Decades ago, Pat Egan was known locally as the RCMP from Yukon Junction, Y.T., who would ride his horse down Main Street in parades, wearing the traditional Red Serge. Egan worked his way up the ranks. He now serves as officer-in-charge of “The RCMP Musical Ride,” a world-famous spectacle of horsemanship performed by 32 riders and their horses. He and wife Mary live in Ottowa but every year take a break from the ride to pedal in the Kluane-Chilkat International Bike Relay. Egan is a co-founder of the relay and one of only a few cyclists to have entered every year since its 1993 inception. A few days ago he and Mary left from the musical ride’s stop in Winnipeg to be here for the 25th KCIBR.
Doris Ward experienced two thunder and lightning storms while visiting Broken Arrow, Okla., but the other days were sunny, with temperatures up to 89 degrees. Eating out, shopping, doctors’ appointments and visiting friends and family, including a two-month-old great-niece, made time fly, she said.
Ron and Jean Smith are enjoying a month-long visit with daughter and son-in-law Linda and Ron Olson, here from Marysville, Wash. It’s Linda’s first visit in 15 years. She recently retired from 37 years as a customer representative at Boeing. Linda graduated from Haines High School in 1978. Their visit included a trip to Sitka to fish with Terry Friske, Andrew Friske, and Andy Eggen. Ron and Linda drove Ron and Jean’s new Toyota Tundra up the Alaska Highway.
Donna Lambert endured a stiff headwind to finish the half-marathon in Saturday’s Duff’s Skagway Marathon in 3:21. It was Donna’s longest run in 20 years. The race started at the waterfront and headed toward Dyea. Donna’s daughter Grace Lambert came along and shopped while she was running. Donna said she’s considering a half-marathon in Bellingham Sept. 24. She would be able to visit son Zach Lambert, who works at a lumber mill there. Andrew del Prete of Haines ran the half-marathon, too, finishing in 2:11.
Lance Burnett of Chanute, Kansas, said he had “the best Alaska initiation ever,” helping Mike Carter haul a black bear out of the woods during a recent hunt. Lance and wife Mendy were in town visiting cousin Lori Carter, Mike’s wife. Other highlights including hiking the Mount Ripinsky race trail, kissing a moose at Kroschel’s wildlife park, and tucking into crab, halibut and salmon. Their 10-day visit to Haines was prompted by the recommendation of a guide on the Rio Grande River last year.
Sally and Tom McGuire traveled to Lisakovsk, Kazakhstan for the wedding of their son Gabriel McGuire to Suniya Karpakova. Suniya grew up in the northwest city notable for its wheat fields and plains. The couple lives in the nation’s capital, Astana, where Gabriel is an assistant professor of languages and literature at Nazarbayev University and Suniya works for a contracting firm. Sally said the wedding celebration was a mix of modern and traditional fare that included three days of feasting, dancing and endless toasts. The wedding meal lasted six hours and featured the presentation of a sheep’s head. “They carved the head and fed it to us. It was good, actually,” Sally said. Guests came from as far away as Tanzania.
Stella Ordonez was featured in the May-June edition of New Moon Girls, a magazine aimed at girls ages 8-14. The page-long feature includes Stella, 13, wearing traditional Tlingit garb, holding a baby fox and standing in deep snow. The article includes Stella’s creations (lip balm, candles, and dried herbs she sells at local markets) and interests (studying animals, writing poems, and performing in plays).
Eric Kocher has won Millbrook School’s Edward Pulling Community Service Award for 2017. In making the award Saturday, the school cited Kocher’s 35 years of legal work in Georgia, setting up legal programs including the first statewide public defender office and a state death penalty defense office. It also cited his work on relief missions in Greece and Iraq. Kocher is a graduate of the New York school, which has a strong emphasis on service. This week Kocher was in Ilkely, England, visiting Hadrian’s Wall. He plans a July trip to Wroclaw, Poland, where son Chris Kocher will compete in the World Games on the U.S. ultimate Frisbee team.
Ron Jackson and four friends cleaned up Twin Coves and David’s Cove Friday. “We hauled everything we could back,” Ron said. Diane LaCourse, Russ White, Cindy Buxton, and Molly Sturdevant each collected a bag of debris. “We’re training for the Chilkoot Trail in July,” Ron said.