The Southeast Alaska State Fair exhibit superintendents met last week and are excited for what’s in store for this year’s 50th anniversary. “In this year’s exhibits, a jewelry category has been added,” said Deana Stout, the fair’s event coordinator. “We hope to make the exhibits as interactive as possible.” In the school category, students will now win a premium of $3 for first place, $2 for second place, and $1 for third place. All Southeast students from preschool to age 16 are encouraged to enter. Please contact [email protected] for more information or visit http://www.seakfair.org/. You may drop exhibit entries off at the fair office starting May 1 or mail to P.O. Box 385, Haines, AK 99827.
Mary Price’s daughter and Haines graduate Nadine Price was featured on KTVA Channel 11 news last week as the news channel’s teacher of the week. Nadine has taught health and physical education for the past 26 years at Wendler Middle School in Anchorage. The news story shows her teaching proper meal portion sizes to her students. “Learning about health is the most important thing, because if you don’t have that, nothing else matters,” Nadine told the reporter.
Tyler Swinton has recently moved back to town from Klamath Falls, Ore. and is working as the new accountant at the family business. He is excited to be back in town. Tyler’s fiancée, Lynzee Wortman, is still in Oregon finishing her degree in business management and marketing at Oregon’s Institute of Technology. She will graduate in May. “It was really Lynzee’s idea to move back. We wanted to figure out a place to live and Haines is definitely the lifestyle we wanted,” Tyler said.
Jasmine Taylor’s poem “Is this Love?” will be featured in the spring issue of “Alaska Women Speak” magazine. This is her second poem to be published in the quarterly feature. The piece is part of a larger body of work that was originally a final project for a University of Alaska Southeast writing class that was taught by Juneau author and professor Ernestine Hayes.
Haines Senior Center hosted a gourmet dinner fundraiser last week to help with operation costs for their meal and ride programs. The meal of roast pork, garlic-herb mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables and brownies was prepared by Rita Brouillette and Ben Cherry, along with help from many volunteers. One 90-year-old attendee told organizer Caroline Hankins, “That was the best meal I have ever had.” Due to the success of the event, Caroline plans on more fundraisers in the future.
Seth Waldo celebrated his 18th birthday with family and friends at the Fireweed Restaurant on Saturday. Grandmother Carol Waldo and father Kenny Waldo hosted the event. Four generations attended the party including the youngest, 8-month-old Isla Lorentz. “I also made four birthday cakes to celebrate,” Carol said. Seth is graduating this year from Haines High School and will attend University of Alaska Fairbanks to pursue a degree in fisheries management.
Karen Garcia visited Phoenix, Ariz., for a week to watch the Chicago White Sox play in spring training. Parents Luis and Judy Garcia flew in from the Windy City and brother Bryant Garcia came from San Francisco, Calif. The family attended four games at Camelback Ranch, the White Sox’s spring training ballpark. They also hiked in Phoenix’s South Mountain Park, the largest municipal park in the country- and one of the biggest in the world-and visited Casa Grande Ruins National Monument on the drive to Tucson, where they hiked in Sabino Canyon.
Josie Allen and her two children, Gaelen and Miranda, have recently returned from a Seattle trip to visit her new niece, Beatrice along with her brother Chance Nelson, his wife Elizabeth and their older daughter Victoria. The family enjoyed visiting a World War I and II tank and airplane museum and played paintball. Josie purchased new equipment for her bread and bagel business, which has been renamed North Star Bakery. She will soon be selling her baked goods in Dalton City.
Thom Ely has returned from a relaxing vacation in Sri Lanka along with friends John Brainard and his girlfriend Portia Whitley. They stayed near the southern tip of the country near a town called Matara and enjoyed a house cook who made local dishes with fresh fruit, fish, vegetables and curries all gathered from local markets. The friends visited Buddhist temples and took a venture on an old British railroad through tea plantations. They also went on a riverboat tour where they saw a 20-foot crocodile. “We surfed, swam in the ocean, and swung in the hammock. It was a very relaxing trip,” Thom said. On his way home he stopped through Sandpoint, Idaho to ski and visit former residents Rick and Brietta Leader and their son West. He also traveled to Sun Valley to see his sister, Laura Ely, and paid a visit to his mom, Arline Ely, who is turning 84 soon. “My mom is still hiking, biking, and snowshoeing, but decided to give up skiing this year,” Thom said.
A recent Facebook post sparked people’s attention when Haines Girls Scouts 4101 Troop Leader and volunteer Krystal Lloyd had over 300 boxes of leftover Girl Scout cookies. “Due to the cancellation of the Dick Hotch Tournament we had many boxes leftover, which I would have to pay for if I didn’t sell them,” Krystal said. However, within two days of her online post she managed to sell almost all the cookies valued at over $1,660. “The people of Haines and Skagway always come together and support one another when it’s most needed. Thank you for your support.”