Soldotna

The community gathers beneath a Christmas tree during Soldotna’s tree lighting event Dec. 2, 2017, at Soldotna Creek Park. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Annual “Christmas in the Park” returns with a dazzle

(This article has been updated to correct details about the sponsorship of this event). Santa Claus is coming to town this weekend in Soldotna. The… Continue reading

The community gathers beneath a Christmas tree during Soldotna’s tree lighting event Dec. 2, 2017, at Soldotna Creek Park. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
A rendering of the proposed Soldotna Regional Sports Complex field house. The Soldotna City Council will introduce legislation Wednesday to ask the voters if the city should borrow $10 million in the form of a bond to build the field house. (City of Soldotna)

Soldotna looks to bond for field house project

Designs for a field house at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex are nearly complete. Now, the city of Soldotna is looking at how to fund… Continue reading

A rendering of the proposed Soldotna Regional Sports Complex field house. The Soldotna City Council will introduce legislation Wednesday to ask the voters if the city should borrow $10 million in the form of a bond to build the field house. (City of Soldotna)

Shop Talk: Piroshki’s Coffee and Tea Shoppe

It’s hard to miss the bright colors and decorations of the Piroshki Coffee and Tea Shoppe, which stands just north of Soldotna on the Kenai… Continue reading

Single-use plastic bags litter the side of Lake Street on Sept. 25, 2018, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Soldotna bag ban to take effect Thursday

The city of Soldotna is working to make sure shoppers aren’t left empty-handed come Thursday, when a ban on single-use plastic bags takes effect throughout… Continue reading

Single-use plastic bags litter the side of Lake Street on Sept. 25, 2018, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

3 Friends Dog Park gets additions as one-year celebration kicks off

When the ribbon was cut to open 3 Friends Dog Park in Soldotna last September, park organizer Connie Hocker realized a dream. One year later,… Continue reading

A grassy area adjacent to the Sterling Highway in Soldotna is photographed on Oct. 11. The corner is one of several that could be updated as part of the city’s beautification plans. (Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna beautification permits approved

The Alaska Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration approved the city of Soldotna’s application for a beautification and encroachment permit, according to Stephanie… Continue reading

A grassy area adjacent to the Sterling Highway in Soldotna is photographed on Oct. 11. The corner is one of several that could be updated as part of the city’s beautification plans. (Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

K-Beach construction nearing an end

Be prepared to make two new stops on Kalifornsky Beach Road. By the end of the week, two new traffic lights will go live at… 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)

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

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

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)