Duly Noted

Only one person has hit a hole in one on the Valley of the Eagles Golf Links’ Hole 8. Nik Hura, a regular golfer on the course, was playing a round with friends Jay Katzeek, Ron Sloper, Dylan Beckish and Cole Thomas Aug. 15 when he nailed it. “I kind of just hit a well-placed shot, and then I got lucky. It just rolled in,” Hura said. Owner Stan Jones said since the course opened in 2006, three people have hit Hole 2 holes-in -one, but Hura’s was a first for Hole 8. “It was pretty amazing to see,” said Thomas. “We were like, ‘That’s going in,’ and it went in…pretty amazing.”
Kathy Berzanske is moving back to Haines, and sisters Jan Hill and Sue Folletti are “very excited about it,” Hill said. “She’s been wanting to move home for a long time, and now she is.” Berzanske moved to Wasilla about 15 years ago, working for the Denali Commission in Anchorage. Daughter Michele Berzanske also lives in Haines.
Organizer Joanne Elsie Spud said last weekend’s Klukwan Blueberry Festival “went well…above anything we expected.” About 50 people lined up for blueberry pancakes Friday morning, and Saturday’s crowd was even bigger, she said. Blueberry bingo was also a hit. Blueberry-themed exhibit winners include: Arts and Crafts: Jackie Mazeikas; Poetry: senior division: Doris Ward; adult division: Jackie Mazeikas; Dessert: adult division: Joleen Hotch; youth division: Autumn Gross; Jam and jelly: Mary Jane Valentine; Honey and syrup: Phyllis Sage; Photography: blueberry picking category: Katherine Hotch; blueberry category: Lani Hotch; blue hands and mouth category: Katherine Hotch.
Joanne Elsie Spud enjoyed a four-day visit with daughter-in-law Megan Spud and grandson Blake, 1. The two live in the Army base Fort Drum, N.Y. with Joanne’s son, former resident Tyler Spud, who works there as a geospatial engineer. Checking sockeye nets on Chilkat River aboard father-in-law Charlie’s skiff was a highlight for Megan. Joanne enjoyed seeing Blake with family, including his great-grandparents Joe and Evelyn Hotch, and particularly his cousins he met for the first time, including David Anthony Hotch, 2. “That was the biggest thing, seeing the cousins get to spend time together and play with toy trains and cars,” Joanne said. David is the son of Joanne’s brother, former resident Daniel Hotch and Maggie Hotch of Salem, Ore. The couple’s other children are Michaelene, 5, and Raven, 7.
If you want to make your own skis, just attend the ski-making workshop Ian Seward and Graham Kraft are planning for October. The workshop will take place at Seward’s Mud Bay Road shop and consist of a few sessions in which attendees “can build their own skis from scratch, having something to show for it in the end. It’s a really neat process,” Seward said. Materials – from wooden cores to the pneumatic ski press – will be provided. Kraft has made skis for years, including ones he used for skiing on Mount Fairweather. The neighbors are trying to gauge interest in the workshop so dates can be set. If interested, call Seward at 766-3540.
Bob and Mona Cochran, along with grandson Julian, 4, made the trip from Reston, Va. to visit Bob’s sister Mary Cochran. The Alaska first-timers “absolutely loved it here,” Mary said. En route to Haines, the trio visited Mary’s daughter Holly Cockerille in Juneau. Their week in Haines included touring Kroschel Wildlife Center, a Glacier Bay flightseeing tour and daily bear-watching. After noticing the Haines Senior Center while at Tlingit Park with Julian, Mona gave a “hit” lunchtime piano performance, prompting others to sing along. Bob said he never understood why Mary moved to Alaska, until now. “It took him 30 years to get here, and it was very worth it,” she said. The couple is making plans for next year’s trip.
Dan Carter and Kevin Daugherty of Marquette, Mich., enjoyed a weeklong visit with Dan’s brother Michael Carter. Michael met them in Juneau, where the group went halibut fishing aboard Kelly Killian’s boat and Michael hooked his biggest halibut – 171 pounds. In Haines, they continued fishing, catching halibut and four types of salmon aboard Michael’s boat, Carter’s Charters. They also golfed at Valley of the Eagles Golf Links and met John Schnabel, who allowed them to tour his gold mine.
Steven and JoAnn Ross Cunningham spent the past few months exploring southern Southeast Alaska aboard their large pleasure boat, “The Great Escape.” After boating from Puget Sound and docking in Ketchikan last spring, the couple took various trips including to Prince of Wales Island and to Revillagigedo Island. Steven’s high school buddy Steven Howell of Oroville, Calif., accompanied the couple on a trip, where “some great fishing” took place, JoAnn said. Within half an hour, his dream of catching a salmon came true when he caught a king. Other highlights included exploring an abandoned Native village and hiking to Shelokum hot springs while loons in a nearby lake “talked.” JoAnn also connected with former Haines High School students Shelby Beck and husband Josh Andrews, and children Gretta and Liam, while docked in Craig. Next summer, the couple plans to explore northern Southeast.
The Sheldon Museum needs volunteers for the Museums Alaska and Alaska Historical Society Joint Conference Sept. 25-28. Volunteers are needed for moving and setting up tables and chairs, manning the registration and information desk and cleaning up after meals. To put your name down, call 766-2366.