Food fun and fireworks.

• Author: Woodring, Jeannie
• Position: Alaska state fairs

Come August, summer's lengthening shadows spark a flame in us. Unwilling to let this light, bright season end, we want to finish it with a bang, the kind of blowout that only a fair - complete with food, fun and fireworks - can provide.

That's why you'll find six fairs around Alaska this summer. From the Deltana Fair that kicks off on July 28 to the Kodiak Rodeo & State Fair that wraps up on September 4, each promises rollicking entertainment sure to complete your summer in firecracker fashion - and to flame your summer memories long into fall. Turn to Pg. 55 for a list of fair dates, ticket prices and phone numbers.

Doing the Deltana Fair

Mud-bog racing fans turned off their televisions and headed to the Deltana Fair, held in Delta Junction from July 28-30 this year. Along with the monster trucks and four-wheelers roaring through a water-filled mud pit, visitors to the fair encountered everything from craft exhibits to carnival rides underneath the wide, blue Delta Junction sky.

"We have added a rodeo for the first time this year," says Patti Dull, who serves as assistant secretary-treasurer for the Deltana Fair Association. "And the agricultural people here in town added a machinery display, which is also a first."

Other highlights of the festival included more than 300 craft exhibits (from kids' toys to canned goods), tons of fresh food treats (from elephant ears to Korean cuisine), and the traditional livestock displays that always entertain fairgoers.

Back in 1980, local residents created the first Deltana Fair. Growth over the years brought the annual event to its own home site on leased land east of town. In three days, the fair annually greets between 10,000 and 12,000 visitors.

Fairgrounds of Fairbanks

With roots back to 1924, the Tanana Valley State Fair (TVSF) in Fairbanks is Alaska's oldest fair. Expected to draw more than 150,000 people in its eight-day cycle, running from August 4-12 this year, it has become the state's second-largest fair and the firecracker of the Interior's short, glorious summer.

Giant vegetables, boosted by the region's famous clear summer days and hot temperatures, attract many Fairbanks fairgoers. More than 1,500 competitors display their efforts in 8,000 exhibits, representing everything from arts to agriculture.

"One of the things that we're most famous for is the food we have at the fair," says Coleen Turner, the TVSF's general manager. "We have a board member who rates the fair on how much weight he...