The 25-foot Christmas tree at the public library was donated by Wendel Hales and came from his property on Lutak Inlet. Brady McGuire donated use of ropes and pulleys from the Haines Volunteer Fire Department to stand it up. A library staff crew that included Joe Aultman-Moore and Eric Stevens helped set it up. Decorations at the top of the tree were put on while the tree was still in an inclined position. Library director Rebecca Heaton hand-tied many of the 300-plus crystal bows that decorate the Sitka spruce tree and garlands. The five-gallon bucket the tree sits in is filled with water twice daily.
Amy Kane spent Thanksgiving in Sitka, where she stayed with Angie Bowers, longtime friend and adjunct professor of applied fisheries at the University of Alaska campus there. She connected with former resident Shaleena Bott, former manager of the Aspen Hotel in Haines. After working at the Aspen in Sitka, Shaleena is employed by regional food distributor. Shaleena’s son Gabe was in town for the holiday. Amy lived in Sitka 22 years before coming to Haines and opening Main Street’s bookstore.
The Haines High School Art Club has raised $2,500 from sale of club T-shirts and last weekend’s bazaar at the school. Silkscreen, hand-printed T-shirts to benefit the club, with designs by Matilda Rogers and Marin Hart, will be on sale at Saturday’s Art Confluence Bazaar at the Haines ANB Hall. Proceeds will pay for club travel to a ceramics camp in Portland, Ore. during spring break and a tour of colleges there. The art club also holds pottery sales and plans another in the spring.
Jenn Marschke and son Archie Dunbar enjoyed a week’s vacation in Bradenton, Fla., visiting Jenn’s folks Debbie and Rick Jepson. Highlights included dinner at Five Guys and swimming with dolphins and sharks and feeding manna rays at Discovery Cove theme park.
Tom and Liz Heywood recently returned from a three-week trip, including a visit to see family in the Midwest. At an assisted living center in Minneapolis, Tom enjoyed performing jazz numbers for Addie Shumsker, a jazz enthusiast and 102-year-old mother of a friend. Tom and Liz returned to Seattle, driving from there with son Sung and dog Arnol to Richmond, Calif., home of son Kee Heywood and wife Belle. For Thanksgiving, Belle prepared a traditional Korean barbecue that included a marinated pear dessert. Sung and Kee’s sister, Tia Heywood, flew in from Seattle for the first Heywood family reunion in more than three years.
Rebecca Kameika recently traveled to Hawaii’s Big Island to visit Russ Lyman and Cythia Allen at their place near Kona. Highlights included seeing the steam plume from the Mauna Loa volcano eruption from her jet window and, after landing, snapping photos of lava sliding down the mountainside there.
Paul, Erica and Drew Carrington spent two weeks at Kihei, Maui with friends Stuart and Lexi DeWitt, and their children Charlie, Lorelei and Luke. Tiffany DeWitt, her daughter. Brooklyn DeWitt and Ben Tong made the trip, along with Charlie and Toni DeWitt and Shannon Willard. The group celebrated Brooklyn’s 16th birthday with an island party. Erica said other highlights included seeing sea turtles and a successful spearfishing outing by Stuart and the boys. Erica also attended a real estate class held at the island’s Grand Wailea Resort.
Garrett Montgomery is now working in production at Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Ore.
There’s still time to enter the Haines Chamber of Commerce Holiday Lights Contest, but registration is required. Cash prizes of $250 each go to the best decorated boat and best business. First place for decorating a home wins a seven-night Caribbean cruise for two from Royal Caribbean International; there are cash prizes for second and third place residences. All contest voters and participants will be entered into a raffle for cash prizes. Go to www.haineschamber.org. to participate.
Don’t miss the holiday fireworks show. It’s scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11 at the high school track. Andrew Letchworth said the Chamber of Commerce has $3,000 of pyrotechnics left over because fire danger and a burn ban canceled the annual Fourth of July fireworks.

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