January 06, 2005
Thursday

I am writing on behalf of the young educated adults who are perfectly happy with all the wonderful activities Ketchikan has to offer. I grew up in Ketchikan, went down south, earned a BS and a MA, and came back to Ketchikan as a young adult to work. There are many young educated adults who found a one-way ticket back to Ketchikan. I know a lawyer, a teacher, and a MBA who all have returned home in the last year to make Ketchikan their home.

Mrs. Thompson provided an excellent list of activities to cure boredom. Yes, some of them were geared towards a younger crowd, but does that stop people from volunteering to help out with these organizations? The Big Brothers and Big Sisters Club need Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Since when was church just geared towards kids? Youth Court, the Warehouse, and High School activities need adult volunteers, and the list goes on. One may not think volunteering is entertainment, but I have had a lot of fun volunteering and working with kids, and it is extremely rewarding.

I recently moved from Ketchikan to Haines with my husband. I sure miss our beautiful, but boring, town by the sea where I had to ponder how I was going to spend my weekend with all the activities going on all around me. Haines is a lot smaller than Ketchikan. We do not have a movie theater, or even a cool smoke free bar like Fat Stans. We do have an arts community, but it is no where close to the enormous arts community Ketchikan has to offer. If one thinks there is nothing to do in Ketchikan, try living in Haines, or on POW for that matter. However, Haines is an extremely creative town, and there seems to be at least one event going on every weekend. I have to admit, I haven't uttered the words, "I am bored" since being here.

When I was a kid growing up in Ketchikan in the 80s, there were a few of my fellow classmates who wrote a letter to the editor whining that there was nothing to do in Ketchikan. A week later, another letter appeared from a group of kids in Thorne Bay. They gave the kids of Ketchikan a list of things to do. My favorite suggestion was "You can roller skate on sidewalks; we don't even have sidewalks to roller skate on!"

It could always be worse. Remember, Ketchikan is not down south. And if one has to live in Ketchikan and is not happy about it, the big city is only 1 1/2 hours away by plane.

Frances Field (Leach)
Haines, AK - USA

 

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