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The fifth annual Traditional Games will bring about a dozen teams from across Southeast Alaska to Juneau this weekend, with about 145 athletes taking part in ten different events at Thunder Mountain High School. On this Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon, Kyle Worl invited the community to turn out in support of the athletes in the Native…

Part 1: Traditional Games teach life skills.

Guests: Kyle Worl, Traditional Games coordinator, Tlingit Haida Central Council.
After being scaled back during the height of the pandemic, the Traditional Games returns this weekend, modified somewhat for safety, but still more like what fans remember, giving them a chance to interact with the athletes and cheer them on. While the games are considered a sport, the nature of the competition is very different.…

Part 2: Juneau Skating Club performs first in-person show since 2019.

Guests: Alexandra Sargent, Juneau Skating Club show director.
For  figure skaters like Alexandra Sargent, performances are an opportunity to show what you can accomplish when you discipline your mind and body — and throw a lot of heart into the mix.  

Part 3: CBJ Parks and Recreation transitions from winter, gears up for spring.

Guests: George Schaaf, CBJ Public Works Director
April is still a busy month on the ice with speed skating, youth hockey and free skating for all third and fourth graders, while the groundwork is being laid for this summer’s community gardens.

Part 4: April: A month to focus on the safety and well being of Southeast Alaska’s children.

Guests: Rikki DuBois and Claire Norman, SAFE Child Advocacy Center.
“It shouldn’t hurt to be a child.” That’s one Juneau group’s message to raise awareness about child abuse during National Child Abuse Prevention month in April,  which will launch with “Go Blue Day” on Friday, April 1st.  On that day, the Juneau’s SAFE Child Advocacy Center is encouraging everyone to wear blue, the official color…

Not everything in the history books is true. Michael Livingston says research into Benny Benson, the boy who designed Alaska’s flag, is a case in point. Livingston worked with a team of family tree researchers and historians to investigate discrepancies in the record. Now almost a century later, Benson’s date of birth, his parentage and…

Part 1: Benny Benson: Tracking down the truth about Alaska flag designer.

Guests: Michael Livingston, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association.
For most of his life, Michael Livingston has worked in law enforcement. But after he went to work for the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association on cultural and historical projects, his investigative skills came in handy. Livingston spearheaded a decade-long effort to unearth the truth about Benny Benson, the student who designed Alaska’s flag. The detective…

Part 2: Benny Benson: Alaska flag designer had a life of ups and downs and many surprises.

Guests: Michael Livingston, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association.
Michael Livingston peels away layers of history to get to the heart of a story about a boy, who spent almost of all his childhood in a series of orphanages — but at the age of fourteen went on to design what is considered one of the most beautiful state flags in America.  

Part 3: Whales in distress from entanglements.

Guests: Sadie Wright, Protected Species Biologist, NOAA.
Rescuing whales that get entangled in fishing gear is a growing problem in Southeast Alaska and likely underreported. Based on research which counts their scars, scientists say more than half are marked by scars from entanglement. Sadie Wright, who coordinates whale rescues for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says more help is needed from…

This week’s “Culture Rich Conversations” from the Black Awareness Association of Juneau will probably make you feel perplexed and amazed at the same time. Sherry, Christina Michelle and Kelli Patterson openly share their “hair journeys” and dish on why Black hair is one of the most challenging and expensive types of hair to style. The…

The sewage has been flowing into a slough, an important subsistence location for the coastal community.

The ukulele is small, fun and child-friendly, an instrument the Juneau Alaska Music Matters group hopes to use to get the whole town strumming. On Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon, grab a uke and strum along for a little taste of what will be taught in a new class for JAMM students and families, which is also…

Part 1: JAMM’in on the ukulele: Family lessons, family fun.

Guests: Meghan Johnson, JAMM Executive Director. Stephanie McDermott, JAMM strings teacher. Jemima Verabasaga, JAMM teaching assistant.
In the Juneau Alaska Music Matters program, you’re never too young or never too old to play the ukulele. That’s why JAMM is offering free virtual family classes via Zoom, starting on March 29th on Tuesdays from 5:00-5:45 p.m. To register, email juneaujamm@gmail.com. Listen to the discussion about the upcoming class and hear Jemina Verebasaga…

Part 2: 49 Writers group reflects on the poetry of Joy Harjo.

Guests: Katie Bausler, 49 Writers Vice President. Shaelene Moler and Olive Brend, UAS students.
It’s no coincidence that Joy Harjo’s collection of poems, An American Sunrise, is one of the most talked about books in Juneau. The public library system featured it in this year’s Big Read program, in part because Harjo is America’s poet laureate, as well as the first Native American to hold that distinction. Her poetry…

Part 3: The mind meddling magic of Skagway’s Andrew Nadon.

Guests: Andrew Nadon, Skagway music teacher, magician and entertainer.to
Andrew Nadon combines magic and mind reading in his act, which he will perform at a fundraiser this Friday, March 25th for SEAGLA, an organization which represents the LGBTQ+ community in Southeast Alaska. Tickets are available through the  Juneau Arts and Humanities Council.   

America tried this before — and the country hated it.

The Senate is holding confirmation hearings this week for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

For almost a decade, Gwen Baluss has banded hummingbirds that migrate to Alaska. And while she’s made a number of discoveries, there are still some unsolved mysteries. On this Friday’s Juneau Afternoon, she’ll share some of her research. Also on this show: A high school track and field team fundraiser. Lichen, a new publication featuring…

Part 1: Local hummingbird research

Guests: Gwen Baluss, Wildlife technician and hummingbird researcher.
Hummingbirds are commonplace during Juneau summers, but have unusual capabilities that science is only beginning to appreciate.

Part 2: JDHS: Yadaa at. Kalé Track & Field team

Guests: Zack Bursell, assistant coach. Celia Wheeler and McKenna McNutt, team captains.
The Yadaa at. Kalé track and field team at the Juneau Douglas High School is gearing up for a new season, free from a lot of the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. The team is also planning a fundraiser, with a showing of the documentary. Alaskan Nets. on Friday, March 25th @ 7:00 p.m. Visit…

Part 3: Lichen publication launches on March 20th, Spring Equinox.

Guests: Gabe Donohoe, founder of Lichen
Juneau arts and culture fans can look forward to  Lichen, a quarterly publication. March 20th, the Spring Equinox, is when the first edition of Lichen comes out.

Part 4: Art in the Garden show to mark 15th anniversary at Jensen-Olson Arboretum,

Guests: Patricia White, Friends of the Jensen-Olson Arboretum.
Friends of the Jensen-Olson Arboretum are asking local artists to help them celebrate the arboretum’s 15th year.  

Alaskans who showed up or called in to testify were overwhelmingly and vehemently opposed to the bill. 

What is Juneau’s favorite Girl Scout Cookie? Thin Mints? Samoas? Or, Tagalongs?  And what does the newest cookie, the Adventureful, taste like? Have you ever wondered what Girl Scouts do with all the money they raise and how much stays here locally? Some of the questions that will be answered on this Friday’s Juneau Afternoon.…

Part 1: Foodie Friday: Juneau Girl Scout cookie sales.

Guests: Kimberly Vaughan, Juneau Girl Scout Service Unit Cookie Manager and Hanna Rising, Brownie.
Whether you’re the Juneau Girl Scout cookie sales manager, a volunteer job by the way, or a 9-year-old Brownie, there’s a lot more to Girl Scout cookie sales than you might think.

Part 2: Get ready for spring planting with Weedy Wednesday.

Guests: Corinne Conlon, President of the Southeast Master Gardeners Association
Weedy Wednesday, a series of brown bag luncheons, Zoom-style, will get underway on Wednesday, March 16th.  Each program includes a short presentation and a  question and answer session with Master Gardeners like Corinne Conlon, who love to share their knowledge.  On Friday’s Juneau Afternoon, Conlon got into the spirit of  Foodie Friday and offered up…

Part 3: Fireside Lecture on Fly Fishing

Guests: Brad Elfers, Fireside Lecture presenter.
You never have to go far to use a rod and reel in Juneau. Brad Elfers, in a March 11th Fireside Lecture, will explain how easy it is to access some great fishing spots. Fireside Lectures are held at Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Fridays  at 7:00 p.m. You can also watch online. Go to…

Part 4: The Big Dipper constellation

Guests: Steve Kocsis, Marie Drake Planetarium
Steve Kocsis, a volunteer at Juneau’s Marie Drake Planetarium, has a passion for talking about the heavens above. He doesn’t let Juneau’s cloudy skies get in the way either. In this week’s segment, he talks about the Big Dipper, the constellation that’s on the Alaska Flag. You’ll hear the Alaska Flag Song in the backdrop,…