Alaska Media Center Travel News Bulletin Archive
Anchorage Fur Rendezvous celebrates 75 years and more
11/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
November 1, 2009
Welcome to the Alaska Travel Industry Association (AlaskaTIA) Travel News
Bulletin. AlaskaTIA sends this out periodically to keep media up-to-date on
Alaska tourism and travel news. Media are invited to call (800) 327-9372 or
visit www.TravelAlaska.com/media for more information.
In this November Travel News Bulletin you will find:
1. Anchorage Fur Rendezvous celebrates 75 years
2. Sitka National Historical Park breaks the century mark
3. Heliski for less with new Alaska Powder Descents packages
4. New trail adds to winter recreation in the Mat-Su Valley
5. Spotlight on the 50th – Talkeetna Air Taxi offers winter savings
1. Anchorage Fur Rendezvous celebrates 75 years
Anchorage is gearing up for the 75th anniversary of its largest festival,
the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous, or Rondy as the locals affectionately call it.
The winter celebration began in the early 1930s when the city of Anchorage
— now a busy midsize city of over 280,000 people — was just a small town of
about 3,000 residents. To help celebrate winter, a group of locals created a
three-day festival to coincide with the time that the miners and trappers
came to town to sell their furs. Since then, the event has grown into a
10-day soirée earning international attention and welcoming visitors from
around the world. The extremely unique and very wide-ranging festivities
include a fur auction, blanket toss, snowshoe-softball tournament, outhouse
races, ice bowling, the Miners and Trappers Ball and one of the most
competitive sprint-distance dog sled races in the world, the Rondy World
Championship Sled Dog Race. This year, four-time Iditarod winner Jeff King,
who normally sticks to long-distance races, will be competing in the Rondy
race on Feb. 26 in downtown Anchorage. Travelers who want to experience
Rondy firsthand can enter to win a trip for two to the 75th Rondy festival
now through Nov. 30 at www.akrondy75.com. For more information on the
Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Festival visit www.furrondy.net.
_Media information_
Contact: Jenny Evans, Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Festival
Phone: (907) 274-1182
E-mail: jenny@furrondy.net
URL: www.furrondy.net
2. Sitka National Historical Park breaks the century mark
Alaska’s oldest federally designated park will turn 100 in March 2010. The
113-acre park was established in 1910 to commemorate the 1804 Battle of
Sitka, the last major conflict between Russia and the Alaska Natives. Once
the capital of Russian-owned Alaska, Sitka is located a short flight from
Seattle and is a regular stop for the state ferry and cruise vessels. The
park is home to an impressive collection of Haida and Tlingit totem poles
and a museum containing an exhibit of Tlingit and Russian artifacts. The
Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center contains an active Tlingit arts
studio where the public can watch and talk to local Alaska Native artists
and the park’s Russian Bishop’s House is one of the last remaining buildings
from the Russian colonial period in North America. Travelers can join the
celebration in Sitka on March 21 for the dedication of the Raven’s Tail robe
— an ancient form of textile weaving used in traditional regalia — by
prominent weaver Teri Rofkar. The park will host the opening of an
historical photograph exhibit on the park’s official birthday, March 23, and
will continue the celebration in July with the raising of the 100th
anniversary totem pole in the park. While exploring town, locals recommend
checking out the eagles, owls and other birds of prey at the Alaska Raptor
Center, visiting the bear sanctuary, Fortress of the Bear or seeing a folk
dance performance by the Russian New Archangel Dancers and Shee'tka Kwaan
Naa Kahidi Dancers (summer only). For more information on the National
Park's 100th anniversary celebration, visit http://www.nps.gov/sitk/100-year-anniversary.htm. For more information
on traveling to Sitka, visit www.sitka.org.
_Media information_
Contact: John Quinley, National Park Service Alaska Region
Phone: (907) 644-3512
E-mail: john_quinley@nps.gov
URL: www.nps.gov/akso
Contact: Sandy Lorrigan, Sitka Convention & Visitors Bureau
Phone: (907) 747-5940
E-mail: director@sitka.org
URL: www.sitka.org
3. Heliski for less with new Alaska Powder Descents packages
Now in its second year of operation, Alaska Powder Descents has introduced
weekend and weeklong packages at the Aldersheim Wilderness Lodge near
Juneau. The lodge accommodates 16 guests in log cabins or luxury suites and
offers easy access to the Chilkat Range and coastal mountains for supreme
heliskiing and snowboarding. The weeklong lodge package includes an
all-inclusive seven-night stay at the Aldersheim Wilderness Lodge, three
full days of heliskiing or boarding, two days of lift access at Juneau’s
Eaglecrest Ski Area, use of powder skis, gear-certified guides and pilots
and more. Weekend packages are also available. The lodge is located just 30
minutes from Juneau by road and open year round. After a day of skiing and
snowboarding, guests can return to a bonfire or hot tub and enjoy cocktails
and gourmet Alaska cuisine. The new packages are available in March and
April. For more information, visit www.alaskapowder.com.
_Media information_
Contact: Sean Janes, Alaska Powder Descents
Phone: (907) 364-2333
E-mail: info@alaskapowder.com
URL: www.alaskapowder.com
4. New trail adds to winter recreation in the Mat-Su Valley
Snowmobilers in Mat-Su Valley have a new trail to explore as soon as the
snow hits the ground this fall. The Valley Winter Trail opened in March
2009, allowing snowmobilers to ride 125 miles of groomed trails from Big
Lake to Denali National Park and Preserve. This trail system — also known as
the Susitna Corridor Trail Project — is signed, groomed and mapped to show
riders the way to gas stations, restaurants, lodging and connector trails.
With moderate temperatures, tons of powder, cozy lodges and challenging
mountain riding, the Mat-Su Valley is a popular destination for exploring
Alaska’s backcountry by snowmobile. Travelers who need to learn the ropes
should opt for a guided tour with Alaska Backcountry Adventures in
Palmer. If you prefer watching the pros to actual riding, the Mat-Su Valley
is also host to the longest, toughest snowmobile race in the world, the Iron
Dog. The 2010 Iron Dog starts on Feb. 21, 2010. For more information on
visiting the Mat-Su Valley this winter, visit www.alaskavisit.com.
_Media information_
Contact: Bonnie Quill, Mat-Su Convention & Visitors Bureau
Phone: (907) 746-5000
E-mail: bonnie@alaskavisit.com
URL: www.alaskavisit.com
__________________________________________
5. Spotlight on 50th: Talkeetna Air Taxi offers winter savings
Travelers can celebrate Alaska's 50th anniversary by exploring it from an
aerial perspective. Talkeetna Air Taxi is now offering 20 percent off
regular flightseeing tour rates and is open seven days a week all winter.
Guests can circle Mount McKinley, traverse the Alaska Range, and even
experience a glacier landing. For more information or a live view of Mount
McKinley via web cam, visit www.talkeetnaair.com .
_Media information_
Contact: Sandra White, Takeetna Air Taxi
Phone: (907) 733-2218
E-mail: info@talkeetnaair.com
URL: www.talkeetnaair.com
Alaska Travel Industry Association
2600 Cordova Street, Suite 201
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
(800) 327-9372- Voice
(907) 563-3223 - Fax
ATIAmedia@gci.net
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