Oh my goodness, did we enjoy John’s visit. We saw, ate and drank a lot and relished (a nod to the numerous hot dogs consumed) every minute. And we laughed. A lot. I think we are pretty good tour guides. All we need is more visitors!
Today Sal and I went downtown to the Fur Rondy Headquarters. This may sound crazy, but I can hardly wait until February. (This despite the nice man at the Visitor’s Center explaining winter is not as bad here as people think. It is not a constant -5 degrees in Anchorage; it might be -5 for a week, then warm up to +5 for a week, then down again, etc. Hmmm. Not as reassuring to me as he intended.)
The Fur Rondy (Rendezvous) “is our nation’s premier winter festival,” per the Mayor of Anchorage. 2023 will be the 88th year of the festival, and while dates and events for 2023 have not yet been announced, wandering the headquarters, speaking with an event rep and scouring the 2022 Festival Guide has me so excited. It’s a multi-day event; last year dates were February 25-March 6. And the events are many and sound fun and thrilling.
The ceremonial start of the Iditarod takes place in downtown Anchorage the first Saturday in March. After our visit to Husky Homestead, we are big Jeff King fans and would love to cheer him off if he competes next year. Another big race, the Open World Championship Dog Team Race, held over three days, is part of the festival. In contrast to the roughly 1,000 mile Iditarod, it’s a sprinting competition that has continuously been voted the “Best Event” by the International Sled Dog Racing Association. The 21+ mile trail goes through town, down highways (even down our street) and through dog parks before heading back downtown. The team with the fastest total time wins.
Those events I think will be really exciting. But other events sound so much fun. The Running of the Reindeer. We’ll watch, although I am a bit tempted to try it. I know I’d love to try ice bowling. Snow Sculptures. Frostbite Footrace. Scavenger hunts. Curling events; they will teach you. A talent show. Strap skis to a porta-potty for the Outhouse Races. Hockey. Fireworks. Concerts and more.
See why I am so excited? I imagine by February people here are ready to play and party. Winter, even at only +5 degrees, is bound to be tiresome by that time.
This husky statue is outside the Fur Rondy headquarters. The plaque on the statue reads:
Each winter the City of Anchorage, Alaska is host to two of the world’s greatest sled dog races, the Fur Rendezvous World Championship and the Iditarod. This is the starting line for these two great races.
This monument is dedicated to all dog mushers and their heroic dogs.
Jeff King said there are dog sled races in Argentina, New Zealand, France, Norway — all around the world. But he compared it to country music. You can sing country music anywhere, but if you want to be great, you go to Nashville. If you want to be a great musher, you go to Alaska.
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