Delta Junction is home to numerous clubs and civic organizations.
The Delta Junction Trails Association (DJTA) was established in 2013. Their mission is to establish a trail system throughout the community that offers year-round recreational opportunities that support healthy lifestyles for both residents and visitors.
Two trails are located in town, the Liewer Community Trail (1.2 mile loop) at the Junior High School and the River Walk Park trails across the Richardson Highway from the Delta State Rec campground.
DJTA membership forms are available online (deltajunctiontrails.com) or at the Delta Community Library. Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to DJTA, PO Box 710, 99737. Questions? Leave an email at deltajunctiontrailsassociation@gmail.com.
The Deltana Fair Association was established in 1980. The annual three-day event is held most often during the last weekend in July. It hosts the Blueberry Pie Contest, talent shows, multi-item raffles, Mud Bogs, live music, pageants and baby contests, Pipeline Run, Tractor Pull, quilt show, and the street-lined Deltana Parade. Eat your way through a variety of food vendors and enjoy a fun-filled weekend for the whole family, right in the heart of Delta Junction. Address: POB 408, Delta Junction, AK 99737 / Phone: (907) 895-FAIR (3247)
Delta-Greely Skating Association – A flooded tennis court was Delta’s first opportunity to skate in 1978. By 1981 there were two outdoor rinks at the Delta High School and one at the Fort Greely School. Hockey was officially sanctioned as a Delta High School sport in 1982. Skating rinks were eventually torn down and the City finished the Liewer-Olmstead Ice Arena in 1993. A multipurpose rink was built next to the ice arena in 2009. The Delta-Greely Skating Association offers programs for all ages, providing the opportunity to learn the art of skating through hockey and figure skating. Skaters build character, learn camaraderie, good sportsmanship and develop life skills both on and off the ice. For more information, go online (www.deltahockey.org), email them (deltahuskiesyouthhockey@gmail.com), or look them up on Facebook.
The Delta Men’s Hockey season starts as soon as there is ice and ends once the ice is gone (usually October to April). Pickup hockey games are every Tuesday and Thursday night between 8:30 and 10:00pm at the Liewer-Olmstead Ice Arena. Fees are $150 for the season or $10 per game. For more information contact Andy Hudgin (803-3880), Delta Skating Association, or connect on Facebook. Note: Men’s league is currently not active.
The Delta Greely Youth Baseball League, aka Pony League, organizes T-ball, coach pitch, and baseball for area youth, ages 5 to 15, during the May-to-July summer season. Go online (https://deltagreely.leagueapps.com/), email them (dgybl@hotmail.com), or look them up on Facebook.
Delta Youth Soccer Association (DYSA) is a volunteer community organization whose goal is to teach the foundations of soccer and the love of the sport. For more information, contact Steve Hilton (907-280-9388) or Heather Stossmeister (907-803-1001).
FFA
The Delta chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA) established in 1976 and is affiliated with the Building Our American Communities (BOAC) Grant Program. Members, seventh grade through collegiate, have expanded their interests beyond dairy production, beekeeping, gardening, and raising livestock to more modern technology, radio, web design, mechanics, culinary arts, farm, fish, and natural resources. The Delta FFA has a strong greenhouse management program. Projects are financed by members and/or sponsors and they teach business skills, responsibility, and practical aspects. The Delta FFA is seeking to build alumni association that provides financial, political, and moral support. Their motto is, “Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve.” For more information about being part of the Delta chapter of FFA contact Tammie Kovalenko at the Salcha-Delta Soil & Water Conservation District (895-6279) or connect with them on Facebook.
4-H Club
The 4-H organization’s mission is to engage youth, ages 5 to 21, to reach their fullest potential. Their motto is “to make the best better” and their slogan is “learn by doing.” Their pledge focuses on four areas of personal development, “ … my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.” The Delta 4-H is divided into two groups: Healing Hoofbeats, a therapeutic riding program for special needs children and adults, and Midnight Sun Stock Crew, a program designed to offer guidance in raising livestock to auction at the Deltana Fair and teach cooking and sewing skills that are also showcased at the Deltana Fair. Both groups meet the second and fourth Thursday of each month. For more information contact 4-H Leader Dani Markham, POB 1615, Delta Junction, 99737.
Delta Sportsman’s Association established as a nonprofit corporation around 1983. Their business meetings are held at 7:00pm, the second Friday of each month, September through May. The bar is open each Friday at 5:oo and dinner is served at 6:00. DSA members have access to outdoor ranges when the club bar is not open. Special events are open to members and non-members: Bench Matches, Turkey Shoots, Women on Target, Gun Shows, Concealed Carry classes, Relay For Life Team “On Target For The Cure”, Beginning Safety & Bench for 8 years and older, Continuing Safety, Introduction to Position Shooting, International Air Rifle for 9 years and older, High School Rifle Team (practice and competition), Training for Junior Olympics, Training for Nationals, and Air Rifle Sectionals. Members are encouraged to volunteer for a wide variety of projects. Visit DSA’s website (www.deltasportsmans.org) or contact DSA Secretary Rick Stillie for more information and/or membership application (907-505-0768 / POB 1309, Delta Junction, 99737).
Loyal Order of Moose, Delta–Clearwater Lodge #911, was chartered on March 23, 1986. A total of 133 charter members were initiated at the culmination of a recruiting drive that took less than three months. The Delta-Clearwater Lodge is open 3:00-10:00 Monday through Friday and 4:00-10:00 Saturday. A nonprofit organization, the Moose support community events and activities, they are affiliated with the Moose International, and they support residents of Moosehaven, a senior living home in Orange Park, Florida, and Mooseheart, a children’s home/school near Batavia, Illinois. Members meet at 7:00pm on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. For more information, call the Lodge at 895-4300.
Women of the Moose support the Loyal Order of Moose, Moosehaven, and Mooseheart, but stand alone as an organization. The Women support local community youth activities and organizations, scholarships, and charitable events. Members meet at 6:00pm on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. For more information, contact the Lodge at 895-4300.
The Pioneers of Alaska established an Igloo (chapter) in Delta Junction on June 15, 1987. Members must meet a requirement of 20-year Alaskan residency. The Pioneers developed a community park at the juncture of the Richardson and Alaska highways, they support youth programs and offer scholarships, and they are involved in multiple community events. Meetings are held in the Senior Lounge at the Community Center on the first Tuesday of each month. For more information contact Igloo #19 Secretary Jackie Nelson (907-341-9942), Treasurer Mary Woodbury (803-3310), Men’s Igloo #35 President Nat Good (907-388-3754), or Women’s Igloo #19 President Ruth Benson (895-4372). Mail inquiries to Pioneers of Alaska, PO Box 445, Delta Junction, Alaska 99737.
The Delta Lions Club, chartered in 1958 by Lions International, meets the first Monday of each month. The club’s main purpose is sight conservation; providing eye care related services and collecting used eyeglasses for redistribution. The Delta Lions offer scholarships to graduates every year and they are involved in multiple community-wide activities and events: Community Easter Egg Hunt for toddlers through 3rd grade, Relay for Life, Community Cleanup, Deltana Fair, Project Christmas, Angel Tree, etc. For meeting and membership information contact Secretary Shari Williams or President Eileen Mock through email (deltalionsserve@gmail.com) or locate the Delta Lions Club, District 49D, online (http://https://www.e-district.org/sites/49b/).
The Delta-Clearwater Seniors meet weekdays in the Senior Lounge at the Community Center, 10:30 to 1:00. Thursdays are reserved for ladies only. The Delta-Clearwater Seniors’ main objective is to socialize. Business meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month and a potluck luncheon is held on the third Wednesday. Eligibility depends upon age (over 55). For more information, contact President Doris Fales (895-4502), Secretary Totsie Pursey (895-4256), or call the Senior Lounge (895-5402).
Delta Junction Senior Services are offered through the Fairbanks Senior Center with a grant from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Nutrition, Transportation, and Support Services Grants. “The Grants fund non-profit agencies to provide meals (in groups and in private homes) and nutrition and health education information to seniors 60 and older. Grantees provide transportation services that enable seniors to maintain mobility and independence. Support programs that promote active and involved lifestyles as we age.” Visit http://dhss.alaska.gov/dsds/Pages/nts/nts.aspx. These services include Meals on Wheels, volunteer transportation, wellness calls, errands, light housekeeping, some yard work. Volunteer opportunities are in abundance to help our community seniors.
Aging and Disability Services – “Alaska’s Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) connect seniors, people with disabilities, and caregivers with long-term services and supports of their choice. The ADRC network serves Alaskans statewide, regardless of age or income level. They are part of a federal effort to help people access long-term services and supports available in their communities, i.e. transportation, assistive technology, or in-home care. The ADRC goal is to be a trusted resource. ADRC specialists counsel callers and visitors on long-term supports that fit their circumstances. People choose which services they would like, then the ADRC specialists help people access those services.” Visit http://dhss.alaska.gov/dsds/Pages/adrc/default.aspx for more information. Contact Deborah Snyder, Senior Companion Program Specialist (907-987-2976), for assistance with the Nutrition, Transportation, and Support Services (NTS) Program, other options provided by ADRC North, or if interested in volunteering. Deborah is also available to help apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, heating assistance, senior benefits, or other services provided by the Division of Public Assistance.
The Forget Me Knot Quilters Guild established in 1995. They are dedicated to the education and art of quilting. They serve the community by using proceeds from raffle quilts to make quilts for victims of house fires, they host a quilt show each year at the Deltana Fair, bring in nationally-known instructors, and hold an annual Spring Fling, a weekend quilting retreat. Business meetings are held at the First Baptist Church Youth building at 9:00am on the second Saturday of each month. Craft Saturday (10:00 to 4:00) and a potluck (noon) follow with a pre-planned project in which quilters bring their own sewing machines and fabric choices. For more information contact FMKQ President Jackie Becker, PO Box 1345, 99737 or Calico Cow (895-5210).
The Knitting Circle started in 2007 and has grown to a group of twenty-plus members. They meet the first Monday of each month at the Delta Community Library, 7:00 to 8:30pm. Everyone is welcome to knit or crochet or work on other textile projects while they sip tea and swap patterns and yarn. For more information contact the Delta Community Library (895-4102) or visit them on Facebook.
Junction Readers is a book club, established in 2008, that meets every third Monday, 7:00-8:30pm, at the Delta Community Library. Readers participate in discussion and challenging questions after reading each book. Attendance varies. Membership does not require dues, fees, or a certain number of books read; just the price of the book, which can be purchased through the library in a group order or purchased individually by club members. Book titles are decided by popular vote. For more information contact the Delta Library (895-4102) or visit them on Facebook.
Baby Lap Time, children birth to three years of age, meets between 11:00 and 11:30 every Tuesday morning at the Delta Community Library. No registration required. Call the Delta Library for more information (895-4102).
Preschool Story Hour is available each Wednesday at the Delta Community Library during two sessions, one at 10:00am and one at 11:15am. Story Hour is for children, ages 3 to 5. Must register by dialing 895-4102.
Delta Imagination Library was established March 2012. The purpose of the Imagination Library is to foster a love of reading in children from birth by providing age-appropriate books until the child graduates from the program at 5 years of age. Delta Imagination Library serves all children registered in the program, regardless of income level. There is no cost to the family and all children under age five who live within the zip codes 99737 and 99731 are eligible to receive a new book each month in the mail. To learn more about the program pick up a brochure at the Delta Community Library, visit Imagination Library (imaginationlibrary.com) or Best Beginnings, Alaska’s Early Childhood Investment (https://www.bestbeginningsalaska.org/imagination-library/). Connect on Facebook or mail an inquiry (PO Box 770, Delta Junction, 99737).
The Delta-Greely Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is an all-hazards planning committee serving approximately 5,000 people in an area of just over 8,500 square miles. The committee was created as part of the Federal government’s requirement that each state have a State Emergency Response Commission and Local Emergency Planning Committees following the release of deadly chemicals in Bhopal, India in 1984 where thousands died from a toxic gas leak. The committee retains information on hazardous substances in the local area to help inform the emergency responders and general public. The Delta-Greely LEPC established in Delta in 1998. Members represent various interest groups and the committee meets once a month. They participate in planned exercises to prepare and protect the local population in the event of an emergency or disaster. For more information, contact Delta-Greely LEPC Chair Michael Paschall (907-460-8629).
The Deltana Community Services Partnership, Inc. (DCSP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is “to enhance the dignity and quality of life for individuals, families, and community in the Deltana Region.” For more information contact DCSP (PO Box 1071, 99737 / www.dcspinc.org) or visit them on Facebook. DCSP strives to provide services to a large geographic region that has limited infrastructure and limited availability to services.
• Food Box Program – The Fairbanks Foodbank food boxes are distributed to qualifying individuals and families every third Saturday of each month, 4:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mary Mackzo (254-466-1648) for more information.
• Ptarmigan Heights Senior Housing Complex is an independent senior housing facility, made possible through a grant from Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s GOAL (Greater Opportunities for Affordable Living) Program. The residences are equipped for mobility and sensory impaired individuals and are designed to allow residents to safely age in place. For information, contact Nicole (907-978-3332).
• Adopt-A-Highway Program – DCSP members maintain cleaning a section of the Richardson Highway between mile 272.5 and mile 274.
The Delta Fish & Game Advisory Committee meets the third Wednesday of every month at 6:30pm, October through April. Meetings are open to the public. Elections are held annually in December. Meetings are intended to involve area residents and provide a local forum, focusing on developing and evaluating regulatory proposals and consulting with individuals, organizations, and agencies on fish, wildlife, and habitat issues. For more information, visit ADF&G online (www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us) or contact the Interior Region Coordinator (907-459-7263) or the ADF&G office in Delta Junction (895-4484).
Sullivan Roadhouse Museum
The Sullivan Roadhouse Association took over events at the Sullivan Roadhouse Museum (SRM), located near the Visitor Center at the Triangle (junction of the Alaska and Richardson highways) in 2019. Events were previously hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Volunteers plant and tend the gardens, clean and host the SRM each day to preserve history about the greater Delta area, early years of the roadhouse, the roadhouse trail, Ma Sullivan’s life and, “like the early caregivers, treasure our past in hopes of instilling its value on a future generation.” The roadhouse is open between Memorial Day and Labor Day (10:00-5:00 Monday through Saturday and 1:00-5:00, Sundays) and during special events organized by the SRM Committee:
• Soup at the Sullivan Roadhouse Museum in August – Volunteers serve soup made from vegetables grown and harvested from SRM and other local gardens, fresh baked breads, and homemade ice cream. The entire community is invited for lunch starting at 11:30 until the soup is gone (usually 1:30pm).
• The Holiday Lighting Celebration of the Sullivan and the Farmers Market is held each year at the end of November. Sullivan Roadhouse Elves offer family photos, live Christmas music, hot drinks and cookies, marshmallow roasting in outdoor fire pits, door prizes, and a wonderful wintery experience. The Elves say, “It is not about the gifts … it is about giving” and “Take time to do something good for your family, friends, and your community.”
Contact the Sullivan Roadhouse Association (907-895-4981 or sullivanroadhouse@gmail.com) for more information about hosting events, helping in the garden, or donating your time and skills.
Go to the Local Business Directory and Local Interests for the Traveler at Delta News Web (https://www.deltanewsweb.com) or Alaska Highway (https://www.alaska-highway.org) for more information about local clubs and organizations. Edit or update your information on DNW’s contact page (https://www.deltanewsweb.com/contact-form/).