Our Town

Ever since the first airplane took to the skies in Fairbanks, aviation has been an important part of life here in the Tanana Valley. Today’s History Nugget is about the first fatal plane crash in the Interior. Harold Gillam Sr., and Marcel Leroy Danforth flying together crashed two planes wi…

Customers usually start lining up a couple hours before the doors open, coffee in hand, wagons in tow.

In 2021, the Building Trades class built only one cabin, a duplex, but it featured a large plain white wall in each section — a perfect canvas for these young artists.

In addition to winning first place, Johnathan Verhagan of Nenana also took home the $2,000 Alaska 529 Award. His brother Ephriam earned an honorable mention and $50 for his ToyBot Cleanr.

First place this year went to Sam I Am from Tri-Valley School in Healy. Second place was awarded to The Word Nerds from the FNSB Department of Community Planning.

The poems and artwork are all laminated and many are displayed on posts near the fence surrounding the giant field. Some of the artwork pays tribute to those migrating waterfowl. Every piece pays tribute to the natural world.

A team of Ice Classic workers process each ticket by hand. The tickets are sorted, checked, rechecked, recorded and checked again. So when the ice moves on the Tanana River and the tripod falls, the winning ticket can be located immediately.

The day ran smoothly and efficiently. Volunteers helped out with everything from parking to greeting, signing in, administering shots and making sure everyone felt fine before departing.

“Our numbers were low this year, due to the pandemic,” Dominique said. “Our community was very supportive. Community members and NAACP members judged and had difficulty making the great decision of what projects would be first to third place.”