Culture

Kodiak Public Library hosted the island’s second-ever popular culture convention, Fan Con, on March 22 and 23. Attendees competed in video game tournaments, watched movies, made various crafts together, and heard from a published author. KMXT’s Brian Venua stopped by and has this story.  The library had several games set up and hosted tournamets for “Mario Kart 8” and “Super …

The Kodiak History Museum hired a new executive director after months of searching. Kristin O’Lear, the new executive director, is bringing over a decade of experience in museums to the job. She arrives on the island in May.  “I am so excited to be in this new role and to move to Kodiak and just get to know the community …

The Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak named its volunteer of the year on Feb. 14, celebrating two people in 2024 – Jim and Bonnie Dillard. Both the Dillards are long-time educators on the island. The couple live in Kodiak and were commended, in part, for hand-crafting new traditional drums for an elementary school music class. According to a press release from …

Chocolate confections and local art came together on Feb. 17 for Discover Kodiak’s annual fundraising event. As KMXT’s Brian Venua reports, the local visitor bureau’s auction was raising money to support tourism to the island.  Attendees tasted several local chocolatey goods pictured here as they bid on photos and paintings from local artists. (Brian Venua/KMXT) Brock Simmons, the executive director …

Kodiak’s Alutiiq Museum has been awarded a $143,460 federal grant to expand its efforts to attract more tourists. The money is from the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) and the U.S. Forest Service. The Alutiiq Museum was one of six Native organizations across the country to receive over a hundred thousand dollars in grant funding. April Counceller is …

The Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak in collaboration with the Alutiiq Museum have released a textbook to help revitalize an endangered Alaska Native language. As KMXT’s Davis Hovey reports, it’s a new tool to teach the next generation of Alutiiq speakers. The Alutiiq language also known as Sugpiaq is broken up into two main dialects, the Koniag Alutiiq spoken in Kodiak …

While efforts to repatriate Alaska Native remains have been ongoing, keeping track of those remains has been difficult. But now the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak is building a database of repatriation efforts for the archipelago’s communities.  Amanda Lancaster is the Alutiiq museum’s curator of collections. She says the $99,713 grant comes from the National Park Service’s Native American Graves Protection …

Kodiak FilAm celebrated Christmas with loud music, and even a few rounds of musical chairs over the weekend. Kodiak’s population is just about half Filipino and hundreds of people came to celebrate the upcoming holiday.  The event was held in the armory, across from Main Elementary and was filled with celebrators. (Brian Venua/KMXT) Mark-Anthony Vizcocho is the president of Kodiak …

Kodiak had a few events to celebrate Halloween but the centerpiece event was the downtown trick or treating held by the Chamber of Commerce. Hundreds of costumed children wandered downtown in the rain and wind to fill their buckets and bags for the holiday.  Some of the kids wore rain and winter coats for the cold. (Brian Venua/KMXT) Beth Koehler …

The Islander Bookshop is one of a handful of local businesses that announced it’s moving into the mall. It’s relocating from a small storefront about a mile north of downtown.  “It just blows my mind that in 2023, an indie bookstore, not in the lower 48 but on this island, pretty far out there, can expand – triple our size,” …