“Fill the pipeline. Use our resources,” shouted Mike and Angie Zimmer from the sidelines, as Sarah Palin — on an oil-themed float, replete with an oil pumpjack — rolled by Saturday at the Golden Days parade.
Palin, who’s running for the U.S. House, waved and talked with spectators seated on lawn chairs several feet away. She pointed to the man next to her on the float, which bore the message: “Drill, Baby Drill!”
“This is Tom Irwin,” the former Alaska governor shouted. “He was my commissioner at DNR. He’s still king.”
From Palin to Mary Peltola, from former Gov. Bill Walker to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the stars of Alaska politics were aligned in Fairbanks for the annual rolling celebration, which started at the Carlson Center and journeyed through downtown, stopping and restarting along the way.
No one was in a hurry. The politicians, many of them running for office, took advantage of the opportunity to shake hands, chat and hear what was on the minds of Fairbanks voters.
As Palin got ready to board her campaign float, a woman approached with questions about the recent vote-by-mail special primary for U.S. House. Palin, who led that election, said she has questions, too.
“I’m hearing from constituents who went to open polling stations and were told they could vote there and to just throw away the ballot they got in the mail,” Palin said. “Alaska has become a national test case for the voting process.”
Politics aside, the Golden Days Parade Saturday was largely about having fun, and more than 20 local, state and federal candidates from across Alaska participated in the procession.
“It’s awesome to be back in Fairbanks,” said Walker, who marched with Heidi Drygas, his running mate in the governor’s race.
Walker and Drygas — both originally from Fairbanks — also attended Golden Days events Friday night at Pioneer Park, where they ate dinner and listened to music.
“We’re energized from meeting folks,” Walker said as the parade got underway. “We’re listening to people about their concerns for Alaska and the challenges we’re facing as a state. There’s a lack of trust and a lot of uncertainty. People are worried.”
Walker, Alaska’s governor from 2014-2018, is vying to unseat incumbent Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who’s running for a second term. Dunleavy’s was one of the few campaigns not present for the annual Fairbanks parade.
Cris Kurka, a freshman state lawmaker also running for governor, perched atop a repurposed school bus, the U.S. and Alaska flags waving behind him. A giant trailer pulled by a recreational vehicle announced “Kurka for Governor.” The campaign convoy was impossible to miss.
Jessica Cook, Les Gara’s running mate in his bid for governor, walked in the parade, handing out flyers and pins with the candidates’ names. Gara for governor signs were displayed in prominent areas on nearby streets, including outside the IBEW Local Union 1547 on Airport Way, where there were signs planted for Murkowski, Walker and Peltola.
“Lisa! Lisa! Lisa!” yelled several spectators as Murkowski, dressed in a denim shirt, jeans and baseball cap, walked next to her float, festooned with a giant letter “M” for Murkowski, made with dozens of red balloons.
Murkowski used the opportunity to talk one-on-one with folks along the way. She strode into the crowds, shaking hands and standing with residents for photos, hugging people like old friends and wrapping an arm around shoulders.
“The Golden Days Parade just takes me back 40 years. This is what I grew up with. The number of floats has grown over the years. But this is how it’s always been. It feels good to be back,” Murkowski said.
Kelly Tshibaka, her Republican rival, wore a sparkly gold top and jeans and waved to folks as she walked the parade route, alongside a float promoting her campaign.
Youngsters played a big role in the parade, with several candidates strolling with their children. “Vote for My Daddy!” was the message on T-shirts worn by Sen. Robert Myers’ five children, as the lawmaker walked in the parade pulling his youngest in a wagon.
“America the Beautiful,” sung by Tony Bennett, blared from speakers on a shared float that promoted the campaigns of both Myers and Alaska House candidate Frank Tomaszewski.
“It’s nice to get out. I just got home at 6 a.m. after working overnight,” said Myers as he and family members assembled before the start of the parade. Myers, who is a truck driver, said he had delivered a drill pipe to Prudhoe Bay and returned in time to participate. “I wouldn’t miss it,” he said.
“The parade has been around my whole life. I’m 59 and I’ve walked in a couple dozen of them,” said Fairbanks Mayor Jim Matherly, who is running for Alaska Senate.
“It has been a dream of mine to one day serve in Juneau,” Matherly said, adding that he has a more distant goal of running for governor after representing Fairbanks in the Legislature, if voters agree. “I’ve looked ahead to this since I was a kid,” he said.
David Guttenberg, assembly member for the Fairbanks North Star Borough, drove a truck for Peltola’s campaign. Peltola is running against Palin and Nick Begich III in the special general election to finish the U.S. House term of the late Rep. Don Young.
“This is a great crowd and I am excited for the support,” said Peltola, who planned to attend a Fairbanks fundraiser in her honor Saturday night at the home of Rep. Grier Hopkins.
Peltola — along with Palin and Begich — also is running for the next two-year U.S. House term against a larger slate of candidates that includes Tara Sweeney, who took part in the parade. “The weather is beautiful and the crowds are amazing,” Sweeney said.
Likewise, the turnout impressed Begich. “It’s great to meet people here and across Alaska,” Begich said.
The campaign floats grew an already busy procession with dozens of local organizations, such as the Fairbanks North Star Borough, which advertised for workers on its float. The FNSB float featured a large man in swim trunks and flippers in a kiddie pool filled with water on an unusually hot morning.
There were a number of musical bands performing, including The Introverts, a guitar and drumming duo who sang and played on the flatbed of a vintage pickup truck strewn with flowers from Alaska Peony Farms.
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