First Friday is family night
The Haines Chamber of Commerce led by Tracy Harmon is now at the helm of First Friday celebrations, and for her first event, Harmon said she wants to make it more accessible to young children. On June 7, the community will celebrate family, with activities that residents of all ages can enjoy. First Friday will begin at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
The Chilkoot Indian Association will unveil its new dock, with refreshments and displays about the Chilkoot Culture Camp. Free shuttle service from the Gateway Building downtown to the dock will run every 15 minutes.
The Valley of the Eagles Golf Course will join the First Friday roundup for the first time this month with a night of mini-golf. Putting green will be placed on the course for a night that both kids and adults can enjoy.
Radio Shack will host a kids ‘remote control’ game night.
Moosterious Emporium will feature a book signing by local author, Mandy Ramsey.
Ampersand AK will present the exhibition “New Northern Perspectives,” featuring Yukon artists Sandra Grace Storey, Joyce Majiski and Martha Jane Ritchie.
The Alaska Arts Confluence will host the third annual sidewalk chalk art contest, and winners will receive cash prizes.
The Pioneer Bar will host Open Mic night starting at 10p.m.
Alaska Rod’s will feature handcrafted spice and tea blends from the Haines-based Alaska Spice Shop.
The Hammer Museum will host a family-friendly “What’s it Contest.”
The Sheldon Museum will feature the exhibit “ReConstructed ReFuse IV,” the art of salvaged materials by Rachael Juzeler.
The Magpie Gallery will celebrate the young entrepreneurs, artists, musicians and leaders of Haines.
Port Chilkoot Distillery will exhibit colorful clothing from Shyne Designs, created by designer Julie Vance, with samples on site. Vance welcomes special orders.
Art exhibit uses salvaged materials
For six weeks starting June 7,the Haines Sheldon Museum will exhibit the offbeat art of Rachael Juzeler. The museum described Juzeler’s art as, “highlight(ing) the beauty of discarded objects by reimagining their purpose and assembling them into strikingly beautiful works of art.” The exhibit includes a selection of chandeliers, wall pieces, mosaics, and a rusty tapestry. Juzeler salvages her art from “waste” materials—scrap metal and wood, broken glass, foundry blocks. “My work reflects the lost history of Southeast Alaska, as well as incorporating waste and found materials from our throwaway society, acknowledging our past and our sense of place, while illuminating a path forward, presenting an alternative vision of how to deal with our waste moving into the future,” said Juzeler. The Sheldon Museum will open ReConstructed ReFuse IV in the Hakkinen Gallery on Friday, June 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit will run through July 27.
Fisherman’s BBQ ready to feed 2,500
Next month, the 12th annual Haines Community Fisherman’s Barbeque will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday. June 15. There will a bounty of free salmon, deep-fried rockfish, sides of sourdough bread, baked beans, dill potato salad, Caesar salad, and brownies. It will take place the same day as the Kluane bike race, so Madeline Witek, assistand director of the Southeast Alaska Fair, said they expect to feed around 2,500 people. This is possible through a number of sponsors, said Witek, including Mike Forbush of Ocean Beauty Seafoods, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the Alaska Glacier Institute, and Haines Packing Company.
“The irony is that while we’re celebrating fishermen, it’s the night before sockeye fishing opens,” said Witek, so most of the attendees won’t be fishermen. “We now have a private event prior to the barbeque for the fishermen,” she said. The fair hopes to have more than 50 volunteers serve food, and “we’re always looking for volunteers,” she said. To volunteer, the fair can be reached at 766-2476. The event is free, with a suggested donation of $5.
Comments period open for Portage Cove Trail
Alaska Arts Confluence creative director, Carol Tuynman encouraged people to continue to weigh in on the Portage Cove Waterfront design, even if they haven’t yet participated in discussions. Comment sections are open on the Arts Confluence and Friends of the Portage Cove Facebook pages, where people can share their ideas. Tuynman anticipates the return this month of James Corner Field Operations (JFCO), the New York City firm hired to design the waterfront. “JCFO will be coming back sometime in June to present their draft framework plan for the Portage Cove Waterfront, from all of the ideas and information that they gathered during their four days. in Haines,” said Tuynman.