Palmer pays respect to fallen son

Admirers of local soldier who died in Iraq chip in to spare his family memorial service expenses

Sept. 18, 2005

MARK KELSEY\Frontiersman managing editor

PALMER -- A small town pulled together in a big way for one of its own Friday.

Family and friends of U.S. Army Sgt. Kurtis Arcala were shocked to find out that the Alaska State Fair would be charging $500 for the use of Raven Hall for a memorial service Wednesday for Arcala, who was killed in action in Iraq on Sept. 11. Expecting a large turnout, the family figured the fairgrounds venue would be the best local bet for accommodating the mourners who would turn out to pay tribute to the 2000 Palmer High School graduate.

They just didn't figure that the fair would try to profit from the event.

"This is ridiculous. The kid was a hero," said Deb Berberich, Arcala's aunt. "He's doing stuff for every United States citizen, and the fair can't waive the $500 fee they charge because they're in business? Five hundred dollars isn't going to break anybody. There's no point to be made, other than they have no heart."

Richell Knapp, a close friend and classmate of Arcala who lives in Colorado, said she was appalled when she found out about the fair charging Arcala's family for the memorial service.

"He died fighting for us, and this is the respect we show him?" she said. "My roots are very deep here in Alaska, and I have always been proud to be from the Valley -- until something like this."

But Palmer Mayor John Combs and his wife, Linda, wasted no time on anger when they heard the news Friday night. They promptly offered to put up the first $100 and said they'd take a couple of hours to phone around town and raise the remaining $400.

"This is one of our sons," Mayor Combs said. "(Money) should not be an issue."

Additionally, Combs said he will issue a proclamation Monday declaring Wednesday "Sgt. Kurtis Arcala Day." All city flags will fly at half staff for the day.

The mayor's fund-raising effort, as it turned out, took less than 30 minutes Friday night. Word spread quickly. Palmer City Council member Tony Pippel chipped in $100, then former Palmer High School activities director Mike Janecek and his wife, Gayle, also offered to donate $100.

"It's a sad deal," Janecek said of the loss of Arcala. "He was a really pleasant kid with a heart of gold."

While Combs and his wife continued to contact other city officials, Deb Berberich's employers, Richard and Jenny Weldin, of Weldin Construction, said they'd put up the balance of the tab.

"This is peanuts compared to what the family has lost," said Jenny Weldin. "We do not think it's right (for the fair to charge)."

Berberich said the family was touched by the mayor's response and the way the community came together.

She said a scholarship fund is being set up in memory of Arcala, so any money raised in excess of the $500 can be put to good use.

"That is what Palmer is supposed to be all about. There's no blood shared there (by the people who donated). They're just United States citizens, and they're doing it because they care," she said. "The Berberich family definitely wants to say thanks to the community for all the help and support."

Joe Lawton, general manager of the Alaska State Fair and uncle of Arcala's mother, said Saturday that he talked to the person handling arrangements for the service and a decision had been made to charge $500 -- a discount of 75 percent from the $2,000 such an event usually would cost.

"We're doing it for less than free, in my opinion," Lawton said. "We can't do a function like that for $500. Some of our hard expenses are inescapable.

"In this case, we were willing to take a $2,000 offer and discounted it 75 percent and we're vilified for that.

"If we could do it for free, we'd be glad to, but we have to hire people to do this, we can't do this with our regular staff," Lawton said. Security and parking staff must be hired, in addition to a sound technician -- six to 10 people at least -- and preparation and cleanup people as well.

Lawton said he's known Arcala since he was a baby.

"He was a buddy of mine," he said. "That's one of the reasons I wanted him to have a nice service. I guess my perspective is we're chipping in, too."

Contact Mark Kelsey at 352-2268 or mark.kelsey@frontiersman.com.