Chatanika Days

Chatanika Days

Spring is coming. Days are getting longer. Now it doesn’t get dark till almost 9 pm and starts getting light shortly after 7 am. Right now it is about 3 degrees here on the river 2 pm, and is predicted to be in the 20s next week.

Last week, Saturday, went to Chatanika Days in Chatanika, AK. This is a community about 25 to 30 miles from Fairbanks on the Steese Highway. This event has been going on for 30 years and it was the 6^th annual last event to be held.

The events they had there were the outhouse races, see pictures and video, snow machine tug of war, human bowling ball contest (see videos and pictures), log cutting, pool competition, this is the one participated in.

I wont discuss the out house race because you can see the videos here. They have shortened the race from what it originally started at to about a ¼ of a mile. The original race was several miles long.

The snow machine tug off war is exactly that, two snow machines going in opposite directions with a rope connecting them, see who can out pull the other.

I got videos of the human bowling ball competition. It was interesting to see the different forms of sliding someone down the alley. When I talked to the competitors, it was the one in the sled they said was the competitor, but I believe they both were a team. The reason they believed only the human ball was in the competition is because they were the only ones required to sign a waiver.

I got involved with the pool competition. About 20 of us and it was double elimination. It started at 4 in the afternoon. I got eliminated at about 1130 and I believe the person who won it was the only sober one left. Even the score keeper was a little tipsy. When I left he was arguing with some spectator on how to keep score.

I claimed 4^th place, who is to argue with me over this. I don’t think they remember. As I walked to my room, I saw one of the guys I played pool with on the dance floor in another competition. It had something to do with women’s stockings and a potato. I didn’t ask.

They had other stuff on the dance floor too. I remember seeing them doing hula hoop competition. The women’s stocking and potato really got my attention.

It continued the next day too, but we had breakfast and were home by noon. They also have dogs that rome the restaurant. None of them look like they are starving,

DLST

Sunday morning set the tone for the week. We went on day light savings time (DLST). Yippee!! This is the stupidest thing ever seen in the land of the midnight sun. What am I saving, nothing. Even without DLST we can still golf here 24 hours a day in June and July.

So what did it do here? It stays lighter the same amount but now it doesn’t get dark till after 8 pm. And it doesn’t get light till after 8 am. So all those people getting up in the light to go to work now get up in the dark and go to bed when it is still light. All DLST does it throw turmoil into everyday lives here.

So why do we do it. Appears our government, state, wants to keep us in sync with the rest of the lower 48, w/e of Arizona and Hawaii who have enough sense to say that it is a stupid idea. . However the Navajo Nation in Northeast Arizona does observe DLST. Now that ought to stir the pot in Arizona.

DLST was started in WW1 to save on energy. Then it was stopped in 1920 but reintroduced during WW 11. It was stopped again but made into law in 1966. Who was in control of congress then, hmm, democrats. Going on DLST here does not meet the original intent of the law. We are not saving energy, it is going to be light 24 hrs a day anyway, so where are the savings

There is a bill in the state government to do away with DLST in Alaska. This was in the Daily News Miner (DNM) last week. Those of you who view the Arctic Cam need to ensure you read the internet version of the DNM. You can get some good insights into Alaskan attitudes by reading selected articles. It takes awhile but after a few you can determine which articles are going to have choice comments by the viewers.

For example this article had some excellent comments. The article went on to say a survey of 364 residents found that 264 favored doing away with DLST while 68 were opposed to it and 12 didn’t care. Now the article also went on to say those in the southeast of Alaska favored keeping it. I wonder where those 68 came from.

Some comments were:

1. Oh Boy! Another ambitious piece of legislation…………

2 . Just end it already. …

3. The only reason DST is used is for the government trying to tell us that they are in charge…..

4. PLEASE – Make it go away

5. Stop the madness!

There was one comment in favor which argued that we need it so we can do business with the east coast and not be 5 hours removed. Well that is that person’s opinion. Hey they can always get up earlier.

Time Zones

Alaska used to have four time zones: Pacific, Yukon, Alaska, and Bering. As of October 30, 1983, this was changed to the two existing time zones, Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian.

Tomorrow is Chatanika Days. Time for the outhouse races. I will talk about that with pictures next week. My wife and I had to reserve rooms there almost a full year ago.