Talkeetna's Winterfest brightens December weekends: Bachelor Auction and Wilderness Woman Contest top event list.

• Author: Pounds, Nancy
• Position: Alaska This Month

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The darkest days of winter this December face a fierce enemy--Talkeetna residents united in joyful community celebrations and holiday lights brightening town buildings.

The Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce coordinates a calendar of events for the month and calls the celebration Winterfest. Activities include church events, open houses at shops, a parade, tree-lighting ceremony and an art show.

"It's a nice thing to break up winter," said Suzy Kellard, 2006-2007 chamber president. She has owned Talkeetna Gifts and Collectibles for 23 years.

The festival also keeps people active in the community and draws visitors during a slower season, Kellard said. Talkeetna's Winterfest started 15 years ago, and Kellard has been involved from the beginning. She has lived in Talkeetna since 1959.

Talkeetna is located 120 miles north of Anchorage off the Parks Highway.

A Winterfest highlight is the popular Bachelor Auction and Ball and Wilderness Woman Contest. The events are organized by the Talkeetna Bachelor Society and raise money for area groups.

"They have a good time and raise a lot of money," Kellard said.

This year's Bachelor Ball and Wilderness Woman Contest are Dec. 1. The women--single women older than 21--compete at noon, and the bachelor auction starts at 7 p.m., according to event organizer Loudon Wilson.

The Bachelor Ball started in 1981, and the Wilderness Woman Contest was added in 1986.

"The folklore of it is that the old-timers were lamenting the fact that there were no women in town so they threw a party to attract women," Wilson said.

In the first event, contestants race to haul water in five-gallon buckets. The top five finishers advance to compete in other events including mock salmon fishing, firewood hauling, a simulated ptarmigan hunt and moose confrontation and making a sandwich for a bachelor, Wilson said.

"It's a hoot as long as you don't take it too seriously," he said.

The Bachelor Auction and Ball are held at the...