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Fairbanks Events 
July, August, September, 2011

Events in nearby communities within easy driving distance. Note dates; we have only just begun to update.

To shorten download time, we've split the calendar by quarters, and certain events have been moved to their own  pages, leaving only annual highlights from them on this page. Major event highlights are still here. Not all events have been updated; be sure to notice dates, and use phone numbers supplied if out of date. You can highlight what you want and just print your selection, or print all.

Discovery Lecture Series, Schaible Lecture Hall, UAF 7 p.m. on Wednesdays

July 6: "Rebirth in the Aleutians: Kasatochi Survivors: Insects after the Eruption" with Derek Sikes
Derek Sikes: Join us July 6th with Derek Sikes , Curator of Insects at the UAF Museum of the North. Kasatochi volcano, a small island in the Aleutians, erupted violently on August 8th, 2008 burying the island in ash and presumably destroying all life on the island. In this lecture Derek will describe the insect community before and after the eruption. Despite the survival of some plants, the arthropod-based ecosystem was not subsisting on vegetation.

July 13: "Thrice Warmed: Heating With Wood" with staff from the Cold Climate Housing and Research Center:
Join us July 13th with staff from the Cold Climate Housing and Research Center . Come learn about the most efficient and best uses of wood as a fuel to heat your home.

July 27: " Building Community Resilience and Self-Reliance through Local Food" with Lissa Hughes:
Join us July 27th with Lissa Hughes , Legislative Liaison & Conservation Solutions Coordinator with the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. As an advocate of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Lissa will talk about how local food systems can have positive social and cultural implications that can change the way we live.

See On a Shoestring  for local free tours.

See Arts/Drama Calendar for book or library related events.

See Music/Dance Calendar for music or dance related events.

University of Alaska Events are so numerous (especially in summer) that we are now referring you to their calendar. Go to their website and click on the event tab. Choose your month.

We have removed the dates, but left a list of just a few of the films they have, to give you an idea of the variety. Contact them for the latest viewing schedule, which in the past has been noon and 2 p.m. They show films year 'round.

Alaska Portrait (40 min)
Angling Alaska: Ice Fishing for Rainbow Trout (30 min)
A Pioneer Family in Alaska (40 min)
At the Time of Whaling (40 min)
Chain of Life: The Aleutian Islands (30 min)
Cranes of the Grey Wind (50 min)
Humpback Whales (60 min)
Land of the Eagle: The First and Last Frontier (60 min)
Loons of Amisk (15 min)
Nanook of the North (55 min)
One Man’s Alaska (25 min)
Return of the King (30 min)
Season of the Sled Dog (60 min)
The Bear Stands Up (30 min)
Winning the Avalanche Game (60 min)
Women of the Alaska Territory: An Oral History (25 min)
Yukon Passage (60 min)
Yukon Quest: Challenge of the North (50 min)

Ester Community Market at the Ester Park June through September, featuring local arts, produce, literature, music and more. Thursdays 4:30 to 7:30pm June 2nd thru September 29th, & Saturdays 11am to 3pm June 4th thru September 24th http://www.esteralaska.com/estermarket.html

Santa's Garden Market in North Pole. Locally grown produce & crafts. Hours 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Fridays only throughout summner and  fall. Carr's-Key Bank parking lot. Information (907) 488-2242.

Golden Heart Revue  (5/18-9/11/09) Season opening at Palace Theatre & Saloon, Alaskaland. Shows daily at 6:30 & 8:15 p.m. through 9/13/02. $12 adults with Alaska driver's license, otherwise $14. $7 for children under 12.  Reservations: (907) 452-7274.

North Pole 4th of July Celebration (7/4/12) All day in North Pole. North Pole Community Summer Festival and Fourth of July Celebration. Festivities include entertainment, food, activities and a parade. Other activities-Mayor's Picnic, kid's fishing derby, and 5th Avenue Block Party. (907) 488-2242 http.

 "Dynamic Aurora" (5/15/11-9/14/12)  Daily at 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:15 p.m.. 5:30 p.m.. 6"15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The museum's 30-minute movies are presented every 45 minutes in the Arnold Espe Auditorium. Purchase a museum movie ticket at the admission desk for unlimited access to the day's presentations. $7 general admission; group and youth discounts may apply. Dynamic Aurora captures the beauty of northern lights and explains this high-latitude phenomena from scientific and cultural perspectives. The 30-minute multimedia presentation features high-speed video, digital animations and hands-on demonstrations. Presented in partnership with the UAF Geophysical Institute. This is also now presented in the winter, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. (907) 474-7505.

"Winter" (5/15/12-9/14/12) 11:30 a.m.,  2:30 p.m., and 4:45 p.m., daily in the Arnold Espe Auditorium, UAF Museum of the North. $7 general admission; group and youth discounts may apply.  "Winter" gives visitors insight into our longest season. Learn about adaptations to life in the cold and the activities that sustain Alaskans through winter into spring. 30 minutes. Presented daily at the UAF Museum. (907) 474-7505. Purchase the $5 museum show pass for unlimited access to all shows that day.

Eagle Centennial Celebration (TBA). Commemorates arrival of pioneer businessmen in this Yukon River village.

Nenana's 4th of July Celebration (7/4/12)  Family events like races, music, pie-eating contests, crafts, food, and an adults' evening street dance. Take the Park's Highway to Nenana.

Fairbanks Preservation Society 4th of July Celebration (7/4/12?) All day at Pioneer Park. Community celebration including food, family activities, craft bazaar, entertainment, military colors ceremony, Air Force fly-over, and much more. (907) 459-1087  http://www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/parks&rec/pioneerpark

"QuiltAlaska 2010" Quilt Show (7/?/10) Cabin Fever Quilters Guild biennial exhibition of traditional and contemporary quilted items. Pioneer Park Centennial Center for the Arts,  Bear Gallery (third floor, elevators available).

Photo courtesy of Julie Coghill. 

The items are made by Interior Alaskans and/or members of the Fairbanks' Cabin Fever Quilters Guild. It is a non-competitive show sponsored by the Cabin Fever Quilters Guild and Fairbanks Arts Assoc. (907) 456-6485.

Nenana's 4th of July Celebration (7/4/11). Family events like races, music, pie-eating contests, crafts, food, and an adults' evening street dance. Take the Park's Highway to Nenana.

Midnight Sun Intertribal Powwow (7/8-10/11) We believe it will be held in the open field behind the Carlson Center. Alaska Natives, American Indians and Canada's First Nation peoples share their heritage. Visit their website for more information. http://www.midnightsunpowwow.net.

  Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival (7/17/- 7/31/11) a study-performance Festival held annually on the beautiful University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, featuring a variety of classes from accordion to creative writing to dance to gospel choir to piano and more. Go to http://www.fsaf.org. or call 907-474-8869 for further information.  E-mail is festival@alaska.net.

World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (7/20-23/11).  Natives from Alaska, Pacific Northwest & Canada gather to compete in traditional athletic competitions, games and dances. In 2010, they broadcasted live on KCBF. Go here for more information. In 2005, the Olympics opened at 6 p.m. with the Race of the Torch, a 5-kilometer road race. Male and female winners earn the honor of lighting the WEIO torch. There are events scheduled all day Wednesday through Saturday, free to the public. There is a charge for evening events, which includes a potlatch. Traditional Native dancers perform throughout the games and each night. The location is the Carlson Center. Phone:  (907) 452-6646 email:  weio@weio.org

Annual Anderson Bluegrass/Country Music Festival (7/27-7/29/12) Performers from Fairbanks and Anchorage return each year to join the headliners from the Lower 49.  Held in Anderson (Parks Highway Mile 283.5, watch for signs) (907) 338-3743. Sponsored by the Anderson-Clear Lions Club and K & L Distributors. Besides the music, there are food and vendor booths, a beer garden, restrooms and showers. There is an admission charge to the festival by the day and by the weekend. Children under 12 are free. No carry-in alcohol, no fireworks, no drums or bongos in the campsites (but acoustic string band instruments are more than welcome!

August 3: "Ethnobotany: Traditional Uses and Knowledge of Native Plants" Amy Breen and Rose Meier
Join us August 3rd f or a lecture by botanists Amy Breen & Rose Meier. Amy is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the UA Geography Program and Rose is the head of the Ethnobotany Certificate Program through the Kuskokwim Campus.
Amy will present an introduction to the topic of Ethnobotany and illustrate the concept using the common plants of the boreal forest and their uses by native peoples of Alaska. Rose will follow up with an overview of the Ethnobotany Certificate program at UAF’s Kuskowim Campus.

See On a Shoestring  for local free tours.

University of Alaska Events are so numerous (especially in summer) that we are now referring you to their calendar. Go to their website and click on the event tab. Choose your month.

Free Films & Events, Alaska Public Lands
(in Courthouse Square, downtown. Suite 1A, 250 Cushman St. More information: 456-0527 or 456-0532 TTD.)

We have removed the dates, but left a list of just a few of the films they have, to give you an idea of the variety. Contact them for the latest viewing schedule, which in the past has been noon and 2 p.m. They show films year 'round.

Alaska Portrait (40 min)
Angling Alaska: Ice Fishing for Rainbow Trout (30 min)
A Pioneer Family in Alaska (40 min)
At the Time of Whaling (40 min)
Chain of Life: The Aleutian Islands (30 min)
Cranes of the Grey Wind (50 min)
Humpback Whales (60 min)
Land of the Eagle: The First and Last Frontier (60 min)
Loons of Amisk (15 min)
Nanook of the North (55 min)
One Man’s Alaska (25 min)
Return of the King (30 min)
Season of the Sled Dog (60 min)
The Bear Stands Up (30 min)
Winning the Avalanche Game (60 min)
Women of the Alaska Territory: An Oral History (25 min)
Yukon Passage (60 min)
Yukon Quest: Challenge of the North (50 min)

WINTER HOURS CLOSED Sunday and Monday, OPEN Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm.

Ester Community Market at the Ester Park June through September, featuring local arts, produce, literature, music and more. Thursdays 4:30 to 7:30pm June 2nd thru September 29th, & Saturdays 11am to 3pm June 4th thru September 24th http://www.esteralaska.com/estermarket.html

Golden Heart Revue  (mid May to mid September) Palace Theatre & Saloon, Alaskaland. Reservations: (907) 452-7274.

Santa's Garden Market in North Pole. Locally grown produce & crafts. Hours 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Fridays only throughout summner and  fall. Carr's-Key Bank parking lot. Information (907) 488-2242.

Daily Bird Banding Presentations  10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. (weather permitting), Alaska Bird Observatory at Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Maps available at Creamer's Trailhead. Donations requested. Groups of five or more should call ahead to schedule a visit. (907) 451-7059.

Alaska International Senior Games (7/24-8/2/09) Olympic games for the young at heart! Athletes 50 years and better participate in games ranging from archery, basketball, bowling, cycling, fly casting, golf, horseshoes, mountain biking, race walk, racquetball, road race, softball, swimming, table tennis, track & field, trap shooting, volleyball and leisure and novelty games. www.alaskaisg.org

"Dynamic Aurora" (5/15/11-9/14/11)  Daily at 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:15 p.m.. 5:30 p.m.. 6"15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The museum's 30-minute movies are presented every 45 minutes in the Arnold Espe Auditorium. Purchase a museum movie ticket at the admission desk for unlimited access to the day's presentations. $7 general admission; group and youth discounts may apply. Dynamic Aurora captures the beauty of northern lights and explains this high-latitude phenomena from scientific and cultural perspectives. The 30-minute multimedia presentation features high-speed video, digital animations and hands-on demonstrations. Presented in partnership with the UAF Geophysical Institute. This is also now presented in the winter, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. (907) 474-7505.

"Winter" (5/15/11-9/14/11) 11:30 a.m.,  2:30 p.m., and 4:45 p.m., daily in the Arnold Espe Auditorium, UAF Museum of the North. $7 general admission; group and youth discounts may apply.  "Winter" gives visitors insight into our longest season. Learn about adaptations to life in the cold and the activities that sustain Alaskans through winter into spring. 30 minutes. Presented daily at the UAF Museum. (907) 474-7505. Purchase the $5 museum show pass for unlimited access to all shows that day.

Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival (8/7-9/09) Billed as Alaska's Greatest Campout. Four days of music and parties, under the never-dark summer skies of Alaska. Bands play 20 out of 24 hours for four days. Showers and fresh drinking water is available. Located at Mile 102 Parks Highway. Tickets: $35 for four-day parking, camping and music pass; $10 for Sunday only parking and music; free for ages 65 and older and children under 12. Visit their website for more information, or call (907) 495-6718 (Olive) or (907) 488-1372 (Ernie or Gia)

 Tanana Valley State Fair-Fairbanks (8/5-13/11) Alaska's oldest fair features giant cabbages, competitive exhibits, demonstrations, arts & crafts, carnival rides, contests, fireworks and other entertainment. Over 300 concessionaires are expected to participate.  (907) 452-3750. More information on our fair page. Their page is  http://www.tananavalleyfair.org.

Warning: This is another period when accommodations will be tight - plan ahead!

Vet Stand Down (8/18-20/11) Pioneer Park Civic Center.

6th Annual Li-Berry Music Festival & Pie Throwdown! (8/20/11)  Date: Saturday, Time: 2:00 pm to midnight. Location: The Golden Eagle Saloon (3630 Main Street, Ester). Cost: $10 at the door (suggested donation). Come celebrate berry season and books at the 6th annual Li-Berry Music Festival, and join us for great pie, dancing, and music! This lively event features a pie contest (with prizes!) and local bands and musicians, and raises money to construct the John Trigg Ester Library. Music begins at 2:00 in the afternoon. Performers this year include Steve Brown and the Bailers, Almost A Minyan, Jass Pharm, Zingaro, the Cackling Rads, the Ester Jelly Jam, Jean McDermott, Tim Robb, Nate Montgomery, Jesse Hobbs, Becca Frenzy, and more. Come on out, plunk some money in the donation jar, and kick up your heels for literature! The library has been raising funds to construct a new home for its collections: a superinsulated, Passive Hause building with a masonry heater. Construction is expected to begin spring 2012 or 2013, with  some sitework September 2011. Donations will go to the building fund. More information on the design and the JTEL’s capital campaign is available at the library’s website.

Pie-bakers wishing to enter the contest must bring their entries to the Golden Eagle Saloon between 2 and 3 pm the day of the festival. Pies must include berries; $2 entry fee. Fabulous prizes! Pie slices will be shared with the audience (if the judges leave any!), $5 donation requested. Contact Monique Musick at 388-4784, or momusick@hotmail.com, or go to www.esterlibrary.com  for more information.

Roster of performers & event schedule:

Golden Eagle Saloon

(this schedule will be adapted as times and bands are confirmed)

	2-3: pie entry
	2:00 - Becca Frenzy
	2:30 - Cackling Rads
	2:40 - Ester Jelly Jam
	3:10 - Jean McDermott
	3:30 - Pie Throwdown (with musical filling!)
	4:30 - Jesse Hobbs
	5:00 - Zingaro
	5:30 - Almost a Minyan
	6:00 - Steve Brown and the Bailers
	7:00 - Jass Pharm
	8:00 - Tim Robb
	10:00 - Nate Montgomery and Friends

Pie Contest

This oh-so-delicious part of the Li-Berry Music Festival celebrates the annual berry bounty to be found in the Alaskan Interior. All proceeds go to benefit the library. Test your pie-making skills to the sound of great music! For more information on the pie contest, contact Nancy Burnham, 457-6668.

Rules:

1. Pies must include berries, and be home-made (no store-bought!). Berries may be those traditionally thought of as berries or any by the strict botanical definition. Savory or sweet pies accepted.
2. $2 entry fee per pie. Multiple pie submissions by the same cook are perfectly fine.
3. Judges may be bribeable, but no guarantees. Cash bribes will be donated to the library (but you earn brownie points for those!). Note that one judgeship is avaible for auction to the highest bidder!
4. Bring pies to the Golden Eagle between 2:00 and 3:00 pm and register your entry. Please bring your recipe for inclusion in the JTEL’s Throwdown Cookbook. Judging begins at 3:31 sharp.
5. Award categories will be determined by the judges at the time of the contest. Winners will be announced at the music festival, and fabulous prizes (of course) awarded. The top winning entries will be auctioned off to the audience.
6. Leftover slices from the remaining pies will be offered up to the audience for donation; we are requesting a minimum $5 per slice (trust us, every mouthful will be well worth it!).

John Trigg Ester Library, PO Box 468 • Ester, AK 99725, library@esterrepublic.com  http://www.esterlibrary.org

"Open House for Refuge Planning: (8/24/11) Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has released its draft revised long-term management plan. You are invited to an Open House in the Exhibition Hall at the Pioneer Park Civic Center on Wednesday, August 24th, from 3 to 9 pm. Come learn what is in the draft plan, talk to Refuge staff, and find out how you can submit comments. For more information, please visit the Refuge website at: http://arctic.fws.gov. "

Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival (8/26-28/11) at Creamer's Field. For schedule of events, call Creamer's Farmhouse Visitor Center at 459-7307. Events usually occur Friday, 5 p.m.-11 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. The festival includes talks, bird watching, nature walks, workshops and many other related activities with ample opportunities for observing Cranes and other fall migrants. A current year festival schedule is usually available in July. The schedule includes information on observing Sandhill Cranes throughout the Tanana Valley. Information also by calling 452-5162. Sponsored by Friends of Creamer's Field, Alaska Bird Observatory and Arctic Audubon Society.

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September

University of Alaska Events are so numerous (especially in summer) that we are now referring you to their calendar. Go to their website and click on the event tab. Choose your month.

Free Films & Events, Alaska Public Lands
(in Courthouse Square, downtown. Suite 1A, 250 Cushman St. More information: 456-0527 or 456-0532 TTD.)

We have removed the dates, but left a list of just a few of the films they have, to give you an idea of the variety. Contact them for the latest viewing schedule, which in the past has been noon and 2 p.m. They show films year 'round.

Alaska Portrait (40 min)
Angling Alaska: Ice Fishing for Rainbow Trout (30 min)
A Pioneer Family in Alaska (40 min)
At the Time of Whaling (40 min)
Chain of Life: The Aleutian Islands (30 min)
Cranes of the Grey Wind (50 min)
Humpback Whales (60 min)
Land of the Eagle: The First and Last Frontier (60 min)
Loons of Amisk (15 min)
Nanook of the North (55 min)
One Man’s Alaska (25 min)
Return of the King (30 min)
Season of the Sled Dog (60 min)
The Bear Stands Up (30 min)
Winning the Avalanche Game (60 min)
Women of the Alaska Territory: An Oral History (25 min)
Yukon Passage (60 min)
Yukon Quest: Challenge of the North (50 min)

WINTER HOURS CLOSED Sunday and Monday, OPEN Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm.

Ester Community Market at the Ester Park June through September, featuring local arts, produce, literature, music and more. Thursdays 4:30 to 7:30pm June 2nd thru September 29th, & Saturdays 11am to 3pm June 4th thru September 24th http://www.esteralaska.com/estermarket.html

Local Candidate's Forum  (9/13/11) sponsored by the Interior Taxpayers' Association. Free. The public is welcome, 6:30 p.m. Includes candidates for Borough Assembly and City Council. Held in the Borough Assembly Chambers in the Borough Building near the News-Miner on North Cushman. September is a political month.

"Dynamic Aurora" (5/15/11-9/14/11)  Daily at 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:15 p.m.. 5:30 p.m.. 6"15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The museum's 30-minute movies are presented every 45 minutes in the Arnold Espe Auditorium. Purchase a museum movie ticket at the admission desk for unlimited access to the day's presentations. $7 general admission; group and youth discounts may apply. Dynamic Aurora captures the beauty of northern lights and explains this high-latitude phenomena from scientific and cultural perspectives. The 30-minute multimedia presentation features high-speed video, digital animations and hands-on demonstrations. Presented in partnership with the UAF Geophysical Institute. This is also now presented in the winter, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. (907) 474-7505.

"Winter" (5/15/11-9/14/11) 11:30 a.m.,  2:30 p.m., and 4:45 p.m., daily in the Arnold Espe Auditorium, UAF Museum of the North. $7 general admission; group and youth discounts may apply.  "Winter" gives visitors insight into our longest season. Learn about adaptations to life in the cold and the activities that sustain Alaskans through winter into spring. 30 minutes. Presented daily at the UAF Museum. (907) 474-7505. Purchase the $5 museum show pass for unlimited access to all shows that day.

Annual Equinox Marathon (9/19/09) 8 a.m., UAF Patty Center. 26.2 miles. This second hardest marathon in the U.S., attracts top runners from around the country. Also featuring a 3-person relay team option, it is a tough, hilly marathon and relay race that takes racers over wooded trails, sometimes through mud or snow. (907) 452-8351. http://www.equinoxmarathon.org

[Equinox runners meet their first hill. Photo courtesy of Julie Coghill.]

Fairbanks Winter Trade Show (9/24, 25, & 26/10) The Fairbanks Winter Shows is an annual consumer trade show full of businesses and agencies that have products and services to help Fairbanks not only make it through the long hard months of winter but have a good time in the process. This will be the 13th year of the Show and it has become a well established community event. Outside activities...snow machines to skijoring, inside activities...how to be a big brother to photo album art, car care...snow plows to winterization, home care...boiler tune up to heating fuel, travel ideas...a Valdez ski trip to a weekend at the local hot springs...it'll all be there in one location, on one floor, with lots of free parking.

SHOW DATES & HOURS:
Fri., Sept. 24 - 5pm to 8pm
Sat., Sept. 25 - 11 am to 6 pm
Sun., Sept. 26 - 12 Noon to 5 pm

Over 123 participating businesses and a three day public attendance of 3845+ and right before permanent fund dividends makes Fairbanks Winter a great place to jumpstart a winter business.

The Energy & Retrofitting Marketplace
A special section will address the energy needs of the Interior. A portion of the Fairbanks Winter Show has been dedicated to energy related vendors and housing specialists. The Energy & Retrofitting Marketplace sponsored by the IABA will give the public an opportunity to find out what energy saving products are available in the community, discuss retrofitting remodeling options, and schedule constructions projects for early spring. In addition there will be energy related seminars taking place in two locations at the show on Saturday and Sunday. There are 16 presentations scheduled and the topics range from solar power to financing. Golden Valley Electric is sponsoring this portion of the event.

Meet & Greet for Local Candidates. (9/29/11) Golden Heart GOP is organizing this regional event. All candidates for Borough offices, or any of the City offices are welcome to participate. It will be at the Noel Wien Library, September 29th from 6 - 8:30pm.

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