By Cynthia Allen
Bill Finlay’s Zen BathWorks was featured in the online edition of Dwell, a magazine of creative home ideas. Finlay answers questions about the ofuro design, a traditional Japanese soaking tub. The company also has an article in this winter’s edition of Fine Homebuilding’s Kitchen and Bath issue. Zen BathWorks has made hot tubs for such celebrities as actress Jennifer Aniston, actress Cameron Diaz, the musician Boz Scaggs, and for Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Group. The team of woodworkers includes Tully Devine, Joe Oesterling and Dan Humphrey.
Sally Boisvert of Four Winds Farm attended the first Southeast Alaska Commercial Growers Conference held in Petersburg. About 35 people attended the three-day event, including farmers, gardeners and government agency representatives. Topics of presentations included homemade farm tools, growing techniques, bookkeeping and marketing. The inaugural event was organized by Farragut Farms of Petersburg, and plans were made to have the event travel to other Southeast communities every other year. Sally hopes to help sponsor the conference in Haines in 2019.
Haines is featured in two episodes of the television channel Destination America’s show “Buying Alaska.” The March 9 and March 16 episodes feature local real estate agent Dave Long showing properties as well as showcasing local sights and wildlife. The reality show, in its third season, follows potential buyers considering rural home purchases. One of the two Haines episodes follows Harry and Genny Rietze, while the other stars Alisa Beske and Brian Harmon.
Renee Hoffman joined 12 friends for a week holiday on Kauai to celebrate the cancer-free diagnosis of former resident Kaci Keffer-Ahmuty. Kaci now lives in Bend, Ore. with husband Michael Ahmuty and daughters Riley and Cassidy. Other former residents on the Kauai trip were Sandy Reid, of Bend, Christa Pottenger, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Vicki Gardner, now living on Maui. The women enjoyed daily snorkeling with sea turtles.
Haines Venturer Scouts are getting ready to create the 56th annual Community Calendar. Everyone is invited to place an ad, or list a birthday or anniversary. This is a major fundraising event for the Venturer Scouts, who are tentatively planning a Grand Canyon river rafting trip for 2016. Call Kim Larson at 766-3885.
The Haines Ski and Hike Club held the annual Miles of Smiles Memorial Ski Race at the 25 Mile Haines Highway cross-country ski course. Skiers trekked through bare spots and about a dozen sections of running water, but enjoyed sunny, windless weather, said club member Alison Jacobson. About 13 children and 14 adults participated. Top finishers were: men’s division 1) Reuben Loewen, 2) Liam Cassidy 3) Matt Whitman; women’s division 1) Sue Libenson, 2) Laurie Mastrella, 3) Rosalie Loewen; and kids’ division 1) Rio Ross-Hirsh, 2) Camelia Bell, 3) Marina Loewen, 4) Matilda Rogers, and 5) Lucia Chapell.
The Haines Dolphins Swim Team held its annual Community Swim Meet Saturday, with traditional swimming events as well as more off-beat options such as an Iditaswim, relay races, and a T-shirt relay swim.
High school teacher Matt Davis said students would be serving pie Friday in advance of “pi” day Saturday. Fifty three seconds after 9:26 a.m. Saturday, the month, date, year, and time will match the first 10 digits of the mathematical constant: 3.141592653. Davis said on Saturday morning he hopes to celebrate the moment with a piece of pecan pie, effectively increasing his stomach’s circumference.