Royalty ticket sales come close to record

Emma Martinsen and Cassady Cowan came close to setting a record for Fourth of July fundraising raffle ticket sales this year, totaling $114,564.

They were not much behind the 2016 record of $126,408 and far exceeded the pandemic-crimped sales of 2020, while about doubling the number from 2019.

"These girls are, along with the community, what makes this Fourth of July celebration possible," Stephanie Cook, with the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce, said at the coronation ceremony at the Nolan Center last Saturday evening. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate both of you."

Cowan and Martinsen spe...