Cabin Fever Reliever 2011

The 23rd Annual Trapper Creek Cabin Fever Reliever event took place on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at the Community Services Park complex. Long time Trapper Creek resident, Rocelyn Daniels was nominated by the community as the sixth Miss Cabin Fever Reliever. She was crowned in beaver and ermine fur by her predecessor, Sandra May.
The festival started with a pancake breakfast at St. Phillips Catholic Church and continued with a whole bunch of other activities at the park, including a Chili Cook-Off, burgers and hotdogs at the pavilion and a non-stop array of games for the kids: egg toss, tug of war, two-by-four race, Ice Berg, donut eating contest, BB gun shooting, pony rides, snow sculpting, dog sled rides, gunny sack race, hay scrambling, coin toss, cross-cut sawing and fellowship.
The elementary school students were major participants in the planning and preparation of this year's CFR starting the festival off with the flag raising. A PTA bake sale and an art contest for the selection of the theme for 2011, which was printed on the T-shirts and buttons, took place at the school. The T-Shirts were designed by 5th grade artist, Kaitlin Hughes.

The one dollar purchase of the buttons was required of all in attendance who chose to avoid "doing time" in the makeshift jail. As the day progressed it became apparent to this reporter that the law enforcement button police were not really up to the task, so the younger portions of the crowd took over the facility as their own personal playground.
In the Community Services Building an opportunity to vote on the artistic submissions for the road signs as one of the community's Revenue Sharing projects was administered by Sign Committee Chairperson, Paula Glenka. The Trapper Creek Library Association provided refreshments; the Trapper Creek Oral History Project’s exhibit honored 1968 settlers, Joe and Vera Dul; and Sandra May dressed up the building with a display of pastel art by local residents. The winners of the raffle and 50-50 tickets were announced during the potluck community dinner. The evening wound down with an open mike invitation for local musicians to share their music with the remaining revelers.
The Trapper Creek Community Services is a non-profit 501C3 organization, which uses the revenue it raises to benefit the park, cemetery and the community as a whole. Special thanks goes out to the TCCSAI Board members, Lon McCullough, Tom Michaud, Robin Watkins and Roz Daniels and over fifty volunteers, whose tireless efforts made this year's Cabin Fever Reliever festival both enjoyable and memorable to all.

Paul Thomas, Trapper Creek, Alaska