The 2016 Dick Hotch Memorial Basketball Tournament is set for March 3-6. Tournament organizer Stuart DeWitt said this week he has eight teams scheduled so far: two from Haines, two from Whitehorse, two from Juneau, one from Skagway and one from Fairbanks. First place for the men’s bracket will earn a $2,500 prize. DeWitt is also trying to organize a women’s bracket. If you would like to donate or volunteer, call DeWitt at 907-209-6998.

A group of Haines bakers participated in a local version of the Food Network’s “Cake Wars” on Valentine’s Day. Tammy Jobbins, Melissa GaneyTaylor GaneyTiffany DeWitt, Brooklyn DeWittOlivia Wing, Krystal LloydKaitlin Combs, Lexie DeWitt and Suzanne Newton each made a cake and divided it into 10 pieces. Each participant took one slice of each cake with a scorecard, and graded the cakes on taste, texture, creativity and presentation. Jobbins’ chocolate bundt cake filled with whipped cream and chocolate-covered strawberries scored first overall; Lloyd’s salted caramel chocolate cake took second, and Combs’ strawberry cake ranked third.

John Schnabel celebrated his 96th birthday on Feb. 11 while recovering from surgery at the San Leandro Hospital near Oakland, Calif. Schnabel had femoral tibial bypass surgery on his right leg on Feb. 8. The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Gingery, whose son has never missed a “Gold Rush” episode. John’s wife Erma Schnabel, son Roger Schnabel, daughters Debra and Sandra Schnabel, and grandsons Payson and Parker Schnabel were present for the celebration. Jan Marie FarmerDino DiRe, Diane McGowan, and Omar Cordes also attended. A Discovery Channel crew filmed the occasion for “Gold Rush.” Write John and Erma at Mercy Retirement/Care Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland, CA 94601.

Nearly 80 people gathered at the ANB Hall Sunday to share a turkey dinner with all the trimmings in celebration of Elizabeth Peratrovich Day. Peratrovich worked on behalf of equality for all Alaska Natives. Alaska Native Sisterhood president Anastasia Wiley presided over the celebration. ANS members Deb Kemp and Marilyn Wilson worked with Haines Borough School Migrant and Indian Education teacher Natalie Benassi to educate students about Peratrovich, and artwork by kindergarteners, first-graders and several high-schoolers was on display. Mary Folletti performed a rap song on Peratrovich, and Grand Camp Secretary Carol Duis gave an update on the push to get Peratrovich’s face on the $10 bill. The film “For the Rights of All” was shown.

William D. “Uncle Bill” Wiley, the last director of Haines House, died of complications of dementia on Dec. 29 in Zanesfield, Ohio. He was 84. Wiley arrived in Haines in the early 1950s and served as director from 1957-60. He and wife Phyllis left town when the boarding home was closed by the Presbyterian Church Board of National Missions. The facility served as a home for orphans and children from remote villages starting in 1921. According to an Ohio obituary, the Wileys founded Christian camps in Zanesfield and Jewett, Ohio, and have three surviving children. Phyllis Wiley can be reached at 4746 County Road 153, Zanesfield, OH 43360.

Lexie and Stuart DeWitt and their children Charlie and Loralai recently spent three weeks in Kihei, Hawaii. Stuart got his PADI open water diving certification and went golfing almost every day with Charlie, while Lexie and Loralai hung out on the beach and at the pool. Former Haines resident Matt Blood and his family were also in the area, as were Fred Chambers-PiperNathan PiperGenny Rietze and Harry Rietze. The group enjoyed a pool party and barbecue on the lanai.

Jane Pascoe returned last week from a month-long trip to Australia for her mother Patricia Pascoe’s 90th birthday. The family celebrated Patricia’s birthday with a seafood lunch at a beachfront restaurant in Wollongong, where Jane’s sister Nuala Williams lives. Jane also spent a week touring and swimming in the rock pools south of Sydney with her sister, and hanging out in downtown Sydney with her brother David Pascoe and his wife Casandra Pascoe. Outings around Sydney’s northern beaches included hiking to Barrenjoey Lighthouse with her 8-year-old nephew Xavier Pascoe and attending a small high school reunion in Church Point.

Director Tod Sebens said while “The House of Bernarda Alba” didn’t get full houses during its Friday through Sunday run, he has been getting a lot of positive feedback calling the play “intense” and “exciting.” The cast, composed of 20 women, had a cast party on Sunday evening at the Pioneer Bar. Sebens said if he had the time he would start working on another play now, but he is currently helping set up lights for Kim Sundberg and Holly Davis’s ballet class performances. After that, he is heading to Spain for two weeks with daughter Bozhi Sebens.

The Haines Chamber of Commerce’s AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer Keri Ewing arrived in Haines Monday. Ewing will help with the chamber’s participation in the Alaska Division of Economic Development’s business retention and expansion program. Ewing was born in Anchorage, but has spent a lot of his life traveling, including to China, Ecuador and South Korea. His grandmother is longtime Haines resident Betty Ewing DeWitt.

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