Smoke Clears for Annual Fairbanks Party

Published December 2004 - Fairbanks, AK

You must stay indoors or go outside only for brief periods of time. Don't even think about exercising in the outdoors. And keep all the windows closed, no matter how hot it is inside. Even at high noon, the sun is nothing but a dull red little ball if you feel like looking for it through the vexing haze. The sky is brown.

A dull headache throbs inside your skull as a sickening stench permeates every breath. Thinking clearly becomes an elusive, seemingly long-ago luxury. Lethargy envelopes you and everyone you see. No one feels like doing anything. No one is happy.

That's how people in Fairbanks and around interior Alaska felt after a couple of weeks of being stuck inside from the smoke from an unprecedented fire season in the summer of 2004.

"That smoke was just awful," said Susan, and it was endangering family plans for a Mexican party, scheduled for early July.

Nevertheless, many Fairbanks friends welcomed a chance to do something, anything, to break the smoke-infested monotony, even if it did mean hanging out on the Creeds' lot outdoors in smoke.

"The smoked be damned," most seemed to say as friends appeared at the Creeds' place on Saturday, July 3, 2004 at 6:30 p.m.

Miraculously, right around that time, the smoke began to clear, allowing party guest to forego inhaling that toxic, enervating smoke all night. Thankfully, Susan and John did not cancel the party as they had been considering all week on account of smoke.

Instead of the usual "dessert party" theme, this tie the Creeds served "Mexican." Susan made tacos and burritos with a mixture of moose meat and hamburger seasoned with her secret reciped of spices.

Guests this year included Larry Freeman & Elizabeth Belknap, Tom & Barbara Bradley, Will Boger, Will Schendel & Karen Stomberg, Julie & Bob Burton, Brian Rogers & Sherry Modrow, Chuck Carpenter, Heather Koponen, next door neighbor Dale Toenies, Todd Honer & Carey Brink, Laurie Walton & Dave Frey, Larry Fogelson & Terry Glendinning, Larry Katkin, Dan O'Neill & Sarah Campbell, Steve Sayer, DeAnne Stokes, and our special guest from San Francisco, James Cummings.

Thank you, dear friends, for venturing out on that initially smoky night to join us in our yearly summer party.