Ft. McGilvray event set for Sept. 13

An afternoon program is planned from 2-5 pm at the Seward Community Library & Museum to acknowledge Seward’s role in World War II with a focus on Ft. McGilvray at Caines Head. People are asked to dress up 1940s style and bring a photo of a loved one who served in WWII and any WWII item to display for the day. Bring a vintage appetizer to share for the potluck.

2 pm View the U.S. Army Corps film showing construction work on Ft. McGilvray. 2:30 pm Retired State Parks superintendent Jack Sinclair will talk about developing Caines Head State Recreation area. 3 pm State Parks volunteer Kendra Warlow will present “We Take Dares,” the story of the 267th Coast Artillery Battalion.

You’ll be able to access State Park’s new interactive map of Ft. McGilvray and learn about what was there.

The Hope and Sunrise Historical and Mining Museum will be open through Labor Day. Then we hope you might join us for the Fall Museum cleanup on Saturday Sept. 13th from 1-4pm.  All are welcome!

 Please join in the annual Founders’ Day celebration from 4 to 6 pm Thursday, Aug. 28 at the Seward Community Library & Museum.

Aug. 28 is celebrated as the official “birthday” of Seward because on that date in 1903 the Santa Ana steamship anchored offshore and offloaded 83 people at the townsite of Seward, which became the headquarters of Alaska Central Railway.

The event includes free admission to the museum where president Sue McClure will play the pump organ. In the community room you can listen to special music by the local group Gold ‘n’ Silvers and partake of birthday cake and light refreshments. There will also be a tribute table which will honor RBHS members who passed away recently: Dorothy Urbach, Craig Turnbull, Dan Seavey and Margaret Anderson.

Free Family Movie Night: Kenai Chamber of Commerce presents the movie “Wicked” at 6:00pm on May 23rd at the Kenai Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center.

https://www.kenaichamber.org/visit.html

May monthly membership meeting starts at 7 pm Thursday, May 22 in the Seward Museum.

“Pioneering Medicine in the Last Frontier-The Story of Doc Fritz”

The story of Milo “Doc” Fritz, Alaskan surgeon, bush pilot and state legislator presented by Linda Fritz.

Thursday, May 15, 2025, 7PM

In the Anchorage Museum auditorium or join the event online via Crowdcast. Free and open to the public. For more information: https://www.cookinlethistoricalsociety.org/lecture-series/pioneering-medicine-in-the-last-frontier-the-story-of-doc-fritz

"Thursdays: Our History" program on May 15th features Clark Fair, co-author of "A Vanishing Past: Historic Cabins of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge." The presentation starts at 7 pm in the Seward Community Library & Museum.

“Voices from the Past: How to be an Oral Historian” presented by Danielle Lopez Stamm, member of the Oral History Association.

Happening at the Kenai Cultural Center, May 15th at 12:00pm. For more information about the Cultural Center: https://www.kenaichamber.org/cultural-center.html

Join us for our Fall meeting on Saturday October 5th. Cooper Landing Historical Society is hosting KPHA this fall. The meeting will be held in the Helen Gwin Commons, at the Eagle View apartments in Snug Harbor Senior Haven off of Snug Harbor Road in Cooper Landing.

Doors open 9:00-9:30. Meeting begins at 10:00. A potluck lunch will be served around noon. Please bring a dish to share and enjoy some time with the Peninsula’s historical society members!

Following lunch, peninsula historians Clark Fair and Gary Titus will present a program about their upcoming book, A Vanishing Past: Historic Cabins of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, and about Stelter’s Ranch on the Kenai River. Cooper Landing historian Mona Painter will share a bingo game, honoring the late Dr. Alan Boraas.

Museum closes for the winter.

Join us to celebrate the 124th anniversary of Seward’s founding at the Seward Library & Museum.

Wagon Trail Run registration begins at 9:00 am at the Hope Social Hall on Main Street. The run begins at 11:00 am. Raffle drawing at 1:00 pm in front of the Hope Social Hall.

Meeting at the museum grounds. Bring your ideas.

This is the last meeting before the busy summer season starts. It will be held in the museum at the Seward Community Library & Museum.

Register NOW for an all-day pass to Pop Up Art at the Pratt with Faith Revell! Spend the day with visiting artist Faith Revell or pop in for one of several classes, led by Revell, that connect you to nature and birds: "Wander the Woods" from 9am-10:30am, "Go to the Gardens" from 11am-1pm, "Bring out the Birds" from 2-4pm, or the final event of the day, "Mingle with the Artist" from 5-6pm. Visit our website to learn more and register online: https://www.prattmuseum.org/event/12494/