Willow Winter Carnival continues more than 50 years of tradition

WILLOW — The annual Willow State Winter Carnival is in full swing. This community driven event is rooted in Alaskan tradition and some of the highlights of this event include the homesteader games, the outhouse race and sled dog races for all ages.

“It’s something as a community that we look forward to every year,” 2019 Willow King Jason Crockett said.

This is event is hosted by the Willow Area Community Organization and also takes place at its headquarters and the town’s hub, the Willow Library and Community Center, utilizing natural features like the frozen lake nearby. According to the WACO website, this event is more than 50 years old. The tradition of having a Willow King and Queen nominated each year is about as old as the carnival itself.

Crockett and his wife Sharlene Stephens are the 2019 Willow King and Queen. He said that the age limit for Willow royalty was lowered this year and he thinks he and his wife are one of the youngest couples to be nominated. Royalty are typically chosen based on their community service merits.

“We do a lot of donating,” Crockett said.

Crockett and Stephens own Willow Rose Thrift Store and Willow Creek Construction. He said that he does all his work in Willow because the population may not be huge but there’s always plenty do since he knows just about everybody.

He said that he gives away coats to kids during the winter and lends a hand to anyone who needs help through a hardship. He said that he gave people essential items pro-bono during the Sockeye Fire of 2015.

“They keep our businesses afloat so we try and take care of them best we can,” Crockett said.

Crockett used to compete in the events like the homesteader games and outhouse race. He said that he won the Best Men’s Homesteader award several years in a row.

“I used to be a competitor for years. I’ve got a lot of trophies so I’m done competing. Now I want to officiate and let other people get in there and do it,” Crockett said.

Crockett said that one of his favorite things about the race is seeing all the different outhouses people put together.

“You give them a list of specs. They do the best that they can. Some folks are building them for speed, some folks are building them for something cool to look at,” Crockett said.

Crockett said that he liked the very idea of racing outhouses annually because it symbolizes that small town, rural-Alaskan lifestyle that prompted him to move to Willow in the first place.

“A lot of people still use outhouses in Willow,” Crockett said with a laugh.

There were four entries this year. Crockett said that he’s seen 10 to 12 entries in years past. The object of the outhouse race is for each team to pull their custom built outhouse with a designated team member inside. They all dash across the snow to a toilet paper zone where the person inside jumps out to run TP back and forth then gets back inside. After the team member gets back inside the outhouse, the others haul them to the finish line. The first one to cross the line wins.

As the racers were gearing up for the showdown, Willow firefighter Garret Davidson showed off his team’s outhouse with a special built in feature: flashing red and blue lights and an authentic siren much like the ones heard during an emergency. The siren whooped loudly as the lights flickered, startling some people and prompting other to cheer.

“That’s my alarm clock,” Davidson said with a laugh.

Crockett chuckled and thanked Davidson for his noise contribution. He said that Davidson and his wife were the runner-ups for Willow royalty this year and he’s been good friends with them for a long time in this tight knit community.

“Our kids all go to school together, have been since preschool,” Crockett said. “Very, very tight knight. I love Willow.”

Crockett said that he moved to Willow because he’s an outdoorsman and he’s always enjoyed the “slightly rural lifestyle.”

“I like living somewhere where I know my neighbors,” Crockett said.

Crockett said that strategy is also important during an outhouse sprint. He said it’s common to see a little bumping like a NASCAR race. Racers also need to plan how they are going to open their outhouse door, jump out to grab the toilet paper rolls and get back in without falling down.

“You either want to be slow and methodical or just hit it like a bowl in a China closet,” Crockett said with a laugh.

Stephens’ team won the outhouse race. She fist bumped a pedestrian after their victory.

“I only run that fast once a year,” Stephens said.

When the race was over, Jeanette DiPiero ambled out of the Tundra Pirates outhouse. She said that she wished there were windows so she could see what was going on and the crowd bellowed with laughter.

“I couldn’t see anything. I thought we were tipping over at one point,” DiPiero said.

Wearing a big, black pirate hat, DiPiero said this is not only her first time outhouse racing but her first time at the carnival. She said that she’s lived in Alaska her entire life and she moved to Willow about five years ago. She currently runs the kitchen at the Pioneer Lodge just up the road. She also owns and operates a food truck shaped like a pirate ship named Tundra Pirates, hence the nautical inspiration for the outhouse.

“I wanted to be involved with the community. I picked the most fun thing,” DiPiero said. “We’re definitely gonna’ win next year. We need a window. That was a fun ride being in there without seeing what was going on.”

Davidson said that he was eager to get out of his gear after the race. He said that each firefighter was wearing about 40 pounds of gear. He said this is the department’s fourth year doing the outhouse race in Willow. He noted that they also did an outhouse race at the Fur Rondy event in Anchorage one year. He said they’ve won two races and came in second twice in Willow and they got the People’s Choice award at Fur Rondy.

“It was awesome just like every year. A lot of fun, a lot of fun,” Davidson said.

Davidson said that his favorite aspect of this outhouse race is the feeling of comradery present in the “community sport and community spirit.”

“We’re all friends ya know? Small town. The queen might have me beheaded though,” Davidson chuckled as Stephens neared.

“For us, the homesteader games and the outhouse race are neck and neck. That’s why we’re here. There’s a lot of other cool things going on but me personally, I love to watch and compete in the homesteader games,” Stephens said.

Davidson said that this event plays an important role in their community by allocating funds for WACO which in turn distributes back into the community through a variety of projects.

“The real reason we built the outhouse and started doing this and trying to get so many people to come down and watch is like this, exposure. Small town fire departments, small budgets, trying to just get exposure and let people know this is what small towns are all about: doing your part for the community,” Davidson said.

Davidson said that outhouse races have been around for years. He said that down in the Lower 48, people race in places without snow by strapping wheels to their outhouses. He said that it illustrates the rural theme pretty well but it also illustrates old-Alaskan history since they continue to do outhouse races in Anchorage.

“It’s just that sourdough, goldminer, trapper kind of tradition in Alaska,” Davidson said.

Another Alaskan tradition that runs rampant in the Willow area is dog mushing. Shortly after outhouse race, the air rang out with barks, howls and whines from dozens of sled dogs for the kids’ sled dog races. Families with children of all ages ventured onto the frozen lake near the Willow Library and Community Center. There were three varying heats, which escalate in numbers of dogs used, total mushing distance and experience levels. This was one of six sled dog races on Saturday.

Nadina Sidelinger is 7 years old. She rode in the second heat with her two favorite sled dogs Nala and Chrome. She said that she keeps control of the sled on tight corners by braking a little bit. She said that she talks to her dogs a lot and that’s an important way to build and maintain that bond.

“You can teach them a lot. They’re very good company because you can do lots of stuff with them, take them on walks and bring them inside,” Nadina said.

Nadina’s mother Doro said that her family lives in Willow with nine sled dogs. Doro said that her 15-year-old son started mushing when he was about 2 or 3 years old.

“It’s a life. You have the dogs, you do it all the time, every day. They’ve mushed since they were born,” Doro said.

Doro said that she was happy that the carnival takes up two weekends, packed with a plethora of sled dog races.

The carnival continues Sunday and next weekend. For a complete schedule of activities, see waco-ak.org/committees/carnival.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com