2013 MIDNIGHT SUN FESTIVAL KICKS OFF
The 2013 BP Midnight Sun Festival hits the streets Sunday, June 23rd, from noon to midnight in downtown Fairbanks. Kara Nash, Events & Marketing Director for the Downtown Association of Fairbanks, announces several firsts at this year’s festival, including a roller derby bout on the fifth floor of the DowntownTransportationCenter with the Fairbanks Rollergirls and a “Dunk the Police” fundraiser by the Fairbanks Police Department. The festival is a 32 year old tradition in downtown Fairbanks. “It’s important for our community to celebrate the return of the sun and summer,” Nash said. “Downtown is our city center so we invite... [Read more]
BP CELEBRATES SIX YEARS OF FESTIVALS
(L-R) John Ringstad, David van den Berg and Phil Cochrane pose for a photo on June 19, 2013. BP has been the title sponsor for the Midnight Sun Festival for the past six years. After more than thirty years, the Midnight Sun Festival has been a Fairbanks community tradition and one of the premier summer events in Interior Alaska. Hosting such an event takes time, patience and a whole lot of help. It’s an event that is made possible thanks to generous support from numerous sponsors. Chief among sponsors is BP Exploration Alaska, Inc. For the past six years, BP has been the title sponsor of the festival donating $12,000 annually and helping make... [Read more]
THANK YOU, SPONSORS!
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is an old phrase, but a good one. It’s also true, especially when it comes to planning and hosting Alaska’s biggest single day event. The BP Midnight Sun Festival is a titan of an event and would not be possible without the generous help of our numerous sponsors. This year, thirty sponsors helped put make the 2013 festival happen. We would like to thank each and every one of them for their generosity and dedication in ensuring the annual festival becomes bigger and better with each passing year. Thank you, sponsors! The Downtown Association of Fairbanks would like to thank the following... [Read more]
TALENT SPONSORS DONATE TALENT, TIME
Members of Dance Theatre Fairbanks perform during the 2011 BP Midnight Sun Festival. On June 23rd, the BP Midnight Sun Festival will host a multitude of singers and songwriters, bands and dance troupes. In all, 33 performers will play for twelve straight hours on three different stages during the 32nd annual festival in downtown Fairbanks. All festival performers will play or dance for forty-five minutes, offering festival-goers a variety of genres and styles from jazz to middle eastern dance. While most performers will receive payment from the Downtown Association of Fairbanks, eight of them will donate their talent and time free of charge. Ukulele... [Read more]
DON’T MISS THESE FIRST FRIDAY SHOWS IN JUNE
View First Friday in June in a larger map Soak in the sun and make the most of these long days at First Friday in June, where the sidewalks connect you with the best new art shows debuting in shops, galleries, and restaurants throughout downtown. This month, re-acquaint yourself with all the warm weather rewards of downtown including wine on the deck at Gambardella’s, live performances in Golden Heart Plaza, and a fresh look at Paint the Pipes on the flip side of winter. Take this itinerary (with map) or make it your own (view a full list of shows) for a sun-kissed night out on the town. JUNE FIRST FRIDAY 5:00PM : Alaska House Art Gallery hosts... [Read more]
LEARN TO GEOCACHE LIKE A PRO
Describing it as “a high tech game of hide and seek,” a dedicated group of geocachers have coalesced in Fairbanks with a mission to track down and stash the hardest caches in the Interior, and a notion to help others adopt their addiction at an upcoming geocaching edition of the Downtown Market. On Monday, June 17th from 4:00-8:00PM in Golden Heart Plaza, members of Those Who Cache in the Banks will teach patrons of the Downtown Market to cache for the very first time, or elevate their caching game. Club members will exhibit examples of caches ranging from large ammo boxes to the “nano” cache that is no bigger than your... [Read more]
SEE YOU AT THE MARKET
Introducing—the 2013 season of the Fairbanks Downtown Market! The season is all set to kick off on Monday, June 3rd from 4:00-8:00PM in Golden Heart Plaza, and will continue each week through September 16th. Patrons will find many returning vendors from last year, the popular weekly series of live music brought to you by Alaska Universal Productions, and cooking demonstrations led by local chefs and sponsored by Sam’s Club. A big thanks to season sponsors North Haven Communities, Doyon Limited, and Kinross Fort Knox Gold Mine. In addition, key sponsors have underwritten special events, theme days, and summer-long programs that will bring... [Read more]
RETAIL SPACE SEEKING ARTISTS
The suite in the Co-Op Plaza at 535 Second Avenue formerly known as Gallery 49 is available for lease to an artist or artists with a vision of how to use it well. In recent years, the Co-Op has been at the forefront of the art scene’s revival downtown. Neighboring tenants in the Co-Op ensure heavy tourist traffic and a steady flow of local patrons. Best of all, Two Street Gallery and the Arts Learning Center ensure busy First Fridays. Last year, the Co-Op Plaza was awarded the “Best Block” distinction at the Annual Member Meeting of the Downtown Association of Fairbanks, to recognize the resurgence of creative activity in this... [Read more]
PETER PAN TAKES FLIGHT
Two performances will close out another successful year of dance and arts education by a downtown nonprofit by tapping the creative spirit of up-and-coming performers and seasoned graduates as they present Peter Pan and Senior Gala for Theatre Week at Dance Theatre Fairbanks. Peter Pan The students at Dance Theatre Fairbanks have been working hard all year long, preparing for their annual spring showcase. Now, you have eight chances to see these students take flight (literally and figuratively) in Peter Pan. All students who take classes at the dance school are incorporated into the performance, from the pixies who are 3-4 years old to teenagers... [Read more]
MAKE YOUR MARK ON THE MIDNIGHT SUN
If you live or work in Fairbanks, you’ve no doubt witnessed first-hand the magnitude of the Midnight Sun Festival. It’s impossible to be in Fairbanks on solstice weekend without hearing about the largest single-day event in Alaska. And it’s even harder to show up to the festival without running into at least a few of your neighbors, friends, and associates—most of whom spend the majority of their day perusing vendor booths, sampling street food, and stage-hopping to witness 30+ live performances. Imagine the untapped potential of this annual celebration to share your business, message, or brand with festival-goers looking... [Read more]
PARKING AUTHORITY NO MORE
The Fairbanks Parking Authority has assumed a new outlook with a new name, Golden Heart Parking Services. While it will take some time to update printed materials and web pages to reflect the name change, GHPS have made immediate improvements to downtown parking services. The GHPS has: Made more lenient its policy on enforcing expired tags. Continued a parking promotion to make on-street parking available for convenient customer access. The first three hours of parking are free in the Downtown Transportation Center and the daily maximum is $4 from May 15 – September 15. Print a poster. Changed their uniforms as an emblem of their... [Read more]
LOCAL MARKETS TO DOUBLE FOOD STAMP DOLLARS
A grant from the Alaska Division of Agriculture, Alaska Division of Public Assistance, Alaska Division of Public Health, and UAF Cooperative Extension Service will enable the Downtown Market and school farm stands of Calypso Farm & Ecology Center to double the purchasing value of QUEST benefits, commonly known as food stamps, for customers this summer until funds are exhausted. “With over 2,500 Fairbanks area residents on food stamps, there is definitely a tangible need to be met,” said Kyla Byers, Farmers Market Quest Card Program Coordinator for the Division of Agriculture. In effect, a customer using a QUEST card through this program... [Read more]
ROAD CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK
If you’re yearning for another summer of massive road construction downtown, you won’t be disappointed. 2013 will be the second in a series of big road projects culminating in 2015, by which time many of downtown’s sidewalks, street surfaces and bridges will have been reconstructed or revitalized with millions of dollars of long-term improvements. This summer, the Wickersham Reconstruction Project takes top billing. It’s a fairly small project that will not cause downtown-wide traffic detours. But the project area, 2nd and 3rd avenues from Cowles to Barnette, will be dug deep to replace aging utility infrastructure and to bury utility... [Read more]
FIND YOUR WAY TO FIRST FRIDAY IN MAY
View First Friday in May in a larger map Consider us your personal planners for First Friday in May. The quality and quantity of downtown shows (a full list is here) can be intimidating, so we’re naming our top picks to help you make the most of your night out. Take us along on your smartphone, and use this itinerary (with map) to hit all the hotspots in this month’s rendition of First Friday in downtown Fairbanks. MAY FIRST FRIDAY 1:00PM : Kick off your First Friday with a kid-friendly day at downtown’s favorite used book store, supporting programs of the Literacy Council of Alaska. Forget-Me-Not Books (517 Gaffney Road) hosts... [Read more]
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