Successfull 2011 Christmas Potluck Held

On Thursday December 22, 2011 the Qagan Tayagungin Tribe held its Annual Christmas Potluck.  Months of effort goes into putting on this event, from planning, purchasing and wrapping gifts, calling people to make food, transporting tables and chairs to accomodate everyone who comes, cooking turkeys and hams, setting up, and taking down and cleaning up of the building and more. 

A big thank you goes out to the entities who contributed financially to the cost of the potluck, without there support, this event wouldn't be possibe: Aleutian Pribililof Island Association, Agate Pull Tabs, The City of Sand Point, The Pauloff Harbor Tribe, The Unga Tribe, The Aleut Corporation, The Aleutian Housing Authority, and Fleetwelding Services.  A special thank you to Ace Air Cargo which donated all the freight to help Santa get the presents into town since his reindeer are resting up for Christmas Eve.  Thank you to the Sand Point Baptist Church for lending us their coffee pot, to the the City of Sand Point for lending us their tables and chairs, and to George Cromer for lending us his sound system and for providing the Christmas music to set the mood. 

It takes many man hours to put on an event for the whole community.  We'd like to extend our thanks to Dave Adams and Ingrid Cumberlidge who helped cut turkeys and hams and roasts during the potluck.  Thank you to Austin Roof, Marcus Adams, and Johnny Curtis for helping to move tables and chairs from the City Gym to the Community Center.  Thanks to Kimberly Johansen for helping setup, and to Arlene Gundersen for helping clean up.  Thank you Carl Dirkers for the special assistance you provided as well.  Thank you to Alice Kalmakoff, Marva Hatch, and Lisa Barns for the planning and work they put into making the potluck a success.  Thank you to our Tribal Council for continuing to support this event year after year: Dick Jacobsen President, Rayette McGlashan Vice-President, David Osterback Secretary Treasurer, Edee Jacobsen, Jason Bjornstad, Peter Devine, and Glen Gardner. Thank you to Cathy Adams and Tiffany Jackson for the work they put into the potluck, and to Laresa Moses who had a vision for how the potluck should look and making it happen.  Laresa's organizing kept us all going in the right direction to pull the event together.

We'd like like to recognize a very special helper who really went above and beyond for the Tribe, Popeye (Ernest) Gilbert.  Popeye showed up the day before to help setup tables and chairs, and helped us the day of the potluck to bring gifts up to the building, help finish setting up, working the kitchen cutting meat, doing dishes, cleaning up, and showed up the day after the potluck to help finish cleaning up, and transport everything back to the office.  If there was ever something that needed to be done, he was the first to jump in and volunteer to help get it done.  Thank you Popeye for all your help!

During this event, all the children in town are given a gift, and all the adults in attendance are entered into a drawing to either pick an envelope from the money tree, or to pick a present.  Congratuations to the following adults who were drawen to pick from the money tree:

  • Brandon Gundersen $40.00
  • Robert Morris $40.00
  • Rodney Osterback $40.00
  • Leann Mack $20.00
  • Robin Kenezuroff $20.00
  • Dana Abdulah $30.00
  • Henry Nielsen Sr. $30.00
  • Alvin Osterback $30.00
  • Travis Gilbert $20.00
  • Carl Moses $50.00
  • Heather Meinert $50.00
  • George Cromer $30.00
  • Marita Gundersen $20.00
  • Dennis McGlashan Jr. $20.00
  • Nora Newman $40.00
  • PJ Brown $50.00
  • Austin Roof $40.00
  • Cherilyn Lundgren $30.00
  • Linda Cruden $100.00
  • Raymond Nutt $50.00
  • Ariel Gundersen $50.00
  • Lorraine Osterback $40.00
  • Evalyn Percincula $30.00
  • Denise Godbehere $20.00
  • Susan McGlashan $50.00
  • Kim Johansene $40.00
  • Stanley Mack $20.00

Congratulations also to the following adults who were able to pick something from the stack of adult presents:

  • Marilyn Larsen
  • Michelle Nelson
  • Heidi Jacobsen
  • Wendy Gardner
  • Mary Ann Krone
  • Allen Ward
  • George Gundersen Jr.
  • Diana Holmberg
  • Ken Knudsen
  • Nate Taylor
  • Julia Gundersen
  • Jeremy Krone
  • Eileen Dushkin
  • Marva Hatch
  • Jani Gundersen
  • Carmen Holmberg
  • Cindy Innoscenti
  • Sharon Futch
  • Andrew Karlsen
  • Alice Kalmakoff
  • Jack Foster Jr.
  • Kelly Bjornstad
  • Elaine Dey

 From the Tribal Council and the staff at the Qagan Tayagungin Tribe, we wish you all health and happiness this Christmas, and a prosperous New Year.