Participants in the upcoming economic development forum might consider these points:

1) The economic and social issues facing our town are not unique to Haines. Small, rural towns all over Alaska and the United States are struggling. Corporate box stores have devoured mom-and-pops. Home-grown industries have been shipped overseas. School enrollment numbers won’t ever match those of the Baby Boom, when the nation’s youth population spiked. Towns elsewhere may have arrived at solutions to such challenges we might try here. Let’s take a look at what they’re doing.

2) We have small businesses, including manufacturers, that might benefit through creative partnerships with government or other private-sector interests. What hurdles are they facing? Promotion? Marketing? What can we do better with what we already have?

3) It’s unrealistic to expect a single industry or project will “save” our town, for reasons both political and economic. First, we’re not so keen on outsiders. Also, we tend to be possessive of this place. Further, big operations typically need more resources – electric power, proximity to markets, and workforce – than Haines offers. Skagway has achieved enormous success in tourism, but its sole reliance on a summertime industry has diminished the town’s school and winter populations. Development is best that’s sustainable and year-round.

4) Most development here advances without opposition. Projects that run into resistance are ones with minuses as well as pluses. We should attempt to honestly and calmly weigh costs and benefits when we consider development proposals. Ventures that clearly cost more than their benefit aren’t worthy of consideration.

5) Our battles aren’t so much over issues, as they are about trusting each other and letting go of the fear that working together might result in a loss of turf. This brings to mind a pair of moose horns on display in a Whitehorse hotel lobby. The racks became locked together during a battle between two huge bulls. Unable to untangle from each other, both animals died. A good starting point would be acknowledging there’s no cause or ideology more important than our town’s survival and success.

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It’s a shame that Geppetto’s Junkyard productions are called “puppet shows.”

That description conjures up socks with felt eyeballs sewed on, talking to each other about the importance of being nice.

The local theater troupe’s recent shows – including last weekend’s “Starlust” – featured hand-made puppets of all varieties, a lively story line, live music accompaniment, jokes, costumes, great vocalizations and humor ranging from slapstick to sophisticated.

Maybe it’s inevitable that in an era of media saturated with jaw-dropping special effects, an audience would be captivated by this more primitive form of storytelling that engages the imagination instead of bombarding it.

By its nature, a puppet production is more intimate than film and more whimsical than theater. It occupies its own, intriguing space.

In Geppetto’s hands, puppetry is a riot of sights and sounds. Seeing the new characters, gizmos and effects the group creates for each show is alone worth the price of admission. It was difficult to come away from last weekend’s production without feeling that this ancient form of entertainment could catch fire.

-- Tom Morphet