Last Sunday, the Tongass Democrats’ held our Annual Family Picnic at Sandy Beach, and a grand time was had by all!
- Thanks to everyone who volunteered, set up and clean up was fun and fast –
- Thanks to everyone who brought a dish to share, there was plenty of delicious food to go around –
- Thanks to everyone who attended, there plenty of great conversation and fellowship!
A local Democrat provided a photographic record of the fun, and we thought you might enjoy seeing it too! – Mary
Tongass Dems 2017 Picnic Sandy Beach
Thanks to Jenny Smith, there were plenty of hotdogs, but that wasn’t all: there was cornbread, potato and green salads, a veggie tray, homemade cookies and brownies, and SO MUCH MORE!

There were bushels of hotdogs, of course, plus tempting side dishes and desserts.
Even though there wasn’t much firewood, Rich was able to keep the fires going in both fireplaces for four hours!

Our photographer missed getting a pic of the toasty fire that took the rainy chill off the picnic pavilion. This piece of clipart will have to do. It kind of looks like the Sandy Beach Shelter fireplace… Courtesy Pixabay.
A jazz trio kept us entertained, and attendees were also treated to speeches from candidates for our local Assembly and School District seats.
It was really interesting to hear how each of them saw different opportunities for our community to come together and thrive. Loretto Jones, Robert Edwardson, and Jesse Kiehl all spoke about their visions for Juneau …

Three of our local Assembly candidates were kind enough to allow photos. Thanks, Jesse, Rob, and Loretto!
… as did two of our School Board candidates, Kevin Allen and Jeff Short.

Local School Board candidates Kevin Allen and Jeff Short also kindly posed for photos – thanks for coming to our picnic and talking to us!
Since I was in the back with the hotdog cooker, I may have missed some additional candidates, so keep your eyes on the local news for more information. Here’s a link to KTOO, one to Capital City Weekly, and one to the Juneau Empire.
We also celebrated Rep. Justin Parish’s birthday with a cake and some singing – my present to attendees was that I did not sing – before Justin had to leave to attend another event.
Also: don’t forget the Annual Labor Day picnic hosted for the community by the Juneau Central Labor Council. It’s open to everyone, and it’s tomorrow: Sandy Beach, 11 – 2, food and fun and fellowship with good people. I’ll be there, and I hope you can make it too!
– Mary
The views in this piece are those of the author. They are not official positions of TongassDemocrats.com or the Tongass Democrats.
Like what you’re reading? Leave a comment below or on the Tongass Democrats’ Facebook page! If you don’t, write us an email and tell us why!