readers choice 2009
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A look at Fairbanks' best businesses voted by you, the reader!TRANSCRIPT
2 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
Pam Gajdos 1867 AIRPORT WAY
(Next to Wendy’s) 452-2024
Thank you,
Fairbanks!
We appreciate
your support!
11351268-5-17-09RC
Our community has many great realtors. It is an
honor to be voted #2 Realtor by our
community readers. I enjoy helping people reach their real estate
goals by providing quality & prompt personal service.
57351730-5-17-09RC
REALTOR
MARIE CHORD
452-6387
Thank you, fairbanks! for voting us
#1 Best Hamburger in Fairbanks
BREWSTER’S “great food, great alaskan spirits”
TWO LOCATIONS: 3578 Airport Way Teddy Bear Plaza
456-2538
354 Old Steese Northgate Square
374-9663
11351269-5-17-09RC
HAMBURGER
CONTENTS
The first thing people want to know
when visiting a new town is “what’s
good,” whether it’s where to eat, get
their car fixed, hair cut or for a night out on the
town.
Making a “best of” list for Fairbanks isn’t easy.
Readers sent in stacks of ballots giving their choic-
es and we tallied up the votes to come up with the
best of the best.
Thank you to all who took the time to vote.
From naming the area’s best bartender to the best
burger and barbershop, none of it could have been
done without you. If your favorites didn’t make the
list, well there’s always room to debate and plenty
of chances to try something new.
The best of Fairbanks in 2009 Food
List of winners ....................................... 3,4Best Hot Dog ........................................ 3Best Ice Cream ...................................... 5Best Margarita ...................................... 6Best Buffet ............................................ 7
Sports & EntertainmentList of winners ....................................... 7Best Sports Team, Event ........................ 8Best Band ............................................. 9Best Theater Performance/Production ... 15
ServicesList of winners ....................................... 10,11Best Nursery .......................................... 11Best Principal ........................................ 12Best Cashier/Retail Clerk ........................ 13
3Sunday, May 17, 2009 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
Thank you Fairbanks...for voting Alaska USA2009 Readers’ Choice.Service, value, and convenience since 1948.Stop by your neighborhood branch to find out what Alaska USA can do for you.
www.alaskausa.org
Thank you Fairbanks...
RestaurantThe Turtle ClubVallataBig Daddy’s Bar B-Q
Asian FoodPagodaLemon Grass Thai CuisineBamboo Panda
BBQ/RibsBig Daddy’s Bar B-QSockeyesThe Roundup Steakhouse
BreakfastSam’s Sourdough CafeCookie JarDenny’s & The Bakery (tied)
Buffet MayflowerPike’s LandingPump House
BrunchPike’s LandingPump HouseCookie Jar
Chicken WingsKFCFood FactoryRed Fox Bar & Grill
Cocktail LoungeThe Roundup SteakhouseThe Turtle ClubThe Blue Loon
Cup of CoffeeSunrise Bagel & EspressoAlaska Coffee Roasting Co.Starbucks Coffee
Desserts Wolf RunThe Turtle ClubPike’s Landing
HamburgersBrewster’sCarl’s Jr.Zach’s Restaurant at Sophie
Station
Hot Dogs Sam’s ClubA&WSourdough Fuel
FOOD AND DRINK
Please see FOOD, Page 4
By TIM [email protected]
Jennnifer Bates is a member of the Sam’s Club Hot Dog Fan Club.
“They’re good hot dogs,” the 39-year-old Bates said, sitting at a table enjoying a Polish dog for lunch.
“Not only that it’s the cheap-est lunch in town,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about your husband yelling at you because you ate something that cost 10 bucks.”
Sam’s Club once again won the annual Reader’s Choice Award for the best hot dog in town and customers interviewed during a recent lunch rush attributed the popularity of Sam’s Club dogs to two things: price and taste.
The popular Sam’s Club soda and hot dog combo goes for $1.88 while just the hot dog costs $1.59 “They’re cheap and they’re good,” said Kara Wendt,
a 22-year-old mother.Her husband, Jamie, agreed.“It’s the only place in town
you can get Nathan’s hot dogs,”
he said, referring to the popular brand of dogs served by Sam’s. “They’re a lot better than gas station hot dogs.”
Sam’s serves steamed Nathan’s Famous Polish and beef hot dogs that actually fill the bun they’re served on rather than being swallowed by it, Bates said.
“They’re not those scrawny little things you pay $3.50 for.”
Heidi Fica, 41, is a fan of the Polish dogs with the traditional toppings — ketchup, mustard and relish .
“And when I’m not working, onions,” Fica said.
The steamed dogs at Sam’s taste much better than the hot dogs cooked on heated rollers in gas station convenience stores, she said.
“I have never had one that’s overcooked,” she said.
The sesame seed roll adds a touch of class you don’t find in a
Price, taste make Sam’s Club hot dogs a winner
John Wagner/News-Miner
Sam’s Club hot dogs were vot-ed the best in town in the 2009 News-Miner Readers Choice Awards.
Please see HOT DOGS, Page 4
3480 College Rd. • 479-2494 • Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 www.beaversports.com
• MAUI JIM • MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR • NORTH FACE • PATAGONIA • MARMOT • PRANA • MSR • ARC’TERYX •
• JETBOIL • DANSKO • THERMAREST • PEARL IZUMI • BRIDGEDALE • EAGLE CREEK • SMARTWOOL • BIRKENSTOCK •
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Locally ow ned and operated fo r over 35 years
C onven ien t C entra l Location • K now ledg eable E xperienced S taff
• OAK
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B EST S PORTING
G OODS S TORE
Thank you Thank you for voting us for voting us
one of Fairbanks one of Fairbanks favorite sporting favorite sporting
goods stores! goods stores!
R E/ MAX Associates of Fairbanks
&
as the 2009
Readers’ Choice
#1 Administrative
Assistant
as the 2009 Readers’ Choice #2
Realtor
Chelsea Arthur
Marie Chord
529 5th Avenue Suite 200 • (907) 452-6387
Outstanding Agents Outstanding Results
Contact Marie Chord at RE/MAX Associates of Fairbanks (907) 452-6387 [email protected]
Would like to Congratulate
57349483-5-17-09RC
Ice Cream/Milkshakes Hot Licks Homemade Ice
CreamCold Stone CreameryCarl’s Jr.
Italian FoodGambardella’s Pasta BellaGeraldo’sVallata
Margarita ChilisLos AmigosGallo’s
Mexican FoodTaco KingGallo’sTaco Azteca
OmeletSam’s Sourdough CafeCookie JarDenny’s
PizzaCollege Town PizzeriaGeraldo’sPapa Murphy’s
Prime RibThe Turtle ClubPump HouseThe Roundup Steakhouse
Salad BarThe Turtle ClubSafewayFred Meyer
SandwichesChowder HouseSubwaySpeedy’s Subs
SeafoodThe Turtle ClubPump HousePike’s Landing
Sourdough PancakesSam’s Sourdough CafeThe BakeryThe Diner & Denny’s (tied)
SteakVallataThe Roundup SteakhouseLavelle’s Bistro
FOOD AND DRINKContinued from Page 3
convenience store, too.As far as nutritional value, a
3.5 ounce Nathan’s beef hot dog and roll is approximately 300 calories, slightly more than half of which (160 calories) is from fat. One hot dog has 18 grams of total fat (27 percent of daily value), 7 grams of saturated fat (35 percent), 34 milligrams of cholesterol (11 percent), 690 mil-
ligrams of sodium (29 percent), 24 grams of carbohydrates (8 percent) and 11 grams of protein (22 percent).
Sam’s food court manager Sean Tu said Nathan’s hot dogs are popular with the store’s members for obvious reasons.
“Have you seen the size of it?” he said. “You can’t beat it.”
Contact staff writer Tim Mowry at 459-7587.
Continued from Page 3
HOT DOGS: Sam’s Club
4 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Dr. Michael Helmbrecht and the staff at Helmbrecht Dental are very honored to be recognized for the
Readers’ Choice Award for Dentistry. With all of the excellent dentists that Fairbanks has to choose
from, we truly appreciate this recognition and the support of our patients and the community.
With sincere gratitude,
Dr. Mike and Staff
HELMBRECHT DENTAL D.D.S., P.C.
13351399-5-17-09RC
DENTIST
456-1237 • 421 3rd St., Fairbanks AK
Thanks to all of the readers who voted our department #1. We are
proud to serve you . -Chief Curry and Staff-
12351121-5-17-09RCUAF is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution.
ROUNDUP STEAKHOUSE 2701 South Cushman
Reservations or Delivery 479-3663
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for recognizing Roundup Steakhouse for recognizing Roundup Steakhouse and our fine staff for all that they do well. and our fine staff for all that they do well.
Thank you to our Customers Thank you to our Customers Thank you to our Customers
We particularly appreciate your votes in the following categories: We particularly appreciate your votes in the following categories:
#2 STEAK
#3 BBQ RIBS
We look forward to your
continued patronage!
#3 PRIME RIB
#1 COCKTAIL LOUNGE #2 Best Server/Waiter
Beverly
#3 Best Bartender Jennifer
12351126-5-17-09RC
570 Riverstone Way, Suite 3 • 479-4700
Thank you for voting
W EST V ALLEY V ISION C ENTER , I NC .
OPTICIAN
among the finest opticians in the
interior.
Jim Rothmeyer
Mary Beth Smetzer/News-Miner
Emma Opper, age 2, recently enjoyed a vanilla ice cream cone at Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream on College Road. Stopping at the local business for an ice cream treat is a tradition in the Opper family passed down to the next generation.
By MARY BETH [email protected]
Growing up in Fairbanks, Fred Opper’s parents always took him to Hot Licks Home-made Ice Cream on College Road for ice cream.
Now Opper is doing the same with his 2-year-old daughter Emma.
“It’s a tradition,” he said, on a recent May evening.
That’s just one of the reasons Fairbanksans voted Hot Licks
No. 1 for ice cream and milk shakes in the Readers’ Choice balloting.
Emma, couldn’t comment — she was too busy enjoying a vanilla ice cream cone.
Of the more than eight dozen Hot Licks ice cream flavors, Alaska blueberry is Vanessa Spencer’s favorite when it is in season.
“Otherwise I try to choose something different every time,” she said. “I’m never disappoint-ed in what I choose.”
Real cream, milk, sugar, egg yolk, and more real cream are the basic ingredients for Hot Licks ice cream, said owner Geoff Wool.
Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream contains 16 percent but-terfat in all.
But since there aren’t enough cows in Alaska to supply all the fresh ingredients needed to make enough of the small batch, super premium ice cream to
Hot Licks ice cream a summer tradition in Fairbanks
Please see HOT LICKS, Page 6
5Sunday, May 17, 2009 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
6 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
215 Cushman Street • 457-6659 Monday - Saturday 10 – 6 p.m.
www.IfOnlyAlaska.com
locally owned and operated in the heart of downtown Fairbanks
Exquisite Tableware • V
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• Handcrafted jewelry • Pens • Journals •
• Gifts for Grads and Dads • Wedding and Baby •
10350299-5-17-09RC
Thanks, Fairbanks For Your Vote!
3260 College Rd. • 479-6926
Thank you, Fairbanks, for voting
College Floral the #1 Florist in the
Interior!
College Floral & Gift
12351053-5-17-09RC
#1 FLORIST
ICE DOGS HOCKEY 452-2111 • www.fairbanksicedogs.com
12351122-5-17-09RC
SPORTING EVENT SPORTS TEAM Thanks,
Fairbanks, for your support & your votes in one of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs most
fantastic seasons!
satisfy Fairbanksans ice cream appetite, Wool imports much of it from an Oregon dairy farm.
Lochmead Farm grows most of its own animal feed, and does not use bovine growth hormones or use antibiotics unless a cow becomes ill.
Hot Licks products which include ice cream, sherbets, sorbets and ice cream cakes, are made at a Van Horn Road location and sold at two out-lets, one on College Road near the university and the other at Chena Pump Plaza. Hot Licks ice cream also is supplied to local grocery stores and restaurants.
Curt Rogers and his family stopped by the College Road Hot Licks shop.
“I like ice cream and I like to support local businesses. So it
just makes sense,” he said.His wife Margaret concurs,
adding, “Hot Licks reminds me of summer in Fairbanks. It means winter is over.”
Four-year-old Charlie Rogers obviously agreed, barely looking up from his perch on an out-door picnic table as he intently devoured chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone.
Contact staff writer Mary Beth Smetzer at 459-7546.
HOT LICKS: Top ice creamContinued from Page 5
“Hot Licks reminds me of summer in Fair-banks.”
— Margaret Rogers
By AMANDA [email protected]
The margarita had a neon green color. An orange straddled the glass’s salt-covered rim.
Its name? El Nino.At Chili’s Bar and Grill, where the drink was
served, two bartenders said the drink was their favorite of the 14 margaritas on the menu. Chili’s was recently named the best margarita-maker in Fairbanks.
El Nino’s ingredients are barely pronounceable — Herradura Reposado Tequila, Gran Gala orange liquor, Cointreau and orange juice.
“It’s got the most booze in it,” bartender Heath-er Sowards said.
The margarita came in a beer mug. The drink is usually served in a giant martini glass but they all broke and new glasses are on order, a bartender said.
At first, the taste is sweet. Seconds later, it becomes sour. Then salty. The kick is there but subtly.
The customers’ favorite is the Presidente Mar-garita, which commands its own page in the drink menu.
“It’s one of Chili’s signature drinks,” bartender Ron Shaw said.
Also popular are the Tropical Sunrise and Cham-bord 1800.
The main difference between the margaritas is the tequila, Shaw said, noting that each margarita comes with a different tequila.
Dave Kapla said he only orders margaritas, Pres-idente in particular. The computer systems admin-istrator was having his Friday afternoon drink on a sunny May afternoon.
“That’s my thing,” Kapla said from his perch on the northwest side of the bar.
The Presidente’s ingredients are Sauza Con-memorativo Tequila, Cointreau and Presidente brandy.
Kapla likes the Presidente because of the brandy,
which is imported from Mexico.Once, when Chili’s ran out of Presidente brandy,
Kapla went to liquor stores looking for the label.“You can’t even find that brandy in town,” he
said.Sowards, a petite tanned brunette in a bright
T-shirt, served his margarita. Kapla took a sip and then stirred it with a straw.
“It’s definitely a better flavor. It’s smoother,” he said.
Frozen or on the rocks, Chili’s serves up stellar margaritas
Amanda Bohman/News-Miner
Ron Shaw prepares an El Nino margarita at Chili’s Bar and Grill. The restaurant’s mar-garitas were at the top of the list for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Readers' Choice Awards in 2009.
7Sunday, May 17, 2009 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
By CHRIS [email protected]
Mayflower Buffet advertises itself as the “best buffet in city,” and the restaurant lived up to that slogan in the 2009 Reader’s Choice Awards.
News-Miner readers selected Mayflower, in business for only three years, as their favorite buf-fet.
The buffet beat out two more established restaurants, Pike’s Landing and the Pump House, which came in second and third, respectively, in the annual read-ers’ poll.
“I’m happy, so happy,” said owner Jian Chen, who opened the restaurant when he moved to Fairbanks from New York. It is the first restaurant he has owned, he said.
Mayflower is known for its mix of American and Chinese cuisine, prepared by a chef who hails from China. Customers can either enjoy the buffet for lunch or dinner, or order takeout from a menu.
Chen said that most people opt to eat in. Carry-out from the buffet is also available for $3.99 a pound for lunch and $6.99 for dinner.
The buffet features more than 150 alternating items ranging from traditional American fare like pizza and chicken nuggets to more exotic Asian cuisine such as Mongolian pork and honey chicken.
There is also a salad bar that
features a selection of fresh sushi, as well as a soft-serve ice cream machine.
Chen said that he especially enjoys the pepper chicken and coconut shrimp and other sea-food dishes. Patrons don’t seem to have any particular favorites, though.
“I think the customers like it all,” he said.
Contact staff writer Chris Freiberg at 459-7545.
Fairbanks bellies up to the buffet at Mayflower
11349848 5-17-09RC
BAMBOO PANDA BAMBOO PANDA Thank you, Fairbanks, for voting us a favorite
in the 2009 Readers' Choice Awards
1235 Airport Way, Suite 3 • Fairbanks, AK 99701 Call 458-8885 • 458-8886
Come and taste why we scored in Best Asian Food Category.
Mon-Thurs 11 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-11 pm, Sun 12 noon-9:30 pm
Open Hours:
We Deliver!
Corner of Airport Way & University Ave. Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
“For Jewelry as fine as she is”
Teddy Bear Plaza 456-8369
A Special Thank You from
all of us here at for
making Taylor’s
Gold-n-Stones the
#1 Best Jewelry Store, 2009.
11351355 5-17-09RC
#1 JEWELRY STORE
1735
0592
-5-17
-09RC
The cast of
Fairbanks Drama Association would like to thank our supporters for voting us as one of the Best Theatre Companies,
and for voting THE RAINMAKER as the “Best Theatre Performance/Production”
FDA-FCT is proud to be YOUR community theatre.
Please accept our grateful appreciation for your support.
Brandon Michael Bill Starbuck
Betsy Robertson Lizzie Curry
Michael Karoly Deputy File
Carl Addington H.C. Curry
John Paul Kohler Noah Curry
Michael Hunter Jim Curry
Fred DeCicco Sheriff Thomas
Peggy Ferguson Director
Don’t miss our final production of this season:
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU In performance through May 23
at the Riverfront Theatre. Call 456-PLAY for tickets.
BEST THEATRE
PERFORMANCE/
PRODUCTION
Place to bring touristsChena Hot SpringsPioneer ParkRiverboat Discovery
Romantic GetawayChena Hot SpringsPump HouseLavelle’s Bistro
Theater/performance companyFairbanks Light Opera TheatreFairbanks Shakespeare TheatreFairbanks Drama Association
Theater/performance production“The Rainmaker”- Fairbanks Drama Associa-
tion“Romeo & Juliet”- Fairbanks Shakespeare
Theatre“The Nutcracker”- North Star Ballet
Local Sporting EventFairbanks Ice DogsUAF HockeyMidnight Sun Run
Local Sports TeamUAF NanooksFairbanks Ice DogsFairbanks Grizzlies
Local BandNostalgic JamGirls With GuitarsSweating Honey
Place for DancingSilver SpurThe Blue LoonPioneer Park
SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
“I’m happy, so happy.”
— Jian Chen, ownerMayflower Buffet
8 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner2009 Readers’ Choice Awards 21351859 5-17-09R
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River Mall • 29 College Rd.• 456-1298 Monday – Saturday 10 – 6 • Closed Sunday
Thank You Thank You for voting us the Best Gift Shop for voting us the Best Gift Shop
in Fairbanks in Fairbanks
GIFT SHOP
Chinese Restaurant
431 N. Santa Claus Lane North Pole 488-3338 1635
1396
-5-1
7-09 Delivery available in North Pole & Eielson
in the Interior! Open 7 days
Friday-Saturday: 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday - Thursday: 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
for voting us 1 st Place
for Best Asian Food
Celebrating 19 wonderful years in North Pole!
Best Asian Food Thank you, Fairbanks North Pole and Eielson
Now enrolling for summer and 2009-2010 school year Open to ages 3–6 � 451-8485 � 2014 30th Avenue
18351359-5-17-09RC
Thank you, Fairbanks, for your vote, Best Day Care
Congratulations, Laura Stark! Favorite Teacher
voted 2nd place.
By DANNY [email protected]
The University of Alaska Fair-banks and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs hockey teams had a few things in common in 2008-09.
They each achieved success with first-year head coaches, fea-tured players who were highly honored, and the voters of the Reader’s Choice Awards enjoyed watching each of them in action this past season.
The Ice Dogs of the Junior-level North American Hockey League were voted as the best local sporting event and the Nanooks of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association earned the top honor for local sports team.
The Nanooks were runners-up in the local sporting event category and the Ice Dogs were the second- favorite local sports team. The annual 10-kilometer Midnight Sun Run received the third-most votes for local sporting event and the Fairbanks Grizzlies of the Indoor Football League were voted for third place for local
sports team.The Ice Dogs, under Josh
Hauge, posted a 38-12-8 record in the regular season for a franchise-best 84 points, and they swept West Division rival Kenai River Brown Bears in three games of a best-of-five, first-round playoff series. The Ice Dogs advanced to the best-of-five division champion-ship series against the Wenatchee
Wild, losing three games to one to the expansion team from Wash-ington state.
Ice Dogs forward Austin Block produced a league-best 73 points (29 goals and 44 assists) in the regular season and earned the NAHL Forward of the Year honor. The 20-year-old from Thousand Oaks, Calif., also had seven of Fairbanks 30 playoff goals.
Teammate Drew Darwitz, also 20 and from Cottage Grove, Minn., paced league defensemen with 39 points (two goals and 37 assists) and his work on the back end led to the NAHL Defenseman of the Year.
The CCHA preseason polls picked the Nanooks for an 11th-place finish in the 12-team league.
Under Dallas Ferguson, the
team instead placed fourth in the regular season, won a quarterfi-nal series at the Carlson Center against the Ohio State Buck-eyes and advanced to the CCHA Championship Tournament in Detroit.
The Nanooks also finished with the second-best defense in NCAA Division I, allowing 1.74 goals per game.
While guiding the team to a 17-16-6 overall record, Ferguson, a former Nanooks defenseman and assistant coach, received the CCHA Coach of the Year honor and was a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award for the Division I national coach of the year.
Senior goaltender Chad John-son was critical to the Nanooks’ success and the 23-year-old native of Calgary, Alberta, seemed to need a wheelbarrow for the acco-lades he garnered.
The D-I leader this past sea-son for goals against average (1.66) and saves percentage (.940) received the league’s Player of the
Nanooks, Ice Dogs bring out hometown faithful
Please see SPORTS, Page 10
John Wagner/News-Miner
Fairbanks Ice Dogs were named Fairbanks’ best local sporting event.
9Sunday, May 17, 2009 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
By GLENN [email protected]
What’s it take to get the top of the Reader’s Choice Awards? Friends in unexpected places.
“Someone must have stuffed the ballot box,” said Greg Balogh, lead singer for Nostal-gic Jam, a 1950s and ‘60s cover band voted Fairbanks’ Best Band by News-Miner readers. “I’ve never filled one of those (voter forms) out, but someone must like us. I honestly don’t know anything about it.”
That “someone” must have a good memory as well, as the band’s last public show was a Halloween party at the Chat-anika Lodge. Most of the time Nostalgic Jam plays weddings, private parties, birthdays, anni-versaries, family reunions and other special events.
“You might say we are a niche band,” Balogh said. “We don’t play every weekend in the bar, but we’ve been playing around town for 10 or 12 years. When ever there is a Realtors conven-
tion in town, we usually play that.”
The band, which has seen a few lineup changes over the years, features Martin Hartman on bass, Greg Higdon on gui-tar, drummer Bob Kelley, Mike Thibodeaux on keyboards and saxophone, and Balogh.
Nostalgic Jam specializes in music from the 1950s and ‘60s, though it sometimes slips into the 1970s, Balogh admitted. Popular favorites include Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” (“Always a favorite.”), Wilson Pickett’s Mustang Sally (“That
never fails to get the dance floor full.”), the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” (“It always gets them out.”), J.J. Jackson’s “But It’s Alright,” some old Rolling Stones and smattering of Motown hits.
“We try to do stuff to get peo-ple up off their chairs,” Balogh said. “We stick a ballad in every once in a while too so the guys that don’t know how to dance can get up and just kind of sway back and forth.”
While Balogh said he is “sur-prised” Nostalgic Jam was the top vote getter, he said the band
does have a small following.“We do have a kind of fol-
lowing of people who know the band,” he said. “When we do play a public gig I do see a lot of familiar faces in the audience.”
But winning probably won’t go to anyone’s head. The band members each work regular day jobs — Balogh has been with
Spenard Builders Supply for 30 years — and Nostalgic Jam is more of a hobby than aspiration.
“For a couple years we were playing 30-35 times a year, but then we decided there are only 52 weekends, so we decided to pare that back a little bit,” he said. “But really it’s just some-thing fun to do.”
Nostalgic Jam gets the nod as Fairbanks’ best band
Steese & Trainor Gate •␣ 456-6777
Congratulations, Angela Foster for being
voted the best
bartender in
Fairbanks! 13351397-5-17-09RC
BARTENDER
The
Turtle Club 10 mile Old Steese Highway Fox, Alaska
12351123-5-17-09RC
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK: Mon.-Sat. 6-10 • Sun. 5-9
#1 RESTAURANT #1 SEAFOOD #1 SALAD BAR #1 PRIME RIB #1 SERVER
In the mood for the best?
It’s our pleasure to serve you. , , ,
2nd Place Desserts
2nd Place Bartender
2nd Place Cocktail Lounge
Thank You to all of our customers who voted for
Ann’s Greenhouses. We appreciate your support for the past 43 years!
Come see us for: • bedding plants • seeds • onion sets
• nursery stock • soil & fertilizer
479-6921 3 mile Sheep Creek Rd.
18351361-5-17-09RC
10 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
Auto mechanic/repair shopGabe’s Truck & Auto RepairGene’s Chrysler Dodge JeepDietrich Auto Repair
Banking facility/financial institution
Alaska USASpirit of Alaska FCUMt. McKinley Bank
Barbershop/BarberJoe-Just HaircutsDon’s Barber ShopMarena Ball-Alaska Barber
Shop
BartenderAngela Foster-Club AlaskanJanelle Sweeney-The Turtle
ClubJennifer-The Roundup Steak-
house
Car WashSplash’n DashCushman Plaza Carwash Gasline II/Steese
Cashier/retail clerkCindy Whitmer-Safeway Uni-
versityTim Castor-Fred Meyer EastWillie Andersen- Fred Meyer
West
Day CareOpen Arms Child Develop-
ment CenterFairbanks MontessoriBunnell House Early Child-
hood Lab School
DentistDr. Michael HelmbrechtDr. Lee PayneDr. James Cerney
DoctorDr. Timothy Foote-Tanana
Valley ClinicDr. J. Cox,Oncology- Fair-
banks Memorial Hospital Dr. Charles Steiner-Tanana
Valley Clinic
Fire DepartmentUAF Fire DepartmentSteese Area Volunteer Fire
DepartmentCity of Fairbanks Fire Depart-
ment
FloristCollege FloralSafewayDaisy a Day Floral
Gift ShopSomethin’ SpecialIf Only…a fine storeKnotty Shop
Gun ShopSportsman’s WarehouseArctic Gun WorksSentry Hardware
Hair Salon/stylistKelly Nash-Pivot Point
Sally-Sally’s SalonDana McCarter-Perfect Look
Insurance Agency/agentKen Murray InsuranceVern Carlson-State FarmCole Hollister-Allstate Insur-
ance
Jewelry StoreTaylor’s Gold n StonesFred MeyerGold Rush Fine Jewelry
Massage/physical therapistGreg Milles-Hometown PTTaian Trujillo-Hair, Body &
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BankFairbanks Resource AgencyLove, INC.
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Nursery/garden center Holm Town NurseryAnn’s GreenhouseThe Plant Kingdom
OptometristJohn Lounsbury-Sam’s ClubDamien Delzer-Eye ClinicRuth Nicolas-Golden North
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Year , Goaltender of the Year and Perani Cup awards and was an All-CCHA first-team selection.
The Pittsburgh Penguins 2006 draft pick collected two All-America honors (American Hockey Coaches Assocation/Ree-bok West Second Team and Inside College Hockey.com Third Team), and he was among 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, college’s hockey highest individual recogni-tion.
He was also a West Team goal-tender in the Frozen Four Skills Challenge on April 10 in Washing-ton, D.C.
Senior wing/center Trevor Hyatt of Anchorage was also named to the second team of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS All-America Team.
Continued from Page 8
SPORTS
SERVICES
The Associated Press
The University of Alaska Fair-banks was named top school in the 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards.
11Sunday, May 17, 2009 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
UAF is an AA/EO employer and educational institution.Produced by UAF Marketing & Communications. 05/2009
The University of Alaska Fairbanks would like to say THANK YOU toFairbanks Daily News-Miner readers for awarding us:
First Place — Best SchoolFirst Place — Best Sports Team (Alaska Nanooks)First Place — Best Fire Department(University Fire Department)
21 3Second Place — Best Sporting Event(Nanook Hockey)
Third Place — Best Teacher(Doug Christensen, Geology and Geophysics)Third Place — Best Day Care(Bunnell House Early Childhood Lab School)
America’s Arctic Universitywww.uaf.edu
We’re proud to be part of the Fairbanks community!
By REBECCA [email protected]
Whether it’s plants, pots or pastries, Holm Town Nursery was voted No. 1 in Fairbanks for the 2009 Readers Choice Awards. The business offers a wide variety of gardening mer-chandise and the new Petunia’s Cafe.
When visitors walk into the newly renovated store and adja-cent greenhouse, it’s like walk-ing into a blooming garden, with the echoes of birds chirping and an assortment of colorful plants and seed variety, Holm Town Nursury’s environment can take even the coldest winter blues away.
The nursery is a well rounded garden center and full service nursery offering the widest selection of hardy trees, shrubs and perennials.
The staff each bring their own gardening expertise to the store and can offer help with any question whether it’s water-ing tips to full-blown landscap-ing ideas specific to Northern
Alaska.And why not grab a bite to
eat while you’re out? Petunia’s Coffee shop, right inside the Nursery offers an assortment of baked goodies and homemade soups and sandwiches, not to mention early bird breakfasts at 8 a.m.
Ann’s Greenhouse, off Sheep Creek road also offers a wide variety of plants specifically for
the Interior and is an adventure to wander in and out of the sev-eral greenhouses. Ann’s Green-house was founded in 1966, and is one of the oldest and largest in Fairbanks.
One of the larger nurseries in Fairbanks, Ann’s Greenhouse offers something for even the pickiest of gardeners whether it’s a wide assortment of veg-etables and herbs or the color-
ful perennials and hydroponics plants.
Readers chose the Plant King-dom, located on Farmers Loop, as their third favorite nursery in town.
Known for producing qual-ity flowers and starts, the Plant Kingdom is open seven days a week during the summer time.
Contact staff writer RebeccaGeorge at 459-7504.
Holm Town Nursery an oasis in the subarcticJohn Wagner/News-Miner
Holm Town Nursery was voted the best nursery in town in the 2009 News-Miner Readers’ Choice Awards.
Server/WaiterKathy Ratliff-The Turtle ClubBeverly-The Roundup Steak-
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SERVICES
By CHRISTOPHER [email protected]
Barbara Burch is out with the kids at recess every day.
It’s one of the chances Burch, principal at Nordale Elementary School, has to enjoy the simple things that help prepare children for future success.
“The reward for me is every day,” Burch said of her 35 years in education. “Smiles, hugs, fix-ing a kid’s zipper on the play-ground when it’s really cold.”
Raised in Seattle, Burch moved to Alaska in 1986 after earn-ing degrees in Washington and Idaho. She taught at Barnett, Badger Road and Ladd schools and completed an administrative internship at Joy Elementary before becoming Nordale’s prin-cipal in 1998.
Since then, she’s helped the school and staff move into a new building and through other chal-lenges. She said that she was surprised to find that the more she learned about her role as educator and administrator, the
more challenges — worthwhile, but challenging nonetheless — arose.
“I am 60 years old and retiring in just a few weeks after 35 years
of getting up every day and going to school,” Burch said. “I feel great and am ready for the next adventure in life.”
This spring, newspaper read-ers in Fairbanks chose Burch as principal of the year.
Leslie Hajdukovich, a mother who lives in the same neighbor-hood as Nordale, said by now she recognizes Burch’s tan Jeep — often parked outside the school on nights or weekends.
“I know she does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work so she’s available for the teachers and the parents and staff and students,” said Hajdukovich, also president of the school district’s board.
Burch said if she started again from scratch, she’d do at least one thing differently. She’d take better care of herself and would delegate more authority among staff.
That said, she wouldn’t hesi-tate again to choose what has proven a rewarding career. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Nordale is also host to this year’s teacher of the year, Tom Dolan.
Contact staff writer Christopher Eshleman at 459-7582.
Readers name Burch outstanding principal
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12 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
News-Miner photo
Barbara Burch, principal of Nordale Elementary School, speaks with a student. Burch was named outstanding principal in the 2009 Readers’ Choice.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story origi-nally ran in August 2008.
By AMANDA [email protected]
It was 1974, and Cindy Whit-mer was a young wife new to Fairbanks by way of Rifle, Colo., a small town on Route 6.
Woolworth’s on Cushman Street had hired her to handle its drapery orders, but Whitmer found the job boring, so she went to the University Avenue Safeway store to see if they needed a cashier. Whitmer had some experience after working at the City Market in Aspen, Colo.
Safeway did need someone, but Whitmer had to give Wool-worths two weeks notice. By the time the two weeks passed, the Safeway job was taken.
“So I just kept bugging Safe-way,” Whitmer said.
One day, a woman said there was an opening. She asked Whit-mer to take a math test. Whit-mer aced it. The woman hired her on the spot.
Thirty-three years later, Whit-mer is one of the fastest cashiers on the line and a favorite with customers, some of whom have been shopping at Safeway as long as Whitmer has been a cashier.
“She’s good,” customer Ellu-cia Boswell said. “She’s fast and friendly. She’s positive. I’m sure she has bad days like everybody else, but she doesn’t let it show.”
Grace under fireLast week, a woman with two
cart loads pulled up to Whit-mer’s register. The 54-year-old was the only cashier online, and it was a Bush order. The woman wanted her groceries packed in moving boxes for a journey to rural Alaska.
Whitmer dispatched her bag-ger to hunt down boxes and packing tape while she scanned the items.
Five-pound bags of sugar, a 10-pound bag of rice and giant bags of potatoes crept down the conveyor belt.
Whitmer piled the grocer-ies behind her, careful to place heavy items below lighter items, such as bread and hamburger buns.
When the bagger returned, Whitmer joined him in boxing the groceries. Whitmer moved swiftly as the line behind the woman grew. Customers began shifting their weight and the mood grew uneasy.
After the order was packaged and the customer went on her way, Whitmer turned to the next customer and smiled as if it were her first customer of the day.
By then, Whitmer had been working for five hours.
“Smiling a lot helps,” Whit-mer said. “If you get frustrated, they just get frustrated.”
Small-town rootsWhitmer is the middle child
of five born to a coal miner and a nursing home attendant. She grew up in the country. Her high school graduating class numbered about 100. Her family kept a horse and sometimes a cow on their property.
When Whitmer turned 17, she married her sweetheart, Lyle, a budding airplane mechanic
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13Sunday, May 17, 2009 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
Whitmer a standout among Fairbanks cashiers
Please see CASHIER, Page 14
Eric Engman/News-Miner
University Ave-nue Safeway cashier Cindy Whitmer smiles as she waits on customers near the end of her shift in August 2008.
14 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
whom she had met through her sister’s boyfriend.
"It had always been his dad’s dream to live in Alaska,” Whit-mer said. “He asked me one night if I wanted to go.”
Whitmer said yes.The couple called a pilot
acquaintance who had moved to Fairbanks, and the pilot said there would be a job for Lyle.
Next, they had to tell Whit-mer’s parents. Her mother cried.
“Mom just felt like it was so far away that she’d never see us again,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer wrote letters to her family and sent pictures of Alaska.
Eventually, her parents and all of her siblings moved here.
The grocery businessIn the 1980s, the Whitmers
moved back and forth between Fairbanks and Anchorage, owing to Lyle’s job. Cindy remained with Safeway, working at the Diamond Mall and Penlan Park stores.
Checking groceries hasn’t
changed much since the 1970s, except maybe the uniforms, according to Whitmer.
“Back then you had to know the price. Now you have to know the code,” she said.
Whitmer pulled out an old sales ad featuring store employ-ees. The ad was from 1992, back
when the cashiers wore a black ribbon around their collars.
There’s been so many uni-form changes that Whitmer can’t remember them all. She likes the black stretch Dockers and the button-up short-sleeved shirt required of today's Safeway employees.
Whitmer’s cash register sits near the self-serve checkout stands. When asked if she thinks her job will eventually become obsolete, she said no.
"There’s still going to be too many people who like coming and having someone check them out,” she said.
She offered an analogy about automated answering services. The same people who immedi-ately press zero for the operator will prefer someone to scan their groceries for them, Whitmer
said.Also, there are services a
cashier can provide better than a computer, she said.
Safeway occasionally runs sales on cartons of eggs. Buy one, get one free. Some custom-ers only take one carton of eggs. Whitmer said it’s her job to remind them that a second car-ton would be free.
Whitmer, who is a head clerk, has probably helped train dozens of grocery cashiers throughout the years.
She uses memory games to remember bar codes for various products. For example, the code for asparagus is 4080. Whitmer thinks of it as 408-none. The none stands for the fact that Whitmer has never eaten aspar-agus.
“It just doesn’t look good to me,” she said.
33 years? Yeah, rightWhitmer’s daughter, a courier
for Napa Auto Parts, stopped by to bum some lunch money. Her son also paid a visit, picking up snacks and antifreeze for a road trip.
What has kept Whitmer behind a cash register for three decades?
“Mainly just talking to the people and being with the people,” she said. “There’s a lot of them I know by name. I get to know how they like things done. They can trust that I’ll know how they want it done. People want to come through my line, and that’s pretty cool. I’ve worked in other departments, but I just prefer the check stand.”
Whitmer gets satisfaction from putting a smile on a cus-tomer’s face.
As people moved through her line, Whitmer commented on the weather or asked if they had been to the Tanana Valley State Fair.
A man said yes, he had been to the fair, and Whitmer contin-ued the thread of conversation.
“We went yesterday, too. I took my umbrella,” she said.
“It kind of feels good to have it done,” the man replied.
“You want help out?” Whit-mer asked.
No thanks, the customer said.“I’ve been doing this so long,”
Whitmer said. “If somebody would have told me when I first started that 33 years later I’d still be doing it, I’d have said ‘Yeah, right.’”
Contact staff writer Amanda Bohm-an at 459-7544.
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CASHIER: Whitmer says a smile is her best defense against a bad dayContinued from Page 13
“People want to come through my line, and that’s pretty cool. I’ve worked in other departments, but I just prefer the check stand.”
— Cindy Whitmer
15Sunday, May 17, 2009 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is an excerpt of a story that ran in March 2009.
By ERICA GOFF
What is the beauty of a the-atrical comedy? Anybody can make you cry but it takes a real genius to make you laugh.
“The great Laurence Olivier said those words, and it is so true. Dying is easy, but comedy is hard,” said Peggy Ferguson, director of the upcoming Fair-banks Drama Association pro-duction of “The Rainmaker.”
Ferguson, who is also executive director of FDA, has nearly 40 years of experience in community theater — she first volunteered with FDA in 1970, shortly after arriving in Fairbanks — and she’s well acquainted with what makes a good production and what doesn’t. Smart writing, she said, is a major factor and is exactly
what makes N. Richard Nash’s “The Rainmaker” a success.
“Richard Nash has such a knack for setting up fantastic characters and he’s perfect with timing and planning for com-edy,” she said, calling the play “one of my Top 10 favorite plays of all time. “I’ve always wanted to direct this and never have before. It is so rich, so funny, so touching. This has been one of the best theater experiences of the last 40 years for me. It’s such a wonderful comedy.”
The story is one of drought, both figuratively — a Mid-western farm family is battling a severe lack of rain — and emotionally — the characters are facing a “drought of love,” Ferguson said. Leading lady Lizzie Curry is a 35-year-old
headstrong woman living in 1918, unable to find love. Like-wise, fellow protagonist Deputy Sheriff File has been burned by love, recently divorced, and has given up hope on companion-ship. The situation is one that denotes bravery on the part of the farmers — “Farming is one of the biggest gambles in life because people’s livelihood is totally dependent on weather,” Ferguson said — and the part of potential lovers.
“Lizzie and Deputy File are very much alike, and both hilar-iously stubborn individuals,” Ferguson explained. “There is a great funny dynamic when they do come together. They are some of the funniest scenes.”
Again noting Nash’s effective writing, Ferguson said the char-
acters, while very “salt of the earth,” express real, relatable language and become complex, three-dimensional, sophisticated people. But it is also the real-ity of the setting — early 1900s America — that creates the powerful story Nash tells.
“At that time a woman had to be married early (in her 20s) or she’d become so stigmatized, as an Old Maid or a spinster. If you weren’t married, you were either a dedicated school marm all your life or you were weird as hell,” Ferguson said. “If you were in your mid-30s and not married it was a problem. I can’t believe the choices these women had to face.”
Adding to Lizzie Curry’s difficulty was her strong, opin-ionated personality, something
many men at the time weren’t ready to deal with. It may have been trouble for the character’s love life, but it adds to the witty theatrics and dialogue of the play.
“Deputy File has his eye on her, but he won’t make a move because he’s been burned, and Lizzie’s brothers and father keep telling her she’s pushing every man away,” Ferguson said.
The plot thickens when Star-buck, a con man who promises to bring rain to the farmland, enters the story and joins the Curry family and Deputy File in their struggle. Ferguson called him an “interesting character, the ultimate salesman,” who “adds another hilarious dimen-sion to the story.”
Readers give ‘The Rainmaker' highest accolades
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16 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner