BOARDWALK
BOOGIE
This event is without a doubt the most unique
folk festival held anywhere. In 2008 the Boogie will start
on May 22nd and wrap up by noon on May 26th, musicians and
revelers from throughout Southeast Alaska pour into Pelican.
Jam sessions are held at every location in town with enough
seating for the listeners. Folk bands can be found performing
at the restaurant, community hall, perhaps on the boardwalk,
and of course at the two bar & grills, (the Wheel Watch
and Rose’s). There are song competitions at the bars,
the mike is open and you are invited. How about entering the
“slit your wrist” or “dirty song”
contest? Trust me, musical ability has not a lot to do with
the contests, but a fertile mind and uninhibited lyrics are
a requisite. To learn more about this event you will find
some interesting articles by completing a Google Search of
“Pelican Boardwalk Boogie”.
OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY & NATURE TOURS
Pelican is situated
within the Tongass National Forest, one of the largest temperate
rainforests in the world. When you add the fjords of Lisianski
Inlet and Straits plus the outside coast of the West Chichagof
& Yakobi Island Wilderness Area, you have some of the
most awesome scenery in Alaska. Pelican based guides/outfitters
can take you on hikes through old growth rainforests and alpine
mountainsides. The mammals of the area consist primarily of
Brown Bear, Sitka Blacktail Deer, land otter, mink, marten,
and red squirrels. There are a wide variety of birds; the
American Bald Eagle is very prevalent as well as the Blue
Heron. Along the coastline you will find Puffins, terns, gulls,
cormorants, ducks, geese. Mergansers, Kingfishers, etc.
If
hiking is not your activity then hire one of the local charter
boats for a water tour. Pelican is close to some very special
whale viewing areas; in fact you often hear the whales before
you see them. Besides whales, other sea mammals commonly seen
are sea otters, seals, and sea lions. A boat cruise is likely
to allow close up photography of Brown Bear grazing on a beach
without the trepidation of being on the same piece of turf.
It is very easy to spend the entire day cruising and drifting
in a boat while photographing the local wildlife in the spectacular
backdrop of our remote setting.
KAYAKING
Pelican is in the center
of world-class sea kayaking waters. There are approximately
40 miles of protected inside waters immediately accessible
in the form of Lisianski Inlet, Lisianski Straits, and Stag
Bay, (Chart 17303). The outside coastal waters of Chichagof
and Yakobi Islands offer hundreds of miles of coastline dotted
with protected bays, estuaries, channels, etc. An Alaska State
Ferry travels to Pelican from Juneau every two weeks in the
summer months. The ferry offers a convenient method for kayakers
to transport their watercrafts to and from Pelican. Kayaks
are also available for rent in Pelican.
HOTSPRINGS TOUR
Approximately
twenty nautical miles from Pelican is White Sulphur Hot Springs.
This site of a natural hot springs has been developed by the
US Forest Service to include a guest cabin and a covered hot
spring pool with a bathhouse. There is an outside pool where
one can stretch out, soak the aches and pains away while listening
to the ocean swells break on the shoreline. The inside pool
has a shuttered front window, opening it one has a panoramic
view of Bertha Bay, (Chart 17321). Contact one of the Pelican
charter boat operators for a quote on visiting this special
place.
4th
of JULY CELEBRATION
Come
and join in on the festivities on the 4th of July. Starting
on the 3rd. There is a very substantial fireworks display
beginning at 11:00 PM. The rockets spiraling skyward are dazzling;
the explosions from the rocket bursts reverberate within the
fjord putting an exclamation point on the very impressive
display. Needless to say the local “watering holes”
are going full steam with partygoers, you may find live music
and some contests inside that are best not described here.
On
the 4th the day kicks off with a parade on the boardwalk.
This purely hometown parade is highlighted with several “floats”
and performances that are so imaginative and uniquely Pelican
that you must be there to appreciate them. At the conclusion
of the parade there is a community picnic at the south end
of the boardwalk on “whisky flats”. There are
games and prizes for kids of all ages. Later in the day there
will be a very entertaining greased trolling pole contest
and the “anything but a boat” float contest at
the harbor.
PELICAN;
A SITE FOR RETREATS, REFLECTIONS, AND SMALL CONVENTIONS.
If you are a group
of one or 100 needing a place off the beaten track to write
a book, hold a work retreat, or conduct a small convention,
Pelican could be your answer. Without the hustle and bustle
of traffic, the noise of emergency sirens, and other disturbances
associated with urban life, Pelican is the ideal location
for concentration, reflection, and/or introspection.
The
City of Pelican owns and manages the Community Hall, a building
that can easily accommodate a group of 75 to 100 persons.
The Hall is equipped with a kitchen and of course restrooms.
The Hall is available for rent to private and public groups.
Housing can be found from a number of businesses found under
“Pelican Lodging” on this website. If you have
special housing needs, a representative of the Pelican Chamber
of Commerce will assist you. They can be contacted through
the City of Pelican, 907-735-2202.
PELICAN
ATTRACTIONS
The itinerant visitor
will have a lot to see and do without even leaving the Pelican
City limits. The boardwalk stretches over a mile from one
end of town to the other. Strolling the boardwalk you have
a birds eye view of the harbor and adjacent beaches. Here
you are apt to see land otter, mink, deer, Bald Eagles, ducks,
geese, and schools of herring. From mid-July through September,
salmon can be seen from the Pelican Creek Bridge as they swim
upstream to spawn.
For
the younger generation there is a school playground, a covered
outdoor basketball court, and the school gym is often open
in the evenings for basketball. The Public Library may have
a children’s story hour; check the library bulletin
boards for announcements. The library is open during the summer
and offers a diverse selection of books and papers and a public
computer with high-speed Internet access.
The
commercial seafood plant, Pelican Seafoods, will schedule
tours upon request. At the plant you may see fish being unloaded
from boats; inside you will the fish being processed before
being frozen and packaged. While the building is the same
one built back in the early 1940’s, the handling of
the fish has changed significantly.
Totem
poles have recently been added to Pelican’s landscape.
In front of City Hall towers the “unity” totem
pole and two more totems can be seen in front of the Pelican
School. The totems were carved as community projects; many
locals took part in the actual carving under the tutelage
of Stan Marsden, a Tsimshian master carver originally from
Metlakatla, Alaska.
HEALTH
CLINIC
The
Pelican Health Clinic is open Monday through Friday 8:00 AM
to 4:00 PM; after hours emergencies can be treated by phoning
735-2250. The Clinic is staffed by a Community Health Practitioner.
There is an EMS Unit made up of an EMT 2 and a group of EMT
1’s. The clinic has 24/7 telephonic advice/support from
on call Medical Doctors. |
