Ivy Kathryn Elliott was born Wednesday, May 16 at 1:01 a.m. in Juneau to Sarah and Brian Elliott. Ivy weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 20.5 inches. Brian and Heather Lende, Sarah’s mom, caught the last flight from Haines on Tuesday evening. The plane was behind schedule, and they met Sarah at the hospital just hours before Ivy’s arrival. Heather and Sarah’s sister, Eliza Lende, stayed with Ivy’s older sister Caroline, 2. The Elliotts are home in Haines.
Kelly Edmond graduated from the University of Portland May 6 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics. He graduated maxima cum laude and was recognized as the outstanding mechanical engineering student in his class. Kelly is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the national honor society for engineering majors, and was a member of the University Honors program. In attendance were mom Donna Edmond, aunt Carlene Edmond from Auburn Calif., grandmother Clare Edmond from Salem, Ore., sister Erica Edmond from Portland and family friend Anne Lindsley.
Delia “Dee” Mulkey celebrated her 99th birthday with friends and family Saturday. The Haines Assisted Living resident was a longtime resident of Skagway and Juneau before moving to the Haines facility in 2009. Dee moved her family to Skagway from New York City in 1946 when her husband signed up as a brakeman for the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. The family traveled by train from Buffalo, N.Y. to Toronto and on to Vancouver before embarking on the ocean liner SS Princess Louise to Skagway. Dee and her family faced a bitter first winter with minus 20-degree days. “You got used to the bad weather,” says Dee, “and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.” Saturday’s celebration included 99 cupcakes from a Skagway bakery, all lit with candles. Dee’s son Tom Mason and daughter-in-law Sheila Mason came from Skagway, with Dee’s great-granddaughter Courtney Mason. Grandson Thel Mason and his wife Jean traveled from Juneau with Dee’s great-grandson Thomas Cirai Mason. Dozens of friends from Juneau and Skagway were in Haines for the celebration, including Skagway friend Judy Mallory. The Haines Emblem Club catered the luncheon. Dee is already planning her 100th birthday celebration at a friend’s Dyea lodge.
Haines High School graduates are hosting out-of-town family for graduation and celebrations this week. Marnie Rasmussen welcomed her grandmother, Carol Anderson from Pitea, Sweden. Tyler Swinton’s grandmother, former resident Janie Swinton, traveled from Roseberg, Ore. Brook Cinocco’s grandparents, Ingrid and Don Cinocco, traveled from Littleton, Colo. Aunts Maryellen Murphy and DawnRenee Cinocco came up from Portland, Ore. Brook’s aunt Janet Beroza traveled from Pennsylvania, cousins Paul and Alenna Beroza came from Michigan, and family friend Marilyn Vranka came from Boulder, Colo.
Students traveling to Washington, D.C. for the National History Day competition pitched in with American Legion volunteers this weekend. The Legion has contributed $1,000 toward the students’ expenses. Commander Bill McRoberts met students at the Jones Point Cemetery to rake the grounds and clean off gravesites. They will meet before Memorial Day to place flags on the gravestones of veterans. Students traveling for History Day are Dawson Evenden, Ketch Jacobson, Destinee Cowart, Kayley Swinton, Bailey Stuart, Brandon Garton, and Corinna Hill.
The Haines Uglys hosted a picnic fundraiser Saturday at the Mud Bay Institute. More than 100 people showed up for the Uglys’ signature barbecued pork sandwiches. The party raised more than $1,000, which will be split equally between the Southeast Alaska State Fair’s Logging Show and the 4th of July fireworks display. The Uglys plan to build funds for a trade school scholarship through the sale of pull-tabs at a local bar. They are working on an additional fundraiser in June. Uglys officers are president Chuck Mitman, vice-president Gates Haddock, treasurer Kelly Jessup and secretary Bo Graham.
The Elks Lodge held a busy liquidation sale Saturday. Organizer Jerry Erny characterized the sale and silent auction as “very successful…we’re pleased with the support.” The sale was well attended, with an estimated 100 people in the first 45 minutes and about 300 people throughout the day. The funds raised from the sale of the Haines Elks Lodge property, including the building, will be placed in a trust fund for five years and will be available if a local Elks Lodge is revitalized within that time.
The Haines chapter of Girls on the Run held its culminating event Saturday, a five-kilometer run around the “town loop.” About a dozen girls, in grades 3-5, participated in the 12-week program. Participants met twice a week to run together, and learn about positive body image and self-esteem. Haines adult volunteers Lindsey Moore, Lexie DeWitt and Akela Silkman led discussions and workouts according to a national curriculum. Sponsored regionally by Juneau’s AWARE shelter, the program supplies running shoes and T-shirts to participants, and also covers scholarship fees so any girl can join. A service component of the program had the girls design a local fundraiser of their choice. Participants sold lemonade and cookies to benefit Haines Animal Rescue Kennel. They raised $80 in just an hour of sales.
The Sheldon Museum highlighted their new exhibits with a reception Friday afternoon. The new displays replace exhibits found at the museum for more than 30 years. Museum director Jerrie Clarke describes the space as “open and bright,” and says the focus is on the history of the area. In “Passages and Pathways,” displays tell the story of the Tlingit Trail and trade routes that ran as far south as California, and the changes that came with the Dalton Trail and Haines Highway. The Museum’s Six-Week Spotlight series also kicks off this week with the works of Carol Clifton. An opening reception is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday. Yukon author Michael Gates will read from his recently published book about the Dalton Trail 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 30. The museum staff and board members toasted volunteers Saturday with an appreciation luncheon. There were 115 volunteers in 2011.