Fur Rondy Has Started!

It's that time of the year again...Fur Rondy! We went downtown yesterday to watch the snow carvers do their thing. The competition is next Saturday. It's really interesting to watch. Each group has their own technique. Some work from drawings, others from 3D models that they made out of clay. All of the sculptors are very nice, and more than willing to share a little background of their sculpture if you ask. Things are still in the rough stages right now. By next weekend, they will be finished to perfection.

The sculptors all start with huge blocks of compacted snow, and they spray paint their basic shape onto it before they start. They use everything from shovels to machetes to blocks covered with sandpaper to make their art.
As they get into more detail, they spray more rough drawings into the snow and then carve them out. It's a lot of fun to wander around all of the sculptures and see what ideas everyone has come up with. If you ever get a chance to come to Alaska in early March, check it out!

Fur Rondy Hide Auction

I was taking a break from trying to teach the cats how to meow in Dutch (trust me, it's not as easy as you think!), and decided to check out the website for the Fur Rondy Hide Auction. There were some issues with the auction last year and it didn't take place, so those hides will be added to this year's auction. They result is 117 hides up for you to bid on. They expect to set all kind of records with the money raised, and are trying for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The bulk of the proceeds goes to the Fish and Game Commission, but $500 will will go to local scholarships for wildlife management students. The hides include goat, black bear and other critters. They come from illegal kills, animals killed by state personnel because they were a danger or nuisance, and those killed by citizens to protect life and property. Check out the link to their website below and put in a bid for your own little piece of Alaska. You can own a bear hide without the danger involved in hunting it down. Just think of the stories you can make up to tell your family and friends about how you got it! http://grubstakeauction.com/FUR2009-2.htm I loved the note on the website that says "Don't bring your dog to the auction. The salt used to preserve the hide will harm your pet."

Fur Rondy in February

Happy February! Spring is in the air (and not ash, thank goodness!) It's another beautiful blue sky day here at Elmendorf. It won't be long until we are celebrating Fur Rondy, so I thought I'd share some past pics with you. In case you are wondering, Fur Rondy was started back in the 1930's by a gentleman named Vern Johnson. Anchorage was a little town in those days, and there wasn't much in the way of winter entertainment. The miners and hunters came to Anchorage in February to sell and trade their goods. Mr. Johnson decided to start a little 3 day sports competition/Festival to entertain the people, and the Fur Rondy was born. The whole town turned out and it was a great success. Throughout the years, the festival has grown to include a sled dog race, dog pull, and carnival. It's not only a lot of fun to participate in and watch the events, but it also signals the end of a long, hard winter.

These pictures are of the snow sculpture competition. It takes part under the C Street bridge, near Ship Creek. The kids really get a kick out of it. (OK, I do, too!)

If you are interested in learning more about Fur Rondy, check out their site. Here's the link. http://www.furrondy.net/