Friends are invited to the 50-plus wedding anniversary celebration of Jean and Shel Scarrott at the American Legion Hall 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10. Music will be provided by Helena Borkert. Children Steven Scarrott of Portland, Timothy Scarrott of Portland, and Brenna Scarrott of Washington, D.C. and families will be here to celebrate. Shel and Jean were married in Springfield, Ore., on Nov. 16, 1963.
About 75 people attended the surprise 50th wedding anniversary celebration for Char and Dave Olerud July 26 at the American Bald Eagle Foundation. Children Doug Olerud, Sarah Swinton, husband Ralph Swinton and grandchildren hosted the party. Guests feasted on three cakes made by Becky Gonce. Christy Tengs Fowler recited a poem she wrote about the couple, which highlighted their generosity. The surprise also included a movie that outlined family history.
More than 100 people attended the Haines High School reunion last weekend, said local organizer Judy Heinmiller. It kicked off July 31 with a reception at the American Bald Eagle Foundation. The reunion included alumni from 1979 and earlier, as well as former teachers. More than 40 alumni rode a float in the Southeast Alaska State Fair parade Saturday. More hopped aboard as the float made its way down Main Street. Alums wore shirts with their last names and graduation years on the backs. Tina Olsen had a banner and wore her rhinestone crown from 1978, when she was homecoming queen. Cheryl Pleas of Seattle and Judy dressed as cheerleaders. They cheered together from 1969 to 1972. Dave Smith from the Class of 1955 was one of the oldest at the reunion. Schoolmate Nora Krake also attended. Judy said she’d like to make the reunion annual, including all alumni.
Former resident Kay Dunning, husband Rick, daughter Ryanne, and son Michael of Savage, Minn. enjoyed a nearly three-week visit with Kay’s mother June Haas. The family went to the Southeast Alaska State Fair. Kay, a 1983 Haines High graduate, attended the Haines High School reunion, where she ran into alumni who used to babysit her. Kay is a preschool teacher, and Rick is a commercial pilot. June plans to visit the family in Minnesota.
Emma Meriggi and Gregory Pokryfki were married June 21 on a bluff in Kenai. About 60 friends and family members attended. Guests included Emma’s mom Adele Meriggi Maranta and brother Paolo Meriggi of Milano, Italy. Priya Lindeen of Anchorage, a classmate of Emma’s from University of Alaska-Southeast, was matron of honor. Emma recently spent three weeks in Italy visiting family. The newlyweds also will spend Christmas holiday there.
John Bune of Austin, Texas was in town for a two-week visit. He came with friend Marsha Bruner of Phoenix, who’d heard him talking about Haines and wanted to come. Marsha’s highlights included whale watching, seeing bears and glaciers, eating salmon, listening to music at the fair, and taking in the “entertaining” environment at Fred Shields’ house, where there’s always music, she said. John had so much fun at the fair he got laryngitis from talking too much over the bands, he said. En route to Haines, he stayed with Mark Sebens in Juneau. Days later, John brought Sebens’ son Fletcher to the Haines ferry terminal, where a Volkswagen van’s engine caught on fire. The duo helped put it out with a fire extinguisher they had in the car.
Marge Ward enjoyed spending time with multiple generations of family members. Son Tim Ward entertained the group at his cabin at Chilkat Lake, where they went fishing. The group included his son Pat Anderson and family of Merced, Calif., as well as daughter Jennifer Gilbert and family of Duluth, Minn. A highlight for Marge was seeing her great-grandchildren, visiting Haines for the first time.
Carmen Ordonez and husband Robert Zatorski of Saranac Lake, N.Y., spent a month in Haines as part of their six-month retirement odyssey. They stayed with Carmen’s brother Joe Ordonez and wife Edie Yvonne Granger at Mosquito Lake. Robert fished with Tim Ackerman Sr. Carmen taught arts and crafts at the Girl Scout Camp at the Presbyterian Church, and took niece Stella to see the children’s production of “Puss in Boots.” The couple had driven cross country to Mount Vernon, Wash., where they met up with Joe to see nephew Roland Farrell give his valedictorian speech. They went on Rainbow Glacier Adventures trips, a flightseeing glacier tour with Paul Swanstrom, and a Chilkat River raft trip with Tom Lang. The couple is heading to Sitka to visit niece Supanika Ordonez Ackerman, Tim Ackerman Jr., and newborn Timothy Mikael “JJ” Ackerman.