Yesterday I forgot to mention the tower next to the Guardhouse! I don’t know how I could forget that. Joanne and Phyllis (and the crew) have done a great job. It is Haines own mini- Washington monument. Maybe a Seward monument. (I really liked Lincoln’s secretary of state and the man who had the foresight to make Alaska part of the United States.) Last night at the planning commission meeting we all cheered its height and well, just plain chutzpah. The mayor was concerned that there was no lightening rod on top, and then Lee, who has lived on the Parade Grounds since practically “time immemorial” as the Tlingits say, launched into a long tale about the time he watched lightening strike all around old Fort Seward from the upstairs of Alaska Indian Arts. So maybe a rod is in order? In other noteworthy news, the downtown revitalization committee supported the sale of some of the old school property on Main Street to the brewery, and then so did the planning commission last night. There was joy all around that Paul Wheeler wanted to the put his business on Main Street, and that the borough has policies and plans in place to make it happen. (And no, we made the decision without any free beer from Paul, or for that matter any beer at all. It just made good sense for the community.) Barbara Lavallee, the illustrator who paints the colorful full figured ladies in hot tubs, is in Haines today, and will be having lunch at the Senior Center and signing books at the library at 3:00, and finally—I bet I’m not the only one hoping the sun peaks out by this evening, but even if it doesn’t, it’s a lovely day for a wedding—and a lucky Friday the 13th for one happy groom. Don’t forget the Farmers Market tomorrow morning, the library volunteer picnic tomorrow afternoon, and that Sunday is Father’s Day –and the first commercial gillnet opening, which means summer is really here. Is it just me, or do long June days make hearts lighter, too?
(Please excuse any typos. There is a guy with a TV camera behind me, and I’m supposed to pretend he’s not here and it’s weird and I’m nervous. And no, I am not in a reality TV show. It’s the Anchorage public TV station.)
