Lila Chip Lende was born to Christian Lende and Ella Shepherd of Margaret River, Western Australia, on Jan. 9. Lila weighed 7.5 lbs. and measured 20 inches. Chip and Heather Lende of Haines are grandparents. Heather said Lila’s aunts, uncles and seven Haines and Juneau cousins are thrilled. Chip and Heather will meet Lila on a visit to Australia in February. Christian is a chef at the Vasse Felix winery. Margaret River is Ella’s hometown.
Fuzzy von Stauffenberg retired as manager of the Haines ferry terminal Dec. 31. She started as a seasonal, part-time worker there in 1991 and served seven years in the top job. Besides a trip to France in August, she’s planning to visit family in California next month. Sitka terminal manager Ryan Ackerman takes over as manager in Haines Feb. 1.
Seattle-based golf book author Jeff Shelley penned a 1,500-word tribute to the Valley of the Eagles golf links in the Jan. 7 edition Golf Course Trades. Shelley and course architect Mark Miller made a June visit that included sharing a salmon dinner with 60 Presbyterian Church parishioners and course owners Stan and Kathy Pardee Jones. An iconic Ron Horn photo of a brown bear dragging a salmon near a putting green illustrates the article.
The holidays brought the Davis boys back to Haines for the first time in more than 20 years. Mom Deb Davis said she and sons Jason of Cordova and Adam of Mesa, Ariz., enjoyed catching up, taking walks and sharing Christmas dinner with a big group of friends and families at the home of Mike and Mary Jean Borcik.
Tim Ward saw family, friends and a big chunk of country on a six-week trip that included 2,400 miles on a motorcycle. In Silver City, N.M., he met up with resident Grant Williamson and Greg Weldon of Juneau. The trio biked round-trip to Fort Worth, Texas, including stops in Alpine (where they visited Lane Martin) and San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Luckenbach. By truck, Tim drove to Duluth, Minn. to see daughter Jennifer Gilbert, husband Gordie and family and to Atwater, Calif., where he visited son Patrick Anderson, wife Heather and their children. A $2,700 jackpot on a slot machine at Seven Feathers Casino in Roseburg, Ore. paid for the trip’s gas and a few rooms, he said. Tim returned to town in time to spend New Year’s with Teri Podsiki.
Donations by Marvin Willard and Bill Thomas have boosted Haines Glacier Bears basketball. Bill donated 15 sockeye that Marvin smoked and canned for the half-time raffle during basketball games. Marvin’s work produced 24 pint jars of smoked fish. Raffle proceeds offset the cost of team travel.
Klukwan’s Lani and Jones Hotch are scheduled speakers at the 18th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival Jan. 16-20 in Nevada City, Calif. “Rock, Paper, Fish,” a documentary film about the controversy surrounding plans for a Constantine mine, will be screened at the festival. Besides Jones and Lani, the 30-minute film features J.R. Churchill, Haynes Tormey, Darwin Green, Kevin Forster, Jessica Kayser Forster, Rafe McGuire, Mario Benassi and Ted Hart. It can be viewed at http://www.rockpaperfish.com.
Lorrie Dudzik and Judith McDermaid are co-directing Lynn Canal Community Players’ production of “Steel Magnolias,” to be staged March 6-8. They have chosen six women for the major roles and will hold their first reading at McDermaid’s hair shop, a fitting locale as much of the comedy-drama is set in a Louisiana beauty salon. The play written by Robert Harling became a Hollywood movie in 1989.
Tim Ackerman will share slides and experiences of tracing Chilkat trade routes last summer at “Trail from Long Ago,” 6 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Sheldon Museum. “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” a 1928 silent film, continues the museum’s historic film series 7 p.m. Jan. 22. The “Winter Memories” exhibit at the museum closes Jan. 31. It features four local films.
Daymond Hoffman, Brent Crowe, Liam Cassidy, Alissa Henry and other volunteers spent three days last week clearing and icing Raven Arena Rink at the fairgrounds. Co-ed hockey games are weekdays at noon and 5 p.m. Go to Haines Hockey on Facebook to check on game times, including youth games on weekends.
Amy Kane, new owner of the Haines bookstore, said she was impressed that a dozen or more people approached her at First Friday with suggestions for the store, which she plans to re-open in late February. Besides a variety of books, requests include selling stationery, art supplies, games and supporting local writers and book clubs. “I was impressed with community enthusiasm… It made January a lot warmer,” Amy said.
Retired Haines teacher Patty Brown is in Brownsville, Texas, participating in the Witness at the Border protest of the federal government’s new Migrant Protection Protocols policy. She’s part of Team Brownsville, which provides daily dinners for over 1,000 people. A Spanish speaker, Patty also will be working in a medical support unit and serve as part of an “ambassador” effort “to make sure migrants know they are not alone.”
Kyle Witek of Chicago spent Dec. 20-Jan. 5 in Haines, sharing two shifts on KHNS with daughter Maddy Witek and cooking up his famous smoked mushroom soup. He said he enjoyed the low-key nature of the holiday here and coffee shop conversations with residents