Calendar of Events

Here are some of the biggest community events of the year in Alaska's cities and towns. Event plans can change, so don't set up your vacation around any of these dates without checking for current details. I haven't listed fishing derbies, which go on in almost every coastal town in the summer and are listed in the sections on each town.

February

The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race (tel. 907/452-7954; www.yukonquest.org). Mushers say this rugged 1,000-mile race is even tougher than the Iditarod. It runs between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, trading the direction each year. Starts February 9, 2008, in Fairbanks.

The Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Winter Festival (tel. 907/274-1177; www.furrondy.net). The citywide winter celebration includes community events, fireworks, craft fairs, dog sled rides, and other fun. The main event has always been the World Champion Sled Dog Race, a 3-day sprint event of about 25 miles per heat. The Rondy's end coincides with the start of the Iditarod. February 22 to March 2, 2008.

March

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (tel. 907/376-5155; www.iditarod.com). The world's most famous sled dog race starts with fanfare from Anchorage; then the teams are loaded into trucks for the Iditarod Restart, north of the city, for the real beginning of the race, where the historic gold-rush trail becomes continuous for the dogs' 1,000-mile run to Nome. The start and the finish in Nome are the biggest sporting and cultural events of Alaska's year, drawing world media attention and turning Nome into a huge party for a few days (they even play golf out on the sea ice). Along the way, visitors can stay in remote lodges and fly bush planes to see the check points (with plenty of advance planning and a big budget). An animal-rights group opposes the race on the grounds that it's cruel to dogs. In 2008 the race starts March 2.

The Nenana Ice Classic (tel. 907/832-5446; www.nenanaakiceclassic.com), Nenana. This is a betting pool on the date of spring breakup that has happened every year for the last 9 decades. The kick-off is Tripod Days, when a "four-legged tripod" that will mark the ice going out on the Tanana River is erected during the first weekend in March, with a celebration of dance performances, dog mushing, and other activities. The ticket buyer who guesses the minute the tripod will move, usually about 2 months later, wins the jackpot, typically over $300,000.

The World Ice Art Championships (tel. 907/451-8250; www.icealaska.com), Fairbanks. Carvers from all over the world sculpt immense chunks of clear ice cut from a Fairbanks pond. Among ice carvers, Fairbanks's ice is famous for its clarity and the great size of the chunks. Some spectacular ice sculptures stand as tall as a two-story building. In 2008 carving will be February 27 to February 28 and March 2 to March 9, with the best viewing of finished works from March 8 to March 18.

April

The Alaska Folk Festival (tel. 907/463-3316; www.alaskafolkfestival.org), Juneau, April 7 to April 13, 2008. This is a communitywide celebration, drawing musicians, whether on the bill or not, from all over the state.

May

Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival (tel. 907/424-7260; www.cordovachamber.com), Cordova, May 8 to May 11, 2008. This festival revolves around the coming of dizzying swarms of millions of shorebirds that use the delta and beaches near the town as a migratory stopover. The whole community gets involved to host bird-watchers and put on a schedule of educational and outdoor activities for 3 days.

The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival (tel. 907/235-7740; http://homeralaska.org/shorebird.htm), Homer, May 8 to May 11. The festival includes guided bird-watching hikes and boat excursions, natural-history workshops, art shows, performances, and other events.

Little Norway Festival (tel. 907/772-3646; www.petersburg.org), Petersburg. This festival celebrates the May 17, 1814, declaration of the independence of Norway from Sweden. The town has several days of community events. The festival takes place on the third full weekend in May.

Kodiak Crab Festival (tel. 907/486-5557; www.kodiak.org/crabfest.html), Kodiak, May 22 to May 26, 2008. This Memorial Day weekend event is the town's biggest of the year, including fun events, the solemn blessing of the fleet, and a memorial service for lost fishermen and other mariners.

June

The Sitka Summer Music Festival (tel. 907/277-4852; www.sitkamusicfestival.org), Sitka. Since 1972, this chamber music series has drawn musicians from all over the world for most of June. Performances take place Tuesdays and Fridays, and other events all week, over 3 weeks in June.

Midnight Sun Baseball Game, Fairbanks. A century-old summer-solstice tradition: a game without artificial lights beginning at 10:30pm. The local semipro baseball team, the Alaska Goldpanners (tel. 907/451-0095; www.goldpanners.com), has hosted since 1960. Around June 21.

Midnight Sun Festival, Nome. Over the summer solstice, Nome gets more than 22 hours of direct sunlight, ample reason for a parade, softball tournament, raft race, and polar bear swim (so long as sea ice permits). Call tel. 907/443-5535 for information. Weekend closest to June 21.

The Last Frontier Theater Conference (tel. 907/834-1614; www.pwscc.edu), Valdez. The conference brings playwrights and directors from all over the nation to the community for a week of seminars and performances. June 14 to June 21, 2008.

July

Independence Day. Most of the small towns in Alaska make a big deal of the Fourth of July. Seward always has a huge celebration, exploding with visitors, primarily from Anchorage. Besides the parade and many small-town festivities, the main attraction is the Mount Marathon Race, which goes from the middle of town straight up rocky Mount Marathon to its 3,022-foot peak and down again. Seldovia, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau also have exceptional Fourth of July events.

The Southeast Alaska State Fair (tel. 907/766-2476; www.seakfair.org), Haines. Held for 4 days in late July, this is a regional small-town get-together music festival, with livestock, cooking, a logging show, a parade, and other entertainment.

August

The Alaska State Fair (tel. 907/745-4827; www.alaskastatefair.org), Palmer. The region's biggest event of the year is a typical state fair, except for the huge vegetables. The good soil and long Valley days produce cabbages the size of beanbag chairs. Try to imagine a 19-pound carrot. Held the 12 days before Labor Day.

October

Alaska Day Festival (tel. 907/747-8806), Sitka. Alaska Day, commemorating the Alaska purchase on October 18, 1867, is a big deal in this former Russian and U.S. territorial capital city.

November

Sitka WhaleFest (tel. 907/747-7964; www.sitkawhalefest.org), Sitka. Over a weekend in early November, during the fall and early winter period when humpback whales congregate in Sitka Sound, experts from around the world present a 3-day symposium, and there are whale-watching tours, concerts, an art show, a run, and community events.

The Alaska Bald Eagle Festival (tel. 907/766-3094; www.baldeaglefestival.org), Haines. Seminars and special events mark an annual congregation of 3,000 eagles near Haines. Mid-November.

The Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout Men's Basketball Tournament (tel. 907/786-1250; www.goseawolves.com), Anchorage. The University of Alaska Anchorage hosts top-ranked college teams at the Sullivan Arena over Thanksgiving weekend.

Only-in-Alaska Events

By the end of the winter, sports in Alaska can get extreme. The Arctic Man Ski & Sno-Go Classic (tel. 907/456-2626; www.arcticman.com) sounds insane just in the description: A skier goes straight down a steep 1,700-foot slope, then grabs a rope to be pulled up the next slope by a snow machine going as fast as 88 mph, and then skis down the next, 1,200-foot slope. Thousands of spectators build a hard-partying city of RVs, snow machines, and a big tent for beer and rock 'n' roll in the remote, treeless hills of the Alaska Range near Summit Lake, 10 miles north of Paxson at mile 195 on the Richardson Highway. For a few days it's the fourth largest community in Alaska. Parking is $100. The event will be held from April 9 to 13, 2008 (race day the 11th).

Another kind of insanity occurs in the Tesoro Iron Dog Snowmobile Race (tel. 907/563-4414; www.irondog.org). In mid-February, teams of two racers leave from Wasilla, near Anchorage, take the Iditarod Trail to Nome, then turn around and ride to Fairbanks, in the middle of the state. Racers cover a distance of about 2,000 miles of rugged, roadless wilderness at speeds often well in excess of highway driving. In 2007, the winning duo included Governor Sarah Palin's husband Todd, better known as the "First Dude." He covered the distance in just over 38 hours. The race is by far the longest and toughest in the world. Muscle-powered sports also have big late winter events, including the 50km (31-mile) Tour of Anchorage Nordic ski race (www.tourofanchorage.com), which winds its way from one side of the city to the other on the first Sunday in March. With as many as 2,000 racers, it has become a major community happening and draws elite skiers, kids, and grandmothers. It is the second-largest race in the U.S. I ski it every year. Other towns around Alaska have started their own ski marathons during the following weeks, including Homer, Talkeetna, and Fairbanks. For a calendar of events and other Alaska cross-country skiing information, contact the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage (tel. 907/276-7609; www.anchoragenordicski.com).

And don't forget the various human-powered wilderness races that cross Alaska, winter and summer, often covering 100 miles or more on skis, snowshoes, bikes or foot, or a combination thereof. Sometimes these races have only a few competitors, and perhaps only one or two finishers. No one does it for glory, but somehow it makes sense where big, wild land is the dominant theme and trail sports are the primary form of recreation.