Anchorage
Fur Rendezvous
Let’s go to the Rondy!
Meet “Mr. Fur Face”! The title is azvarded each year in a beard-growing
contest at the Rondy.
Rondy is short for rendezvous—a place where people get together.
It’s the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous, the most popular celebration in
Alaska.
The Rondy began as a three-day sports carnival. Trappers brought their
furs into town by dog sled. They sold the furs and held sled-dog races.
Now, the Rondy is a ten-day winter carnival that Alaskans enjoy in
February. There is something for everyone. Each day is like a holiday.
You see Indians dance and- Eskimos bounce sky-high as they’re tossed on
a blanket made of walrus skins.
You see parades, night and day. You see men in fur hats and fur-lined
parkas. They grow bushy beards to see who’ll become \”Mr. Fur Face.”
Furs aren’t as important as they used to be at the Rondy. Still, there
are outdoor fur
auctions, a fur-hat contest, and a fur style show. Other events range
from an ice show to stock car races on ice.
Then what’s the most important event at the Rondy? It’s sled-dog races!
There are sled-dog races for older children and a Women’s World
Championship Race. But the main event is the World’s Championship Sled
Dog Races that run for the last three days of the Rondy.
