Talkeetna: gets wild about winter: this annual event attracts worldwide attention and puts women to work.

• Author: Pilkington, Steve
• Position: Alaska This Month

Informal is a perfect word to describe Talkeetna. Located roughly halfway between Anchorage and Denali National Park, it is a short side trip down the Talkeetna Spur Road off the Parks Highway. It also is a perfect staging area for mountain climbers targeting Mount McKinley in the summer, when most of its population is busy at seasonal work and pursuing money.

Things are a bit slower in the cold months, however, but with typical flare and a well displayed sense of humor, Talkeetna knows how to bring out the "wild" in winter. Talkeetna's Winterfest kicks off this month, sometimes grabbing international attention with its Wilderness Woman Contest and the Bachelor Society Ball. Both are traditional fun and have proven themselves excellent fund-raisers for numerous community organizations.

"It's a hot month in Talkeetna," said DX Russell, who is one of the judges for the Wilderness Woman Contest. "Last year we raised $3,000 some odd dollars at the auction." The Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce organizes the December celebration known as Talkeetna Winterfest. There is a town tree-lighting ceremony and the Talkeetna Parade of Lights on Dec. 3, which is the kickoff event.

Saturday, Dec. 4, is the start of the 19th Annual Wilderness Woman Contest, which starts around noon in the Village Park. The Talkeetna Bachelor Society Inc. organizes it. The society says "Single ladies, 21 years or older, may demonstrate their proficiency at wood hauling, water fetching, snowmachining, fish catching, moose dispatching, ptarmigan shooting, sandwich making, beverage opening and other vital skills," in the advertisement for the contest.

Russell said the contest is conducted in a spirit of good fun and a sense of humor is highly recommended. The nature of the events has brought worldwide notice.

"GQ magazine did an article a number of years back," she said. "And Europeans seem to be a lot more fascinated with it than Americans, don't ask me why."

The contest usually gets between eight and 18...