Raven Sirius Wishstar was born on Nov. 29 in Boulder, Colo. at 6:54 p.m. to Vanessa and Steve Wishstar. She weighed in at 8 pounds 7 ounces and joins big brother Hunter Lichen Wishstar. The family will be back in Haines in the spring.
Olivette Louise Eckhardt was born to Rachel Pattison and Jake Eckhardt on Dec. 23. She weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces and measured 21 inches long. Olivette joins big sister Juniper and the family is settling in and doing well. Haines grandparents are Stephanie and Scott Pattison.
Bozhi Sebens and Daniel Dellinger were married in a sweet and intimate ceremony at Daniel’s parents’ property in North Carolina on Jan. 11. Bozhi’s parents Tod and Margaret Sebens traveled from Haines, along with friend and Haines classmate Jordan Stigen who flew in from Portland to attend. A reception followed at the Dellinger Barn. “We are honeymooning in Myrtle Beach, S.C., which is where Daniel proposed,” said Bozhi.
Genny Rietze has finished a gown adorned with over 7,000 fruit stickers that she has collected over the past 18 months. She reached out via Instagram and received stickers from as far away as Germany and Japan. Her dress will be featured at Wearable Art 2019: Tailwind in Juneau Feb. 16 and 17.
Katie Dickerson and Ben Bard visited Chicago and Michigan to see family over the holidays. From there, Ben went to Israel for two weeks through the Birthright Israel program which included a 10-day journey for young Jewish adults to travel and stay connected with their ancestral roots.
Margaret Piggott recently returned from a family wedding in Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park, B.C. where Adrienne Tollis and Matthew Hicks were married on Jan. 10. Margaret’s great nephew, Matthew, is the son of niece Diana Piggott-Hicks and nephew-in-law Bart Hicks from Calgary. “It was a simple wedding in the Cilantro Hall. They had one bridesmaid, the best man, and a flower girl. The bride was dressed in a simple damask dress with flowers etched onto it. The morning after was -32ºC, but in the sun it was -20ºC.” Margaret said. “The younger end of the Piggott clan did downhill skiing at Lake Louise, Banff National Park after the wedding.” Her brother Michael Piggott and sister-in-law Norma, two nephews and their wives, Stephen and Deirdre, and Andrew and Hiroko, and five great-nephews, Sebastian, Tim, Paul, Christopher and Alex Piggott were also in attendance.
Local farmers, Nick Schlosstein and Leah Wagner, spent six weeks traveling in Ethiopia this winter. Part of their trip was spent volunteering with a farm and ecology project in the Choke Mountains. At over 3,000 meters in altitude, the farming community has a climate with similar challenges to Alaska. They donated cold-tolerant seeds to the project and helped to establish a demonstration kitchen garden to teach local farmers how to grow vegetables and herbs along with their large-scale grain crops. In addition, they demonstrated how to make salves with their beeswax as a value-added product and shared knowledge about natural building methods and rocket mass heaters. Outside of their time in the Choke Mountains, the couple traveled by local transport to see gelada monkeys in the Simien Mountains, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, wild elephants in Kafa, the holy Muslim city of Harar and many other places along the way. They are very grateful to be back in the comforts of home and to start their seed sales and farm season after the long journey.
Dylan Swinton walked away with no injuries after his ski fell off going 70 MPH in the ALCAN 200 race last weekend. After the ski came off and he crashed into a bank, he was able to go retrieve the nut and bolt that fell off, attach his ski and finish the race.
The Chilkat Snowburners hosted a family fun day at Mosquito Lake last Sunday. Many kids enjoyed riding snow machines on a set track and competed in races. A large bonfire, hot dogs and snacks were provided. Parents and organizers of the event included ALCAN 200 racers Jack Smith Jr., Zach Ferrin and Steven McCloughlin. “This won’t be the last family day we have this year,” said Zach.
Dr. Michelle Oakley was featured in InStyle’s “The Baddass 50: Meet Women Who Are Changing the World.” Michelle was ranked 39 on the list and was credited for her work on Dr. Oakley: Yukon Vet on National Geographic Wild. She also hopes to start a non-profit for animals and has developed widely used wildlife conservation methods.
Ron and Marlys Miner are very pleased to announce the marriage of their son Randy Miner to RaeAnn Galasso. The couple was married at the home of Ron and Marlys on Winter Solstice with Ron officiating. Family friends Geoffrey, Susie and Patience Nelson were also in attendance. “She is a delightful and welcome addition to our family,” Marlys said.