Haines Glacier Bear fans of all ages were in Anchorage to cheer on the boys’ basketball team at the 32nd annual Service Cougar Tip Off Tournament. Sarah and Ralph Swinton, Don and Donny Braaten, Brad Badger and Don Nash made the trip. Also seen in the stands were Haines High School grads Drew Fossman, Yongee Nash, Jeff David, Amanda Smalley and Eric Klinger. Haines fans caravanned over to the UAA sports complex following the boys’ games to see Kyle Fossman in the second half of two UAA games against Lincoln Christian Friday and Saturday.
Cynthia "C.J." Jones is home from 10 weeks of traveling. She began her trip in New Mexico, where she attended the Balloon Fiesta with her sister and also saw former resident Janis Marston, who works as a book editor. C.J. spent much of her trip in Michigan, working through the belongings of her mom, Martha Jones, who died in 2010. C.J loaded up a car full of family treasures and useful items, and set off on a road trip around the East Coast to give them away to family and friends. She saw Joanna (Moore) Walker and her husband John in Rochester, NY. They and their three boys are preparing for a move to Providence, R.I. where Joanna will serve her residency in dermatology at Brown University’s Rhode Island Hospital. In Claremont, N.H., C.J. caught up with former residents Pam (Cann) Numme and Dave Numme. Dave works in computer services at Dartmouth University and the family recently took a trip with their two daughters to the Netherlands to explore Pam’s Dutch heritage and visit extended family. C.J. also saw former residents Jim and Cathy Hibbard, who live outside Pittsburgh, Penn. and caught up with Kathy’s parents in New Jersey, George and Ginny Shelling, who were frequent visitors to Haines in the 1990s. Also in New Jersey, C.J. spent time with former residents Donna and Maddie Swift. Donna works for the Red Cross. C.J. and the Hibbards drove out to Ohio together to see former resident Dan Bertsch. Dan, who started a local tour company with Dan Egolf, is lead naturalist at the 103-acre Wolf Creek Environmental Center.
Marge Ward is looking forward to a full house over Christmas. Her son Tim Ward is home in Haines through the New Year and her daughter Wendy Hogins will come from Juneau with her family, including husband Gary Hogins and son Travis, who recently graduated from college and works in Juneau as a civil engineer. Marge’s granddaughter Carrie Wessling and husband Brett will bring their baby daughter, six-month-old Ellie, from Medford, Ore. Marge’s granddaughter Kelsey Hogins, who works as a radiology technician in Bookings, S.D., will arrive with a friend for the weekend.
Joan Snyder and Doris Ward received a set of note cards with a watercolor print of the painting, "Cruise Ship Day, Haines, Alaska," by artist Linda Kielsmeier of Johnston, Iowa. Joan and Doris invited Linda and her daughter, Chilkat Valley News reporter Krista Kielsmeier, to dinner at Joan’s residence while Linda was visiting Haines last summer. "I appreciate the friendship Joan and Doris extend to my daughter, Krista," Linda said. "They are such amazing ladies and I am so thankful Krista has them as friends." Linda said Joan and Doris also encouraged her to enter three of her Haines-area charcoal drawings in the Southeast Alaska State Fair. Linda won first place in the drawing division for her "Fort Seward Barracks" piece.
Elizabeth Jurgeleit won a $2,500 prize for her design submission in the Daltile Interior Design Scholarship Competition. One of 10 merit winners, Elizabeth’s submission was entitled "Serenity" and utilized Daltile products in a design board for a master bathroom. Elizabeth is a sophomore at Washington State University where she majors in interior design. Elizabeth worked on the design for an apartment renovation as a class project and included the Daltile scholarship requirements in her bathroom design. The Georgia O’Keefe painting "Oriental Poppies" inspired Elizabeth’s rendering.
Residents who turned out at the Haines Visitor Center for photos with Santa noshed on entries in the center’s annual cookie and candy contest. Adult winners in the cookie division included Tammy Jobbins, first-place, for Holiday Gems with homemade jam filling and Barb Blood, second, for Praline Pecan Shortbread. Adult winners in the candy division included Barb Blood, first, Buckeyes, and Char Olerud, second, Bavarian Mint Fudge. Marirose Evenden won the junior candy division with her Peppermint Patties. Sasha Mackowiak won first among juniors in the cookie division for Ginger Snowflakes. Natalie Jobbins was second with Peanut Butter Kisses.
The fire department is looking for volunteers to "adopt" fire hydrants and help keep them shoveled out in winter. There are 150 hydrants around town. For more information, call 766-2115.