Emmett Carpenter Williams was born Nov. 29 to former resident Rebecca Hylton and James Christopher Williams of Skagway. Emmett weighed 9 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 21 inches. Rebecca and Kristin White met for daily walks in Juneau while waiting for their babies to arrive. Friends stopped by the hospital to greet Emmett, including Jane and Fletcher Sebens, Grantly and Midge Moore, and numerous Skagwegians.
The Culbeck family will have a lively house over Christmas. Courtney’s parents, Susan and Joe Culbertson, flew in last week and will stay through New Year’s. This is their first holiday season in Haines. They are keeping busy with their grandsons, Carver and Griffin, and checked out the weekend festivities, including the Christmas parade, holiday parties and the Holly Jolly Follies. Joe carted 10 pounds of rocks in his luggage to help craft new concrete countertops with his daughter.
Riley Erekson flew from Petersburg after the Haines girls’ basketball game to meet sister Keely Falcon Baumgartner in Anchorage Monday. They are flying to Chicago where they will meet up with sister Carlee Heinmiller and cousin C.J. Erekson. They plan to surprise cousin Will Egolf at his Bradley University basketball game against Georgia Southern. They will stay with Will’s brother, Ben Egolf, who lives in Chicago, and meet up with Will and Ben’s parents, Joanna and Dan Egolf, who are staying in the area for Will’s basketball season. The girls will get to see two games before heading back to Alaska for Christmas. The Egolfs will continue to Las Vegas to meet up with more family and watch the Braves in two more games.
The Haines Borough honored long-time employees at their employee holiday party Friday. Fireman Al Badgley was presented with the 25-year service pin by Mayor Stephanie Scott, and received a standing ovation from his colleagues. Library custodian Dale Sanne received his 10-year service pin. Other employees honored were Kris Reeves, John Spencer and Tamsen Cassidy, five years of service; and Abby Diggins and library director Patty Brown, three years of service.
Jane Pascoe is back from six weeks traveling, including a month with parents Ron and Patricia Pascoe in Sydney, Australia. Highlights included daily swims in oceanside “rock pools” hewn from rocky headlands and pumped full of sea water.
The Haines Volunteer Fire Department held its annual Christmas party at the school last Monday. A thank-you event for the volunteers and their family, children played in the gym while parents snacked and socialized. Santa made an appearance to hand out presents to each child. EMT and Fire Department employee Jen Walsh was honored with a surprise cake at the party to celebrate her completion of the Firefighter I and HAZMAT operations course in Skagway. The 28-day course included 280 hours of instruction and drills over 12-hour days. The first day’s “candidate physical ability test” had Jen running stairs while carrying a fire hose, dragging a 180-pound dummy, climbing ladders and climbing a three-story ladder in full gear. Training included hands-on instruction in a “live burn” trailer, where Jen put out fires, and work in a “confidence” trailer, where she crawled through confined spaces in a three-story building while blindfolded. Don Hotch of Klukwan also completed the course, which was run by the Skagway Fire Department.
David Owen is in Haines with his aunt Doris Ward this winter. He arrived from Arkansas looking for a white Christmas, and Doris says she’s doing her best to give him that.
The Haines Sportsman’s Association held its annual meeting Friday to elect board members and officers. New board Janis Horton members are Toni DeWitt,and Dave Gross. Returning board members are Shane Horton, who was elected president, Charlie DeWitt, vice-President, and Rocky Hickman. Toni was elected treasurer and Janis was elected secretary. The group’s next regular meeting is Jan. 14, where board members will begin planning for the annual King Salmon Derby and discuss ideas for future range improvements.

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