Alaska Man Monday: Winter Carnivals, Dumb Crooks, and a Seal Finds a Home

Spring won’t be here in the Great Land for quite a while yet, but winter is a great time to be an Alaskan as well, even if it's dark a lot of the time. Case in point: The Mat-Su Winter Carnival! Events included:

The Mat-Su region is packed with weekend events, ranging from lively happenings to low-key fun.
High-energy options include a Queen singalong in Talkeetna, fireworks in Willow, and the WinterROMP music festival in Palmer.
Mellow events include the Alaska Farm and Garden Show in Palmer and a sauna-focused wellness event at Meier Lake Resort in Wasilla.
If you’re looking for a quiet weekend, look elsewhere. The Mat-Su will be proudly loud this weekend, with everything from a community singalong in Talkeetna to fireworks in Willow to a music festival in Palmer guaranteed to turn up the fun.
Luckily for the low-key crowd, there are also a couple of more relaxed offerings, including a farm and garden show in Palmer and a chilled-out sauna event complete with calming hot cocoa.

It’s a good time, judging from what we’ve been told. I’m a little abashed not to have reported on this in person.

Alaska Man score: 5 frozen moose nuggets. My wife keeps insisting that we have to actually attend this event one of these years. I honestly couldn’t tell you why we haven’t. Maybe next year.

In the dumb crooks department, we have this theft of housewarming wood: Firewood, after all, is valuable in an Alaska winter.

On 2/1/2026 at around 1600 hours, Alaska State Troopers in Anchor Point responded to Caribou Lake for a report of a theft of firewood. While enroute, AST passed the suspect vehicle which still had stolen firewood in the back. AST conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and subsequent investigation determined the firewood was stolen by Abby Gilliam (31 years old of Anchor Point) and Anela Kerns (25 years old of Anchor Point). Both parties were issued misdemeanor summons to appear in Homer court for Theft in the 4th degree and released.

It’s unclear how much was stolen, but a full-size pickup will hold the better part of a cord of firewood. Depending on here in the state you’re located, that could be $4-500 worth of firewood. And given how many people now have security cameras hereabouts, it’s even dumber; the odds are too good that a goblin attempting a theft will be told, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!”

Alaska Man score: 5 points for the alert officers of the AST, nil for the incompetent thieves. Seriously, stealing firewood? Not only is it stupid, but you could actually be endangering the health and safety of the people who are depending on it for heat.

And, finally, the Alaska SeaLife Center has a new resident.

The Alaska SeaLife Center has taken in a male ringed seal that was found outside his normal habitat at a North Slope oilfield in December.
Oilfield workers first spotted the young seal and contacted NOAA Fisheries, according to the SeaLife Center. The seal was initially taken back to the ice but returned to the oilfield repeatedly.
Crews from the oilfield drilled breathing holes in the ice to encourage the seal to return to the sea. The seal stuck his head in the holes but did not swim away, the center said.
When the seal was found in areas near heavy equipment, he was placed in a crate so he wouldn’t get hurt. NOAA Fisheries authorized the seal to be moved to the Alaska SeaLife Center for rehabilitation.

Good news! There aren’t that many of these critters around, and this one will find a safe and comfortable life in Seward.

Alaska Man score: 5 flapping flippers.

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