Talkeetna Winterfest

Ask any longtime resident, and they'll be quick to tell you that winters in Alaska can get long, monotonous and cold. That's why Talkeetna Winterfest is a the perfect cure.

Every December, the village of Talkeetna comes to life, dusting off the winter blues and throwing a real party that attracts everyone from around the state. Where else can you find men waiting for the train to arrive, asking random women if they are in the market for a bachelor for the evening? Only in Talkeetna, and only in December.

The highlight of the festival is the bachelor auction, in which men are auctioned off to adoring women who pay top dollar -- sometimes upward of $500 -- for a drink, or more if it goes from there. All the money raised goes to charity.

Women get their chance to be stars during Winterfest as well. The Wilderness Woman contest pits women against each other, vying for the title as the best winter woman in Alaska.

Last winter, Laura Klein of Wasilla -- a teacher at Colony Middle School -- won the Wilderness Woman contest by being able to carry water, snowshoe, fish, prepare sandwiches and beer and snowmachine better than the rest of the 22-woman field.

Held outside the Fairview Inn in the Village Park, the competition showcases what it takes to be a true Alaskan woman.

All of the competitions are done while the bachelors watch a make-believe television in the Village Park. The contestants must also give the sandwiches and beer to the men during the competition. Twenty-two women participated last year, as the title is highly coveted and comes with the respect of men everywhere.

"I think I'm going to propose to one of these ladies," said Harry Utnery at last year's competition. "I could fall in love with a woman like that," he added as one of the women hauled wood around the park on the back of a snowmachine.

Last year the event lived up to its title, as the winter was definitely apparent during Winterfest. Temperatures dipped to 20-below zero, but it couldn't cool the excitement.

"I came up here for the Talkeetna Moose Dropping Festival [a summer festival], and it was a blast," said Mary Gering of Anchorage. "But this is just crazy. I didn't know what to expect."

There is also a parade of lights in the evening, as fire trucks make their way down Main Street. A large community bonfire burns outside the Fairview Inn all day, and visitors and residents alike gather around for warmth.

The event is truly a way to celebrate everything winter in Alaska.

"It breaks up the winter. A group of us comes up and stays the weekend every winter," Tom Channing said at last year's event. "It's a wild time."