Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the population of the city proper at 32,515 and the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 95,655, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in Alaska after Anchorage. The Metropolitan Statistical Area encompasses all of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and is the northernmost Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States, located 196 miles by road south of the Arctic Circle.
Pioneer Park is a 44-acre (109-ha) city park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States run by the Fairbanks North Star Borough Department of Parks and Recreation. The park commemorates early Alaskan history with multiple museums and historic displays on site. The park is located along the Chena River and is accessible from Peger and Airport Roads. A waterfront path connects the park to the Carlson Center, Growden Memorial Park and downtown Fairbanks. There is no admission fee to enter the park, though many of the museums and attractions do charge an entrance fee. Concessions are open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, though the park is open year-round and some events are held in the off-season. Free Wi-Fi is available.
The Alaska Baseball League (ABL) is an amateur collegiate summer baseball league based entirely in southern Alaska. Players in the league must have attended one year of college and must have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining.
The Midnight Sun Game is an amateur baseball game played every summer solstice at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Because the sun is out for almost 24 hours a day, the game starts at about 10:30 at night and completes around 1:30 the next morning. However, because Fairbanks's summer time zone differs by about an hour from local solar time, coupled with the state's observance of daylight saving time, the game may not actually last until solar midnight, at about 1:53. Famous players who have appeared in the game include Tom Seaver, Dave Winfield, Terry Francona, Harold Reynolds, Jason Giambi, and Bill "Spaceman" Lee.
A bar bet is a bet made between two patrons at a bar. Bar bets can range from wagers about little-known trivia, such as obscure historical facts, to feats of skill and strength. Some bar bets are intended to trick the other party into losing.
The Carlson Center is a 4,595-seat multi-purpose arena in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. It is the third largest arena in Alaska by seating capacity after the Sullivan Arena and Alaska Airlines Center, both of which are in Anchorage. It is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks ice hockey team and also serves as the site for the university's commencement exercises as well as graduation ceremonies for Lathrop, West Valley, and North Pole High Schools. The building served as the site for the Top Of The World preseason college basketball tournament until its demise in 2007. Opening in 1990, the venue is named after John A. Carlson (1920-1988), who served as Fairbanks North Star Borough mayor from 1968 to 1982.
Mulcahy Stadium is a 3,500-capacity baseball park in Anchorage, Alaska. Built in 1964, it is home to two teams of the Alaska Baseball League: the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and Anchorage Bucs. In addition to the Glacier Pilots and Bucs, high school and American Legion games are played at Mulcahy.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Midnight Sun Run is a ten-kilometer (6.2 mi) road running event, held annually since 1983 in Fairbanks, Alaska, it attracts participants from across the United States and from around the world. The race takes place on the third Saturday of June each year, starting at 10 p.m. with the boom of a cannon that can be heard throughout Fairbanks. Despite its late evening start, there is no need for streetlights or flashlights, as the summer solstice sun shines brightly from start to finish and beyond. Proceeds from the race benefit Fairbanks Resource Agency and local student athletes through scholarships. In recent years the race has attracted over 3,000 participants, due in part to its special feature of running under the light of the midnight sun.
The Alaska Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (AFES) was established in 1898 in Sitka, Alaska, also the site of the first agricultural experiment farm in what was then Alaska Territory. Today the station is administered by the University of Alaska Fairbanks through the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences. Facilities and programs include the Fairbanks Experiment Farm, the Georgeson Botanical Garden, the Palmer Research and Extension Center, the Matanuska Experiment Farm, and the Reindeer Research Program.
Stephen Douglas Wilson is a Canadian former professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, he played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball. He is an alumnus of the University of Portland and participated in the 1983 Pan American Games and the 1984 Summer Olympics for Canada.
The Colorado Gold Kings, previously known as the Alaska Gold Kings, were an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Fairbanks, Alaska, and later Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Gold Kings were members of the West Coast Hockey League.
Michael Christopher Cervenak is an American former professional baseball third baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.
Barry Lee Lersch was an American professional baseball pitcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (1969–1973) and St. Louis Cardinals in (1974). A right-hander, he was born in Denver, Colorado and was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg) and attended East High School in Denver, Colorado.
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks are a collegiate summer baseball team which was founded in 1960 as an independent barnstorming team. The Goldpanners were charter members of the Alaska Baseball League at the league's inception in 1974. The Goldpanners play their home games at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. They also host the annual Midnight Sun Game at their home venue.
Weeks Field was the first airport for Fairbanks, Alaska, existing from 1923 to 1951, when most operations were moved to Fairbanks International Airport. In later years, the term Weeks Field came to be known for neighborhoods of Fairbanks in the path and vicinity of the former airstrip. Most of the area became a city park and residential areas, with the few surviving buildings serving mostly commercial functions.
The history of Fairbanks, the second-largest city in Alaska, can be traced to the founding of a trading post by E.T. Barnette on the south bank of the Chena River on August 26, 1901. The area had seen human occupation since at least the last ice age, but a permanent settlement was not established at the site of Fairbanks until the start of the 20th century.
The Mat-Su Miners are a college summer baseball club in the Alaska Baseball League (ABL). The Miners are based in Palmer, Alaska, and their name refers to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough where Palmer is located. The team was founded in 1976 and play their home games at Hermon Brothers Field.
The North Pole Nicks were an amateur-level collegiate summer baseball league team based in North Pole, Alaska. Between 1980 and 1991, the North Pole Nicks played exclusively as members of the Alaska Baseball League, winning the 1986 league championship.
The Grand Junction Eagles were a collegiate summer baseball team located in Grand Junction, Colorado, founded in 1948, originally sponsored by Eagles Lodge No. 595. The Eagles played many of the best semi-pro teams including the Humboldt Crabs, Alaska Goldpanners, and Anchorage Glacier Pilots, and had multiple appearances in the National Baseball Congress World Series. The Grand Junction Eagles played their last season in 1980. in 1964, the Eagles became the second non-Alaska team to play in the Midnight Sun Game.
The Boulder Collegians are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Boulder, Colorado, founded in 1964 by Bauldie Moschetti, folded in 1980, and restarted in 2013 by Matt Jensen. The Collegians played many of the best semi-pro teams including the Humboldt Crabs, Alaska Goldpanners, and Anchorage Glacier Pilots. The Collegians beat the Alaska Goldpanners in the Midnight Sun Game 5–2 in 1969. The Collegians competed in the National Baseball Congress World Series every year from 1965 to 1980, winning the NBC World Series in 1966, 1967, 1975, and 1978.
