Micah Charlton McMahan was born to parents Emily and Adam McMahan of Haines at 3:48 a.m. on Jan. 7. He was born at a birth center in Nashville, Tenn. He weighed 6 lbs., 12 oz., and measured 19 inches long. Micah’s grandparents are Mike and Becky Davidson of Nashville, Tenn., and Matt McMahan of Lexington, Ken. His older brother, Finn, is 5.
River Aashaa Nichols was born to parents Coleus Taylor and Scot Nichols in Bellingham, Wash., at 2:14 a.m. on Jan. 16. He weighed 6 lbs., 8 oz. and measured 18 inches. Finn, 4, is very proud to be a big brother. River’s grandparents are Debi Knight Kennedy and Gene Kennedy of Haines, Carol and Rick Markowski of Flower Mound, Texas, and Steve and Pepi Nichols of Houston, Texas. Debi has been in Bellingham for the past several weeks and will stay until Feb. 7. Melina Shields of Haines also traveled down to help out.
Haines High School junior Madeline Andriesen has been selected to perform at Carnegie Hall’s 2016 High School Honors Performance Series. She will perform Alto 1 with the Honors Concert Choir in New York City at the February event. Earlier this year, Andriesen auditioned for the Honors Performance Series and was accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board. Program director Morgan Smith said the board processed more than 18,000 applications and selected nearly 750 students from around the world to perform. “I cannot believe I was chosen,” Andriesen said.
Alan and Jeanette Heinrich recently returned from a cruise through the Panama Canal, a trip they received as a 50th wedding anniversary gift from their children Ashley Sage, Karl Heinrich, Kurt Heinrich and Tara Heinrich. The cruise began in San Diego, Calif., ended in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and stopped in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia along the way. Highlights included exploring Mayan ruins, ATVing and taking a river cruise to see crocodiles. Before the cruise, the couple had time to visit Alan’s sister Suzanne Dorsey in Yucaipa, Calif., and his sister Heather Montanile in Bozrah, Conn. Jeanette also visited her brother Bill Bacon and sister Mary Anne Tuttle in Middletown, Conn.
Those wanting to wish John Schnabel a happy 96th birthday can write him at: John Schnabel, c/o Mercy Retirement and Care Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland, CA 94601. His birthday is Feb. 11.
Several Haines women enjoyed a culturally-rich weekend in Juneau this past weekend. Deborah Vogt and Carol Tuynman caught a showing of the new “Star Wars” movie on Friday, then headed to Perseverance Theater on Saturday with Anne Hanssen to watch “Our Voices Will Be Heard.” Deborah said the play, about sexual abuse in villages around the state, was intense and sad. On Sunday, Nelle Jurgeleit Greene and Melissa Aronson joined Deborah, Carol and Anne for “The Capitol Steps,” a Washington, D.C.-based comedy troupe specializing in political satire. Melissa was in Juneau on her way back from Panama, and Anne was there on her way back from Honduras.
Teri Bastable Podsiki has been on the move since December, starting with a trip to Gardina, Calif., where she participated in a fused glass class from master artist Patty Gray. Podsiki then traveled to Anchorage with daughters Melissa Ganey and Kaitlin Combs for the Alaska Wholesale Gift and Food Show. Most recently, Podsiki returned from a trip to Austin, Texas, where she visited friend Mark Sebens. They stayed with former resident John Bune, who was also hosting Fred Shields and Nelbert Niemi. While in Austin, Podsiki shared dinner with friend Kimery Duda, a former Chilkat Guide. She also toured the operation of bronze artist Michael Hall.
Yuko Hays’s ever-popular sushi-making class is back. Hays will teach sessions at the Haines School on Saturday, Feb. 6. Sessions start at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The fee is $30 and participants take home six rolls. Ron Horn will teach an introduction to digital photography class on four Mondays starting Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. in the high school English room. The class fee is $50. Both classes are presented by the Community Education program. Contact John Hagen at [email protected] for more information or to reserve a spot.
Chris Kocher, son of Haines resident Eric Kocher, is joining the New York Empire for the 2016 American Ultimate Disc League season. Chris, who lives in New York, played for the New York Rumble last season and finished third in the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year voting. He also played last summer on the Team USA Under-23 team in London. Eric said his son will try out next week for the USA team, which will be playing in the world championships in June in London.
Ike and Faith Lorentz went to Haines Junction, Y.T., last weekend for Friday’s performance of “Britain’s Finest,” a Beatles tribute band. The show, sponsored by Junction Arts and Music, was at the St. Elias Convention Center. The Abbey Road Gourmet Street Fair held before the performance included a Yukon Brewing beer called “Ale You Need Is Love.” Ike said the tribute band was probably the best he has seen, though the group didn’t play his favorite Beatles song, “Michelle.”