Local teachers Fran Daly and Alex van Wyhe were married July 6 in Kenny Lake, about 150 miles east of Anchorage. The couple was married on a bluff above the Tonsina River, behind the high school that Alex had attended. Fran has paddled the Tonsina before with her father Steve Daly, who attended the wedding. It was a small private event, with only a few close friends and family in attendance. The ceremony was followed by a reception and barbecue.
Robert Vuillet came on his annual trip from Pine Plains, NY., to visit daughters Heather Lende and Suzanne Smith. Robert also spent time with great-grandchildren Cici and Ivy Elliott, Lani, Sylvia, and Teddy Lynch, and Molly and James Dorn, who were visiting from Juneau. “He had lots of young children running around him,” said Smith. During his weeklong trip, Robert attended the 4th of July Festivities, the Chilkat Challenge Triathlon (which Lende and daughter Sarah Elliott won), and a number of beach barbecues. Robert was “the only one who liked the heat,” Smith said, adding that he kept trying to close windows and doors that other people had opened.
Haines High School students performed at the closing ceremony of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. Students Claire Waldo, Mark Davis, Elena Saunders, Stella Ordoñez, and Yzella Miramontes took various classes in the two week-long camp, such as hip-hop dance, digital photography, jazz band and calligraphy. Elena’s mother, Kate Saunders, spent the weekend in Sitka to watch the performance.
Neil Einsbruck welcomed his friend Steve Kronmann to Haines for four days last week. The two have known each other since the 10th grade. Steve’s brother-in-law, Jimmy, also joined.
They went on three hikes to Moose Meadows, Mount Riley, and Battery Point. They had a streak of luck the whole trip: the trio caught 20 crabs in a crab pot and saw lots of wildlife, including a bear, beaver, whale, porcupine, and otter. While in Haines, the trio paddled on Chilkoot Lake, ate at the Fireweed, drank at the Fogcutter, and visited the distillery and KHNS radio station. They also visited friend Fred Shields’ house and everybody, including CVN reporters, was amazed at Neil’s card tricks. “It was a ten-day trip in four days,” said Einsbruck.
Brennan Palmieri performed last week at the Oregon Bach festival in Eugene, Oregon. The concert was staged by the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy, a 10-day intensive choir program which culminates with a performance. The group sang 13 pieces. Admission into the Academy, which consists of about 60 high school students from all over the country, is by audition only. Palmieri submitted an audition tape he’d sent in spring. Brothers Dylan and Keegan Palmieri also attended the performance. Dylan had previously been a student at the Academy; he learned about it because conductor Anton Armstrong, who teaches at St. Olaf College, had conducted the All-Northwest Choir in 2017.
Joe Aultman-Moore, who returned to Haines after seven months, was greeted with a surprise “welcome home” party Tuesday evening. Aultman-Moore had been mostly in New Zealand, with some time spent on the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali. “I was basically hitchhiking and hiking all over the South Island of New Zealand the whole time,” Aultman-Moore said. Organizers Jojo Goerner, Ben Aultman-Moore and about two dozen guests attended the event at Tlingit Park. The evening included a potluck barbecue, a jam session, frisbee, fillets of freshly caught salmon, and a lot of kids and dogs playing. “It was lots of fun,” said Joe. “Haines is making me feel so welcome.”
Takshanuk Watershed Council’s “Yoga in the Garden” event raised $65 for the Haines school’s Starvin’ Marvin Garden. Eleven people braved a light drizzle to attend a yoga lesson “amongst the kale and the peas and the carrots,” said yoga instructor Mandy Ramsey, who donated her time. Refreshments from the garden were served. The money raised will be used to buy seeds and other gardening materials. Anyone wishing to support the garden should contact the Takshanuk Watershed Council at 766-3542.
Construction is continuing at the Haines Animal Rescue Kennel. The nonprofit is undergoing renovations, adding an office area, a clinic room, and a revised entryway. About 300 square feet of space will be added, said shelter manager Tracy Mikowski. The construction was funded with the help of $51,000 in three grants from the Rasmuson Foundation and the ASPCA Northern Tier Shelter Initiative. The grants will also go towards funding clinical equipment, including an exam table, surgical lights, and an autoclave. “It’s pretty exciting for us,” Mikowski said. The clinic hopes to reach an agreement to have a veterinarian practice in Haines several times a month. “When (Dr. Oakley’s) here, it’s great. I can send a lot of people her way,” said Tracy, “But she does travel a lot.” The renovations are slated for completion in early fall.