Golden Days brighten Fairbanks.

• Author: Pilkington, Steve
• Position: Alaska this Month - Brief Article

There is no better way to discover the feeling of history than to surround the eyes and ears with actual places and to see and hear for yourself the way things happened, even if it was 100 years or more ago in the wide open and daunting interior of Alaska.

Fairbanks may be nothing like the town of happenstance it was a century ago, but for the annual Golden Days celebration, organized by the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, it brings people from across the country and the world to see the place where their descendants made Alaska history. Golden Days 2002 begins July 17 this year and runs until July 22.

"We will have a bunch of people (attending) from the Lower 48 and Canada," said Meadow Riedel, coordinator for the 50th Fairbanks Golden Days. Among the visitors expected this year are descendants of Felix Pedro and his mining partner.

Pedro, an adventurous Italian prospector, is partially credited with the founding of Fairbanks. In 1901, he encouraged E.T. Barnette to open a trading post at the very spot where he met the merchant. Pedro had made small gold discoveries in the area and knew the region was rich. When Pedro reported several significant strikes in 1902, some miners immediately came into the area, but the stampede did not take off until 1904. In the end, the Fairbanks mines had more annual production than either Dawson or Juneau.

There is plenty of history surrounding the celebration of the Fairbanks Gold Rush and the colorful people involved, but you can still find a lot of fun happening even if history isn't your cup of tea.

There is a free Golden Days 2002 Kick-Off Party at Alaska-land the first day, which will include the male and female winners with the best Golden Days costume. Other party events include the E.T. Barnette Look-Alike Contest; the Miss Ricki Look-Alike Contest; the Hairy Legs, Chest, Beard and Mustache Contest; the Costume Contest and games and prizes.

On Saturday the Golden Days Street Fair takes place. It is held downtown and includes food, entertainment, arts and crafts and music and dancing in the evening. Saturday also has the AT&T Alascom Golden Days Grande Parade from Fort Wainwright to...