As a mining state, Alaska is “kind of like a prostitute,” one fairgoer said. “You have to sell your wares, but you have to take care of yourself really well so you have something to sell.”
Visitors at another booth mounted a taxidermied moose for a photo-op, while others donned fur coats and posed on an old-fashioned sled with a pair of live huskies. With the Chugach and Talkeetna mountains towering in the distance, kids crafted souvenir stuffed animals at the “Make a Moose” stall, an attraction begging for a Build-A-Bear copyright infringement suit. Fairgoers of all ages had spangles applied to their faces by a person claiming to be “Alaska’s first-ever glitter artist.
The day I visited the fair was sponsored by the mining industry, one of the major pillars of the Alaskan economy. The theme announced itself primarily through complimentary swag, such as drawstring backpacks that declared “Alaska Mining Rocks” and bumper stickers that read “Mining: The Family Farm of the North” and “If it Can’t be Grown, it Must be Mined.
that thrive in the 20-plus hours of sunlight Alaska gets in the summer months, spoke about after visiting Murkowski’s booth.Forstner said that resource extraction provides Alaska with essential tax revenue and jobs, but she wants government officials to strike a careful, sustainable balance with environmental stewardship. As an extraction state, Alaska is “kind of like a prostitute,” she said.
Back at the seal skinning demonstration, after the samples were depleted, Lestenkof and her fellow butcher divided the remaining raw meat into Ziploc bags and distributed them to the elders in the crowd. June Pardue, a Sugpiaq elder in the audience, eagerly accepted a portion. Seals are cherished for their iron-rich flesh, she said, as well as their blubber, which is cooked down into oil and used to dress meat, coat berries, and soak leafy greens. Asked about the condiment’s flavor, she grinned and intimated that there was nothing quite like it. “Bacon grease tastes like bacon grease,” she said. “Seal oil tastes like seal oil.
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