College kicks off Games with performance by Pamyua

Kenai Peninsula College will host the musical group Pamyua, as a Showcase event in celebration of the Arctic Winter Games. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday March 4 in the Ward Building.

Pamyua, which means “encore” in Yup’ik , creates music that is a mix of Inuit and African rhythms. The group was founded in Alaska 10 years ago by brothers Stephen and Phillip Blanchett, who are of Yup’ik Inuit and African American decent, as a way to share the stories of their ancient cultures. Together with Ossie Kairaiuak, an Alaska Native who grew up in Chefornak performing in a traditional Native dance troupe, the group formed as a trio. Kararina Moller, a Greenlandic Inuit singer, joined the group in 1996. The quartet has since performed across the United States and in Europe, Asia and South America as ambassadors of modern Yup’ik culture.

Pamyua’s third CD, “Caught in the Act, won the Record of the Year award at the 2003 Native American Music Awards. Their latest CD, “Drums of the North,” was released in 2005.

Tickets for the event are available at KPC books, River City Books and the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center for $17 general admission, $15 for students/staff/senior citizens, and $7.50 for children under 12 years.

For more information about the concert, call Dave Atcheson at 262-0346 or e-mail, at indaa@uaa.alaska.edu.

Paramedic program offered

The paramedical technology program is accepting applications for fall classes.

“Potential students need to begin the application process immediately to ensure they have all their requirements in order,” according to program coordinator Paul Perry.

Students will train with state-of-the-art equipment in classroom settings, at area and regional hospitals and during an internship through ambulance services in the Lower 48. Students will be able to practice skill on a high-tech simulator manikin, which computer controlled systems mimic real patients.

The program was launched due the demand for trained paramedics throughout the state and across the nation. The deadline for completed applications to be considered is April 15. Packets are available online at kpc.alaska.edu. They include information regarding prerequisites, application scoring, the interview process and additional requirements necessary for the application to be considered.For more information, call Paul Perry at 262-0378 or e-mail him at ifpep@uaa.alaska.edu.

ASLA art exhibit installed

The Art Student League Association (ASLA) has an exhibit at Tim Bow-ser’s Soldotna Animal Hospital.

The show, titled ASLA Animal Art, is a multimedia exhibit comprised of paintings, drawings, photography and ceramics.

“There’s a full range of expertise in the show, from beginning to advanced students ...,” said ASLA member Traci Knutsen.

The gallery is open to the public during Soldotna Animal Hospital business hours.

Writers’ conference slated

Registration for the Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference is open and the public is encouraged to take advantage of discounted rates for early registrants.

The conference will be June 9 through 13 and based at the Land’s End Resort at the end of the Homer Spit.

The keynote speaker will be Jeffrey Eugenides, the 2003 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction for his second book, “Middlesex.”

Registration forms and complete information on the conference can be found on the Kachemak Bay Campus Web site at homer.alaska.edu or by calling the campus at (907) 235-7743.

This column is provided by Suzie Kendrick, community relations coordinator at Kenai Peninsula College.