Have you ever looked out at the sparkling sky above on a clear, dark night and wondered how far away are those gems of the celestial vault? They could be a terrestrial satellite, the Moon, one of the planets, a star or an indistinguishable smudge. Another question that may come to mind is how is distance to each of them determined? Setting aside discussions of the instruments that may be used to measure distance in the sky above, as well as those methods going the other way in measuring objects from the length of a human elbow to the tip of the middle finger (cubit) down to measuring items in the range of atomic nuclei (fermi unit, defined as ten - 15 meter), what are the measuring sticks used to determine distances to objects in the sky? Such units typically used include the meter, light-year and parsec, and multiples of each. To complicate matters, the celestial vault is presently receding from us. So, fasten your seat belts for a trip to some of the wonders of the sky, from the environs of Earth to the earliest times in the observable universe, of course with distances identified!

Volume III: Many never-told tales from the trail of the founding race. It is well said that the inaugural run was so utterly unique, "There was the First Race, then there was all the rest." All the rest fit in the Iditarod Box. The first race just did not. It was so preposterous, so outrageous, so barely organized, so haphazard, so seat-of-the pants and so wild and crazy compared to all the others. I have oft exclaimed to folks that "If you can't see how the words, 'Absurd' and 'Glorious' could fit in a sentence describing the same thing, you don't know the First Iditarod!"

Volume II: How the Race over the Trail was Born Very little-known stories about how the First Race was brought to the starting line. Only about five living individuals are able to speak on this topic with what I call, "Unassailable Authenticity," that is, from a first person, "I was there" perspective. Three of them will be speaking. All being over 80, this could very well be the last time these insiders will ever be gathered on one stage to speak on the topic. Think you know the founding details? Big Tip: YOU DON'T--here's your chance to be enlightened. • One of only six still living that ran and competed the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1973—the veritable Lewis & Clark Expedition of the Iditarod, back then a plunge into the unknown. • In 1979 named Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of the Incerior Cecis Andrus, to the inaugural Iditarod National Historic Trail Advisory Council. • Author of two authoritative Iditarod histories, TRAILBREAKERS—Pioneering Alaska’s Iditarod. Volume I is about how the gold rush era trail came to be. • As an Iditarod historian, Rod is one of the only three individuals left that are able to tell the entire birth-of-the-race story from first person, behind the scenes involvement in bringing that 1973 race to its starting line and the running of it to Nome. • Cofounder of IOFC—Iditarod Official Finishers Club, and creator of the iconic IOFC embroidered emblem. • Now on the Board of Directors, Anchorage Mushing District (for those unaware, Google it) and serving as its official Historical Interpreter. • Cofounder, Yukon Quest sled dog race.

Volume I: How the Gold Rush Era Iditarod Trail Came to Be: How the Iditarod Trail came to be. A unique telling of almost unknown Iditarod gold discovery information straight from discoverer John Beaton's family and big picture perspective of Iditarod's functional relationship to other gold rush era trails. • One of only six still living that ran and competed the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1973—the veritable Lewis & Clark Expedition of the Iditarod, back then a plunge into the unknown. • In 1979 named Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of the Incerior Cecis Andrus, to the inaugural Iditarod National Historic Trail Advisory Council. • Author of two authoritative Iditarod histories, TRAILBREAKERS—Pioneering Alaska’s Iditarod. Volume I is about how the gold rush era trail came to be. • As an Iditarod historian, Rod is one of the only three individuals left that are able to tell the entire birth-of-the-race story from first person, behind the scenes involvement in bringing that 1973 race to its starting line and the running of it to Nome. • Cofounder of IOFC—Iditarod Official Finishers Club, and creator of the iconic IOFC embroidered emblem. • Now on the Board of Directors, Anchorage Mushing District (for those unaware, Google it) and serving as its official Historical Interpreter. • Cofounder, Yukon Quest sled dog race.

To will talk about Alaska rocks. He probably will include the story of the gold rock he found in the tailings while on vacation.

Tim Troll is a long-time resident of Alaska having come to the state in 1978 as a VISTA volunteer lawyer for Alaska Legal Services in Bethel. He now lives in Anchorage but spent many years in the Bush including Dillingham where he developed an interest in the long history of the commercial salmon history of Bristol Bay. The commercial fishery began in 1884 and up until 1951 the salmon of Bristol Bay were harvested by sailboats. He will discuss the legacy of the sailboat and how it defined and still defines the history of the Bristol Bay fishery. In 2022 he was part of a group of people who restored one of the few surviving and seaworthy Bristol Bay sailboats and sailed it from Homer to Neknek in 2022. He is the author of several books of Bristol Bay history including Sail for Salmon a short history of the Bristol Bay commercial fishery from 1884 to 1951.

Laurel will enlighten us with the story of Emily Morgan, a 47-year-old Red Cross public health nurse who was in Nome, AK during the diphtheria serum business of 1925. This is the 100th Anniversary of that event. Emily worked hard to save lives during that trying time. She knew the symptoms of diphtheria. She had contracted the disease herself. (quote from the book) "Most of the administration of the serum was up to Emily Morgan. Dressed in woolen underwear, a woolen dress, a heavy sweater, 2 pairs of woolen hose, a fur parka, and high-top mukluks, she braved minus 50-degree temperatures as she made her way across Nome searching for the most ill and giving shots of serum while it lasted." Tidbits: Laurel has 115-year-old sourdough starter. She taught herself how to dry it! Her grandfather mined in Hope in 1896 - 1898. There is active mining in Hope today. Our speaker always shows up in a historic costume. Enjoy!

Alaska Health Project of South Sudan focuses on providing clean water, addressing food insecurity, supporting healthcare, and training local people to sustain these projects. At this time, we have put in 93 boreholes (water-wells) in probably 30 villages, we have supported the development of over 1200 small family farms and have built two medical clinics. We are operating in one of the most remote, impoverished, and inaccessible regions in one of the poorest countries in the world. The country is second from the bottom with the lowest human development index.

manages bear coexistence programs and offers comprehensive advice for safely sharing the landscape with bears. Her guidance focuses on proactively preventing conflicts by managing attractants, practicing trail safety, and being prepared for encounters.

Svaja was born in Lithuania and grew up near Chicago. She studied literature and linguistics in college. She taught English literature and composition at four universities, three are in Anchorage. She retired from teaching in 2004. She's the mother of seven, grandmother of18, great-grandmother two with one on the way! Lithuania is located across the Baltic Sea from Norway and Sweden. it has a rich culture with a mix of Pagan and Christian traditions. Her grandfather wrote letters from exile in Russia that she translated into English. The country was coveted by Russia for centuries due to the location but now enjoys international recognition. Now in its 5th season, the museum, library, and art gallery are Svaja's creation. She is Alaska's Honorary Consul for the Republic of Lithuania. She will wear traditional clothes of Lithuania.