Residents are invited to a May 5 party at Port Chilkoot Dock during a special docking of ferry Malaspina to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Marine Highway System.
The Malaspina will make the stop as part of its regular run north to Skagway, departing from the Haines terminal at 9:30 a.m. and docking from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Port Chilkoot.
The dockside party, organized by tourism director Tanya Carlson, will include performances by the Jilkaat Kwaan Dancers and the Haines A Capella Women’s Chorus and live raptor presentations. Harbor workers will host a barbecue.
On board, there will be tours of the bridge and special food offerings in the galley, said Danielle Adkins, marketing manager for the ferry system.
It’s appropriate for the Malaspina to be used to commemorate the system’s anniversary, as it was the first vessel launched after the system was established, she said.
The vessel’s stack will be painted gold for the occasion, matching a design from the 1960s. “It will be quite eye-catching,” Adkins said.
The voyage of the Malaspina reenacts its first sailing, with stops in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, Haines and Skagway. The stop here is significant as Haines was the birthplace of the system, and the first ferry, the M/V Chilkoot, docked at Port Chilkoot.
Ferry system officials and dignitaries will be aboard for the sailing, which departs 1 p.m. for Skagway and another party there. Passengers wishing to sail to Skagway can board at Port Chilkoot, but must hold advance tickets.