WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?
During our December 9th OPEN HOUSE at the Colony House Museum, pi,anists Alice Branton, Vi Norbo, and Sally Hitchcock provided an after¬noon of holiday sound for caroling and overall enjoyment and for which we thank them profusely! More profuse thanks to our loyal baking elves, who kept us on their calendar, providing refreshments to visitors and goodies for the Bake Sale table.

In January a small attendance elected David Mathews, Sharon Benson, JoAnn Utt, John Stuart, Gerry Keeling, and Ralph Hulbert to serve on the PHS Board until our October's 2007 Annual Meeting. Chuck Logsdon has since stepped forward to offer his Board participation and with membership approval at our upcoming program has been welcomed into the fold. The Board met on January 7 and designated responsibilities and duties. Offering to cover Publicity is Sharon Benson, while JoAnn Utt will see to Door Prizes. (Call her if you have a prize to offer.) There is surprisingly much to do to cover all our bases, and we would welcome YOUR helping hands, too! Especially needed yet is a Newsletter Editor!!!!

The Board set Sunday, May 6 as the date for this year's RAFFLE DINNER at the CH Museum.

IN THE PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
PHS's program guest speaker list in 2007 will be led off on Wednesday, February 21 by Mat-Su Cultural Resources Specialist Fran Seager-Boss. Fran, who was born in Turkey and who was an archaelogy major, possesses high interest in and broad-based awareness of history, both long past and more recent. Fran came to Alaska 20 years ago and has been with the Borough for 18 years. Our February program will be centered somewhat "close to home", but the time frame of Fran's presentation will transport us back thousands of years.

Perhaps you are aware that there has been ongoing archaelogical activity in the Mat-Su Borough during the past three summers. Fran, along with a team of students from the University of Nevada, have been focused on two locations north of Mat-Su's core population area.

The dig sites have been designated as the "Trapper Creek Overlook" (a 5,000 year-old site) and the "Screaming Hawk Site" (8,000 years old). Fran will tell us how these sites were found. We will learn how the "dig" activity has proceeded and what the archaelogical team has discovered and uncovered to date. She will bring photographs of artifacts unearthed so far, thus giving us some understanding how early inhabitants of the Valley lived and survived. What would be an equivalent survival tool "then" of today's "Swiss army knife" or "leatherman"? One wonders if the earlier peoples dealt with far different climate conditions, or were there natural phonomena and/or disasters to overcome.

Have you ever hiked into some solitary spot, enjoying the beauty of the Valley, and imagined or wondered if you were one of the first to set foot there? Perhaps those of thousands of years ago shared that same thought. We will acquire a better sense of who those early people were!

"DIGGING THE VALLEY!" by Fran Seager-Boss
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Palmer Public Library Meeting Room Refreshments will be served after the program! As always, the public is cordially invited to attend.

AND THE WINNER IS...
At our January meeting, the PHS Boad announced the recipient of the "Fourteenth Annual Palmer Historical Society Historical Preservation Award".

Named to receive the most recent accolade was Lorie Kirker of "Alaskana Books" in downtown Palmer. This building is an original Matanuska Colony structure and dates back to 1935.

Lorie's personality brings great hospitality and warmth to Palmer's historic district, where she shares her considerable knowledge of Alaska's history. Her "Alaskana Books" makes available a treasure trove of books and writings to the public, and she continues her effort to reprint otherwise unavailable books and materials. Lorie provides a fine complement to our early communnity sense of spirit. Teat yourself to a "brouse" and visit the "Alaskana Bookstore"! Our CONGRATULATIONS to Lorie Kirker!

IN RETROSPECT
PHS's "emeritus" Board member, Kay Love, has exemplified long-time loyalty to the Valley, to PHS, and to the many entities and efforts made toward the preservation of our Valley's historical past. Her wonderful enthusiasm and spirit, and her considerable knowledge and common sense, have served our "Valley community" well, and we now "TIP OUR HAT TO KAY" with an enormous amount of appreciation for being who she is!

Another dear stalwart to Palmer and PHS has been Charles E. "Chuck" Logsdon, who we said "goodbye" to in January. Chuck served PHS as newsletter editor for many months, and his presence entertained many a Board meeting with amusing glimpses of happenings in earlier Palmer (e. g. "popcorn for sale" at City Council meetings!).