Tag Archives: Tanana Valley

No poultry

The Tanana Valley State Fair

The Tanana Valley State Fair starts up on Friday and runs through August 7th. It’s a Fairbanks favorite, and people seem to be raring to get out and go. I’ll be curious if attendance numbers get up to pre-Covid levels.

For the first time in decades, the fair will not feature any poultry in the 4H Barn, due to avian flu concerns. The fairgrounds are near the Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, which has documented cases of avian flu.

This year’s fair theme: Sheepherder in Paradise

This year’s featured flower: Sunflower

And the featured fruit/vegetable is a fan favorite: Pumpkin


Celebrating Cranes

This weekend is the 24th annual Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival. Events will be held Friday through Sunday at the Creamers Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. There will be guided hikes, talks with biologists, birding activity and more out at Creamers. Of course, the trails are well worth hitting without the guides.

Sandhill Cranes usually start staging in early August for their migration south. An average autumn will see 150,000 to 200,000 cranes fly through the Tanana Valley.


Fair Time

The Tanana Valley State Fair started on Friday, which generally means the slippery slope towards winter is well underway. With Alaska’s size, each corner of the state has its own fair, as opposed to just one for the entire state.

The start of the Tanana Valley State Fair is known for the start of the rainy season. In fact, a booth at the fair gives away prizes for the guessing how much rain Fairbanks will get during Fair dates.

This year, that number is looking to be unusually low. No rain is in the forecast until the fair’s final days, which means attendance could be good after not having one last year. Although, I have heard from many people that they will sit this one out, due to the rise in Covid cases. Time will tell on both fronts.

We are looking at a very warm week here. Not Texas hot mind you, but mid to upper 80’s, which is definitely warm for Interior Alaska.