Sam Edwards had an uncomfortable trip back to Tacoma, Wash., last week after working for Chilkat Guides at Glacier Point this summer. Edwards and fellow guides Bevin Condon, Jonathan Cromwell, and Jake Bartolic were traveling on the ferry from Haines to Bellingham, Wash., watching a group of humpback whales play in Queen Charlotte Sound when Edwards felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. By the next day, he could barely walk or keep food down. When the ferry docked in Bellingham Oct. 4, Dan Berk drove Edwards two-and-a-half hours to Tacoma, where Edwards’ mother Mary Lynn then took him to the hospital. By 5:30 p.m. Edwards was being operated on and by 8 p.m. he returned home without an appendix. “It was pretty crazy, but definitely some good timing seeing as I would have had to be air-evaced had it happened at Glacier Point or earlier in the ferry ride,” Edwards said.
Quilters descended on Haines Junction, Y.T., from Sept. 26 to Sept 29 for a biannual quilting retreat at the St. Elias Convention Centre. Rocki Rostad, Linda Axsom, Delayna Doleshal, Becky Gonce, and Becky’s mother-in-law Carolyn Gonce spent the weekend with about 25 other quilters from Whitehorse and Haines Junction sewing, playing fabric bingo and exchanging gifts. The crew from Haines camped out in the convention center, turning the retreat into a sleepover, Rostad said. Bill Gonce, who along with wife Carolyn was visiting from Redmond, Ore., went moose hunting with son Danny Gonce instead of joining the quilters.
Janine Allen visited Mackinac Island, Mich., Sept. 25 to Sept. 30 for the wedding of cousin Karl Vary and bride Amanda Anguiano, both of Saginaw, Mich. It was also the 65th wedding anniversary of Allen’s grandparents, Sally Stimson and John Stimson. Allen said Mackinac Island is very “quirky,” as motorized vehicles aren’t allowed and people commute via bicycle or “cab,” a horse-drawn carriage. Highlights of Allen’s trip included experiencing crisp autumn air – as opposed to Haines’ damp autumn air – and dancing to “Mustang Sally” at the wedding reception with her grandmother.
Alexis Trout is organizing a fundraiser for husband Royce Dombrock, who battled testicular cancer last summer without health coverage. The fundraiser dinner will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the American Legion and also will feature a silent auction of local goods and services. Justin Lockhart and Kristy Hinkle are helping prepare the barbecue shredded beef sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw, bratwurst, Key lime pie, cheesecake, and other food, while Faith Tuohy is helping Trout organize and decorate the hall.
Lori Webster returned to Haines Sunday after visiting Kerry McIver in Healy. Lori and Eileen McIver drove 13 hours straight from Haines to Healy, spotting three hitchhikers, one bear, three foxes, swans, geese and ptarmigan along the way. The trio celebrated Kerry’s birthday with a trip to the 49th State Brewery and visited Tri-Valley School, where Kerry works as a math teacher. They also traveled to Fairbanks, where they ran into Kristina Mulready and attended a University of Alaska Fairbanks hockey game.
Joe Parnell and wife Holly Jo are visiting Joe’s parents Tom and Annette Parnell in Cambridge, Ohio. Joe crashed a local Oktoberfest celebration, rollerblading through the streets in an Alaska brown bear costume and frightening small children. Joe and Holly also enjoyed face-painting and watching the Elvis Presley impersonator at the festival. While Tom wanted Joe to work part-time while visiting, Joe declined, and instead elected to watch Ohio State football on a giant projector in Doug Bruner’s garage. Joe also put on a stand-up comedy show at Francis Family Restaurant that featured anecdotes about life in Haines. Holly led a custom card-making class preceding the comedy show.
As part of the Community Asset Building Initiative funded by the Rasmuson Foundation and the Alaska Community Foundation, Heather Shade, Cecily Stern, Crystal Badgley and Ann Myren attended the Philanthropy Northwest Conference in Juneau Oct 1-3. This year’s conference theme, “Yaakw Tayiwú (Underneath the Boat): Exploring Complexities in Philanthropy,” allowed attendees the opportunity to examine the intricacies of Northwest communities, including the relationship between Native and non-Native cultures, the new realities of rural America, and philanthropy’s role in public policy.
Russ White, Marcia Scott and Deborah Davis will serve on the Chilkat Valley Community Foundation’s Grantmaking Committee to help the advisory board members review the grant applications received for the 2013 grant cycle. Grant winners will be announced in November.
A celebration of life for Josephine “Josie” Winders will be held 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the ANB Hall. Bring a dish to share. Cards for the family may be sent to Josephine’s son Brendon Winders at 1537 Cottonwood Avenue, Fircrest, WA 98466. Contact Diane Light at 303-1961 for more information.
Georgia Sampson of the Haines Woman’s Club is looking for artists and crafters interesting in renting a table at the Woman’s Club Bazaar. The club is holding the bazaar a week early this year, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Haines School small gym, and will be serving chili and hot dogs. Contact Sampson at 314-3630 to rent a table.
Tom Morphet spent the weekend in his hometown, Media, Pa., where he attended an elementary school reunion. Many of those who attended hadn’t seen each other for 38 years, which made the get-together particularly fun, Morphet said. Other highlights included visiting with brothers Norman, Paul and John, visiting an Amish food market and partying at a street fair. Temperatures in the mid-80s were unseasonable for the Philadelphia area in October, but Morphet said it was like summer all over again.
Daymond Hoffman made a recent trip to Colorado and Wyoming for mountain bike treks with friends from college. Cheyenne, Wyo. and Fruita, Colo. have done a good job promoting themselves as recreation destinations, he said. The group also took in a professional football game, seeing the Broncos beat the Raiders in Denver Sept. 23.
Haines friends made a recent family raft trip on the San Juan River in Utah. The group included Darsie and Courtney Culbeck, sons Carver and Griffin, and Courtney’s mom, Susan Culbertson of Salt Lake City; Sara and Rich Chapell, and children Dylan, Sally and Lucia, and Sally Andersen, husband Michael Wald and sons Leo and Nolan Wald. Nelbert Niemi joined the group for the first half of the trip, lending his many decades of rafting experience and lore. The group explored ruins including the well-preserved River House ruin, built into the cliff face. They also deciphered pictographs and petroglyphs and found shards of clay pots. Wildlife encounters included ones with bighorn sheep, red foxes, coyotes, and a sand scorpion. They used stand-up paddleboards, an inflatable kayak and a pack raft besides river rafts along the 83-mile route. The 11-day trip afforded plenty of time for side hikes, exploring and swimming in clear canyon pools.
Chilkat Valley Preschool is putting on a 50/50 cash raffle to benefit the preschool. Tickets are $100 each and only 100 will be sold. They are available at First National Bank Alaska, the Babbling Book, and at upcoming holiday bazaars. The drawing will be Dec. 20 at the bank.