Fur Rondy and Streetlight Manifesto

This is my favorite time of year in Alaska. Yes, the summers are amazing, but February is a really exciting time. We're gaining almost 6 minutes of daylight every day and that means we are rapidly approaching a normal day. If you can make it to February without losing it to seasonal affective disorder, you can make it to summer. But the best part of the month is the Fur Rendezvous Festival.

You'll never see more fur products anywhere. And they are all amazing.

It's been going on for 77 years (longer than Alaska's been a state!) and it's purpose is essentially to keep Anchorage residents from getting cabin fever. It was originally a 3 day event that lined up with the time the miners and trappers came into town but has since spread into a 10 day festival turning Anchorage into a crazy town. There's dog sled races down 4th Avenue, running of the reindeer, outhouse races, snowshoe softball, blanket tosses, a beard and mustache competition, a beer chugging contest, snow sculpture contests, etc etc etc (some of those are sanctioned by the Fur Rondy organization, some aren't. You can probably figure it out.)

Getting ready for the World Championship Sled Dog race

All of the furs being auctioned were illegally poached, from animals that had to be put down, or animals killed in self-defense

At Rondy 2010, I had my very first reindeer dog. Pure heaven.

Wolf pack meeting

Nothing quite like a below freezing scrambler ride.

I love a good cover song. I think the key to a good one is to make sure not to copy the original. Folks, you aren't going to sound as good as Eric Clapton, but if you make Tears in Heaven sound like yours, you have a  chance.

One of my favorite covers is Streetlight Manifesto's cover of Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, this week's hot jam. They aren't trying to sound like Paul Simon which is why I think it works. (Not that a multi-piece ska punk band could sound like Paul Simon, but still.)



Want more Streetlight Manifesto covers? Try their cover of former hot jam of the week, Red Rubber Ball.