Tanner J. Schramm was born on Feb. 2 in Juneau at Bartlett Regional Hospital to Lillian and Michael Schramm. Tanner weighed 8lbs. 3oz. and was 20.75 inches long. Tanner’s aunt Jeanine Ward and grandma Connie Ward are in Juneau enjoying the new baby snuggles and said everyone is doing well.
Amy (Gross) Baylous has recently moved back to Haines with husband Gabriel Baylous and daughter Adalina. Amy says she is happy to be home and excited to raise Addy where she grew up. Amy and Gabriel are in the process of building a house and while they wait are staying with her mother Marian Carlson. Grandma Marian is happy she gets to see Adalina every day.
“Birds of a Feather, Quilt Together” was the theme of the Ripinski Rippers annual quilting retreat that happened over President’s Day weekend. More than 20 people participated from as far as Oregon. Some local youngsters including Willa Stuart, Dawson Holmes and Lydia Andriesen also joined the group. “I have a great co-op of people that helped me make the food and organize the event,” said Becky Nash. The retreat has been happening for more than 20 years.
The high school cheerleading team organized a three-day cheer clinic for kids ages K-5 last week. Twenty-eight students participated in the fundraiser. The students were taught basic tumbling skills and cheer motions and performed a dance routine to the song “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake during the high school basketball games Friday. After the song, kids then “freestyled” their own tumbling moves to show off to the crowd. Cheer coach Natalie Benassi said, “I am so proud of my cheerleaders because they managed the students so well. The kids had so much fun and each and every child had their time to shine.” Between clinic days, the high school cheerleaders made pom-poms for kids to use during their dance. Evangeline Willard, owner of Tlingit Ink Designs, designed and printed shirts that the students wore during their half-time show.
Olerud’s Market Center offered their third annual Val-o-grams for kids at the Haines School. Organizer Sarah Swinton said a grandma a few years ago, who lived out of town, wanted to send her kids a valentine and asked if Olerud’s could send them one. It was quickly adopted by other parents and relatives in the community. Kids who receive a Val-o-gram receive candy and a balloon delivered to the school office.
Emily and Adam MacMahan have returned from their 10-day vacation on the big island of Hawaii. The two, along with their boys Finn and Micah, stayed in the Waipio Valley where they hung out on the black sand beach, hiked, snorkeled and visited a tea farm. Later in the trip, they met friends from Kentucky in Kona. The MacMahans also met up with former residents Dave and Valery McCandless and their son’s family, Ben and Audrey McCandless and their children Leah and Toby. Highlights of the second part of the trip were snorkeling in the Kapoho tide pools, viewing the lava flows at Kilauea’s Halema’uma’u Crater, drinking Kona coffee and watching the kids participate in a dolphin education program.
The Haines Lady Glacier Bears held the fourth annual Breast Cancer Awareness night during Friday’s home game. Parents of the team also made desserts for a bake sale which raised over $800. To warm-up, the home and away teams wore shirts with the Wonder Woman logo and a pink ribbon. “Many of the girls have personal stories. This was important to them,” said head coach Greg Brittenham. Door prize proceeds and gate ticket sales went to the cancer travel fund organized by the Uglys of Haines.

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