Haines, Klukwan and Skagway come together for parade and candlelight vigil

A parade float was decorated to honor the lives lost in Haines in the past two weeks. (Photo by Henry Leasia)

Residents of Haines, Klukwan and Skagway gathered in solidarity Saturday evening to ring in the holiday season and mourn the loss of several community members. The Christmas parade and candlelight vigils brought people together to grieve those who had been lost and celebrate the strength of the community.

This December, Haines lost several community members and many families have been displaced from their homes due to severe weather. That didn’t stop the annual Christmas parade from happening.

Santa waved from a fire truck decked out in Christmas lights. The snow dragon thrilled the crowd with its sharp teeth and loud pyrotechnics. The Glacier Bear cheerleaders cheered and the Chilkat Dancers danced.

Annette Smith guides the snow dragon down Main Street. (Photo by Henry Leasia)

In the middle of the parade was a truck trimmed with gold and white light with a banner that read, “In loving memory, Haines Strong.” Dozens of people marched behind, candles in hand.

After the parade, hundreds gathered at the new parking lot overlooking the harbor.

“We’re still processing our sorrows and we’re still processing the sadness and the whys and those things that we probably won’t ever begin to understand,” said Port Chilkoot Bible Church Pastor Matt Jones. “And yet at the same time, there is a lot of opportunity for us to connect the goodness of Christmas with the memory of those folks that we’re memorializing tonight.”

Haines residents march down Main Street with candles to honor those who recently lost their lives. (Photo by Henry Leasia)

Pastor Matt Jones addressed the crowd, reflecting on the lives of David Simmons and Jenae Larson who were lost when a landslide swept their home.

He also mourned the loss of Haines firefighter Philip Reeves and Johnnie Ray Willard of Klukwan who both died this month of natural causes.

Across the Lynn Canal, Skagway residents held a candlelight vigil in solidarity with Haines. They were also mourning the loss of three residents who died last week of what appear to be natural causes.

David Simmons’ father, Randall Simmons, shared some hope with those gathered in Haines. He said that his son had been writing a book about his travels across the world, and the family had managed to recover the file from his computer. The Simmons family intends to complete the work and publish it in David’s honor.

KHNS - Haines

KHNS is our partner station in Haines. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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