Community Cool: What to Expect at 5th Annual Talkeetna Ice Festival

The Denali Arts Council will be hosting the fifth annual Talkeetna Ice Festival over the following week. What started as a way for the people of Talkeetna to get outside and reconnect during winter, the festival has now grown to include different businesses and non-profits to bring in participants from across the state to enjoy a series of performances, uniquely-Alaskan outdoor activities and friendly competitions. It’s a reason to get outside and enjoy all that “The Gateway to Denali” has to offer.

“We’re sleepy, we’re quiet in the winter time,” Denali Arts Council Executive Director Michelle Crow said. “It’s something to look forward to every winter when things are pretty quiet, still dark and really, really cold.”

The festival kicks off with an ice carving competition at noon on Saturday January 31st. Crow said she is the most excited about the ice carving and the pieces that competitors create. It is a low-key, friendly event and the sculptures will be on display in the park until the artwork melts in the spring.

“The park in the winter time is not really utilized at all,” Crow said. “I love that we have taken it over in the winter time and created this space that people get to enjoy throughout the winter.”

The competition will be followed by a kick-off party with soups, hot chocolate, fires and music in the park. The day caps off with the winter formal Snow Ball dance at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar. There will be a costume contest, hot cocoa bar and live music.

Talkeetna Jeopardy, hosted by the Talkeetna Historical Society, takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday February 5th.

The Talkeetna Art Walk starts at 3 p.m. on Friday February 6th. A performance by the Fire Spinners begins at 6 p.m. outside of the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar. A Candlelit Concert by the award-winning Django Duet, Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis and jazz guitarist Jimmy Grant, will start at 7:30 p.m. Last year’s performance was standing room only, and Crow expects a similar crowd this year.

The main day of the festival starts at noon on Saturday February 7th. Ice Carving Competition voting, carving demonstrations and kids’ games will be happening all day in the Village Park. Kick Sled Races will occur from noon- 1 p.m. on Main Street, followed by the Nordic Ski Shuffle, the Kids’ Cardboard Chariot Challenge and a Dog Keg Pull.

The Dog Keg Pull is arguably the most popular event, according to Crow. Dogs of all sizes dress up in costume and pull kegs (or beer cans for the smaller dogs) down Main Street.

“It's really a fun, hilarious time,” Crow said.

The Sheldon Community Arts Hangar will be open to allow attendees a chance to warm up out of the cold and will host a Chili Cook-Off with bowls of chili for sale. Organized by local Talkeetna business High Expedition, the chili competition already boasts 20 entries this year.

A free screening of the Northern Aspects Film Festival starts at 7 p.m. and highlights some of the best independent ski and ride films in Alaska. Some of the film makers will be in attendance for a ‘Q and A’ after the screening.

The festival concludes on Sunday February 8th with an Ice Carving Workshop from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. The 7.5 mile Frozen Basil Poker Ski, hosted by the Denali Nordic Society, will take place in the afternoon and has grown in popularity to include over 100 participants. Circus Sunday will be hosted at the Hangar during the afternoon.

The festival continues to grow every year with the amount of activities offered and the amount of participants from around the state. The festival helps to boost the local economy by bringing in visitors during the off-season for many downtown businesses.