The Brewers Guild of Alaska (BGA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 2000 by craft brewers in Alaska to promote Alaska’s craft beer industry through consumer education, community events and legislative advocacy. The BGA now represents breweries, wineries (including cideries and meaderies) and distilleries across Alaska and serves its members through ongoing legislative advocacy, as well as continuing education and peer and supplier networking opportunities.

Hospice care started in the Mat-Su Valley in the 1980s. Volunteers, churches, and community members led this grassroots effort. Later, Valley Hospice Resources and other organizations focused on emotional support, grief counseling, respite care, and helping families care for loved ones at home.

Hospice has come a long way since its beginnings. Volunteer-based services could no longer meet the needs as the Valley grew. Medicare-certified hospice providers now serve our growing population with trained interdisciplinary teams.

Maria is a Patient Care Navigator with Ancora Home Health and Hospice. She explained how hospice services work in an interview with Mike Chmielewski on Big Cabbage Radio last week. She also cleared up common misconceptions.

Ancora provides stability and support for patients and families during serious illness. Maria emphasizes that hospice care is generally 100 percent covered by Medicare for eligible patients. There is usually no out-of-pocket cost for those who qualify. The name Ancora comes from the Latin word for “anchor.” It is a for-profit agency.

Maria stresses that hospice is not just for the final days of life. One of the biggest misconceptions is that entering hospice means death is imminent. Patients and families benefit most when hospice begins months earlier, allowing time to receive symptom management, emotional support, education, and guidance. Patients with a terminal diagnosis and an expectation of six months or less to live are eligible for hospice care.

Mike Chmielewski shared his family’s recent experience with hospice while caring for a relative in Florida. The patient returned home after the hospital physician recommended hospice. A hospital bed, oxygen, and other medical equipment were delivered before the patient came home. Nurses, aides, social workers, and other team members visited regularly, helping both the patient and family through the final days. Maria confirmed that families in Alaska can generally expect a similar approach.

Each hospice patient and the caregivers are supported by an interdisciplinary team. A registered nurse serves as the patient’s case manager. Certified nursing assistants provide personal care. A social worker provides support for the family, and a chaplain is available for spiritual support. A medical director oversees care. Hospice teams focus on comfort, symptom management, and quality of life rather than curative treatment.

Maria also explained that hospice does not provide around-the-clock caregivers in the home. Families provide the day-to-day care. Hospice staff are available 24 hours a day by phone. Nurses make regular home visits and visit when symptoms require attention. Hospice professionals provide training, guidance, and reassurance that reduce caregiver stress and burnout.

Patients do not always need a physician’s referral to begin the hospice evaluation process. In some circumstances, patients can request an assessment themselves. The Ancora medical director reviews medical records and determines eligibility for hospice services.

Beyond hospice, Ancora also provides home health services for patients recovering from surgery, illness, or injury who need skilled nursing or therapy at home. Maria highlighted the agency’s free “Bridge” program. It stays connected with vulnerable patients after home health services end. The program does periodic wellness visits and check-ins. They can identify changing needs before a crisis occurs.

Maria concluded by encouraging listeners to learn more about hospice before a crisis develops. Alaska remains one of states that underutilizes hospice services. This is despite the significant support available for patients and families facing serious illness. Education, early planning, and understanding how hospice can help means that people receive compassionate care when they need it most.

Mike and his family became fans of hospice. You can learn more about hospice services at ancoraalaska.com. .The interview with Maria is on bigcabbageradio.org in Community Health Connections under podcasts.

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.

This Page Two article was reported by Mike Chmielewski and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Wednesday July 8, 2026.

Photo Credit: Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center

Let’s say you’re heading out to the great outdoors for a few days or longer. You’ve got your backpack. You’ve got your tent. You’ve got your rain gear and a good pair of boots.

What are you going to eat? It’s not an easy question to answer. Your favorite cast iron frying pan is too heavy to carry if it even fits in your backpack. And a lot of your favorite grocery store items are too heavy or too bulky or too fragile.

And your nutritional needs are different out there. You’re hiking in the sun and rain all day. And you’re sleeping in a tent through cold nights. Your body needs fuel. It needs calories.

We asked the people at NOLS how they feed their students. NOLS is the National Outdoor Leadership School. Their 40 acre Alaska campus is on an old dairy farm in Palmer. NOLS hires over 100 instructors who lead over 800 students on trips all over Alaska during the summer. They take them on backpacking trips, mountaineering trips, and sea-kayaking trips.

Some of the trips are one week long. Some are three months long. NOLS takes students to the Talkeetna Mountains, the Chugach Mountains, and Prince William Sound. Program Manager Caio Poletti is really excited about the new sea kayaking course from Whittier to Seward.

NOLS also provides training for astronauts. There’s a hallway in their main building lined with photographs of NASA astronauts who’ve graduated from one of their top-secret training expeditions.

NOLS courses are rigorous. Depending on the course, the weight students carry, including food, can be up to 45 to 60 pounds or 40 to 45% of their body weight according to their website.

Students burn a lot of calories on NOLS trips. Keeping them fed is important. Adventure nutrition is both a science and an art at NOLS.

Students carry enough food to last ten days. For longer trips, pre-pack bags are dropped off for them at pre-determined spots.

Ashley Boone is the rations manager at NOLS Alaska. She uses a computer program as a guideline for food distribution. The students need a diet that’s high in carbohydrates, protein and fat. Yes, fat, especially in the colder seasons. The software sorts out the general nutritional needs, but it does not do the daily meal planning.

Boone says that camp cooking is part of the adventure. She wants them to be creative. They have the tools to make quesadillas, spaghetti, pizza, even cake on their camp stoves. Campers cook in teams of three or four. They take turns cooking. It’s exciting when they develop their own recipes. One time, students came back with a new recipe for camp-stove butter chicken!

All Boone does is give them the tools. She gives them quick-cooking rice and pasta. She gives them tomato powder. She gives them cheese, chicken and tuna packets, summer sausage, butter, olive oil, and cake mixes. And she gives them spices.

Those spices are important. You use a lot of calories when you’re hiking in the mountains. You are not going to eat enough if the food is boring, she says.

So, how much of this applies to your five day backpacking trip? Not all of it. Boone says that when camping on her own, she might use a hybrid approach. She might even splurge and buy one of those expensive freeze-dried meals at REI. But she’s got the skills to cook a great outdoor meal of her own. If you’ve got the skills, you might as well use them.

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

It is also posted on bigcabbageradio.org, Facebook, and NextDoor.

Please support Page 2 News and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org.

This Page Two article was reported by David Cheezem and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

Image by David Cheezem:

NOLS Rations Manager Ashley Boone shows off their snack mix.

Join Dr. Jill Valerius and host Lee Henrikson as they have a discussion on pancreatic cancer screening.

Image Credit: MDPI

Blake Allen stepped into the role of CEO of the Alaska State Fair in May. He described his first weeks as “drinking from a fire hose.” He was learning about all the moving parts in Alaska’s largest annual event. 

Allen doesn’t plan to make any changes at this time. He wants to observe how the fair operates and build on the successes of his predecessor Jeff Curtis. 

He brings experience managing large stadiums, arenas, and major public events. He has focused on crowd movement, safety, and customer experience. He says those skills will help the fair continue its mission of educating, entertaining, and providing a safe gathering place for Alaskans.

The fair welcomed more than 380,000 visitors last year. Allen says moving large crowds safely remains the top priority for the fair. He doesn’t plan for traffic changes this year. He will evaluate parking, traffic flow, and pedestrian movement before considering future improvements. 

Free parking will continue. It allows visitors to spend more of their money enjoying the fair instead of paying to park. And it gets folks into the fair faster.

Allen confirmed that plans are in the works to renovate the outdoor concert venue after the fair ends this year. Proposed improvements include better seating, upgraded restrooms, and enhanced backstage facilities to improve the experience for both audiences and performers. Final approval rests with the fair board of directors.

The 2026 concert lineup is generating a lot of interest. At least one show has sold out. Allen encourages fairgoers to purchase tickets early through the Alaska State Fair website. He advises concert goers to ensure their tickets are valid by avoiding third-party sellers 

Concert goers will see improved entry into the grandstand area. This includes the possible addition of another entrance gate to reduce wait times.

This year’s fair will feature familiar favorites like Monster Trucks, the Demo Derby and the concerts. New attractions include Cretaceous Kingdom, an animatronic dinosaur exhibit, and the return of Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel.

The exciting new attraction is the largest drone light show in Alaska. Hundreds of synchronized drones will create animated images in the night sky, including Alaska State Fair-themed displays. It is scheduled for the final weekend of the fair.

Allen highlighted the Fair’s growing role as a year-round community venue. The Fairgrounds hosts events such as the Alaska Scottish Highland Games, the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering, weddings, and numerous community events. The new event center near the Purple Gate provides expanded restroom facilities and meeting space throughout the year.

The Alaska State Fair celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. It runs from August 21 through September 7. Gates will open at 11 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. The fair will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays again this year. Tickets are at alaskastatefair.org.

Allen says whether the weather is sunny or rainy, he expects Alaskans to come together once again to celebrate one of the state’s most treasured traditions.

The full interview with Fair CEO Blake Allen is on bigcaggbageradio.org in Valley Edition under podcasts.

Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.

Please support Page 2 News and Big Cabbage Radio. Become a member: Donate today at bigcabbageradio.org. 

This Page Two article was reported by Mike Chmielewski and produced by yours truly, Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.

That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Monday July 6, 2026.

 Image by Lee Henrikson: Mike Chmielewski, Fair CEO Blake Allen, and Fair Board President Jason Ortiz

Join host Mike Chmielewski and his guest, Greg Wickham, Maintenance Superintendent for the City of Palmer, as they discuss the construction going on this Summer.

Image Credit: Big Cabbage Radio

Blake Allen, C.E.O. of the Alaska State Fair, joins host Mike Chmielewski on Valley Edition to discuss the ongoing improvements to the Alaska State Fairgrounds. Plus an update on some new attractions coming to the fair.

Image Credit: Alaska State Fair