Thank you to all those who visited the Office of the Lt. Governor’s first First Friday event on Oct. 6. I would like to thank Jim Simard and staff at the Alaska State Museum who assisted in curating a unique exhibit and story about the William Seward shame pole erected in Saxman in 1869 and reproduced this year by Tlingit carver Stephen Jackson. The project complements the museum’s 150th Anniversary of the Treaty of Cession exhibit. Many thanks to Nancy Barnes and Yees Ku. Oo. for dancing and singing during the family friendly open house.
The idea to host this event originated with the Juneau Community Foundation’s generous funding of improvements to the capitol complex, including my office. One of the goals was to make the capitol more accessible to our community. The Lt. Governor’s wing, formerly the U.S. Department of the Transportation’s drafting rooms in the 1930s, has been transformed into a gallery more in keeping with the original look of the hall.
It was exciting to meet Juneauites who had never ventured into the halls of the capitol. We will have several other First Fridays in the months to come, however, if you are in the neighborhood, please feel free to come view this exhibit this fall during weekday business hours.
Sincerely,
Byron I. Mallott
Lieutenant Governor
