On Saturday, October 21, members of the American Legion gathered for a flag ceremony at the Jones Point Cemetery for Erwin Hertz Sr. Erwin’s son Stony was visiting that week and suggested the ceremony to honor his father. Nishan Weerasinghe started making phone calls and the ceremony took place that day. The flag ceremony itself is short, but there was an extra reading done by Gene Strong. Twenty of Erwin’s friends and family members were in attendance, including Terry Pardee and Doug Olreud. Taps was also played by Mark Davis.
KHNS fundraiser “Halloween at the Fearweed” went hauntingly well, with Fireweed hosts Amelia Nash and Adam Richard throwing a wonderful weekday monster mash. A full karaoke set-up, costume contest, spooky drinks and a cheesecake raffle helped raise funds for the local public radio station.
Sharon Resnick recently returned from her third visit to Africa in three years. The trip included stops in Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, and Namibia. Sharon originally visited Morocco with Debra Schnabel, and found it so enthralling that she’s made yearly trips since then. She has consistently been impressed with the resiliency, ingenuity and resourcefulness of the African people. At one point on the guided portion of her trip, they encountered a border that had been without power for a day and wouldn’t be able to give them their visas. One of their guides found a generator, gas and extension cords to bring power back to the border station, allowing everyone to get their visas and save them from spending the night at the border. Other parts of the trip included sandy beaches in Mozambique, a canoe ride down the Zambezi River, and the discovery that cars are her least favorite way to travel in Africa.
Drs. Greg and Shannon Higgins have returned to Haines from Tanzania and are back at the SEARHC Health Center until January. Greg and Shannon make regular trips between Alaska and Africa, often connecting residents here with other humanitarian efforts where they work in Tanzania. Greg drove up to Prince Rupert and took the ferry to Haines in late September while Shannon flew up a week or so later. They will be in town working together at SEARHC until their return to Africa in January, but are planning on returning to Haines as soon as they can, hopefully by the spring.
After missing it last year, Gary and Linda Matthews are excited to be back in town visiting for the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. Gary and Linda were residents for twenty-five years and try to make it back every year for the annual eagle congregation. They are staying with friends Lyle and Lauren Huff and enjoying seeing familiar faces around town.
Tom Morphet recently returned from his longest time spent away from Haines in six years, a three week trip to the contiguous United States. On his itinerary were Philadelphia, Oakland, and Seattle. He spent a week in each city and saw many friends and family members along the way. While in Pennsylvania, Tom saw brothers Norman, Paul and John for their father Norman Sr.’s birthday. Other highlights from the City of Brotherly Love included live jazz concerts and real Philly cheesesteak. While in California, Tom visited Amy Branner, a researcher in Arnold, Calif. who has frequently visited Haines. Another highlight was a quick trip from the bay to Reno, for karaoke at the Cal-Neva casino. Washington state included a visit with high school friend Jim Epes, the classic Pike’s Place Market, and an economic stay downtown at the Moore Hotel.
As part of “First Friday,” photographer and digital artist Bill McRoberts had his artwork featured at the Haines Brewing Company. The showing of fifteen pieces included both photographs and digital paintings, mostly of eagles, in conjunction with the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. Bill is donating all of the proceeds to the American Bald Eagle Foundation, which is fundraising for a new aviary. The event also hosted Sidney Campbell and Hans, the Eurasian eagle owl, with a presentation outside the brewery.
The first few days of festival events have gone well for the Bald Eagle Foundation as well. Around twenty people made it out for Raptor Trivia on Monday. With raptor themed questions such as raptors in pop culture, or raptors in music. Tuesday hosted a behind the scenes look, which showed parts of the foundation not normally open, such as the taxidermy room and where they process food for the avian ambassadors. A collaborative effort from the Bald Eagle Foundation team Sidney Campbell, Katie Dickerson, Stephanie Jenkinson and Cheryl McRoberts, they are excited for the rest of the events this weekend.