Steese Review

Tuesday, August 05, 2014

2014 LiBerry Music Festival & Berry Pie Throwdown

2014 LiBerry Music Festival & Berry Pie Throwdown
Saturday, August 30th at 1:00pm
Fundraiser hosted by John Trigg Ester Library and Growing Ester's Biodiversity

Where: The Golden Eagle Saloon

               3630 Main St, Ester, Alaska 99725
               (907) 479-0809

When:     12:30pm to midnight
How much: $15 donation requested at the door

Pie Throwdown schedule
              12:30 - 2: Pie Entry

          2:00 - Pie Judgeship Auction
                    3:30 - Pie Throwdown Awards (rules here)



Other:   Memberships and Throwdown Cookbooks available

Bands at the 2014 festival
1:00: - Pioneer Park Pickers – the Back Porch Edition (blues, country, folk, jazz, swing)
2:15 – Kentucky Tundra (bluegrass, old time)
3:00 – Jesse Bartlett
4:00 – Mike Stackhouse (blues, country, folk, jazz)
5:00 - Almost A Minyan (klezmer)
6:00 – Leighton Nunez (Americana, roots, swampgrass)
7:00 – UnSupervised (folk/punk rock)
8:00 – St. Animal

9:00 – SoloAlarma (blues, rock)

10:00 – The Spank Williams Band (Alaska honky tonk)

11:00 – Hobo Knife (rock)

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Next year's Steese Summer Solstice Bicycle Gran Fondo

We've been in Fairbanks from June 11th until today, June 26th, keeping an eye on the Steese Summer Solstice Bicycle Gran Fondo. We will run the event next year and add two more, a longer one around the Alaska Range Loop from Ester to Cantwell to Paxson to Delta to Fairbanks to Ester. More to come.

In the meantime, if you want to be on our mailing list or be part of our developing virtual community participating in adventure tourism in the Yukon Wilderness River Arc in Interior Alaska with the Steese Highway being one of a few good access roads connecting to excellent trail systems and campgrounds, email us through our "Contact Us" link on the right.

The mission of the Steese Review is to acquaint the world with the incredible and underutilized area of Interior Alaska that we define as the Yukon River Wilderness Arc that includes the White Mountains, for example. Quoting the BLM website (referenced below):

"Some say 'real Alaska' only begins when you leave the road system behind. Whatever the season, the White Mountains National Recreation Area has trails to lead you there, whether you're a weekend berrypicker or an intrepid backcountry adventurer."

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aktrails/ats/int/whtmtnn.htm

Click on above map to access detail at the State of Alaska Trails Program, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation.

Here are the specific access points along the Steese Highway:

White Mountains National Recreation Area Campgrounds

Mt. Prindle Campground

Fishing at Cripple Creek

Ophir Creek Campground

Map and photos courtesy of the

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

ALASKA

Quote of the month ...

"“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ― Apple Inc."
This week's quote comes from goodreads.com

Tips for cheechakos and tourists ...

So you want to meet authentic Alaskans? ... other than Native Alaskans. Don't get us wrong, we are simply not familiar enough with the indigenous cultures to be much help. Also, remember schedules can change suddenly, so always call ahead if an unannounced change would be an inconvenience.

Like music? Every Sunday evening there is a Blue Grass Country/Folk Jam Session at the Golden Eagle Saloon in Ester, just south of Fairbanks on the Parks Highway.

And of course, there is the Blue Loon for big name entertainment that attracts the dynamic demographic. It's across the Parks Highway from Gold Hill Alaska known for as the purveyor of imported beer & fine wines. Both establishments are well known in Interior Alaska for the quality of their products and service, and—being on the Parks Highway—are also well known to cheechakos and tourists, so need little mentioning here ... but we are huge fans of both ... and they rest on the baseline of the Yukon River Wilderness Arc as a straight line continuation of the Steese to Nenana where you will find the RoughWoods Inn & Cafe, another "unique'ly Alaskan" business offering food and lodging on the edge of one of the truly world class wilderness regions.

Recommended reading: Building in the Wild of Alaska (Kindle Editon)By Mark De Loach

Whether you want to live in the wilderness of Alaska or just want to know what it is like to get there, this book's series is both a guide and an adventure to the reader. It has photos, advice, videos and stories of what to do and not to do!

Mark Grew up in Alaska and has a wealth of experience of traveling and living all over the State encountering all sorts of animals from Wolves, Moose, Caribou and Bears that were Black, Grizzly, Brown and Polar. He has built his own wilderness cabin, helped others and has a multitude of friends that live still live that lifestyle and will share their story's with you.

Through the series, you will be able to find the agencies that sell the remote wilderness land and what to expect when you get there. How to travel rivers, coastal waters, and winter travel and how to protect yourself from the elements in doing so safely. While encountering wild life, the quiet, the Aurora and the beauty of the wilderness, it will lift your soul. -Amazon

(Note: Mark De Loach lives in Nenana.)

Like a dinner party that attracts the locals? Every Monday evening there is a prime rib hamburger special at the Turtle Club in Fox. Just get there early before they run out. And it close to the Fox General Store, our featured local business for the month of July.

Got the middle of the week blues on a Wednesday evening and want someone to talk with who is more than an airhead? Wander over to Club Soda on Van Horn in Fairbanks and see if Mana Rae is tending bar. Tell her Gus sent you. That won't help you, but it will help me. And they have free wifi for catching up on the notes of the day for the intrepid traveler.

Like to get up early on a weekday and want to mingle at the local coffee shop as the workers and small business owners get started on their day? Drop into Deb's Cafe on the corner of Van Horn Road and Industrial Avenue, not far from Club Soda, by the way.

And the crème de la crème, it's the Chatanika Lodge where Ron and Shirley Franklin, owners, have held it together—to say the least—since 1974. Just don't go on Tuesday. They are closed.

If you are looking for a place to create and send or receive communications, including hard copy, then we recommend Date-Line Digital Printing. We use them exclusively, again because of quality of product and service. We don't think they are the only ones good at it, but we have no reason to look elsewhere. And they have free wifi.

Now, if you want a relaxed atmosphere to surf the net where the free wifi connection is reasonably fast, try the MacDonald's at 449 Harold Bentley Ave, just off the Johansen Expressway in Fairbanks, AK 99701. It's across the Expressway from Walmart.

A By the way, if you don't know what "cheechako" means, click here.

Email:

Hilding "Gus" Lindquist: hilding.lindquist@gmail.com
or steesereview@gmail.com

Please send us anything you think would be of interest to anyone wanting to know more about the people and activities in Interior Alaska, the Yukon River Wilderness Arc, and—of course—along the Steese Highway. This includes announcements, comments, human interest stories, how-to articles ...

We of course reserve the editorial right to accept or reject anything submitted (comments are moderated, primarily for inappropriate adult material)... but we are striving to be inclusive ... and we will review what you send and respond in a timely manner.

Hilding "Gus" Lindquist
Editor & Publisher
Steese Review