Monday, Feb 25, 2008
Hundreds of local residents and visitors from Alaska and as far away as the East Coast enjoyed a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities during the annual Winterfest Celebration that took place February 22-25 in Denali National Park and Preserve and the neighboring communities. The mild temperatures (hovering around freezing) and mostly sunny skies encouraged a high degree of participation in outside activities, which included guided snowshoe walks, dog sled rides, a snow sculpting contest, ice carving demonstrations, and a hockey exhibition. New activities offered this year included a mid-day crafts bazaar, showings of the film “Into the Wild” (which was filmed in the area in 2006), tours of the Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy, and a corn hole competition. (Corn hole is a horseshoes-like game played with rice-filled bags.)
There were many young attendees, and the children’s activity table was packed for much of the day as youngsters came in to dry off from playing or sculpting in the snow. In spite of the balmy weather which generally encouraged participants to remain outdoors, indoor presentations on topics ranging from winter adaptations of wildlife to the 1925 Serum Run were also well attended.
Winterfest is a community-wide event made possible by the assistance and contributions of Alaska Geographic (formerly the Alaska Natural History Association), Denali Borough, Denali Borough School District, Denali Education Center, Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, and the National Park Service. Many thanks to all who organized, set up, made presentations, and led activities for this year’s celebration.
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