Convention and Visitors Bureau hands out awards

WASILLA — Six local tourism businesses and organizations were honored for their achievements during the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau’s annual “Stars of the Industry” awards luncheon at Evangelo’s Nov. 13. The luncheon was part of a day-long event featuring guest speakers, the Voice of the Membership meeting and the kickoff of the organization’s 30th anniversary next year.

The Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce was awarded the Northern Lights Award, which honors a community or community organization for outstanding tourism promotion and development. Beth Valentine, the outgoing president of the chamber, accepted the award.

The Spirit of Tourism award was given to the Great Land Trust, for their efforts in raising money to purchase the 40-acre summit of the Butte, which it in turn donated to the Mat-Su Borough to be managed as public recreation land.

“We were humbled by the outpouring of community support,” Mat-Su Program Director Kim Sollien said. “People have been so generous; it’s obvious how much love there is for this special place and making sure it stays conserved for public use forever.”

The Gold Star Award honors a business that has made a significant accomplishment in the tourism industry. This year, the award was given to K2 Aviation for their continued success in Talkeetna. Owner Suzanne Rust accepted the award.

The Tourism Angel award was given to Diana Lambernakis of Evangelo’s, for her extraordinary efforts in helping a tour operator during the Sockeye Fire in June. Lambernakis served a tour group of 100 seniors who were stopped by the roadblock established by the fire. She met with the tour director, and the following morning, got up at 6:30 a.m. to purchase supplies the group needed, then went to Houston Middle School, where the group was stranded, to give them breakfast.

“Even though this was a very bad experience and we were stuck for hours and hours on the bus and had to overnight in a middle school shelter... the friendliness and willingness to help from Diana and the Red Cross in Houston was an extraordinary experience,” Christoph Voelkel of TRIPS wrote in an e-mail.

The Cheechako Award, given to a business that thrives during its early years of operation, was given to Palmer City Alehouse.

A tongue-in-cheek award, It Happens, was given to Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge for an event in August. With 460 rooms filled with nearly 1,000 guests, the entire facility lost power, shutting down food service, check-ins and everything else. For the entire day, the staff turned lemons into lemonade by assembling a makeshift kitchen and serving up halibut, salmon and steaks, and giving their guests a memorable experience.

Prior to the luncheon, the Mat-Su CVB hosted an informative panel discussion featuring guest speaker Kristin Dahl of Travel Oregon, who talked about rural tourism development and how communities can pull together to give visitors amazing experiences. Jessica Winnestaffer of the Chickaloon Village talked about her organization’s new cultural tourism grant, and Kim Ryals of the Mat-Su Parks and Trails Foundation spoke about how trails positively impact tourism. Chris Whittington-Evans of Wolf Architecture also shared conceptual designs from the new Gateway Visitor Center project.

At the Voice of the Membership meeting, new board member Mark Fleenor of Sheep Mountain Lodge was seated. The Mat-Su CVB elected officers for the board, including Cheryl Metiva, president, Extreme Fun Center; Zack Steer, vice president, A2Z Consulting; Mark Austin, secretary, Musk Ox Farm; Travis Taylor, treasurer, Premier Alaska Tours; Israel Mahay, executive committee, Mahay’s Jet Boat Adventures. They are joined on the board by Roberta Caenepeel, Explore Tours; Karen Harris, Alaska Garden Gate B&B; Cole Ouellette, K2 Aviation; and Craig Saunders, Iditarod Trailside Lodging.

Casey Ressler (casey@alaskavisit.com) is the marketing and communications manager at the Mat-Su Convention & Visitors Bureau.