Pictured above: AC Lakeside’s Jill Servida (right), AC Lakeside Manager Vince Winter, and AC Lakeside’s Troy Wingard (far left) presenting the donation to SHS Board of Directors member Shauna Thornton and SHS Executive Director Hal Spackman.

AC Lakeside joined this year’s Independence Day celebrations in Sitka, AK, by helping raise funds to support the Sitka Historical Society and Museum.

AC Lakeside was invited by the Sitka Historical Society (SHS) to be part of the Sitka History Museum fundraiser event - dubbed "Old Time" - that took place on July 3rd and 4th. The store hosted a tent in front of Sitka’s city hall, with space for three dedicated grills set-up for their signature dishes. With burgers, hotdogs, authentic Italian sausages, steaks, and veggie naans all sizzling around-the-clock, there was a little bit of something for everyone. Options also included plant-based meats for the discerning vegetarian. Attendees were particularly grateful that there were two ServSafe-certified members ensuring that their meals were prepared with COVID precautions and FDA best practices in mind.

Pictured above: Italian sausages and burgers being grilled to juicy perfection

With the community eager to help out its Historical Society and Museum, residents came together to contribute a staggering $4,551 over two days, presented soon after to the SHS to support its new exhibits – one of which will be displayed in the AC Lakeside store.

“Allow me to once again extend my deepest and most sincere appreciation for AC Lakeside’s donation and the efforts Vince’s staff went through to make that contribution,” says SHS Executive Director Hal Spackman.

The SHS runs the Sitka History Museum, promoting the events, stories and artifacts of the Sitka’s human history as part of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. The SHS has more than 8,000 three-dimensional artifacts, hundreds of paintings, prints, and examples of fine art, nearly 25,000 historic photographs, and more than 100,000 archival documents, ranging from the 1740s to the present day.

Pictured above: (Left) AC Lakeside staff and community volunteers preparing for the BBQ sales, Old Time attendees lining up in front of the AC Lakeside tent

In addition, AC Lakeside also held its successful “4 Days of Giveaways” event inviting community members to participate in a series of free raffles containing gift baskets and packages donated by nearby businesses. More than just a way to give gifts to the residents of Sitka, the raffles also helped promote some of the businesses hit particularly hard by the pandemic. This year’s event was even more successful thanks to the increased attendance and AC Lakeside’s community support.