Ron Owens held a presentation on the physiological benefits of laughing at the end of July during a visit with friend Neil Einsbruch. Owens is a bereavement counselor in New Jersey and met Einsbruch as his teacher in seventh-grade music. The two also shared a passion for magic — Owens worked as a magician at the Bronx Zoo for 17 years. Owens said an advertisement for the talk mistakenly billed it as a talk about grief, but the audience of about 15 people was “absolutely” receptive to his message. “When you laugh, you improve your respiratory system, immune system, mental outlook and all that,” he explained, “(The audience) all came and thanked me and shared personal experiences.” Though the topic was fun, the talk itself was mostly about the science of laughter. “I am not a comedian, I did not stand up and tell jokes. There certainly were some funny elements to what I was talking about, but for the most part, it was a serious conversation about laughter.”
Finley and Ruby Edwards from Greenville, Miss. recently celebrated 25 years of visiting Haines. Accompanying them was their grandson John Grayson Edwards, who enjoyed the Fourth of July activities, especially lighting the cannon at the Fort, a salmon BBQ on the beach, checking crab pots, climbing Mount Riley with his dad, and visiting local museums, shops, and eateries. They were joined by their son Josh, his wife Lucy, and her daughter Ellie. The family enjoyed the Takshanuk Mountain trail ride, the eagle preserve, hiking Battery Point, Million Dollar Falls, the White Pass Train in Skagway, and panning for gold with Mark Sebens. Finley and Ruby first came to Haines in 1998 with Barbara Laye to visit her aunt Nowyta Badgley.
Deanna Wallum and Nancy Britton are here visiting their brother Greg Horner and Leigh Horner, Deanna’s daughters and sons-in-law Lori Sele and Reed Barber, Lisa and Kevin Shove, and grandsons George and Dutch Shove. They drove from Iroquois, S.D., where Deanna lives with her husband Tom, and son Marshall Wallum. They’ve been enjoying meals filled with fresh seafood and garden greens, going for long walks, and especially spending time with George and Dutch.
Haines was well represented at the Juneau marathon and half-marathon on July 29. Lynzee Swinton completed the 26.2 mile, rolling, out-and-back Douglas Highway course in 4:20. Her training partner Hailey Sanders finished in 4:32. Keith Levy of Lutak and Juneau was second in the Grand Master category in 3:52, and Chip Lende finished third in 3:57. Lende, 66, was paced for 18 miles by his daughter JJ Hinderberger to join her in qualifying for the Boston Marathon in April 2024. Lende used to run marathons annually, but this was his first one in over 25 years, and since recovering from breaking his hip in a cycling accident. He beat the required time by eight minutes. Another Lende daughter, Eliza Dorn, ran the 1/2 marathon in 1:41 and her husband Justin Dorn completed the full marathon in 3:25. The Dorns will be competing in an IronMan in British Columbia at the end of the month.
Anna Fullerton married Sean Silk at Chilkat Inlet Retreat on Aug. 1. Al Giddings performed the ceremony which was attended by 110 guests. Anna’s mother Alekka Fullerton, who serves as Haines Borough clerk, said manager Annette Kreitzer closed the administration building so staff could attend. Father Michael Fullerton was also in attendance. Alekka Fullerton said the rainy weather cleared just in time for the ceremony. “The weather definitely cooperated which was lovely,” she said. “The whole thing was beautiful.” The Silks are in Italy for their honeymoon.
Gordon and Barbara Grant arrived in Haines on Aug. 8 as part of a multi-disciplinary research team studying hydrology changes as a result of climate change, as part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation. Gordon, a research hydrologist and geomorphologist for the U.S. Forest Service, said the project will potentially come up with recommendations about where to build housing to avoid landslide risk and options for the cellphone-based alert system for Klukwan residents, among other things. Gordon added the recent flooding from the jökulhlaup, or glacial outburst flood in Juneau, was a good preview of what might happen as glaciers recede above Klukwan. “That’s a story that is going to repeat itself again and again and again,” said Grant. He said other researchers in the project, called Khuti, after the Tlingit word for weather, will be in Haines later in August to meet with Klukwan residents.
Former resident Christine Loverlink was among the Juneau residents evacuated after a glacial dam burst on the Mendenhall River. The flooding resulted in several homes destroyed and forced dozens from their homes. Loverlink was featured on an NPR story that aired nationally (produced by KTOO reporter Anna Canny) talking about what it was like being displaced. She was staying with friends on Tuesday when the interview aired. According to father Vince Hansen of Haines, Loverlink’s condo was condemned, but she’s hoping it could be repaired. “They’re hoping they will be one of the lucky ones who will be able to move back in before too long,” he said. “They’re still waiting to hear what the repair plan is.”
Abigail Jones married Tyler Funk at the beach along Carr’s Cove on Aug. 5 at 3 p.m. Abigail’s siblings Nathan Jones, Kendra Knight, Margarette Jones and Aaron Jones, who traveled from Washington, were in attendance. Abigail’s parents Mark and Frankie Jones also celebrated their daughter’s union. Both Abigail and Tyler played college basketball and many of their teammates were among the more than 200 guests. The couple are still in Haines visiting with friends and family and plan to take a honeymoon this winter.