Pamela Poon and her husband, Robin Houston, just completed a three-week visit to their cabin in Mud Bay where they enjoyed reconnecting with the community and friends in Paradise Cove. The couple returned to Bozeman, Montana after a six week overland trip which included a drive up the Dempster Highway to see the Richardson Mountains. They headed back to the lower 48 via the Columbia where Poon noticed that the Alaska Marine Highway System workers were excelling at their dining, housekeeping and service jobs preparing a “literal mountain” of fresh linens on overtime with smiles and kindness,” she said.   

Rahsaan Gregg was the cannoneer for the annual bloomer blast at Fort Seward on the Fourth of July. This year, there was a risk of the bloomer blast not blasting at all. Gregg says that he had a difficult time getting the cannon lit, citing the possibility of a compressed charge. The crowd did the wave, led by Jae McDermaid, though it was started by Katherine Perry while they waited for the explosion. On the fourth try, the cannon was lit and the bloomers flew over 288 feet. This year attendees could submit one free guess at the distance of the blasted bloomers. Ryan Irving was the winner, with a guess of 222 feet. He won two round-trip tickets to Juneau on Alaska Seaplanes. Interesting cannon fact, this particular cannon recently had a couple of quarts of Martin Goldberg’s used motor oil added as prep for the big day. Long time bloomer blast enthusiast Sue Waterhouse said the cannon requires a bit of lubrication every so often to keep it working right. 

A Simple Meal is a Monday evening event that has been feeding the masses in Haines since the beginning of June. The organizer, Jansy Hansen, said the weekly dinner is an opportunity to bring people together and enjoy a meal with neighbors. The initial inspiration for the meal was food security in the community and has taken shape as much more. This week’s chili night brought in the largest group to date: 27 people enjoyed it as well as Shannon McPhetres’ cornbread muffins. Some of the other bread contributors have been Heather Lende, Greg Goodman, and Charlotte Olerud. Hansen said the weekly event has some dedicated volunteers but organizers encourage others to come out and enjoy the Monday evening meal at the Catholic Church. Community members that would like to get involved can reach Hansen at 907-314-0055.

Rhylen Tersteeg claimed the first-place spot in the slow bike race this year at Tlingit Park and Jed Mason claimed second. This race involves going from point to point as the slowest cyclist without falling over or stopping. Tersteeg won a Sockeye Cycle hat for his slow bike riding talent. This was the first year that a unicycle has participated in the race. Unicyclist Peter Kohlstedt did not roll away with a Sockeye hat, but he did make history by being the first unicyclist to participate in the slow bike race.

Greg Podsiki’s sister Penelope Reed and her husband, Scott Reed, went on a legendary roadtrip when they came to visit Podsiki recently. The Reeds rented an RV after flying into Whitehorse, Yukon, while Podsiki’s accommodations were a custom made camping trailer that he made for a previous trip. They camped in Tok, a friend’s yard in Fairbanks, spent three nights in Denali, and visited Talkeetna, Seward, Whittier, Homer and Hope, Alaska. These birders did not miss the opportunity to visit Potter Marsh and spotted sandhill cranes while they were there. The trip wrapped up with a week in Haines that included a day on the ocean where the group encountered about 20 killer whales, before returning the RV and flying out of Canada.

Former Haines resident Lenise Henderson has completed a mural titled “Jumping Into a New Day.” The mosaic took more than six months to complete and was installed above the main entrance to UAS Sitka. The piece was a collaborative effort between the ceramics and welding programs. Henderson worked with UAS Sitka professor of art Elizabeth Zacher on the project. 

After Saturday’s parade, the Chamber of Commerce announced its Independence Day parade winners: 

1st place went to “American Icons Spawn from History” by the Lynn Canal Community Players. 

2nd place was awarded to “Maiden Voyage” by the Loewen Family. 

3rd place was a tie between “Fishing for Freedom” by Jaxson Grant and “Don’t Tread on Me” driven by Scott Rossman.