A memorial service for Ed Lapeyri, 73, of Haines will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at the ANB Hall. Lapeyri died Monday of complications from a Saturday auto accident. Donations in his name can be made to the Wounded Warriors project, http://www.woundedwarriorsproject.org. An obituary will be published in next week’s Chilkat Valley News.
Hayden Jimenez had a vacation full of firsts with his grandparents, Bonnie and Hayden Kaden. They traveled to Kerrville, Texas to visit Hayden’s 96-year-old, great-grandmother Minnie Mae Sunday. While in Texas, Hayden learned to swim, rode a horse and fed a herd of Texas longhorn cattle. The daring five-year-old entered the “mutton busting” competition at Crider’s Rodeo and took second place among five- to seven-year-olds. Hayden wore a helmet and protective gear to ride a sheep that raced out into the rodeo ring. Hayden’s 5.08-second ride earned him second place. The first-place finisher’s sheep refused to run out of the gate, allowing the winner to hold on for eight seconds. Hayden also met Texas country singer and 2006 Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman at a local restaurant.
A caravan of travelers towing 37 Airstream trailers ended the Alaska portion of their 60-day tour in Haines last weekend. The group was in Haines four days. Organized by the Wally Byam Caravan Club, named after the 1931 Airstream founder, the group has been traveling to Haines every other year for more than 20 years.
Pam Randles led a group to eradicate spotted knapweed along the Haines Highway Friday. They filled 10 garbage bags pulling up a patch south of the Haines airport. According to Randles, knapweed seeds can lie dormant in soil up to eight years, necessitating annual weeding until the entire crop has been wiped out. Randles characterized the colonization of knapweed in Haines as early and isolated, “so we have a prayer of getting to it now.” Hawkweed and thistle are examples of invasive species that were not tackled early here, she said. Pam was joined by Maria Pointer, with the Alaska Gardening Club, and Arnie Arnold. Brian Maupin, with the Southeast Alaska Soil Conservation District, also worked with the group. Maupin wants to establish a weed management association in Haines. Two other spotted knapweed patches have been identified around Haines. Pam credits Greg Palmieri with eradication of an area near 11 Mile Haines Highway. She is currently tracking a patch near the Wells Bridge that she has weeded for five years. Randles said Haines has more invasive species than any other town in Alaska. “We have a daunting task, but we can at least make inroads. We will target highly aggressive species that can permanently damage the ecosystem.” Spotted knapweed is spread primarily in hay from infested areas and on the undercarriages of vehicles.
Courtney Culbeck traveled to Anchorage to earn her Zumba instructor license in an all-day course that included five hours of dancing. Courtney plans to substitute for local instructor Jacklynn Ruggirello. Jacky would like to attend additional training to allow her to expand the choices in Haines, including “Zumbatomic” for children.
Klukwan’s 110-year-old church is getting a new roof and siding. The church went up in 1902 and Fred Falconer, the village’s first missionary, is said to have built it with timbers hauled upriver in canoes. James Kaatchkanuk purchased the bell that once sat atop the church and is still rung every Sunday morning, said great-granddaughter Lani Hotch. Hotch said she’s hoping to restore the bell to its former high perch as part of the job. Jeff Bochart is drawing up plans for a frame that would situate it on the church’s Sunday School annex. Originally Presbyterian, the church has been leased by the Assembly of God since the late 1970s.