Spring 2010: Fur Rondy exhibit available for viewing at UAA/APU Consortium Library

The Fur Rondy Festival is a significant part of the history and tradition of Anchorage. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Fur Rendezvous and to celebrate its anniversary, the UAA/APU Consortium Library will display a Fur Rondy exhibit on the first floor in the main reading room beginning Monday, Feb. 22 through March 7.  Most items on display are on loan from Mel Kalkowski's personal collections.  The exhibit includes two racing sleds, the Risdon dog sled and a sled used in the 1964 Fur Rondy race.  Other display items include buttons, annuals and other memorabilia from Fur Rondy events going back to the 1960s. The library holds the official Rondy archives which are also available for viewing and research in the Archives and Special Collections Department.

Congratulations to Mel Kalkowski, UAA's director of Community & Technical College -- Military Programs, who was voted this year's Lord Trapper by the selection committee. The Trapper and Lady Trappers are the ceremonial symbol of the Rondy and selected on the basis of overall service to the community as well as the festival. Prior Trappers have included Ernie Hall, Marc Langland, Al Fleetwood and Fred Chei, among others. Kalkowski will join a list of Alaskans that have served the community.