TURNAGAIN NEWS

By Frans Weits

Jack Sprat Restaurant Owner in Girdwood

In July, 2005, four years after we'd opened Jack Sprat in Girdwood, my two year old son and I were about to go camping on the Kenai Peninsula when Kurt Hoessel, owner of Girdwood-based Alaska Wildland Adventures, contacted us. 

Kurt said he could not say what was happening, but that he was bringing a "very important guest" to our restaurant for Sunday brunch. 

“Just make sure to be there!" he said. 

This was my first time taking my son, Frans Ryker, camping and his mom was getting a much deserved break from child rearing. 

What did my wife, Jen Weits, do with her free weekend? Well, she cooked brunch, of course, as she often did. 

Jen has a way with making excellent soups, and on this particular weekend, she made a Welsh Rarebit Soup special served in a sourdough bread bowl.

We had only been in business for a few years so I was rarely away from work. Having a baby to care for turns out to be a great reason to take time off and so I was cashing in. 

James Dare had invited me to go fishing with him on the Kenai River and it was peak summer in mid- July. James was a chef for us and I have no idea how he had the weekend off. We were open seven days a week back then, so anything was possible, I guess. 

I was sure to leave camp earlier than normal so we would not miss whatever surprise was waiting for us. 

Meanwhile, Jen's cousin Tom Herrick was visiting from Michigan so he, Ryker and I made it back to the restaurant with time to have a latte before we found out what was happening. 

Two secret service men briefed us on the situation: Ex-President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn were coming in for brunch. 

Top photo courtesy of Frans Weits. Official photo courtesy Library of Congress.

Read the entire tribute at the below link:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/a-personal-tribute-to-former-president-jimmy-carter

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

On Thursday, Dec. 19, a group of volunteers from the Girdwood Turnagain Arm Lions Club met at the Girdwood School to prepare holiday boxes for families who, according to longtime Lion Kathy Trautner, “could benefit from a Christmas boost.”

Lion Ally Goens supervised food sorting while taking and making calls regarding the special components of holiday meal boxes.

This year 14 families received a combination of holiday gifts. A gift-wrapped holiday meal box for each family contained traditional foods such as ham and pumpkin pie. Holiday items were purchased with some of the proceeds from fundraisers held throughout the year.

A supplemental box contained nonperishable pantry-stufferscollected by Girdwood School students. The sixth grade was the biggest collector this year, with 214 items. Sixth graders Aria Rice and Reagan Martyn spent one of their free periods helping sort food drive donations.

 Families also received gifts from the “Angel Tree” program, which anonymously pairs families in need with local individuals willing to purchase presents on their wish list.

The Girdwood United Methodist Church, the Girdwood School, and the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows identifies families to ask whether they would like to be included. If the families are interested, they submit information including how many children are in the family and the children’s ages.

A few days before Christmas, families can pick up boxes at the Girdwood School. The pickup occurs after the school has closed for the holiday break.

Trautner expressed her appreciation for the school’s partnership. She appreciates school staff’s efforts to identify families in need, host a food drive, and provide a venue where families can pick up their gifts discreetly.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/lions-give-neighbors-a-christmas-boost

By Seth Beaubien

TN News Contributor

Kristen Faulkner, double Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Gold Medal Champion, thank you so much for taking time from your very busy schedule to share your thoughts with the Turnagain News and its readers. 

TN: Growing up in Homer, what are your memories of the Arm and Girdwood Valley?

KF:  I remember learning to downhill ski at Alyeska. My family spent the whole day on the mountain and would break midday to get cinnamon rolls from the Bake Shop. I also love cross-country skiing in Moose Meadows, which are some trails in Girdwood that my Grandpa Stumpy helped build.  

TN: You have been an active athlete your whole life, in Homer, at Phillips Academy then Harvard before getting into the competitive cycling world, what about those experiences helped prepare you for becoming an Olympian?

KF:  Sports taught me the importance of discipline and hard work. As a student athlete, I also learned the importance of time management. I used to wake up at 6am for morning practice before school, and so it was an easy transition when I started training on my bike in the mornings before work. 

TN:  Cycling is both an individual and a team sport, can you describe that and the differences/similarities for our readers?

KF:  For each race, the team Director selects a team leader, and the entire team sacrifices themselves to help that leader win the race. Support riders do this by chasing down competitors, distracting the other teams, and allowing the leader to draft off them. Different races suit different riders, and so the team leader changes depending on the race. It's important that we sacrifice ourselves for our teammates, knowing that they will do the same for us when it is our turn to be the leader. 

TN:  Can you describe what it feels like and means to you to represent America and wear USA kit and jersey? How is it different from the Tour de France Suisse or Giro Donne?

KF:  I love representing my country. I am really proud to be American, and donning the Red, White, and Blue is a dream come true. I feel like I am racing for something much greater than myself, and that inspires me and motivates me.

Read the entire story here:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/mining-for-gold-from-alaska-to-paris