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While the total number of cruise ship visits to Petersburg will decline this summer, local tourism experts say the quality of port calls should actually increase. "I think after looking at the schedule, the numbers of port calls are down, however, the quality of port calls are high," said James Valentine, co-owner of Viking Travel. Petersburg will welcome 87 cruise ship visits in 2025, down from 104 the previous year. However, Valentine notes that many of last year's visits came at times when to...
The Southeast island community of Petersburg held a town hall meeting on Feb. 10 to discuss the future of tourism in "Alaska's Little Norway." The borough is considering a potential partnership with a small cruise ship company and may see more tourists in coming years. While the conversation welcomed ideas related to tourism in general -like emergency services, trails and public restrooms- much of the discussion pertained to increasing tourism, especially from cruise ships, and what that means...
After losing to the Metlakatla Chiefs during the 2A Conference Clash, the Petersburg Vikings looked to change their fortunes on their home court. The Chiefs started Friday's game by hitting four threes and leading 19-6 at the end of the first. By halftime, the Vikings were down 38-22. "We were making life a little bit too easy for them to score, we weren't challenging them at the rim – we just kind of let them score," head coach Rick Brock said. In the third, the Chiefs offense continued to r...
Looking to end their four-game losing streak, the Petersburg Vikings had their first shot against the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears JV squad who were stepping up to participate in the varsity tournament hosted in Petersburg last weekend. The Vikings jumped out to a 13-5 lead at the end of the first and went on a 9-4 run in the second, holding a 22-12 advantage at halftime. "Some of the things that we've been talking about, we were finding success and as we found success, we started to believe in...
The Petersburg Pilot and KFSK teamed up to present a two hour long candidates forum on Thursday, September 12. All five candidates for Petersburg Borough Assembly were given one minute each to answer questions on topics ranging from EMS volunteer recruitment, to bears in the garbage, the future of tourism in Petersburg, and a whole lot more. Thomas Fine-Walsh Candidate Opening Statements: My name is Thomas Fine-Walsh. I was born and raised here in Petersburg, and I've had the honor of serving...
The cruise ship summer season is just weeks away - and for Alaska's Little Norway, the harbor is expecting 104 stops from 12 vessels. The first cruise ship is scheduled to arrive in Petersburg on April 27; consistent cruise ship traffic can be expected from May 6 to Sept. 22, with as many as seven port-calls, or stops, in a given week. The cruise ships coming to Petersburg this year are about the same size as recent years - most with a capacity of about 40 to 100 passengers. However, the total...
The air in town is crisp, leaves continue to fall and the mornings are turning frosty. Even with the bright sunshine seen in Petersburg this week, the season is certainly shifting. The transition of summer to winter brings more than a change in weather; seasonal industries shift, and the change prompts reflection. How did this summer go? Several of Petersburg's new tourism businesses look back on their 2023 season. VIKING TRAVEL James and Madeleine Valentine are the owners of Viking Travel, a...
The Viking Swim Club (VSC) annual dinner and auction takes place this Saturday, Oct. 28. Doors open at 6:00 pm upstairs at the Elks. The event is the youth swim program’s largest fundraiser, generating around 35% of the program’s budget through the evening’s raffle and auction. The effort helps pay the salaries of the coaches, supports swim meet travel costs, and helps keep membership dues affordable. VSC is not a school district activity. It’s a three season long activity for Petersburg kids. And this year’s auction is also honoring the 50th...
The sun is shining, the days are longer, and bands of people wearing identical jackets are wandering around main street. "Petersburg can expect an uptick in tourism for...this 2023 summer season," said James Valentine, the co-owner of Viking Travel and a cruise line agency representative. "Alaska in general just seems to be a really hot spot for cruise ship tourism and tourism in general." According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, an estimated 2.5 million people...
Athletes earn awards through excellence in competition. Athletes of distinction are feted for that excellence, but it is secondary to the character and compassion they exhibit and nurture as lives off the podium continue. Heralded for such achievements on the track, in the pool and beyond, Petersburg High School 2017 graduate Izabelle Ith was honored Sunday at the 2023 Alaska School Activities Association Alaska High School Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Anchorage's Lakefront Hotel. "It's...
April 20, 1923 – The big freight steamer Cordova was in Petersburg on Monday and unloaded coal for the local merchants. The Cordova broke her after boom and wrecked the winch while loading yellow cedar logs at Fanshaw, just before coming here. The Cordova was taking on a shipment of logs and one big one weighing about two and a half tons had just been hoisted up when the boom broke. The log fell to the deck near the winch and crashed through, tearing out the steam pipes to the winch and putting it out of commission. April 16, 1948 – Living up...
Petersburg High School students are spending their afternoons running, jumping, and throwing in the build up to their first track and field meet of the season. The team has been in practice for two weeks as students hone their skills in the cold, wet weather of early spring. "With running it's not about just super intensity all the time, it's about building a base and that's what we're doing currently," Head Coach James Valentine said. Over 20 students have joined the team including seniors...
Community members and guests attended the annual Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Banquet at the Sons of Norway last Saturday night where they heard from speakers and celebrated award presentations under the lights of the historic hall. Much to the delight of the audience, Petersburg's local bookstore, Sing Lee Alley Books and Gifts, was named the 2023 Business of the Year. The bookstore, owned by Nance Zaic, serves as a welcoming place for ship passengers visiting Little Norway and offers a cozy...
After 42 years of leading Viking Travel, Dave and Nancy Berg are ready to hang up their hats while a familiar young couple takes over the helm. The travel business has changed dramatically since 1981 when Dave and Nancy started their business-from spending hours on the phone with Alaska Airlines and building relationships with the cruise ships to navigating the new world of the internet and persevering through the pandemic. The pair met when Dave made a stop in Ellamar, Alaska while sailing up...
The Petersburg School District board unanimously voted to revise its FY23 budget during its Oct. 11 meeting to account for $262,000 in one-time funding allocated to the district by the Alaska Legislature. The one-time funding will make up for cuts to activities, instruction, and support line items made when the budget was first adopted in June-before the legislature approved the funding. The initial budget did not include the $262,000 in one-time funding and was also based on a district student...
The Petersburg High School wrestling team has been tackling and grappling on the mats for the past three weeks as they ramp up for their first tournament of the season. The team, made up of 12 students, features a core group from last year's team who have returned for another year in the ring including seniors Kyle Biggers, DD Toyomura, and Wyatt Litster. Head Coach James Valentine and Assistant Coach Mike Corl are also entering their second year of coaching. Valentine said the team's training h...
Bikers and paddlers gathered at Scow Bay Saturday morning to participate in the annual Paddle and Pedal Battle fundraiser, which raised about $15,000 according to Community Wellness Coordinator Julie Walker. The donations will go toward continuing education for Petersburg Medical Center staff and scholarships for Petersburg High School graduates. "I think our goal this year was to revive the event and it really felt like we did that," Walker said. About 70 participants made it out to the event... Full story
After a meeting last Tuesday, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions is allowing passengers and crew from their ships to go ashore and inside business in Petersburg according to Dave Berg, president of Viking Travel and a ships agent for Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska. Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht, PMC CEO Phil Hofstetter, Dr. Mark Tuccillo, who serves as the borough’s public health officer, and Berg met with representatives from Lindblad to discuss the company’s policy COVID-19 policies and work toward allowing people to visit town. Acc...
Abigail Anderson Who are your parents? Julie and Jason Anderson Number of years in Petersburg schools? 10 Please describe something you are most proud of from your time at PHS: Going on exchange. What are your plans following graduation? Right now it is up in the air, but mainly work throughout the summer then maybe go to college. What was your favorite class or activity during school and why? Art, for the most part I can just plug in my headphones and block out the world and focus at the task...
Forty-five years ago, Kathi Hammer was helping Carol Hall at a concession booth downtown, during Little Norway Festival. When, all of a sudden, Hammer got kidnapped by Vikings. Shortly after earning her freedom she was holding her daughter, Cari, when a photographer came up and asked who they were. Hammer thought he was just a tourist, until a few weeks later when she saw a picture of them on the front page of the Southeastern Log, a popular publication in Southeast at the time. Under the image... Full story
The Petersburg Borough Assembly voted unanimously to appoint 11 people to the Early Childhood Education Task Force during Monday’s meeting. The task force will be made up of Jessica Doril, Hannah Flor, Denise Gubernick, Katie Holmlund, Sharlay Mamoe, Jeff Meucci, Stephanie Payne, Chelsea Tremblay, Becky Turland, Glo Wollen, and Chad Wright. The assembly also voted unanimously to appoint Tremblay as the chair of the task force. The task force was created following multiple public meetings and work sessions which identified problems with r...
The Viking Swim Club ended its season with five swimmers attending the Alaska Junior Olympics meet in Anchorage from April 21-24. Tori Miller, Lexie Tow, Logan Tow, Brooklyn Whitethorn, and Lucia Worhatch each competed in multiple events at the competition after meeting the challenging time standards required to race in their final meet of the year. Miller finished first in the 50 fly and third in the 100 fly. "Just making it to the meet is an accomplishment in and of itself and then making it...
Petersburg is expecting a 35% increase in passenger berths from last year as the cruise ship industry rebounds from two summers hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. This summer has the potential of seeing 11,000 cruise ship passengers across 107 port calls according to Dave Berg, president of Viking Travel and a ships agent for Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska. Some of the cruise lines that will visit Petersburg this year include Alaska Dream Cruises, American Cruise Lines, National Geographic, and...
The Viking Swim Club held its November Rain meet last week, hosting the Glacier Swim Club from Juneau over two days of competition. Across the 88 events, the 32 VSC swimmers and 12 GSC swimmers fought the clock in their last shot to record qualifying times for the Alaska Swimming Age Group Championships which will be held in Fairbanks from February 18-20. Friday and Saturday's meet was originally scheduled in November but was delayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Petersburg. "It was just so nice...
February 3, 1922 Johnas Olson, well known store man and former general manager of the American mail and passenger route, has been chosen as manager of the store of the Trading Union by the Board of Directors and took charge last Wednesday. Mr Olson is relieving C. E. Swanson who resigned recently to engage in business for himself, but what line of business has not been announced yet. Mr. Olson has been a resident of Petersburg for many years and is one of the best known men among the fishing fleet of this section. He for some time was commander...
