Rhonda McBride

The Ironman’s run-swim-bike course in Juneau is designed to push athletes to their limits. But hosting the triathlon is also putting Juneau’s tourism and hospitality industry to the test. From housing athletes to race logistics, Juneau Afternoon takes a look at the myriad of challenges race organizers face as they prepare for this August’s competition,…

Part 1: Ironman Alaska: The challenges and the opportunities for Juneau.

Guests: Liz Perry, President and CEO, Travel Juneau.
  Ironman Alaska is set to take place on Sunday, August 7th. But athletes and their support teams will begin arriving the week before. Organizers are counting on Juneau to help meet the challenges of putting on an event that will draw a huge influx of people, comparable to next month’s Celebration. To solve the…

Part 2: North Words Writer’s Symposium: Exploring the Frontiers of Language.

Guests: Katrina Woolford, North Words Writer’s Symposium.
  The North Words Writers Symposium brings prominent writers together from across Alaska and beyond. It’s the event’s first in-person gathering in two years. The writers meet at the end of May in Skagway, an intimate setting to share their work and celebrate the art of writing.

Part 3: World Fish Migration Day

Guests: Debbie Hart, Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership Coordinator. Khrystl Brouilette, Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition.
  Connecting fish, rivers and people. That’s the theme of this year’s World Fish Migration Day.

Part 4: Juneau Audubon Society guided bird walks from local experts.

Guests: Doreen Prieto, field trip director for the Juneau Audubon Society
On Saturdays, through June 11th, the Juneau Audubon Society is offering guided bird walks with some of its veteran bird watchers on hand to share their knowledge. This summer, low tide walks at Bridget Cove and Rainforest Trail are also on the schedule.  

A group of students and faculty recently paddled 80 miles across Glacier Bay as part of a final requirement for the University of Alaska Southeast’s Outdoor Skills and Leadership program. On Wednesday’s Juneau Afternoon, Forest Wagner from the UAS Outdoor Studies Program talks about how this expedition put his students’ skills to the test.  He’ll…

Part 1: The growing need for skilled leadership in outdoor and adventure settings.

Guests: Forest Wagner, UAS Assistant Professor of Outdoor Studies and chairman of the UAS humanities program.
  As ecotourism grows in popularity, so does the demand for outdoor leadership skills. Forest Wagner, who teaches Outdoor Studies at UAS,  says these skills have applications in a variety of careers. From risk management to an intimate understanding of the relationship between humans and the natural world, students in the University of Alaska Southeast’s…

Part 2: Alaska Police Officers Association’s Memorial Week: Time out to reflect.

Guests: Det. Kirt Stage-Harvey, President of the Capital City Chapter of the Alaska Peace Officers Association
  The Alaska Police Officers Association marks National Police Week, May 11-17,  with a number of local events aimed at raising awareness about the role of police in a community. It’s traditionally a time to pay special recognition to law enforcement officers, who died in the line of duty, but is also part of a…

Part 3: Special Olympics Torch Run: Juneau Police and athletes team up.

Guests: Det. Kirt Stage-Harvey, Torch Run organizer. Fu Bao, Special Olympics athlete and spokesperson.
  Fu Bao has been a Special Olympics athlete in Juneau for about 9 years and has taken part in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Olympics since 2015. His specialty is bowling, but his real talent may be his work as an enthusiastic spokesperson for Special Olympics. He and Juneau Police Detective Kirt…

  Some of the best and brightest young musicians in the country will soon be headed to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall — and that includes the Aurora Strings, the advanced students from the Juneau String Ensemble. On this Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon, we’ll celebrate what these students have accomplished, how they’ve worked…

Part 1: Juneau Strings Ensemble: The journey to Carnegie Hall.

Guests: Juneau Aurora Strings Ensemble Members: Alex Yu, 1st Violin.Tobin Montalbo, 1st Cello. Cerys Hudson, 1st Cello. Elizabeth Djajalie, 1st Violin.
  A sit-down with four members of Aurora Strings, the group of advanced Juneau Strings Ensemble students headed to perform at Carnegie Hall in Juneau. In the midst of a pandemic, it hasn’t been an easy journey, but the students say it’s helped them grow as musicians and as people.  

Part 2: Girls on the Run: Beyond the finish line.

Guests: Natalie Watson, Girls on the Run & Toowú Klatseen Manager. Maya Breedlove, longtime participant in the program.
    Girls on the Run is about more than a Saturday 5k run. Although it does give girls a chance to exercise and build physical stamina, Natalie Watson and her daughter, Maya Breedlove, talk about how Girls on the Run is really about the journey of building trust, teamwork and empowering girls to realize…

Part 3: Juneau Fine Arts Camp: A family tradition.

Guests: Electra Gardenier, Juneau Fine Arts Camp manager.
  After more than 40 years, the Juneau Fine Arts camp has become a multi-generational experience for many in the community — a chance for students to explore the arts and much more.  Electra Gardenier, who is now director the program, was once a student at the camp, as was her husband. Her daughter has…

The President’s Own U.S. Marine Jazz Band rocking out on KTOO’s Juneau Afternoon. Band members: Ryan McGeorge on trombone, Greg Ridlington on saxophone, Tyler Lindsay on trumpet, Chris Rose on drums, Eric Sabo on bass, Alan Prather on guitar and Russell Wilson on keyboards. It may have been Friday the 13th, but if you’re a…

Part 1: Seven members of President’s Own U.S. Marine Jazz Band pack into KTOO’s Studio 2K for impromptu concert.

Guests: Band members: Chris Rose, Alan Prather, Eric Sabo, Russell Wilson, Ryan McGeorge, Tyler Lindsay and Greg Ridlington
  The President’s Own U.S. Marine Jazz Band was one of the crowd pleasers at this year’s Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival. Trombonist Ryan McGeorge even wrote a song for the group’s Juneau tour called Malamute Strut, inspired by his Alaskan sled dog, who lives with McGeorge in the Washington D.C. area but seems to…

Part 2: Zuill Bailey: Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival emerging from Pandemic

Guests: Zuill Bailey, cellist and artistic director for Juneau Jazz and Classics
  It’s only fitting that classical performers in the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival improvise like their jazz counterparts. But Zuill Bailey wasn’t expecting that to happen with the concert schedule. Due to flight scheduling problems, two of the members of the Arianna String Quartet wound up stuck in St. Louis and didn’t make it…

Part 3: Juneau Library promotes Hoopla streaming service and kid’s rock band concert

Guests: Margaret Luedke, Juneau Public Libraries Programs and Marketing Coordinator
There’s a lot of excitement at the Juneau Public Libraries this month which has begun offering a new digital service called Hoopla. Library cardholders can download an app and use it to check out e-books, videos, music and other media, 24-7. Also on Saturday, May 21st, there will be no shooshing at the Mendenhall branch…

Black in Alaska’s mission is simple but daunting – to profile 50 people whose stories will help explain what it’s like to be Black in Alaska. The goal: to dismantle stereotypes and connect the Black community to fellow Alaskans. On this week’s Culture Rich Conversations, Christina Michelle talks with her mother Sherry Patterson, about her…

Critics have said that quartet playing doesn’t get much better than the Arianna String Quartet, a group that is in Juneau this week for the Jazz and Classics Spring Festival. On this Wednesday’s Juneau Afternoon, the group talks about its mission to teach as well as perform. Also, on this program: The SAIL Challenge Course…

Part 1: Arianna String Quartet: Beyond the notes on the page

Guests: Kurt Baldwin, cello. Jane Price, violin. John Mcgrosso, violin. Joanna Mendoza, viola.
  The Arianna String Quartet spends as much time teaching, as performing. Why they encourage students to do more than just play the notes on the page, but take the music to a whole new level by turning it into a whole body experience.    

Part 2: Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) re-opens outdoor challenge course

Guests: Emma Van Nes, ORCA Director, Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL)
  For the first time, the Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) challenge course is fully operational. It’s an outdoor team building and leadership program set in the rain forest, that offers courses tailor-made for your group’s skills and abilities.    

Part 3: Theater Alaska: Rollicking readings of Pride and Prejudice

Guests: Christina Apathy, director. Bostin Christopher, performer.
  Theater Alaska will bring readings of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to the stage this weekend. They’re working from a playful adaption of the novel, written by Kate Hammil — a theatrical conversation about gender and self determination from a feminist perspective. All the performances are outdoors and free of charge.  

  High energy is an understatement for the US Pacific Fleet’s Big Wave Brass Band, in town this week for the Juneau Jazz and Classics spring concert series On this Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon, a few of the band members will drop in on the show. They’ll talk about their lives as touring professional musicians, who…

Part 1: US Pacific Fleet: Making music in the military.

Guests: Musicians Chief Chris Jerome, US Pacific Fleet Band, unit leader and sousaphone player
  The US Pacific Fleet’s Big Wave Band is headquartered in Hawaii. It provides support for ships, military installations, foreign dignitaries, and community events throughout the Pacific.  

Part 2: Hope Endowment Fund awarded almost $2 million in grants

Guests: Amy Skilbred, Executive Director and Reed Stoops, grants committee member — Juneau Community Foundation
  The Juneau Community Foundation’s Hope Endowment Fund gave grants to two dozen non-profits in Juneau this year. Each received a share of more than $1.95 million in funding. The grants were prioritized to serve people in crisis — programs aimed at stabilizing some of the community’s most vulnerable — such as those in need…

Part 3: Juneau Audubon Society marks World Migratory Bird Day

Guests: Gwen Baluss, Juneau Audubon Society board member.
  The Juneau Audubon Society is celebrating World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, May 14th with a bird-banding demonstration from 7:00-10:00 a.m. It’s a chance to see songbirds up close and learn about techniques for studying birds.    

Part 4: David Sedaris brings laughter to Juneau

Guests: Jeana Varney, Membership and Marketing Director and Bostin Christopher, Business and Community Support –KTOO.
  David Sedaris, a humorist, writer and regular NPR contributor, returns to Juneau on Wednesday, May 18th, to bring an evening of wit and social critique. The performance is a fundraiser for KTOO, the station’s first in-person event since the pandemic.  

Leave it to Ken Waldman to turn a book signing into a jam session. With fiddle in hand, Waldman has returned to Juneau to promote his twentieth book, “Now Entering Alaska Time.” On  this Friday’s Juneau Afternoon, Waldman talks about the characters in his novel, who drink a lot beer, fall in love and play…

Part 1: Ken Waldman’s 20th book was a long time in the making

Guests: Ken Waldman, writer and fiddler.
Ken Waldman’s new book, Now Entering Alaska Time, actually got its start in 1989, during a Juneau winter. He set it aside and recently returned to it,  a mix of heartbreak, tragedy, comedy and drama.

Part 2: Juneau Jazz and Classics: Spring Festival overview

Guests: Laura Haywood, Board Chair, Juneau Jazz and Classics.
  From big bands and blues, to spicy Cuban jazz and a classical string quartet, this spring’s Juneau Jazz and Classics festival features a diverse musical line-up.

Part 3: Marty Sharp’s exhibit features Juneau themes

Guests: Marty Sharp, water color painter and Juneau Artist Gallery co-op member
  Marty Sharp’s exhibit at the Juneau Artists gallery feature what she is known for — watercolors that capture the scenic vibe of Southeast Alaska. She says her work is inspired by its natural beauty and colorful people.  

Part 4: Juneau Super Plant Sale: Plants galore and more!

Guests: Susan Cox and Patricia Harris, Juneau Garden Club.
  After the pandemic sidelined this popular event, Juneau gardeners felt there was something missing from spring. But now they can rejoice. The Juneau Super Plant Sale returns to the Carr’s parking lot this Saturday.

There were two Michaels growing up in Juneau. One was black, the other was white. And although interracial friendships were unusual for the times, the two were best friends and their families, the Pattersons and the Barnes, became close because of the two boys. On this week’s Culture Rich Conversations, Michael and his mother, Sherry…

After 16 years at the helm of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, Nancy DeCherney is finishing out her last days on the job as she heads into retirement. At the beginning of each month, DeCherney has been a regular on Juneau Afternoon, when she gives a round-up of  First Friday art exhibits and concerts. …

Part 1: Nancy DeCherney’s final First Friday round-up

Guests: Nancy DeCherney, Executive Director, Juneau Arts and Humanities Council
As executive director of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council, Nancy DeCherney has overseen a lot of change. When she first took the job, the JAHC operated out of a basement in downtown Juneau. A short time later, she was tasked with transforming the National Guard Armory into its new headquarters. Recently, JAHC took over…

Part 2: A window into the world of Rie Muñoz

Guests: Niko Sanguinetti, Curator of Collections and Exhibits, Juneau Douglas City Museum
You’ll find Rie Muñoz paintings in living rooms, offices, and just about everywhere you go in Alaska — colorful slices of life — from fishermen at the dock, to Alaska Native women picking berries on the tundra, to a hot tub soak in Tenakee Springs — evidence that she traveled widely across the state, painting…

Part 3: Juneau celebrates its maritime culture and history

Guests: Alex Vrabec, Juneau Economic Development Council.
The Juneau Economic Development Council works year round is to raise awareness about Juneau’s economic ties to the sea. And one of its big events, the Juneau Maritime Festival, takes place this Saturday, a gathering that draws the community out to the waterfront to celebrate Juneau’s rich maritime culture and heritage.