New Year's Eve in Kotzebue

Fireworks over the Kotzebue Sound on New Year's Eve.

Kotzebue was bustling with visitors from the villages and snow machine racers on New Year's Eve. Beginning Thursday, the NANA Regional Corporation, Northwest Arctic Borough School District and others hosted the Husky Shootout at the Kotzebue Middle/High School. Even a fireworks display was planned for midnight.

As light snow fell, I ventured out in search of eggs yesterday morning. After Rick had struck out at Alaska Commercial earlier, I drove to Rotman's to see if they had any. Even Egg Beaters would work for making cookies for the Spaghetti Feed fundraiser we are hosting at the club New Year's Day. Planning my route to include a stop at the post office, I drove past the Friends Church and turned down the side street next to the store. It was still dark as I stepped out of the van in my new parkie and walked into the store.

Rotman's is a locally owned grocery store that includes the sale of fabric and sewing supplies in a separate room, along with tee shirts and sweatshirts with the words "What Happens in Kotzebue, Stays in Kotzebue" screen printed on them. When I found the dairy case, there was one carton of Egg Beaters waiting on an empty shelf and no eggs in sight. At the register, the checker said they were hoping to get some eggs in later in the day. A.C. and Rotman's have been playing catch up with many grocery items after the recent blizzards prevented many flights into this hub city.

With the carton and a batch of Toll House Cookie dough in a plastic sack, I said good bye to the clerk of this clean and friendly store. She recommended that I call later to ascertain whether they had received eggs in the daily shipment. The crunching sound of snow on my boots was familiar as I opened the door to the van that I had left running during the visit to Rotman's. Idling vehicles in Kotzebue is a must this time of year but no one worries about whether their vehicle will be there when they come out of the store, post office or other buildings. Frequent cold starts are hard on a vehicle and should be avoided.

After parking at the post office, I walked the short distance across Shore Avenue and into the building to find the lobby nearly empty. Now that Christmas is over, the lines at the post office have diminished. A gift from the Bedards, along with the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens and other mail, had been stuffed into our small box. The line to the counter was only three deep while I waited to receive the package indicated by the yellow card that had been placed in the club's. I chatted with nurses and a doctor from Maniilaq Health Center before reaching the front of the line. The yellow card was a false alarm from a package that had already been picked up.

Exiting the Eskimo Building, I felt the breeze blowing off the frozen Kotzebue Sound. The temperature had warmed to 4 degrees. A front has moved in that is supposed to evolve into a winter storm New Year's night. Enjoying the first temperatures above zero in more than a week, I left my head uncovered for the trip home.

Rick and I drove to the Northwest Arctic Borough's Kotzebue High School gym to catch the semi-finals of the basketball tournament. After paying our five dollar apiece admission, we walked into the packed gym of 3,000 spectators.
The girls' teams from Noatak and Selawik were finishing their match up. Noatak won the game during regulation time.

Next up was a match up between the boys from Kiana and Selawik. While waiting for the game to begin, two girls from Kotzebue High School's volleyball team ran their push brooms across the gymnasium floor. Kiana was ahead when we made our way down the bleachers after the first quarter. Selawik rallied to win the game later that night, clinching a spot in the finals New Year's Day.

Kotzebue High School Gym bleachers are full of spectators.

We drove down Shore Avenue looking at the temporary raceway that had been set up on the Sound. Earlier this morning there had been large cones marking the route. The Night Riders were scheduled to race later in the evening. Heavier layers of clothing would be required for this outdoor activity.

After a dinner that consisted of trout Rick had caught on a fishing trip upriver this summer and various vegetables from this week's Full Circle Farm box, I sat down on the floor in our study to begin writing this post. After an hour, it was time to change for the race.

The snow machine race was a quite a sight with sharp white lights speeding over the ice in circles and tons of cars lining Shore Avenue to watch. Due to the road widening, there was ample room for both lanes of traffic and parking this year. Trucks were parked on the ice near the start/finish line. Teenagers from the villages and locals were hanging out while younger kids played in the snow. Periodic reports were broadcast on the radio.

Night Riders in foreground watching fireworks display.

The race was finishing up as the fireworks show began at midnight.  Local organizations had made donations for the large display that is traditional this time of year. Since the sun doesn't set on July 4th, fireworks are reserved for New Year's Eve when the night sky is near its darkest ebb. When the the grand finale occurred, cars and trucks began to pull out into the widened street for the short drive home. Snow machines and a few four-wheelers passed by with their riders dressed in a bundled fashion.

The new year has begun in this part of the world after a busy night of activities for the residents of Kotzebue and visitors from many other villages. Kotzebue once again played its part as a hub city in the Northwest Alaska region.