“Of Bears and Ballots,” a new book by local author Heather Lende, made the Pacific Northwest Independent Bestsellers List. The list is compiled from the top titles sold in independent bookstores around the region, and Lende’s book was listed as No. 14 in the hardcover non-fiction division for July 5.
Amanda Painter and Kaitlyn Tolin traveled from Juneau to Haines on stand-up paddle boards. They had almost 40 pounds of food and safety gear each, and the paddle took three days. “We had been mentally and physically planning for this trip for over a year,” They said. They chose the July 4th weekend due to large tide swings and clear weather forecasts. “We decided to embark on this journey for ourselves and to accomplish a huge personal goal,” Tolin said, adding that it was also valuable to show how important Southeast Alaska waterways are to communities.
The mountains overlooking Haines, photographed by ski photographer Will Wissman, were recently featured in Powder Magazine, a popular snow sport magazine featuring top athletes and terrain. “The way the mountains are stacked, the panoply of spines, and the consistency of sunny days make the area a photographer’s dream,” Wissman writes of Haines. Wissman has come to Haines for 17 heliski seasons, and his work has been included in magazines including Backcountry Magazine, National Geographic and Independent Skier Magazine.
The Haines Sportsman’s Association has started an evening trap shooting program for adults at 6 p.m. Thursday nights. “Anybody can come, regardless of experience,” said Shane Horton, coach for the Haines Hot Shot youth league. The adult weekly program is designed to give adults a chance for recreational shooting, Horton said. “Oddly enough, as the coach I never get to shoot.” Although participants are asked to buy their own shells and targets, which are available for purchase at the weekly events, a limited supply of shotguns are available for loan.
Amanda Dzenawagis, whose late brother David Dzenawagis died in an avalanche in the Takshanuks last winter, is visiting Haines from Boston. She made the trip to see where her brother lived and meet his dog, Mickey. “I love the town. It’s so small and cute,” she said. She was surprised that the person who owns the vacation rental she is staying at knows everyone, and she looks forward to meeting David Dzenawagis’ friends and hearing their stories.
Bart Henderson is facing eight weeks without the use of his hand after surgery in Seattle. He said he spent an entire day carefully removing a large glass wall and decided to celebrate with a movie and popcorn. While melting butter in the microwave, however, he dropped the glass container and the broken shard sliced through his hand. “It was a weird coincidence that I spent an entire day trying not to break the glass blocks and then cut my hand while melting popcorn,” Henderson said. “Somebody said I used up all my glass karma during the day. I shouldn’t have been touching glass in the evening.”
Chris Palmisano hosted a book sale at the Starvin’ Marvin School Garden in early July. All of the proceeds, totaling over $300, were donated by Palmisano to support the garden. Dozens of community members stopped by the sale to browse and buy an eclectic curation of books, covering topics including Taoism, gardening, maritime and comics. A second sale is scheduled to happen on the first Friday in August.