Around the Peninsula

St. Patrick's Day parade set

A St. Patrick's Day parade and community celebration will be held Monday in Soldotna.

The parade will begin at 4:30 p.m. followed by a corned beef and cabbage family dinner with entertainment at 5:30 p.m. at the Soldotna Senior Citizens Center. Tickets can be purchased at the Soldotna Senior Center or the Soldotna Chamber Commerce for $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under. For more information, call Lake Nash at 398-7392.

Seattle getaway fundraiser begins

The Kenai River Rotary Club in Soldotna is offering a chance to win a Seattle getaway that includes two round trip airline tickets from Anchorage to Seattle (winners pick the dates between June and September.)

The getaway will included two tickets to a Mariners baseball game with reserved seats; two rounds of golf at the Tacoma Country Club; three nights lodging in the home of a Rotarian and more. Tickets are $50 per chance and may be purchased from any Kenai River Rotarian.

Proceeds will support Rotary International's goal to eradicate polio worldwide and will be matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information, call Bonnie Nichols at 262-9630.

Bear baiting clinics set

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will hold three free black bear baiting clinics on the Kenai Peninsula.

Hunters may not register a bait station in Units 6D, 7, 14A, 14B, 15, 16A or 20B unless they have successfully completed an ADF&G approved bear baiting clinic.

Hunters who have already attended a clinic and been certified are not required to recertify. Sessions are walk-in and are approximately three hours long.

* Kenai March 25 at 6 p.m. at Cook Inlet Aquaculture Building, 40610 Kalifornsky Beach Road, near Bridge Access Road.

* Seward - April 8 at 6 p.m. in the AVTEC Building, 1912 Leirer Road, across the highway from Safeway.

* Soldotna April 25 at 6 p.m. at the Kenai Peninsula Sport, Rec and Trade Show in the Soldotna Sports Center.

For more information, call Fish and Game at 262-9368.

Toastmasters to meet

Soldotna Toastmasters meets at 6:30 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month in Kenai at the Cloud and Ribelin Real Estate conference room, at 805 Frontage Road, No. 100A in the Benco Building. For more information, call Judy Cloud at 283-2745.

Dinner, auction fundraiser planned

A spaghetti dinner with all the trimmings and auction fundraiser to benefit Marcus Yamada will be held 6 p.m. April 5 at the Kenai Moose Lodge. Yamada is in the Seattle Children's Hospital undergoing treatment for promyeloytic leukemia.

A tax deductible account has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank through Bridges Community Resource Network, Inc. and another at First National Bank Alaska.

Donations are being accepted for auction items, by calling Jenny McGrady at 394-3452, Kenny Yamada at 335-4180 or Bill Neiderhauser at 283-3495.

Community members wanting to send a message to Yamada, sign a guest book or get updates on his condition may visit www.caringbridge.com, using marcusyamada for the site name.