Southeast Alaska State Fair director Jessica Edwards spent three days at the International Association of Amusement Park Attractions trade show in Florida. She visited the 42-acre event with husband Andy Hedden, daughter Sophia Hedden, and the president of the fair board Eric Forster. The fair hopes to add a new ride by its 50th anniversary in 2018. After three days at the show and a visit to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Edwards advocates for a rollercoaster. They also visited the Sarasota Medieval Fair with Andy’s father, Gary Hedden.
Dave Berry III and Mary Rehfeld were married Jan. 3 in Seattle. Dave’s parents, Jana and Dave Jr., attended with Dave’s sisters, Heidi Berry of Henderson, Nev. and Jamie Franks of Anchorage. The bridal party included Kelly Hansen, Tom Ward Jr., Daniel Stickler, James Hart and Caleb Franks. Chad Stigen was the best man. The newlyweds live in Juneau.  
Keith Houlberg is back home after a heart attack and trip to Anchorage for surgery. He had two stents put in, and is doing well, according to friend Jim Stanford.
Rita Brouillette and baby Ozzy Hickman would enjoy hearing from Haines friends. Ozzy, born to Rita and Frank Hickman on Dec. 22, is recovering from a Dec. 29 surgery. They can be reached at Ozzy Hickman, Building C, Room 109, Ronald McDonald House, 5130 40th Ave. NE, Seattle, Wash. 98105.
Sarah Swinton organized an alumni basketball game on Dec. 26. The game raised $344 for the boys’ basketball team. The Young Guns Tyler Swinton, Parker Schnabel, Chevy Fowler, Kai Sato-Franks, Chris Turner, Isaac Wing and James Morgan played Golden Oldies Stuart DeWitt, Michael Ganey, Daniel Stickler, Jesse McGraw and James Hart. John Gross and Devin Light rounded out the team. “The Young Guns came out on fire, and talked a little smack,” Swinton said. “But in the third quarter, the Oldies triumphed.”
Onyx Jean Dorothy was born at 6:19 a.m. Dec. 22 to Dani Leazier and Nik Marquardt. She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 20 inches. Friend Magi Hubert was present for the birth at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau.  
Mike Case reports that Whitehorse, Y.T., barber and raconteur Murd Nicholson passed away Jan. 8. “He had many friends in Haines, including Josh Moore, Duck Hess, Ron Martin, and especially me,” said Case. Nicholson spent his childhood living on a floathouse, and took up motorcycle riding in his sixties. His memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at Seventh Day Adventist Church in Whitehorse.
Three Haines High School students have been chosen to participate in the 2015 National Association for Music Education All Northwest music festival. Madeleine Andriesen, Rachel Haas and Neil Little will perform in Spokane, Wash., in February. They will be joined by other outstanding music students selected from a pool of 5,200 students from schools in six Northwest states.
Mayor Jan Hill reported in December that the town of Dunbar, Scotland, has named a street “Haines Drive” as part of its observance of the 100th anniversary of the Dec. 24 death of naturalist John Muir. Muir grew up in Dunbar and came to Haines in 1879. He helped establish a Presbyterian mission here. Haines and Dunbar became sister cities in 1998. “I encourage you to go to your favorite natural spot for a moment of remembrance on Dec. 24,” Hill told the assembly. A flat, seaside resort town, Dunbar also has a “Yosemite Park.”
Emilee Janay Adler was born Jan. 6 in Greeley, Colo., to Ashley and Jason Adler. She weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 18.5 inches. Ashley, a 1994 Haines High School graduate, works as a respiratory therapist at Northern Colorado Medical Center. Jason manages farms in nearby Boulder County. Bev Jones is planning a trip to meet her new granddaughter, the couple’s first child.
Borough police officer Adam Patterson has been hired as a criminal investigator with the Tippecanoe County prosecutor’s office in Lafayette, Ind. Patterson has been an officer here since May 2012. His last day on the job will be Jan. 25.  

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