Reporting from the curviest road in Anchorage…
The Church of Love is, quite literally, a church. Throughout decades, the name has changed from the original Lake Spenard Baptist Church, and has had different ministries fill its pews. Since the 1950s, the landmark on Spenard Road has transformed into what is now a creative space for artists and the community. Sculptures were made, [...]
Two freezers that were severed in half and sealed together operate as the makeshift beetle tank for Max Walton's Alaska Beetle Farm. Walton's roughly 100,000 dermestiadae beetles live in the freezer-turned-tank in his garage, which doubles as his workspace. Chunks of styrofoam lie in the tank for the beetles to burrow into and pupate. Skulls [...]
You may have never noticed Fish Creek before, but the watershed winds its way all through the Spenard neighborhood. A major salmon fishery for the Denaina natives who originally inhabited Anchorage, Fish Creek was known as Liq'aka Betnu, or 'King Salmon Creek' in their indigenous language. Jay Stange, vice president of the Spenard Community Council [...]
Zoi Maroudas, founder and CEO of Bambinos Baby Food, opened the doors to her new storefront on Sept. 1. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place the day before, in which Gov. Bill Walker was in attendance. “This all started with the idea of helping parents find real, traditional food that is dedicated to infant quality [...]
Amanda Cash’s food truck, The Magpie, can be seen from a mile away. To Cash, the bright yellow truck is similar to the feeling of Spenard. “It’s eclectic, bright and colorful,” Cash said. Cash is the sole owner of The Magpie, but she has several investors. She has lived in Spenard for seven years with [...]
It's the best dessert, Chris Thomas, a detective for Anchorage Police Department says he has ever had. “There was a bacon maple fritter that I would gladly cut someone for. It was next level,” Thomas said. “I feel like this would be a perfect meeting food. Eating this would easily be the most productive thing [...]
According to Vered Mares, if you’re looking for a wide selection of Alaskan-written books in Anchorage, you’ll have to buy a ticket out-of-town. “The only other bookstore in the city that sells a really terrific selection of Alaska books is in the airport at Mosquito Books, but you have to have a boarding pass to [...]
