There is not yet a permanent light fixture installed, but school officials rigged a temporary, battery-powered light in the lighthouse at Jenae’s playground in time for the fifth anniversary of the deaths of Jenae Larson and David Simmons, who were killed during a landslide on Dec. 2, 2020. During a Tuesday evening meeting, Haines school board member Michael Wald thanked principal Alex Van Wyhe for making sure the beacon was lit in time for the anniversary. Van Wyhe said a permanent lighting solution is being developed.
Former Haines resident Addie Prisciandaro has signed with the Alaska Nanooks women’s basketball team for the 2026-2027 season. She has been playing basketball in Prescott, Arizona recently and is a two-time Grand Canyon Region offensive player of the year and a two-time all-region selection. She is quoted on the basketball team’s website as saying, “After growing up in Haines Alaska, I am very excited to be coming back to continue my athletic and academic career at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.”
Chuck Baltzell went on a deer-hunting trip to Elfin Cove and came back with five deer to show for his efforts. He is butchering the deer and plans on sharing deer steaks with friends as well as donating a deer to the senior center.
Leslie Downer is a pretty good gardener, a pretty great onion grower and one heck of a grandma. Dixondale Farms featured a picture of her grandson, Azeo Walsh, clutching a handsome bundle of Alisa Craig onions. The Alisa Craig is a large, heirloom onion variety known for its sweet flavor and mild taste. Gardeners might be interested to find that Downer uses a weekly feed of Laurie Mastrella’s fermented fish fertilizer called Ocean Potion on her onion crop. She has had great success with this practice.
Former Haines resident Chloe Goodson was back in town after a seven-year hiatus, just in time for the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. She brought her husand, Gregg Schwartz, for his first trip to Alaska and to the largest concentration of bald eagles that he could photograph. Schwartz didn’t miss out on the opportunity to photograph the northern lights and a stunning brown bear also. Goodson said that she got to showcase her winter-driving skills while traveling in a Ford Escape from Whitehorse to Haines during a winter storm with Schwartz and Maggie Hughes. The two were thoroughly impressed. Goodson included a few of her favorite former jobs on the tour of Haines – She took her husband to KHNS and the eagle foundation as part of the Haines experience, as well as talking photography with Tom Ganner about finer points of getting the best eagle shot possible.
Lisa Shove was manning a very popular Head Start pie sale fundraiser the night before Thanksgiving. Wedged between the soda pop cooler and the potato chip end cap was a table of homemade pies being replenished as fast as possible. Jim Lampkins picked up the much sought after pumpkin pie from Foundroot, a mint cream pie and berry pie. Lampkins’ family dinner consisted of three children and four adults. He said that going into the event the pumpkin pie was the likely underdog, as he and his son were the only fans of this Thanksgiving staple. However, the results were the opposite. Lampkins reports that he had to forgo his intended second slice of the pumpkin pie as the kids had at least two slices each. His eldest, who claims to not like pumpkin pie, was spotted peeking into the empty box for confirmation that the pie was indeed gone.
Free pie day at First National Bank Alaska was a hit once again. The local branch was restocking apple pie and pumpkin pie with a whipped cream option at a steady pace for the enthusiast pie eaters. For more than 50 years the tradition has been going strong at locations all over Alaska. The tradition was started by then-board chair Lucy Cuddy when she started serving pie and coffee to thank customers for trusting First National with their business. Fun fact: the current CEO of FNBA is Cuddy’s daughter, Betsy Lower.
The pie that Mike Thompson purchased at the HeadStart pie fundraiser was the best pumpkin coconut pie that he has ever had. Thompson had every intention of taking it to Jane Pascoe’s Thanksgiving day feast to share with nine others, but that was not in the cards this year. Thompson went on a five-plus mile hike that morning up Mount Riley and all around town. He was thinking about the pie most of the day. The apples in his pack were an option, but the pie consumed his thoughts. Immediately following the hike Thompson made a fire, took a shower and ate what he said was the best pumpkin coconut pie of his life. In the end, Pascoe’s Thanksgiving get-together was a success. She whipped up her very first cranberry cake and another pumpkin pie did make it to the table that evening.
Judith McDermaid had only left the U.S. for short trips to Canada before she told her friend Christy Loney that she would accompany her on a trip to Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. McDermaid said that she and Loney were visiting Christians in Islamic countries, and staying with host families on the one-month adventure. The language barrier might have posed an issue to some, but McDermaid is a hairdresser and said that “the universal language of a great haircut” can fill in the gaps. She really enjoyed meeting a lady in Tajikistan who (through a translator) asked McDermaid to cut her hair however she wanted. Fear not, the haircut was a great success and new friends were made. Loney and McDermaid ate with families along the way and can confirm that the flatbread and fruit were fantastic but the horse meat is one that McDermaid would skip next time around. Overall, the hospitality of local families and the cultural experience was well worth it, she said.
The Haines High School volleyball team traveled to Skagway to compete in the 2025 regional tournament. Coach Hailey Sanders says that some special recognitions were handed out. Ava Rosenberg and Sophia Long received sportsmanship awards. Melissa Verhamme, Isabelle Alamillo and Madelyn Hart received all-academic senior awards. Sydney Salmon and CC Elliott received all-conference honors.
On Nov. 20, Haines resident Michael Christian King died after a sudden illness while traveling to visit family in the Lower 48. He was 65 years old. A full obituary will follow.