Cooper Landing Gem April 2022

Monthly Newsletter

April 2022

Cooper Landing Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center

Dear Members, Get your oars ready!!! The 2022 Regatta is being planned as we speak. This year proceeds from the race will be donated to the Kenai River Sportfishing Association. In the following pages you’ll find the details about the Drift Boat Regatta, the Raft River Cleanup, how to register, and how to be a sponsor.

So mark you calendars and save the date for May 21st, 2022.

Board Of Directors

The Upper Kenai Visitors Guide is back from the printers and has been distributed around the peninsula and in various other places in Anchorage and the state. Get your copy from our local merchants to review and give us your feedback on your impressions. It would be great to know from your bookings how many of your clients have seen the copy online or in hard copy.

Vice-President Kindra Leaders Grizzly Ridge 907-202-6377

Enjoy spring, looking forward to the softball tournament again this year. Please come join in all the spring fun around the Landing.

Thank you, Cheryle James & Your Chamber Board

President Cheryle James Wildman’s 907-290-1213

Treasurer Shirley Wilmoth The Hutch B&B 907-595-1270 Secretary Rose Hetrick Inn at Tern Lake 907-288-3667 Director Shaun Sehl Prospector John’s 907-250-7775

Looking for places in Alaska to explore this summer? Visit the Upper Kenai! Find lodging, places to eat, and things to do in our Upper Kenai Visitors Guide.

View the Guide

Cooper Landing Chamber of Commerce PO Box 809 Cooper Landing, Alaska 99572 info@cooperlandingchamber.com Newsletter Layout & Design by Best Route Productions

2019 Regatta Winners Tommy Bolk and Sean Coe from Drifters Lodge Photo Credit: Best Route Productions

SATURDAY, MAY 21ST SCHEDULE 11:45 pm — to 12:30 pm

Boats in Water at Eagle Landing Resort

12:00 pm —

Pre-Race Barbecue at Eagle Landing Resort

1:00 pm —

Official Drift Boat Regatta Start

1:30 pm —

Official Raft River Clean Up Start

4:00 pm —

Regatta & Raft Clean Up Complete at Sportsman’s Boat Launch

4:30 pm —

Awards and Door Prizes at Sunrise Inn

All proceeds raised from this event are donated to the Kenai River Sportfishing Association.

DRIFT BOAT REGATTA ENTRY FEE- $50 PER BOAT Open to 18ft to 20ft Aluminum Drift Boats.

1st Place Prize

— $400

2nd Place Prize — $200 3rd Place Prize — $100

RAFTS ENTRY FEE- $40 PER RAFT Open to all 10ft and up inflatable rafts.

Help clean up trash along the river banks for spring clean up. All participants are entered into a drawing for door prizes.

Costume Award for the boat with the best dressed participants.

HOW TO ENTER: For a complete list of rules and registration visit our website at: www.cooperlandingchamber.com/regatta

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

All entrants must register by May 13th For more information email us at: info@cooperlandingchamber.com

Cooper Landing Drift Boat Regatta Information Thank you for signing up to participate in the Cooper Landing Drift Boat Regatta! We welcome individual racers and those sponsored by local businesses and corporations. Your financial contribution to this event supports our fundraising efforts for the Kenai River Sportfishing Association. Please follow the link below to register prior to May 13th, 2022.

About: The Cooper Landing Drift Boat Regatta is a friendly sporting event where participants race to be the fastest team to row seven river miles on the Upper Kenai River. Competitors compete in teams of two in aluminum drift boats. The slowest team wins the Red Lantern award.

Race Course: • Starting Point- Eagle Landing Resort.

• Ending Point- 300 ft upstream from Sportsman’s Boat Launch.

Specifications: • Drift Boats should be aluminum and sized at 18 ft to 20 ft in length.

• All competitors must wear a life jacket while on the river.

• All teams must be respectful of others throughout the race course.

Race Timeline: • Prior to the Race Start: Participants will need to launch their boat at the Cooper Landing Boat Launch and shuttle their vehicle and trailer to Sportsman’s Boat Launch. Participants will need to have their boat rowed downstream to Eagle Landing Resort no later than 12:30 pm on race day, Saturday May 21st.

• 12:00 pm: Pre-race barbecue begins, hosted by Eagle Landing Resort.

• 1:00 pm: Race begins. All drift boats line up on anchor across the river in front of Eagle Landing Resort. On the shot gun start, one team member must pull up the anchor and begin rowing. This team member must row at least once before having the option of switching with their partner. Race continues down river. Team members can switch between rowers at anytime.

• 4:00 pm: Race ends. All boat times will be collected.

• 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm: Award Ceremony at Sunrise Inn. Awards: • 1st place: $400 • 2nd place: $200 • 3rd place: $100 • Last place: Red Lantern Award • Best costume: Surprise!

Entry Fee: • The cost to participate is $50 per boat.

• All competitors must sign a risk waiver in order to compete.

• Entry fee includes two free drink tickets for the Regatta Award Ceremony.

How to Enter: Follow the link below to access the registration page and payment information. www.cooperlandingchamber.com/regatta info@cooperlandingchamber.com • (907)-595-1456 • www.cooperlandingchamber.com

Cooper Landing Raft River Clean Up Information Thank you for your interest in the Cooper Landing Drift Boat Regatta’s Raft River Clean Up! We welcome individual participants and those sponsored by local businesses and corporations. Your financial contribution to this event supports our fundraising efforts for the Kenai River Sportfishing Association. Please follow the link below to register prior to May 13th, 2022.

About: The Cooper Landing Raft River Clean Up is a family friendly event that seeks to remove litter from roughly seven miles of the Upper Kenai River. Groups work together to collect and remove fishing line, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, old boots, etc. All trash cleanup participants will receive a ticket to be entered to win a variety of prizes.

Clean Up Area: • Starting Point- Eagle Landing Resort.

• Ending Point- Sportsman’s Boat Launch.

Specifications: • Rafts should be sized between 10 ft to 20 ft in length. Drift boats are allowed to enter.

• No small watercraft (canoe, kayak, paddle board, single man catarafts) are allowed to enter.

• All participants must wear a life jacket while on the river.

• All teams must be respectful of others throughout the race course.

Clean Up Timeline: • Prior to the Clean Up Start: Participants will need to launch their boat at the Cooper Landing Boat Launch and shuttle their vehicle and trailer to Sportsman’s Boat Launch. Participants will need to have their boat rowed down to Eagle Landing Resort no later than 12:30 pm on race day, Saturday May 21st.

• 12:00 pm: Pre-Clean Up barbecue begins, hosted by Eagle Landing Resort.

• 1:30 pm: Clean Up begins in front of Eagle Landing Resort. All rafts line up across the river in front of Eagle Landing. On the shot gun start, teams may begin. Team members can switch between rowers at anytime.

• 4:00 pm: Race ends. All trash will be collected at Sportsman’s Boat Launch.

• 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm: Award Ceremony at Sunrise Inn. Awards: • All participants are entered into a drawing for door prizes.

• Best costume: Surprise!

Entry Fee: • The cost to participate is $40 per vessel.

• All participants must sign a risk waiver in order to compete.

• Entry fee includes two free drink tickets for the Regatta Award Ceremony.

How to Enter: Follow the link below to access the registration page and payment information. www.cooperlandingchamber.com/regatta

info@cooperlandingchamber.com • (907)-595-1456 • www.cooperlandingchamber.com

2022 Cooper Landing Drift Boat Regatta

Event Sponsorship Join the Cooper Landing Chamber for the upcoming 15th Annual Drift Boat Regatta by becoming a sponsor. All proceeds will be donated to the Kenai River Sportfishing Association.

$250 Drift Boat Sponsor • Sponsor receives their business name on a flag to be displayed on the drift boat throughout the race and at the awards ceremony.

• Includes the registration fee of one drift boat.

• Two free drink tickets at the awards ceremony.

• Advertising on event webpage and social media.

SATURDAY, MAY 21ST SCHEDULE 11:45 pm — to 12:30 pm

Boats in Water at Eagle Landing Resort

12:00 pm —

Pre-Race Barbecue at Eagle Landing Resort

1:00 pm —

Official Drift Boat Regatta Start

1:30 pm —

Official Raft River Clean Up Start

4:00 pm —

Regatta & Raft Clean Up Complete at Sportsman’s Boat Launch

4:30 pm —

Awards and Door Prizes at Sunrise Inn

$200 Raft Sponsor • Sponsor receives their business name on a flag to be displayed on the raft throughout the clean up and at the awards ceremony.

• Includes the registration fee of one raft.

• Two free drink tickets at the awards ceremony.

• Advertising on event webpage and social media.

Prize Sponsor • Donate a prize for the drift boat competitors or the raft participant’s prize raffle and receive your business name on the event website and social media accounts.

HOW TO SPONSOR Register at: www.cooperlandingchamber.com/regatta All sponsors must register by April 30th

Page 6

Cooper Landing Lynx News

April 2022

Games People Play- Part Two: Dodgeball!

Does the word dodgeball bring back some dredded memories of highschool PE class? Where you hoped you didn’t get pegged with the big rubber ball? Does thinking about it make your hands sweat and your muscles tense up? Well those thoughts will be a thing of the past after you play the Cooper Landing Lynx’s version of Dodgeball!

Lynx Dodgeball is one of the students’ favorite games to play during PE. Our version uses twenty, six-inch foam balls that are easy for students to throw and catch. They don’t sting like the old-school style rubber dodgeballs. Our rules are slightly varied from the standard rules of the game so that all grades can play. There isn’t a limit to how many players can play at a time. Our game also increases the opportunity for players to reenter the game once they are out.

Students practice hand/eye coordination, throwing, catching, and critcal thinking skills.

Students improve their cardiovascular fitness while working together as a team. Team collaboration is key to success when playing this game.

Game Rules 1. Set Up: Line all of the dodgeballs up on the center line. Team members stand touching the back wall of their side of the court.

2. On the whistle, team players run to the center line and hit as many dodgeballs onto their side of the court as they can.

3. All players must be behind the court line on their team’s side to make his/her first throw of the game.

4. The game continues with players throwing balls at the opposing team with the aim of getting everyone on the opposing team out.

5. A player is out if he/she: a) steps over the center line b) gets hit with a thrown ball or c) throws a ball and the opposing team catches it. A thrown ball can only get one player out.

6. Thrown balls that hit the ground, wall, or other balls before hitting an opponent or before getting caught are ineligible to get a player out. If a player gets hit above the shoulders they are not out.

7. When a player gets out he/she walks to the back wall on the opposing team’s side and gets ready to catch a ball thrown by their teammates. If they catch a teammate’s ball they get back into the game. The ball must be caught in the air. A player may not catch the ball off of the wall. (Exception, kindergarteners are allowed to catch a ball that is rolled to them from their teammates).

The player walks back to their side with the ball they caught and continues play once they cross their team’s court line.

8. A team wins when all of the players on the opposing team are out.

Red Team’s Court Red Team Court Line

Center Line

Blue Team Court Line

Blue Team’s Court

Dodgeball Playing Field Page 7

Cooper Landing Community Club The Community Club would like to thank everyone that came out for the Hall Cleanup and to help Firewise the area and cut firewood! The place is looking good for the summer season!

The 26th Annual Softball Tournament will be held May 26th through June 4th this year. We are currently accepting donations for the softball silent auction. Email us if you would like to donate something or if you have any questions about the auction. We think you are going to be excited about the items we have this year!

We are also in the process of organizing the Softball Concession. Are there any non-profit groups out there that want to sign up to host a day of softball concessions? You can make a little extra money and have fun while doing it! Email us to learn more and/or to sign up.

Contact Us: cooperlandingcommunityclub@gmail.com www. cooperlandingcommunityclub.com Cooper Landing Community Club

Photo by: Best Route Productions

The Community Club would also like to send a shout out to all the volunteers in this town! We are fortunate to have a community where so many folks spend extra time making this community so great. Thanks to all the volunteers!!!

May 26th to June 4th, 2022 April 2022 — 8

Cooper Landing Gem News Do you have business or organization updates you would like to share with the community?

All Chamber Members are invited to submit updates and information to the monthly newsletter. Contact us for more information.

Contact Us

Happy Birthday 4/5 4/6 4/11 4/12 4/12 4/14 4/15 4/17 4/17 4/18 4/18 4/18 4/20 4/22 4/24 4/26 4/29 4/29

Roy McNutt Jimmy Milne George Anderson Joyce Koppert John Williams Clara LaRock Barb Atkinson Jean (Nana) Sether Terry Robinson Gary McFadden Josie Wilkes Butch Reger Terri Tobias Cheryle James Cooper Gossard Katie Thomas Kristen Helgren Shirley Wilmoth

Happy Anniversary 4/30 Gary and Yvette Galbraith Photo by: Best Route Productions

April 2022 — 9

2022 Cooper Landing Chamber of Commerce & CVB Please support our local businesses!

5 Dogs Fishing

(907) 598-3525

Grizzly Ridge

(907) 595-1260

Alaskan Angling Adventures LLC

(907) 595-3336

Gwin’s Lodge

(907) 595-1266

Alaska Heavenly Lodge

(907) 599-0022

Inn at Tern Lake (Moose Pass)

(907) 288-3667

Alaska Horsemen Lodge

(907) 595-1806

Jason’s Guide Service

(907) 351-3036

Alaska Waste

(907) 312-6267

Kahtnu Spirit Lodging

(907) 299-2855

Alaska Outdoor Woodstoves

(907) 598-1633

Kenai Cache Outfitters

(907) 595-1401

Alaska River Adventures

(907) 595-2000

Kenai Kayak Company

(907) 441-6753

Alaska Rivers Company

(907) 595-1226

Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area

(206) 920-9051

Alaska Troutfitters

(907) 595-1212

KPB Mayor –Charlie Pierce (Soldotna)

(800) 478-4441

Alaska Wildland Adventures

(800) 334-8730

KPBSD Superintendent

(907) 714-8836

Andy’s Artwork

(907) 802-1274

Kenai Peninsula Econ. Dev. Dist.

(907) 283-3335

Angle 45 Adventures (Hope)

(907) 782-3175

Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge

(907) 595-1425

Bean Creek Gallery

(907) 595-3488

Kenai River Drifters Lodge

(907) 595-5555

Bearfoot Publications

(907)320-1145

Kenai River Float-n-Fish

(907) 519-0048

Best Route Productions

(303) 570-2081

Kenai River Sportfishing Association

(907)262-8588

Bike Cooper Landing, LLC

(907) 231-6793

Kenai River Trout Anglers

(907) 599-0085

Blue Yeti Food Truck

(907) 231-6089

Kenai Watershed Forum

(907) 265-5412

Boatman’s

(907) 202-1004

Mystic Waters Fly Fishing

(509) 715-9697

Camp K on Kenai Lake

(907) 279-3551

Peninsula Axe Throwing

(716) 222-0556

Cooper Landing Brewery

(907) 276-5044

Professional Testing

(907)598-1633

Cooper Landing Community Club

(907) 595-2169

Prospector John’s Pan for Gold

(907) 598-1808

Cooper Landing Community Library

(907) 595-1241

Round Mountain Retreat

(907) 598-1333

Cooper Landing Community School

(907) 595-1244

Salmon Run Lodge

(907) 595-2197

Cooper Landing Emergency Services

(907) 595-1800

Seramur Home Services

(907) 599-0019

Cooper Landing Fish Camp

(907) 595-3474

Sharon Saunders, GRI, Realtor

(928) 706-8901

Cooper Landing Fishing Guide

(907) 599-0126

Sunrise Inn & Café

(907) 595-1222

Cooper Landing Rifle & Sportsman’s Club

(907) 599-0004

Talon Air Service, Inc. (Soldotna)

(907) 262-8899

Cooper Landing Historical Society

(907) 598-1042

The Hutch Bed & Breakfast

(907) 595-1270

Cooper Landing Senior Citizens Corp.

(907) 595-3000

Upper Kenai Cabins

(907) 595-3055

Eagle Landing Resort

(907) 595-1213

Wildman TR Inc.

(907) 595-1456

First National Bank Alaska (Soldotna)

(907) 260-6000

Fish & Sons Kenai Charters

(907) 598-1065

April 2022 — 10

April 2022 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday 1

Saturday 2

April Fool’s Day 3

4

5

CLSCCI Board Mtg. (via conf.call) 6:00 pm 10

11

12

6

7

8

9

14

15

16

CL Advisory Planning Commission Mtg. (via Zoom) 6 pm 13

Good Friday 17

18

19

20

21

22

23 Earth Day CL Chamber Mtg. 3:30 pm @ Community Hall

Easter 24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Arbor Day

2022 Upper Kenai Visitors Guide Now available online and in print.

Regatta Sponsorship Registration Due

Cooper Landing Library Hours • Monday: 1-3 pm •Tuesday: 3-5 pm •Wednesday: 9-11am (pickup only) & 1-3 pm •Thursday: 1-3 pm •Friday: 1-3 pm Cooper Landing Chamber of Commerce Newsletter Graphics & Design by Best Route Productions