You know you are from Fairbanks when....

you were appalled when "Alaskaland" was changed to "Pioneer Park". (I STILL refuse to call it "pioneer park!" It will always be "Alaskaland!"

you know what Polar Roller was and you went there every chance you got

the 365 mile drive to Anchorage can be a weekend trip

the recent addition of Chili's, Barnes and Noble and Old Navy was revolutionary (Very new additions, and not all of us are pleased!)

you think Alaska Airlines sucks and don't understand why there isn't another airline

you know what its like to drive down a road and see a sign that says "musher's xing" (Just up the road a couple of minutes, as a matter of fact. And a home-made sign, at that.)

Super Value was the awesomest supermarket ever and you miss the free cookies.

you think a building is poorly designed if there is a door that goes straight to the outside, NO arctic entryway. Absurd!

the Big Dipper isn't just a constellation (This is where DD practices her hockey, a good deal of the time. Also refered to as "The Dipper".)

elephant ears and turkey legs are the only true reasons you go to the fair

you remember the true Li'l Freds and miss the snack bar with Slush Puppies and pretzels. (The ORIGIONAL Fred Meyers in town, now another empty building.)

Fascinations: Bentley Mall. Enough said.

you know that Hot Licks isn't the name of a porno (good ice-cream, though rather expensive)

you know the Knotty Shop isn't a sex store (great gift shop!)

you know you're from FAI when Anchorage seems huge

You see Mike Schultz in public and think you just saw a celebrity (he's the weather guy! And he's got a really bad track record!)

you haven't gone out out of state for 10 yrs cause it costs too much (See Mom!!! I'm not the only one!)

you think that ten below just really isn't that cold at all you get the 'Miner and the first thing you check is to see if anyone you know got arrested. (*Nods*)

you tell Lower 48'ers that you live in North Pole, and they gape at you. (Also when ordering ANYTHING over the phone)

You used to think Joey The Robotic Boy and Hank Scratchum were actually in the studio with Glenner (Glenner & Jerry were THE radio act to listen to on 98.1 KISS FM when I was in HS.)

you turn 18 and still can't buy cigarettes but can finally go to the SHOWBOAT!!! (Not one I can PERSONALLY relate to, but the hubby could!)

on a friday night the only thing to do is either go to a hockey game or go to the theater (Still ARE the only things to do in town on a Friday night.)

you need a passport driving to the states

you used to go to Gold King's games just to see the fights. (And now, the Ice Dogs. The Gold Kings left town several years back.)

the teachers have to tell the kids to keep their coats on when its zero degrees out. (Seriously!)

you check the radio every morning all winter to hear what the temp is. -45 means no school! (Not "NO school" but "School optional at parental discretion", and often the daycares will be closed.)

as a kid it took you 10 minutes to get all your snow gear on for recess, 10 minutes outside, and then 10 minutes to climb our of your gear. (*Nods*)

you brag about making it down airport way without being stopped at every damn light. (Still do brag if I don't get caught by the 3 I have to pass under on my way to work.)

you're bored in the winter and decide to throw boiling water out your window for entertainment (*snort* Yep!)

you have at least 2 friends with the same shirt as you... and sometimes you wear them on the same day... by accident.

you pass Fantasy Land on the way to the Santa Clause House. (Fantasy Land IS an Adult video & "toy" store.)

you go to the (1) movie theater parking lot and spin around on the ice with your car for fun. (been there, done that, with hubby!)

Anchorage or Palmer sounds like the best vacation spot in the world after being cooped up in fairbanks the whole winter (YEP!)

you have to watch out for moose on your way to the school bus stop. (Yep!)

You don't understand why people are staring at you for wearing shorts at 60 degrees. (Actually had folks in Florida, in November tell us to put on some jackets, when we were down there as kids, as we were wearing sundresses & tanks & shorts.)

your car cost less than your snowmachine! (Not far off, either. My car cost all of $3,600, about 5 years ago.)

when people look at you funny for saying snowmachine instead of snow mobile. (I don't know what's wierd about this. I think "snowmobile" is wierd!)

when parents will trick their kids into starting the car to tell them they are growing up when really the parents are to cheap to buy an auto start. (*snort* I remember my parents pulling this one, too.... At least until I almost backed the car into the side of our church's new sanctuary.)

when one day the weather is like -40 below, then the next day its above zero. (*nods*)

You show pictures of your car to friends from the lower 48 and they think the plug-in hanging out the front means it is electric. (it's not. We've got engine warming equipment under the hood to keep the block & battery from freezing up on us. "Plug it in if it's 20 deg." is a borough catch-phrase around here.)

when formal attire consists of carharts and bunny boots. (Seriously!!! You walk into ANY NICE restaraunt around here, and you're likely to see at least one person seated wearing carhart pants with a carhart jacket hanging over the back of the chair.)

when you know that alaskaland is NOT an amusement park!! and denali park is not a short drive away (NO SH**!)

when you can sing the entire Alaska Flag Song and wonder why people from the lower 48s don't know their state flag song. (Wish I still remembered the whole thing. Not so, though I CAN hum bits & pieces.)

when taking relatives to the Santa Clause House is about as fun as going to the dentist. (Isn't THAT the truth!)

when you start the count down for Arctic Man, two days after the last one. (Again, not one _I_ can relate to, but DH does.)

when half the town is involved in the golden days parade and the other half watches. (*snort* Yep, this one too!)

when carharts seem to go perfectly with every outfit. (Sure, why not! Better than blue feet or fingers!)

when thermometers get stuck. (*nods*)

you never see your friends in the summer because they've dedicated their lives to serving tourists. (LOL Yep!)

you think fireworks only happen at 40 below in January and never on the 4th of July... (*sigh* I MISS a good -WARM- fireworks show!)

you went to the Ice Park for the twirly ice orbs (Well, the kiddo does!)

You think Chena Hot Springs as a resort destination. (About the closet you can get, around here.)

You'll always know Jay Ramras as "Jay Bird" (*grin* YEP! Some darned good chicken wings those were, too, for those who like chicken wings.)

you know what a Nanook is. (Nanook: eskimo -or inuit- word for Polar Bear. Also our local U's mascot.)

you're incredilous to discover that most people in the world suck-ass at driving in the snow. (YEP!)

you've been charged by a moose (yep!)

you know that the fair = RAIN. (Also, nodding when somebody mutters "fair weather" in August.)

a top of a random hill is the kickin' party spot. (The end of peridot, when I was in HS. Or at various spots along the dike.) (Oh, and that's another one. Around here "the dike" does NOT refer to a lesbian woman. It refers to the dike that blocks Fairbanks & North Pole from high waters on the Tanana river.)

You're scared to death of anyone touching your hair while at Chena Hot Springs in the dead -45 of winter. (a girl's long hair is capable of snapping off from being wet after a dip in the springs, then emerging into the extremely cold air, if somebody were to bend it.)

you have to plug your car in if you leave it anywhere for more than a few hours. Even so, you have to let your car warm up for about 15 minutes before you drive it. (I can't even pull my seat far enough forward to reach the pedals unless it's been warming up for 15 minutes, if it's colder than -20 deg.)

when you can tell the temperature by the stiffness of your car's extension cord. (*snort*)

when 'Breakup' is a season, not something you do with your boyfriend. (Yep!)

you know that plugging in your car is not just for remote controlled toys. (Darn straight.)

and when it hits 10+ after 40- that means shorts and shirts. (Yep!)

DO YOU REMEMBER....

Lamonts? (yep! Now Gottschalks is in that building.)

rollerskating at Polar Roller? (I lived 2 blocks from here, growing up! We used to go on
Saturday mornings when it was "safe" for kids with very few of the hooligans around.)

the movie theater only had two screens and everyone stood in line outside waiting to buy tickets? (I don't recall this one, actually.)

the water level changing on the fountain downtown? (*shaking head* Actually, don't recall this either.)

when Hotlicks was more than just a stand by the side of the road? (We were actually in a commercial for Hotlicks when I was a kid after biking from our house out past Ft. Wainwright Army Post, through post, through Fairbanks, to the bottom of the U. hill, to Hotlicks for icecream one weekend.)

the Magic Carpet? (This only closed a couple of years ago. I miss it!)

when DQ blew up. (Don't recall this either. I think it happened VERY shortly after we moved up here, and I was all of 6 years old then. Evidently somebody didn't like the owner & attempted to blow him up along with the store. But it happened at like 3 AM and he wasn't in the building. He left state shortly thereafter & soon his second DQ went belly-up.)

JC Pennys as the main store to shop besides Sears and Lamonts. (Yep! In fact, JCP's only closed a couple of months after DD was born.)

(I got from a HS friend, and want to add: Do you remember when there WASN'T a Sears, and we knew that building as "The Center".)

These are kinda fun to read, even when one DOESN'T get all the bits & pieces on them. It's kinda fun to see the differences in regional references. And kinda funny to see how some aspects may cross over from one region to another. (Like, I'd bet Fairbanksans aren't the ONLY folks who wear carharts to nice resteraunts. That may be more common in some UP areas, I'd bet. Same goes for plugging in the vehicals.)

Have a Blessed Day!