Tourism companies win awards

WASILLA — Susie Seiberg told her peers in the tourism industry Saturday how much their appreciation meant to her.

“I just want to say thank you for honoring my husband,” Seiberg said in accepting the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors’ Bureau’s Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her late husband Craig Seiberg. “He truly loved Alaska and all it represented.”

Seiberg was one of several local folks honored at the annual banquet on Friday. Also honored was Dan McDonough, owner of Lifetime Adventures, who arrived at the banquet on his bicycle, despite the winter cold and fresh snow.

“He has been known to use only his bicycle as transportation,” recounted MSCVB Director Bonnie Quill, before sharing a story of him attending a MSCVB board of directors meeting via teleconference while out riding his bike.

“It’s all probably true, except that “angel” part,” McDonough said, before clarifying that at that infamous meeting, “I was on my bike because my truck had been stolen and I was out looking for my truck.”

Also honored Friday was Denali Brewing Company.

The brewery and its attached Twister Creek Restaurant in Talkeetna — won the Cheechako award. “Cheechako” in some circles has something of a pejorative connotation. Kind of like “newbie.” But not at the MSCVB where the award goes to a business that has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. Denali Brewing has been open three years, is now one of Talkeetna’s largest employers in the summer months, and just recently opened a canning facility.

During his acceptance speech, Sassan Mossanen said Evangelo’s, where the ceremony was held, was one of the brewery’s first customers. He said he and his partner, Boe Barnett, went around to all their new customers and cleaned out their beer taps for them. At Evangelo’s, though, they somehow made a mistake that wound up spraying cleaning solution all over the bar.

“We were sure when we got into our vehicle they would never order beer from us again,” Mossanen said.

But Evangelo’s did, even sticking with Denali when a rival distribution company tried to get them to drop the brewery.

The Northern Lights Award went to the community of Glacier View, where a cadre of businesses along the Glenn Highway, “have worked over the last few years to not only put their stamp on the area but to put their name on the map,” according to the award’s presenter, Linda Brenner with the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council.

The Gold Star Award — presented to an organization that made a significant contribution to tourism in the Valley — went this year to the Matanuska Electric Association, which bought Homestead RV Park to use as part of the path its big transmission lines will use to get from its future Eklutna power plant to Wasilla.

How is that tourism-related? It’s not, really. But the Mat-Su CVB wanted that RV Park, too. It’s situated right on the Glenn Highway, near the Parks Highway, and would be a great place for a new headquarters.

But MEA has agreed to work with the MSCVB so both community organizations can get what they want. MEA board member Janet Kincaid accepted the award, saying that when MEA bought that property she knew right away the MSCVB would come calling, and that MEA would need to work with them in a collegial way.

“I said, ‘hey, it’s going to come down on us because we’re the most visible,’” she said.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.