Jeff Bochart recently returned to Haines following travel abroad. His adventure started in Tanzania, where he climbed Kilimanjaro, then visited the Serengeti and Zanzibar. Jeff also spent time in New Zealand practicing the finer points of driving on the left and can assure us that it only takes about three days for “left-side driving” to feel normal.
Local bread maker and unicyclist Peter Kohlstedt celebrated his birthday with friends. The event had juggling, crafts, a beach bonfire and some of the very best snacks inspired from childhood. The helium-filled balloons at the party will be the last helium-filled balloons available in Haines for the foreseeable future. Olerud’s Market reports that the price of helium has jumped from $300 per tank to $1,000, making helium unrealistic in the near future.
Ellis Theodore Palmieri was born to Polly Anna Palmieri and Dylan Gregory Palmieri at 11:28 a.m., March 15. He weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measured 20.75 inches long.
Jim Wilson and Fred Shields represented Haines in the recent bridge tournament in Whitehorse, Yukon, on March 21-22. The event drew about 60 people. On the final day of the tournament, they placed first. Haines will be hosting the American Contract Bridge Sectional Tournament on April 26-28. The event, hosted at the Haines ANB Hall, is expected to bring about 40 players to town and is sponsored by the Juneau Bridge Club.
Haines High School principal Lilly Boron recently visited Washington D.C. to advocate for Alaska schools. As the Alaska National Association of Secondary Schools Principals (NASSP) state coordinator, she has been busy! While in D.C. she spoke with Senators Murkowski and Sullivan and Congressman Begich concerning state education funding and teacher retention. She delivered the message that schools need funding critical for quality education and that the teaching profession should be treated with respect and dignity as well as professional pay. She says that Haines is a small community with a big message and this is not a time to be silent.
Dave Tines won the annual Aaron Nash Memorial Pool Tournament at the Fogcutter Bar. The event raises money for a scholarship fund as well as offering a cash prize to the winner.
The Engadin ski marathon is the largest cross-country skiing event in Switzerland. This event involves 14,000 skiers in one place, and this was the second coolest thing that Natalie Dawson did in March. She also participated in the Masters World Cup with about 800 other athletes from 43 other nations. While at the Masters World Cup, she was also selected for the women’s relay team.
Haines High School shop teacher Darwin Feakes is counting down the days to retirement. He’s made a paper chain and is plucking a link each day while getting ready to retire after teaching for 37 years, the last 14 of them in Haines.
And in one of the increasingly frequent signs of spring, Gabe Long was assembling a barbecue pit at a Main Street sport shop on Monday morning. Someone came in and bought one already and people prefer to have them pre-assembled, so Long was piecing together the pellet grill in the center aisle of the store. While he did so, Long pitched pellet grills as an easy way to barbecue because one can pour in the pellets. They feed automatically and the temperature is easy to set and consistent.
And, speaking of spring, Randy Sykes dropped by to pick up some new oil filters from Brian Clay. Sykes is getting his outboards out and readying for herring fishing, which he estimates will be upon us in about a week or so. He said he’s going to do it from a boat this year because he’s tired of packing buckets off the beach. Sykes uses them for bait.