KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
This weekend people can get on the dance floor a cut a rug for a cause. The annual Ocean Boogie will kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. and help raise funds for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council.
Leigh Gorman Thomet is a former board member for the council and said a similar event was held in Homer last weekend. This week the fun comes to Kodiak and will take place at Tony’s Bar.
“This is our 7th annual one here in Kodiak. It will be this Friday night. Patti Greene is going to play for live music. It’s a smoke free event. We have seafood appetizers made by Chef Joel Chenet and various artists and contributors throughout the community have donated silent auction items. And we also have dessert auction items.”
Theresa Peterson is the Kodiak Outreach Coordinator for the conservation council and said the organization was created back in the early 1990s. She said it was started by a group of community members from around Alaska that wanted to bring a voice and community perspective to fishery management and policy decisions that affect coastal communities. She said the Ocean Boogie is one of the bigger fundraisers for the council and is a unique opportunity to share some of the issues facing coastal communities, and how the council is working to tackle them.
“We look forward to continuing with Alaska Marine Conservation Council to network within our community. There are some really important decisions that are coming forward in the North Pacific Fishery Management Council as the discussion continues of a Gulf of Alaska trawl bycatch management program. And the decisions made in that mangemetn arena will impact the health of our community for generations to come. So it’s an opportunity to come and support our organization and also continue to provide feedback to AMCC as what is important for our community.”
This was the third year Homer hosted an Ocean Boogie, and Peterson said it was very successful. The event included a raffle with cash prizes, and Kodiak people were drawn for six of the 16 prizes. The grand prize went to someone in Dillingham.
“And this year we were actually considering skipping the Ocean Boogie here in Kodiak because we were having one in Homer. This is the first year that we’re actually having two Ocean Boogies. But we got feedback from the community that they really wanted to have our Ocean Boogie here in Kodiak also. And they said no you can’t skip that, we want to have the party here too. So although the raffle has already taken place we thought we’d get a gathering here in Kodiak also.”
Tickets cost $30 each and are going fast. There will be tickets at the door, but both Thomet and Peterson said they sell out every year. You can contact them both directly to get your hands on some before the date. Thomet is available at 654-4148 and you can reach Peterson at 539-1927.
