Kenai Chamber highlights visitor-center growth, cultural center exhibits and push for museum accreditation

Sam Springer, executive director of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, reviewed the chamber's 2024 activity and plans for 2025 during the Feb. 5 Kenai City Council meeting, saying the visitor center and new cultural center increased programming and attendance and that staff are pursuing accreditation and grant funding to expand operations.

Springer said 2024 was her first full year as executive director and that the chamber maintained long-running community events such as Fourth of July and Christmas Comes to Kenai while expanding the Silver Salmon Derby's electronic entry system, which she said produced about 200 additional entries. She highlighted the cultural center's rotating exhibits (the second exhibit, Russian Alaska, was on display) and a new lecture series called Kenai Chronicles that will accompany exhibits.

Springer described staffing as "fully staffed" and praised Danielle, the cultural center coordinator, for running rotating exhibits and a lecture schedule on a 24-hour-a-week position: "She's a superhero," Springer said during her presentation. Springer said the chamber is pursuing grants to increase the cultural coordinator's hours from 24 to full time and to support museum-accreditation work.

On museum accreditation, Springer told the council that accreditation would expand grant opportunities and strengthen artifact stewardship but requires substantial documentation: each item in the chamber's roughly 4,000-item collection must be cataloged and donors or lenders contacted, and the chamber must notify relevant Native organizations when items of cultural significance are held. She said the chamber is using 501(c)(3) umbrella support to pursue grants while it works through the accreditation process.

Council members thanked Springer and several councilors specifically praised the cultural coordinator's work and the chamber's community programming. Vice Mayor Nackson encouraged the chamber to pursue accreditation, saying it could reduce donor reluctance and help more people to contribute artifacts or loans.

Why this matters: The cultural center and visitor-center activity influence tourism, local events, and how the city manages and preserves local artifacts. Moving toward accreditation could open new grant funds and change how local heritage collections are curated and made available to the public.

Looking ahead: Springer said 2025 programming will expand display rotation and public events; chamber staff and volunteers will continue grant work and preparation for museum accreditation.