Alaska Man Monday: Storytellers, and Romance Among the Muskoxen

I am a storyteller above all things, but I rarely tell stories in person to big audiences, or even small audiences, not counting my kids and grandchildren. But storytelling can be great to watch and hear; there’s something about a good yarn, delivered orally, that is just plain different than reading a book. The key is this: Knowing the difference between spinning a good yarn (some of which may even be true) and just being a garrulous old coot. That's a distinction that's lost on too many people. Old soldiers are frequently worth listening to; a good war story may be distinguished from a fairy tale by observing that a fairy tale begins, "Once upon a time," while a war story begins, "No s**t, there I was..."

Here in Alaska, there is a surfeit of stories to be told: Stories from the Native community, chronicling life, history, and mythologies from before the time any Europeans landed here in the Great Land. There are stories from Alaska’s frontier days, from territorial history, from the gold rushes, and much more – and the people got to hear some of those at Mat-Su storytelling night!

Mat-Su Untold 2026: A Night of Community Storytelling brought together a sold-out crowd Friday for an evening of powerful, personal stories celebrating life in the Mat-Su Valley — and raised critical support for local nonprofit journalism.
Held at the Palmer Depot, the two-hour event featured seven local storytellers sharing true, deeply personal stories centered on the theme “Things That Move Us.” Inspired by the spirit of Arctic Entries, each story was told live, inviting the audience into moments of joy, humor, vulnerability, and resilience that reflect the shared experiences of living in the Mat-Su.
This year’s storytellers were Denise Statz, Ira Edwards, Brad Carper, Pat Durand, Michele Harmeling, Mikey Evans and Carly Schreck, whose stories drew joy and reflection throughout the evening.

That’s a great thing, and we hope it continues.

Alaska Man score: 5 great tales of triumph.

Last Saturday was, of course, Valentine’s Day. It is supposedly a day when one may have one’s eye fixed on love, even if you’re a shaggy hoofed beast of the Arctic. And that brings us to this bit of interesting Alaska news: You don’t get much more Alaska than setting up online dating profiles – for muskoxen.

Looking to make a connection with someone special for Valentine’s Day? You might be in luck.
The Musk Ox Farm in Palmer has set up dating profiles on its Facebook page for several members of its herd ahead of the holiday.
Among the bovine bachelors and bachelorettes is Bumblebee, a 3-year-old muskox who describes herself as “an independent lady who knows exactly what I want.”
There’s also 10-year-old Pixie Stick, who describes her perfect date as “a snowy day, a warm blanket and a good romance novel.”
“The musk oxen created their own [profiles]. We just kind of stood by,” said Mark Austin, Musk Ox Farm executive director. “They wanted to get out there and spread it out a little bit, so we supported that. Several of them got online, got their dating profiles out there and we’re just letting them go.”

Let’s just hope that the muskoxen are looking to date other muskoxen, as that’s a species line that should not be crossed under any circumstances.

Alaska Man score: 5 amorous muskoxen, as long as they keep it within the species Ovibos moschatus.

Speaking of storytelling, I recently had a chance to visit Texas – and Buc-ee’s! Here’s that story.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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