A memorial service for lifelong resident Jan Harrington, 62, will be held 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chilkat Center, followed by a luncheon at the American Legion. Guests are asked bring a salad or dessert. Harrington died Sept. 28 at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage of cancer. An obituary will be published next week.
Exhibit results are in from the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. The Southeast Alaska State Fair sent 37 exhibits to fair, of which 30 qualified for premiums. Of those winners, seven Southeast exhibits were chosen as division winners, and three received special awards. Alaska State Fair exhibit manager Pamella Meekin said, “Southeast really did have a great presence this year.” Staff from both fairs are discussing continuing the program next year. Winners from Haines were: Judy Bolander, 1st place in sewing for her cupcake apron; Donna Catotti, 1st place in oil painting and a Judges’ Choice Award for “Buckskin Bill of Salmon River”; Dylan Chapell, 1st place in paper-mache/collage for guinea pig paper collage; Dena Selby, 3rd place in photography for her Hammer Museum photograph; Melany Zimmerman, 2nd place in photography for her dragonfly photograph.
Haines quilters took a road trip to Haines Junction, Y.T. over the weekend to participate in a retreat with quilters there. Sandy Wratten, Rocki Rostad, Linda Axsom, Delayna Doleshal and Beckie Gonce all made the trip. The group of 35 women met at the new convention center and, according to Linda, had four days of nothing but “sewing, eating and sleeping.” Organizers kept the weekend light with games, and Linda and Delayna won first place. The Haines Ripinsky Rippers will hold their “Octoberfest” retreat this Friday and Saturday at the Senior Center. Organizer Beckie Nash said all are welcome. The Rippers recently donated $500 to the Salvation Army food bank from money they raised over the past year.
Norman Hughes traveled to Seattle to attend the memorial service of his sister, Seattle actress Heather Artena Hughes. Norm’s mother and six siblings all met in Seattle, including Norm’s sister and brother-in-law, who came in from Austria. Norm brought down 60 pounds of salmon in his baggage to share.
Ed and Yuko Hays are hosting a traveler from Sapporo, Japan. Yuko met Yoschie Takahashi when she was staying at Bear Creek Camp. Yuko and Yoschie hit it off, and she invited Yoschie to stay with her family at their Mud Bay home. Yoschie has explored Haines trails and plans to travel north to Fairbanks, before taking the train to Anchorage and flying home to Japan later this month.
Meredith Pochart is home from a road trip with Julia Scott in the Pacific Northwest. Meredith and Julia met in Seattle, and drove south along the Oregon coast and into Redwood National Park. They met Teolani Lynch in Arcata, Calif. for lunch. Teolani is a freshman at Humbolt State University in Arcada. Meredith and Julia finished their trip on Bainbridge Island, where Julia will work with a vocal coach in preparation for music school auditions.
Takshanuk Watershed Council is constructing a hoop house near their “Starvin Marvin” garden and composting project near the school. The organization received a grant from the Alaska State Legislature to construct the greenhouse structure, which will help extend the growing season in the spring and fall. They are recruiting volunteers to help them erect the structure this fall. Takshanuk staff and Haines seventh graders are gearing up to harvest carrots, potatoes and onions they planted on the site last spring, when students were in sixth grade. The local produce will be part of the hot lunch program at the school, and will likely be paired with locally caught sockeye salmon.
Jacklynn Ruggirello is organizing the “Party in Pink Zumba-thon” to benefit the Susan G. Komen cancer fund. The event will be held at the Haines Elementary Gym at 6 p.m. Friday, October 12. The party will include an hour and a half of Zumba and all proceeds will go to the cancer fund.
Krista Kielsmeier returned to Iowa for the Sept. 8 wedding of her older brother, Jack Kielsmeier, and Shelly Gleason in Des Moines. The couple met last year at the wedding of mutual friends and took some good-natured ribbing for inadvertently scheduling the nuptials during the heated Iowa-Iowa State football game. The newlyweds honeymooned in San Diego. Krista most recently had visited Iowa for Christmas and the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses, and the swing state still is getting plenty of attention from politicians. Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had Iowa rallies the day before the wedding, but Krista drove to Nebraska to see her aunt and a high school classmate. Krista’s parents and Jack toured Haines together in May 2011.

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