Trapper Creek Cabin Fever Reliever set for Saturday

TRAPPER CREEK — The folks up Trapper Creek are at it again. The 31st annual Trapper Creek Cabin Fever Reliever starts this Saturday at noon. Alaskans near and far are invited to come to the Trapper Creek Community Park for one of the community’s largest and longest fundraising events filled with free food and an assortment of activities, games and raffles.

“It’s a fun day at the park!” said event organizer, Debbie Filter.

There will be plenty to do, Filter said. Some of the highlights include the annual bake off and chili contest with prizes, the 5K ski race, a BB gun shooting range, Goofy Golf, a Sombrero hat toss, a ‘Tug of Peace’ instead of ‘Tug of War’ and the marvelously messy donut eating contest.

“And it’s powdered donuts so it makes a nice mess,” Filter laughed.

Attendees can also grab free hamburgers, hot dogs, soda, and water. There will be multiple raffles with over $4,200 worth of prizes which include scenic tours, gift cards, and many handmade craft items made by locals. There will also be a split the pot raffle and winner need to be present to win. To enter any of the contests, entries must be submitted between 9 and 10 because the judging begins at 10 and the opening ceremony will be at noon. A local singer will open the event with the Star Spangled Banner.

Filter said that typically, over 300 people come through the Cabin Fever Reliever. A bulk of the crowd is of course, Trapper Creek residents but people from nearby communities like Talkeetna and Willow stop in as well. She said that people even come up from Anchorage, so apparently a lot of people near and far find the trip worth their while. She said a lot of people come up to ski on their wide, groomed trails which are ideal for both classic and skate skiing.

This event is completely free to attend but this is a continued effort to raise funds to maintain the community owned recreation area and cemetery. Proceeds made from the event will fund the park operations. According to Filter, the area is not owned by the state but rather by the volunteers at Trapper Creek Community Services.

Each year has a theme and a local artist creates the design for the event, so T-Shirts and buttons featuring their work will be available for purchase. You can waltz in without a shirt or button but Filter said that you’ll get thrown in jail and some will have to post your bail for a dollar. This year’s theme is ‘Castle and Dragons’ so the jailhouse will be look more like a dungeon in a castle. Trapper Creek resident, Elaine Yelverton is this year’s featured artist.

“She’s a wonderful pastel artist,” Filter said.

The park has a building that serves as the town’s community center. It’s filled with historic Iditarod memorabilia. There is also a ‘Free Box’ building which serves as a community donation center. Filter manages the Free Box and said that there are always a lot of clothes and other goods people can pick up there. She said that there’s been several free boxes around Trapper Creek that failed because it takes a lot maintain them.

“It’s a wonderful resource,” Filter said.

She said that over the years she’s obtained a few grants to keep the Trapper Creek Community park self-sustaining. There are about 10 active volunteers that keep up the trails and other maintenance throughout the year. She said she would love to see more volunteers. To her, Trapper Creek seemed like a friendlier place to be and that’s one of the temptations that drew her from Anchorage. She enjoys the simplicity of the small town life and be “being our own boss.”

“There’s just a lot of crafty people up here,” Filter said.

Another major component of the Cabin Fever Reliever is to crown a local woman as Ms. Cabin Fever. After the opening ceremony, Paula Glenka will have a fur crown- made by Filter- placed on her head she will be garbed with the purple, ceremonial robe. The title of Ms. Cabin Fever is a recognition for all the work the winner does in the community. Filter said that Glenka has lived in Trapper Creek for 10 years and hit the ground running when she arrived.

“Ever since she got here, she dove into as many volunteer projects as she could- super, super willing to do just about anything. She is totally deserves it,” Filter said.

Trapper Creek Community Park is located at Milepost 115.2 George Parks Highway. Instructions: turn left on E. TC Park Circle. For more information, call 907-733-7370.