19991 Birchwood Loop Chugiak, Alaska 99567
Well, it’s that time again. February in Anchorage, Alaska,
can sometimes be a real problem. The days and the winter get long,
the weather can be a chore, to say the least, but for the people
who live in cold country, this is nothing new.
For the past sixty-three years the city of Anchorage has had the
solution to this problem: a two-week winter carnival, right smack
in the middle of winter. For the first two years I lived up here, I
had my doubts about this city carnival, but for the past
twenty-eight, I’ve really enjoyed it.
Now let me explain. This is no small sideshow. This is a full,
city-wide, two-hundred thousand-plus people affair with snowshoe
Softball games, ice carvings, car races, dog sled races, dances,
auctions, craft sales, and about anything else you can think of
that is connected to a carnival. Lots of people come in from the
bush, along with a few from the outside. ‘Outside’ to an
Alaskan means a person from the lower 48 states.
Anyway, during this time, our club, the Antique Power Club of
Alaska, puts on a tractor and engine show, and we have a lot of fun
doing it. Of course, we do it inside. The A&M RV dealer here
lets us use his shop on Main Street going into downtown Anchorage.
This was our sixth year in the Fur Rondy, and it was the best and
largest show yet.
Getting the tractors and engines into town can always be a
problem, and needless to say, there are a few good stories that can
be told. Our club now has more John Deere tractors than the other
brands, and need I say, the JD boys are picked on. Not a lot of
farming goes on up here, but most of our active club members have
spent their childhood, or some time on the farm.
This year our club had seven tractor entries for the Fur Rondy
Parade we were number forty-six. The parade was over a mile and a
half long, with seventy entries, and the route was just a little
longer. One tractor ran out of gas. Well, I don’t think any
comment is necessary about that tractor owner. One thing for sure,
he has been picked on, and his color is not green!
We had twelve tractors and nineteen engines in the show, and a
good time was had by all. We have 27 tractors and way over 100
engines in our club. One day we hope to get them all out for one
show. One thing sure, we are growing.
A winter show is a lot of work, but lots of fun for everybody,
with lots of new and good people to meet. We have a long winter
here, but Fur Rondy makes it a lot shorter.