Arts & Culture

The Memorial Day remembrance service in Unalaska this year wasn't quite what it had been in the past. While the early spring weather was characteristically unpredictable, attendees stood apart from one another, donned masks, or watched from their vehicles as Mayor Vince Tutiakoff Sr. addressed the community and recognized the sacrifices made by military veterans, current service members, interned Unangax̂, and fishermen lost at sea.

The sun still sits high on the horizon in Unalaska, even though it's late afternoon. A group of community members begin trickling in around the riverbank in the Valley—kitchen utensils and drums in hand. Greeting one another eagerly, they begin their countdown to 7 p.m.

7 o'clock strikes; they scream with wild abandon and beat their drums enthusiastically. Slowly, the pounding fades into a soft heartbeat and hymnal chanting.

After arriving in Unalaska roughly three months ago, interim reporter Caroline Lester has returned back home to Boston.

KUCB's Maggie Nelson sat down with Lester to talk about her time on the island, reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, and her upcoming adventures in California.

TRANSCRIPT

''[An] old scuba diver enjoying watching from Pittsburgh, PA,'' ''Hi from Summerville Oregon,'' ''Enjoying this from Wisconsin,'' read a few of the comments on KUCB's live Facebook event for Dockside Discovery, which took place on Monday in Unalaska.