Duly Noted

A fundraiser party was held Saturday for Scott Carey and Heidi Robichaud, who lost their storage and shop building to a fire on March 21. About 80 people attended the party at Ian Seward’s Fairweather Ski Works shop. The gathering featured potluck appetizers, donated Haines Brewing Co. beer, and entertainment by The God Particles, Ed’s Plumbing and The Pimentos.
Haines Animal Rescue Kennel held its annual member meeting and fundraiser, “Spring Bling,” Saturday. The event was held in the lobby of the Chilkat Center and featured animal-themed music by Burl Sheldon and Nancy Berland, a fashion show of artist-decorated pet collars modeled by Haines dogs, and a table full of donated desserts for auction. About 50 people attended.
About 35 people attended the annual Blessing of the Fleet Sunday at the Small Boat Harbor. The ceremony was different than previous years and included a walk on the docks to say prayers for the boats and crew. The prayers and acknowledgements were led by fishermen Matt Davis and Al Giddings, and by church representatives Vince Hansen, Crystal Badgley and Ron Horn. A reception followed at the Presbyterian Church.
Dr. Greg Higgins and wife Shannon Ward spent about five days in town, staying at the home of Leanne Converse and catching up with friends as well as with local connections to their nonprofit foundation, Fund for the Kilimanjaro Orphanage. They were on their way to work in the emergency room at a clinic in Crescent City, Calif., earning money to help finance their projects in the Moshi area of Tanzania. Greg first became aware of the many orphans in Moshi while outfitting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with a group of Haines Venturer Scouts in 2010. While in Haines, Greg and Shannon gave a presentation on their Kilimanjaro Orphanage work to the local Baha’i interfaith service at the invitation of Georgia Haisler. The Kilimanjaro Orphanage has started a fundraising drive called “Help Build Our Future,” with a goal to raise $200,000 to help pay for the construction of dormitories and facilities to accommodate another 140 children.
Chorus Bishop’s martial arts school, Seibukan Jujutsu of Haines, promoted three students in the adult class. Paige Anderson was promoted to green belt, and Russ Lyman and Greg Palmieri both were promoted to second-degree brown belt. The school will take a break for April, but is open to new students starting at all levels in May for three classes: adult jujutsu, kids’ jujutsu and adult sword class. The students are hosting a sushi fundraiser Saturday to help pay for travel to a national Seibukan event in Anchorage this summer. Orders can be placed at sushitogohaines.com.
Sara Chapell facilitated a brown bag lunch gathering for Haines nonprofits on March 9 at Harriett Hall. Representatives of nonprofits in attendance included Melissa Aronson of Haines Friends of Recycling, Carol Tuynman of the Alaska Arts Confluence, Meredith Pochardt of the Takshanuk Watershed Council, Kay Clements of KHNS radio, Jessica Edwards of the Southeast Alaska State Fair, Leslie Evenden of the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation, and Debra Schnabel of the Chamber of Commerce. Three working groups were formed to develop strategies for mutual support. The group’s next meeting is Monday, April 6 at the library.
Wondering what there is to do in Haines Junction? Pick up a copy of the St. Elias Echo, the town’s newspaper for 37 years. Besides a monthly community calendar, the paper features school and town government news, a recreation program schedule, church news, and gardening and library columns. Copies are available for 50 cents at the school, village office, public library and Fas Gas.
Amy Branner sat in as guest reporter at the Chilkat Valley News while Karen Garcia was away with family on spring break. Amy spent a summer here 15 years ago, researching her doctoral dissertation. Highlights of her trip included skiing in the Buckwheat Ski Classic and touring the Golden Circle. She lives in Oakland, Calif., where she works for a nonprofit that provides coaches to sport programs in low-income neighborhoods.
Friends Morgan McClleland and Emily Vespi of Edmonton, Alberta, enjoyed a recent visit to Haines so much they immortalized it with a homemade “Bingo” card, replacing numbers on the card with 25 scenes they found odd or interesting. Squares included “Marsec Level 1,” “camouflage truck,” “vet gas station,” “dogs in bars,” and “canoe on wheels.” The last reference originated from spotting Wayne Price’s Tlingit canoe on the dolly he uses to move it around town.
Delayna Doleshal is the new office manager at the Haines Chamber of Commerce. She works weekdays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and helps publish “Chamber Connections,” the group’s new email newsletter. The newsletter is sent each Wednesday and also includes a survey of members on business issues. A recent one asked about impacts from the Freeride World Tour. Doleshal will keep daylong hours in summer.
Musician and open mic legend Jeff Alvine has completed driver training for Schneider Truckload and Transportation Services. Alvine left Haines in September for Illinois to find work as a long-haul trucker. Alvine’s first week of solo driving, which took him through Mississippi, Georgia and New York.
Jan and Leonard Dubber last week returned from a four-month trip through the Lower 48. The Dubbers visited with many former Haines residents along the way, including Stan and Jody Wood of Yuma, Ariz., Helen Mooney of Republic, Wash., and John and Jenny Ethridge of Columbia, Calif. Resident John Cox watched over the Dubbers’ business, Moose Horn Laundry, while the two were traveling.
Karen Garcia recently returned from a week-long trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., with her parents Luis and Judy Garcia and siblings Bryant and Tara Garcia of Chicago, Ill. The family spent 12-hour days enjoying rides and shows at Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Highlights included exploring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Univeral Studios and Islands of Adventure, which feature ornate replicas of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, and doing daily crosswords while waiting in the fantastically long lines.