Dropping moose in Talkeetna

Whether you're looking for the newest offerings from Valley artists or have a penchant for games of chance that involve ungulate feces, the Moose Dropping Festival has it covered.

An annual event in Talkeetna for the past 28 years, the festival is a family-oriented street fair that attracts between 3,000 and 5,000 visitors annually, depending on the weather.

According to local historians, the festival was started in 1972 by Talkeetna's Homemakers Club. The women in the club found they were able to make money selling jewelry made from moose droppings. After several years, someone suggested a game using the excrement. From this idea came the moose dropping drop, and, eventually, the Moose Dropping Festival.

Over the years Alaskans have come up with a number of uses for moose droppings, ranging from juvenile to creative to scientific. Every kid knows a moose nugget wrapped in a used chewing gum foil looks like candy, and Alaska gift shops carry swizzle sticks, jewelry, and even Christmas tree ornaments made from ungulate leavings.

Trackers can tell you how long a pile of moose droppings has been on the trail and biologists have been using the little nuggets for years to study the moose's diet and health.

"By the time it comes out of the back end there's a lot of history of the animal in there," explained Bruce Dale of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Dale said biologists are still thinking up new ways to look at moose scat, but it took the people of Talkeetna to realize that the lozenge-shaped pellets could be used for game pieces. The key to moose dropping events is the fact that the little leavings roll around in a random fashion when dropped on a flat surface.

At the festival you'll find two games that use moose pellet pieces. One is a game of skill in which droppings are tossed carnival game-style at a target. Adults and kids alike are invited to compete for prizes, and the droppings are varnished to protect the squeamish. That game runs throughout the festival.

The other moose-dropping game has been around since 1972, and is the festival's marquee event. It's a game of chance sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Mount McKinley Post 3836.

On the Saturday evening of the event, which generally takes place over the second weekend in July, numbered moose droppings are released from a balloon tethered about 50 feet in the air. The droppings fall toward a target in the VFW parking lot. Previous to the drop, contestants wager five bucks for numbers that correspond with the droppings. The ticket-holder whose nugget landed closest to the bull's-eye last year won $1,000, second closest $500, third through eighth got $100, and the one whose nugget landed farthest away garnered $250. Occasionally, bad weather has grounded the balloon, but the VFW members have a backup -- in the form of a 60-foot boom truck.

But the festival has grown to include much more than moose dropping. The fun begins Saturday morning with the 5K Moose Dropping Family Fun Run/Walk.

After the race the Denali Arts Council often hosts a steady stream of performers. The lineup for previous years has included the Anchorage Scottish Pipe Band and a range of other local and flown-in talent.

The Mountain Mother Contest is generally held Sunday. Contestants eager to show off their Alaskan fortitude and ability to provide for their families compete in hip boots with baby dolls strapped to their backs. They cross stepping stones and a slippery log while carrying shopping bags filled with rocks, then split wood and load it into a wheelbarrow, pop a balloon with a bow and arrow, snag a foam fish, hammer a nail, wash a diaper, decorate a pie, and ring a dinner bell.

Although these may be the main attractions of the event, it's the booths that seem to be garnering more attention as of late. From quirky fleece creations at Bezerkley Wear to moose potpourri and recycled Alaska license plates at Brazeau Bonzai Enterprise, festivals in the past have offered a little something for everyone. And what would a street fair be without fabulous food? From Friar Tuck's tasty roasted corn on a stick to Kahiltna Birchworks' delicious strawberry-banana shortcakes, grazing opportunities abound at the festival.

The festival offers something for everyone, and is a great way to experience the richness of Talkeetna and sample the work of local artists, musicians and chefs. What a wonderful way to spend a weekend in the Valley!