against Annexation group on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2018, near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Borough Residents Against Annexation meet to address updates, elect new officials

Borough Residents Against Annexation group met Thursday night to update attendees on the current efforts to stop annexation and to elect new leadership to the… Continue reading

Brian Olson leads a meeting for the Borough Residents Against Annexation group on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2018, near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Youth rider Laramie Gibson gets off a bull at the Saturday, Sept. 8 9/11 Tribute Rodeo in Soldotna, Alaska. Gibson scored 73 points on the ride and won first in junior bull riding, first in the 0-10 age group for barrels and placed in poles and key hole at the rodeo. Gibson won all-around cowboy for 0-10 age group. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

9/11 Tribute Rodeo benefits heroes, local family

The final scene in the classic Christmas film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” may make for a tear-shedding ending, but it also bears itself out in… Continue reading

Youth rider Laramie Gibson gets off a bull at the Saturday, Sept. 8 9/11 Tribute Rodeo in Soldotna, Alaska. Gibson scored 73 points on the ride and won first in junior bull riding, first in the 0-10 age group for barrels and placed in poles and key hole at the rodeo. Gibson won all-around cowboy for 0-10 age group. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Meth, heroin and marijuana top peninsula illicit drug seizures

Peninsula police departments confiscated about $150,000 in illegal drugs — the majority heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana — in 2017, according to a new Alaska State… Continue reading

Kelley Kress and her dog, Kody, pose at Central Peninsula Hospital on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. Kress and Kody volunteer as part of the hospital auxiliary’s pet therapy program. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Volunteers bring a smile and support to Central Peninsula Hospital

Whether patient or visitor, those walking through the doors of Central Peninsula Hospital can count on one thing — a smile from someone seated at… Continue reading

Kelley Kress and her dog, Kody, pose at Central Peninsula Hospital on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. Kress and Kody volunteer as part of the hospital auxiliary’s pet therapy program. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Sculptor Nichole Hoop works on a carving during the Alaska Wild Salmon Day festivities in Soldotna Creek Park on Friday in Soldotna. The event, organized by the conservation nonprofit Cook Inletkeeper, featured salmon-themed art, servings of salmon chowder, readings by fisher-poets, and music by Tyson James and Motown Fever. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: In praise of salmon

By Ben Boettger Peninsula Clarion… Continue reading

Sculptor Nichole Hoop works on a carving during the Alaska Wild Salmon Day festivities in Soldotna Creek Park on Friday in Soldotna. The event, organized by the conservation nonprofit Cook Inletkeeper, featured salmon-themed art, servings of salmon chowder, readings by fisher-poets, and music by Tyson James and Motown Fever. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
Cierra Brassfield, Edward Welch, Mika Brassfield, Shari Franke, Arlene Franke, Danny MacIntosh and Master Bud Draper pose with their medals and plaques after returning from the World Tang Soo Do Championships on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Martial arts students return from world championships

Seven students of Soldotna Martial Arts have returned from the World Tang Soo Do championships. Two students, Mika Brassfield and Shari Franke, received medals for… Continue reading

Cierra Brassfield, Edward Welch, Mika Brassfield, Shari Franke, Arlene Franke, Danny MacIntosh and Master Bud Draper pose with their medals and plaques after returning from the World Tang Soo Do Championships on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Attendees enjoy a game of chess at the Alaska Chess fundraiser on July 29 at Fireweed Meadows Golf Course in Anchor Point. (Photo courtesy of Colleen Evanco)

Local nonprofit expanding chess program to central peninsula

A local nonprofit that’s teaching children to play chess is expanding its reach to the central peninsula. The nonprofit, Alaska Chess, began as a chess… Continue reading

Attendees enjoy a game of chess at the Alaska Chess fundraiser on July 29 at Fireweed Meadows Golf Course in Anchor Point. (Photo courtesy of Colleen Evanco)
Construction equipment sits among dirt piles outside the Trinity Christian Center on Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 near Soldotna. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Work in progress

A fresh coat of concrete and new classrooms are going up at the Trinity Christian Center on the hill outside Soldotna. The church, recognizable for… Continue reading

Construction equipment sits among dirt piles outside the Trinity Christian Center on Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 near Soldotna. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Barbecue brings Soldotna to its roots

Barbecue brings Soldotna to its roots

People from every generation of Soldotna’s brief history may have been among the large crowd that gathered Friday at the Soldotna Homestead Museum for a… Continue reading

Barbecue brings Soldotna to its roots
Volunteers for gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy’s float in the Progress Days parade make their way down Marydale Avenue on Saturday, July 28, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The parade kicks off the weekend-long event celebrating Soldotna’s history, with a market on Saturday and Sunday in Soldotna Creek Park and a concert Saturday night followed by a free community barbecue Sunday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Marking progress with familiar festivities

Although the Progress Days parade was peppered with political campaign floats as it wound its way through Soldotna, most of the focus was on fun… Continue reading

Volunteers for gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy’s float in the Progress Days parade make their way down Marydale Avenue on Saturday, July 28, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The parade kicks off the weekend-long event celebrating Soldotna’s history, with a market on Saturday and Sunday in Soldotna Creek Park and a concert Saturday night followed by a free community barbecue Sunday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna mayor breaks tie, fails measure to give mayor a vote

The Soldotna City Council voted down a proposed ballot measure Wednesday that would include the mayor as part of the council, allowing him a vote,… Continue reading

Docent Carroll Knutson describes Alaska’s 1964 earthquake to visitors of the Soldotna Historical Society Museum on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Historical Society will be kicking off this year’s Soldotna Progress Days celebration on July 27 with a free community barbecue featuring several of Soldotna’s early settlers and their descendants. Knutson, whose family began homesteading about eight miles south of Soldotna in 1958, will be among those telling stories and leading tours through the museum’s collection of homesteader cabins and exhibits of artifacts. The event, from 4 p.m to 7 p.m, will also include music from Hobo Jim, a dutch oven demonstration, and children’s scavenger hunts. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Past and present: Homesteaders offer perspective on Progress Days

As Soldotna celebrates its progress from a collection of homesteads on the edge of the Kenai National Moose Range to the business and tourism hub… Continue reading

Docent Carroll Knutson describes Alaska’s 1964 earthquake to visitors of the Soldotna Historical Society Museum on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Historical Society will be kicking off this year’s Soldotna Progress Days celebration on July 27 with a free community barbecue featuring several of Soldotna’s early settlers and their descendants. Knutson, whose family began homesteading about eight miles south of Soldotna in 1958, will be among those telling stories and leading tours through the museum’s collection of homesteader cabins and exhibits of artifacts. The event, from 4 p.m to 7 p.m, will also include music from Hobo Jim, a dutch oven demonstration, and children’s scavenger hunts. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
Docent Carroll Knutson describes Alaska’s 1964 earthquake to visitors of the Soldotna Historical Society Museum on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Historical Society will be kicking off next weekend’s Soldotna Progress Days celebration on July 27 with a free community barbecue featuring several of Soldotna’s early settlers and their descendents. Knutson, whose family began homesteading about eight miles south of Soldotna in 1958, will be among those telling stories and leading tours thorugh the museum’s collection of homesteader cabins and exhibits of artifiacts. The event, from 4 p.m to 7 p.m, will also include music from Hobo Jim, a dutch oven demonstration, and children’s scavenger hunts. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Docent Carroll Knutson describes Alaska’s 1964 earthquake to visitors of the Soldotna Historical Society Museum on Tuesday in Soldotna. The Historical Society will be kicking… Continue reading

Docent Carroll Knutson describes Alaska’s 1964 earthquake to visitors of the Soldotna Historical Society Museum on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Historical Society will be kicking off next weekend’s Soldotna Progress Days celebration on July 27 with a free community barbecue featuring several of Soldotna’s early settlers and their descendents. Knutson, whose family began homesteading about eight miles south of Soldotna in 1958, will be among those telling stories and leading tours thorugh the museum’s collection of homesteader cabins and exhibits of artifiacts. The event, from 4 p.m to 7 p.m, will also include music from Hobo Jim, a dutch oven demonstration, and children’s scavenger hunts. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

5th annual Swank Street Market celebrates boutique, antique and more in Soldotna this weekend

Swank Street Market will be hosting their fifth annual flea market today, Saturday and Sunday in Soldotna. The first market was in the summer of… Continue reading

Out of class, but not off duty: Local teachers come together to make music

Out of class, but not off duty: Local teachers come together to make music

For the members of the band Recess Duty, teaching music all day just wasn’t enough. “We decided we should do something for ourselves,” Kent Peterson,… Continue reading

Out of class, but not off duty: Local teachers come together to make music
An American Legion color guard marches in the Fourth of July parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion) An American Legion color guard marches in the Fourth of July parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Looking for something to do on the Fourth of July? Here are some of the local celebrations

The United States celebrates its 242nd birthday on Wednesday. There are plenty of ways to celebrate it on the central Kenai Peninsula, from parades to… Continue reading

An American Legion color guard marches in the Fourth of July parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion) An American Legion color guard marches in the Fourth of July parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Shanon Davis, executive director of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, unveils a new sign indicating the future site of the proposed Soldotna visitor and community center, Wednesday, June 27 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna Chamber eyes bed tax, donations to support new visitor center

The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce is still working on plans for its new visitor center and pitching a bed tax in Soldotna to help support… Continue reading

Shanon Davis, executive director of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, unveils a new sign indicating the future site of the proposed Soldotna visitor and community center, Wednesday, June 27 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Shanon Davis, executive director of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, unveils a new sign indicating the future site of the proposed Soldotna visitor and community center, Wednesday, June 27 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna Chamber eyes bed tax, donations to support new visitor center

The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce is still working on plans for its new visitor center and pitching a bed tax in Soldotna to help support… Continue reading

Shanon Davis, executive director of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, unveils a new sign indicating the future site of the proposed Soldotna visitor and community center, Wednesday, June 27 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
A spruce tree showing damage from spruce bark beetles stands on Saturday, April 28, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Soldotna’s Parks and Recreation Department felled nearly 100 beetle-damaged trees earlier this month. That’s more than the city expects to sell as firewood in its campgrounds, so volunteers from Soldotna Bible Chapel took the remainder to distribute to needy families this winter — after curing the logs to kill beetles that may still be inside the bark. (Ben Boetttger/Peninsula Clarion) A spruce tree showing damage from spruce bark beetles stands on Saturday, April 28, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Soldotna’s Parks and Recreation Department felled nearly 100 beetle-damaged trees earlier this month. That’s more than the city expects to sell as firewood in its campgrounds, so volunteers from Soldotna Bible Chapel took the remainder to distribute to needy families this winter — after curing the logs to kill beetles that may still be inside the bark. (Ben Boetttger/Peninsula Clarion)

Church group clears beetle-killed trees, gives back to those in need

Community members are finding a charitable way to take care of the Peninsula’s ever-increasing spruce bark beetle problem. The Soldotna Parks and Recreation Department felled… Continue reading

A spruce tree showing damage from spruce bark beetles stands on Saturday, April 28, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Soldotna’s Parks and Recreation Department felled nearly 100 beetle-damaged trees earlier this month. That’s more than the city expects to sell as firewood in its campgrounds, so volunteers from Soldotna Bible Chapel took the remainder to distribute to needy families this winter — after curing the logs to kill beetles that may still be inside the bark. (Ben Boetttger/Peninsula Clarion) A spruce tree showing damage from spruce bark beetles stands on Saturday, April 28, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Soldotna’s Parks and Recreation Department felled nearly 100 beetle-damaged trees earlier this month. That’s more than the city expects to sell as firewood in its campgrounds, so volunteers from Soldotna Bible Chapel took the remainder to distribute to needy families this winter — after curing the logs to kill beetles that may still be inside the bark. (Ben Boetttger/Peninsula Clarion)