Shelby Fleming has been leading the charge for the annual gear swap at Four Winds Resource Center from the start. But you might also find it interesting that she originally ran with the idea to possibly find used skate skis. But her efforts have paid off for the community – hundreds of items have been rehomed. Bikes, skis, snowboards, winter bibs and boots and helmets were all available Saturday. Stacie Powlison’s halibut and potato chowder was available by donation. A few lucky shoppers rolled the dice and won a free chowder. Fleming organizes the pick-up of items, logs them, prices and transports them to the sale, out the road at Mosquito Lake. The overnight snowfall, and possibly the very popular doll show at Sheldon Museum, led to a second day of gear swap this year. Sadly, as of press time, Shelby Fleming has not found the skate skis of her dreams.
The ANB/ANS Hall hosted an energetic crowd for Friday night bingo. The early bird game was maxed out at $1,000 which brought bingo enthusiasts out. This Duly Noted writer was the lucky winner of the big game! I would like to thank Rhonda Degtoff for calling all the right numbers at all the right times, Deanna Strong for all of her hard work, but especially for handing me the lucky card. Thanks to Amanda Brandon at the Chamber of Commerce and my bingo coach – Krystal Lloyd. If you have never been to bingo you might be surprised at the variety of games played. Having a great coach can make all the difference.
A few Haines residents and former residents met up for a Southwest rafting trip. Leslie Evenden, Matt Whitman, Bart Henderson, Cynde Adams, Darsie and Courtney Culbeck, Rich and Sara Chappell, Gina St. Clair, Dan Humphrey, Julie Vance, Laurie Mastrella and Renee Hoffman spent 16 days rafting Cataract Canyon and the Green River in Utah. According to Evenden, the group did not pack light. They were fully prepared with 16 days of food and the apparel for a Halloween costume party. Highlights of the backcountry dining experience were pumpkin tortellini, and a Dutch oven spice cake to celebrate Julie Vance’s birthday, and Chappell’s camping-style Thanksgiving feast. The best part of the trip, for Evenden,was sleeping on the canyon rim with no tent under the stars. The group also met up with former Haines resident Deana Stout for dinner and even found time to catch Elephant Revival at the Moab Folk Festival. For those super-fans of Southeast Alaska State Fair music , you might recall Elephant Revival played the fair in 2014.
Chlöe Copeland, former winner of the fair’s Wearable Arts fashion show, walked the runway once again. Her award-winning “feedsack gown” was one of 30 entries in the Trashion Show at the Santa Fe Convention Center. The sold-out event is a celebration of creativity and sustainability.
The airport had a big pizza delivery on Monday, which does not happen a lot in Haines. Papa Murphy’s and Alaska Seaplanes partnered on a fundraiser for Colt and Marie Franklin’s family. Kathleen Benner purchased six pizzas and says that she will keep them in the freezer. More than 70 pizzas were sold locally.
The Chilkoot Indian Association shared a long list of donations delivered to The Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. The donations will benefit the families displaced from the flooding in western Alaska.
34 pints seal meat
15 pints hooligan oil
11 pints fresh packed salmon
12 pints carrots
2 pints smoked hooligan
2 pints apple sauce
2 pints cranberry juice
3.5 pints apple butter
2 pints cranberry catsup
2 pints of mixed berry jam
Donations of shelf-stable locally sourced canned food are still being accepted at the Chilkoot Indian Association office in Haines.
Ryan Staska is the Haines Borough Harbor Employee of The Year. The award is given out from the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators. Haines harbormaster Henry Pollan said that Staska consistently demonstrates professionalism, dedication and strong commitment to the success of harbor operations.
Norm Smith and Suzanne Vuillet Smith’s youngest daughter was recently married in New Orleans, Louisiana. Isobel Smith married Devin Bouie at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum in the heart of the French Quarter. The entire wedding party danced their way to the reception via a second-line parade accompanied by a brass band. Haines attendees included Heather Lende, Eliza Dorn, Ivy Elliott, Lani Lynch, Sylvia Lynch, Serena Badgley, Natalia Taylor, and Janine Wilkinson. Vuillet Smith said that meeting the Bouie Family was the highlight of the trip. She also said that the food and culture in New Orleans was fantastic. She enjoyed alligator for the first time, and ate dozens of oysters.
Will Egolf and Jennifer Hoekstra were married at a private ceremony in Denver, Colorado followed by a post-wedding trip to Mexico. Will Egolf said one of the highlights was a visit to the botanical gardens outside of Puerto Vallarta where he and Hoekstra hiked the property and swam in the Horcones River. Hoekstra enjoyed sunsets and dinners on the beach. The two also had a great time getting their wedding photos on a 70-degree day in downtown Denver. “Walking around in a tux and a wedding dress made for a funny, very “Denver” experience – lots of smiles and shouts from people we passed,” Will Egolf said. The couple currently live in Denver and plan to visit Haines this summer along with Will’s brother Ben and Emily Egolf and their two kids. Will and Ben Egolf are the sons of Joanna and Dan Egolf.
