The Chilkoot Indian Association (CIA) hosted their annual Culture Camp at Chilkoot Lake from July 17-23. Mary Cruise Folletti, Lkoot Kwáan Culture Camp director, said she grew up participating in the camp. Jackie Pata is also helping run the program. This summer’s culture camp was the first since the start of the pandemic. Folletti said the turnout was fantastic, with about 40 students attending the camp. Several community members also volunteered to help run various activities. Funding was provided by the CIA and the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Folletti said the purpose of the camp is to help children understand the importance of Native ancestors. “We want camp to be a way to help to connect children, whether Lingít or not, to our culture and our land,” said Folletti. “This is Lingít Aaní (Tlingit land) and it’s important for all living here to have an understanding of that.” When describing the importance of the camp, Folletti also referenced a Walter Soboleff quote, “When we know who we are, we stop hurting ourselves.” Folletti said she hopes to attain more funding for next year so that they can put on two separate sessions, so they can better accommodate the various age groups that attend.
JJ Lende Hinderberger won the female division of the Juneau Marathon on July 30 and placed seventh overall with a time of 3:24:41. Hinderberger qualified for the Boston Marathon for her age group with this time. Hinderberger’s sister Eliza Dorn won the female division of the July 31 Aukeman Sprint Triathlon and placed fourth overall with a time of 1:13:20. Eliza’s husband, Justin Dorn, placed first overall with a time of 1:06:34. The triathlon consisted of a 750-meter swim in Juneau’s Auke Lake, a 19-kilometer bike ride to the Mendenhall Glacier and back and a five-kilometer run along the Auke Lake trail. The couple used the race as training for the IRONMAN Alaska in Juneau on Aug. 7, where competitors will swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles.
About two dozen people came from across Alaska and Canada to Haines on July 24 to celebrate the “90th and a half year birthday” of Margaret Piggott. One of Piggott’s closest friends, Melissa Aronson, said Piggot’s full birthday is in January, but they celebrate her half birthday every 10 years so they can have a party in the warm weather. Aronson and Piggott have been good friends for about 15 years and used to go on lots of hikes together. “For those who don’t know Margaret,” Aronson said, “she’s had a very amazing and adventurous life, so it was a chance for friends to get together and celebrate her being a remarkable person.” Piggott published the book “No Place to Pee” a little over a year ago. Aronson gave Piggott the title idea. The book is a collection of short stories about the adventures Piggott went on while working as a laborer on the Klondike Highway and Alaska Pipeline. It’s available at the Haines Public Library and for sale at The Bookstore.
Madeline Andriesen has been performing as the countess in Mozart’s play “The Marriage of Fígaro” in Salzburg, Austria, since July 15. Madeline will be performing in Austria until Aug. 15. She will then head to Los Angeles to attend a vocal performance graduate program at the University of Southern California.
Ian Koenig was presented with a Life-Saving Award from the Soldotna Police Department on Aug. 1 after he successfully administered CPR to an unresponsive patient.
Tia Heywood will be the Alaska Arts Confluence’s featured artist on Aug. 5. Tia is pursuing a master’s degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Washington.
Haley Boron, a recent Haines High School graduate and now a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy, designed a logo and patch for the academy’s Geospatial Science Department.