Mangled marquee

WASILLA — Along with the wildfires, power outages and downed trees that plagued the area during the Valley’s weekend windstorm, one of the more iconic casualties came at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race headquarters and museum off Knik-Goose Bay Road, where the race’s longtime sign came crashing down Sunday.

Probably the second-most recognized race sign behind the famed burled arch in Nome, the structure toppled after one of the nearly two-foot diameter posts holding the span broke off at the base, sending the lettering and Iditarod shield into the headquarters’ driveway, Iditarod Trail Committee CEO Stan Hooley said Tuesday.

Much of the splintered debris had been cleaned up by Tuesday morning, with only the downed post, the still-standing right-side post and the small burls that sat adjacent to the arch remaining near the entrance.

Hooley said while the headquarters was built in the late 1980s, the sign went up in 1992. He became the trail committee CEO a year later. The posts originally were not sealed at the base, Hooley said, which may have accelerated the weakening of the wood.

The sign itself was the work of longtime Wasilla craftsman Bob Mills, who has owned B Original Signs since 1980. Mills said Tuesday he designed the sign with Iditarod co-founder Joe Redington Sr., who died of cancer in 1999. Mills said the signposts came from trees logged out of the Hope area in a project spearheaded by Iditarod musher Jim Strong.

“That sign has held up beautifully,” Mills said. “It was kind of sad to see it go. I always like driving by there and seeing people taking pictures in front of it.”

Mills said the 24-foot sign — a dimensional lettering creation — came from a different era.

“That was all done by hand with no computers,” Mills said. “It had several coats of industrial primer and industrial finish coat — paints they don’t even make any more.”

Mills added that Redington wanted something that would last.

“Joe had me sign a 10-year guarantee on that sign,” Mills said. “That was Joe.”

Hooley said he figures the sign came down sometime during the day Sunday.

“It’s a big sign — I can only imagine the force of the wind,” Hooley said. “We knew we were going to need to replace it at some point, but hoped it wouldn’t be this soon. We’ve had to replace the burled arch as well because the weather took its toll on that. Wood doesn’t last forever.”

Hooley said while the trail committee was trying to get a feel for cost estimates to replace the sign, he did plan to suggest that any new marquee be erected closer to the headquarters building. The traffic volume on Knik-Goose Bay has increased significantly in 24 years, he said, as has the visitor traffic seeking a photo.

“Honestly, I thought it was becoming a bit of a traffic hazard,” Hooley said. “It is great to see people taking pictures in front of it, but I have seen people with their heels on KGB trying to get a photo with 10 people in it. I am going to recommend we move it farther off the highway.”

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com