Nightlife

Visit www.fbxsquare.com for tips and blogs on the Fairbanks bar and music scene. Three miles south on the Parks Highway is Blue Loon (907/457-5666, www.theblueloon.com), Fairbanks’ party place with hot bands, art-house movies, dancing, 15 beers on tap, and good pub meals. Don’t miss their Jerry Garcia pig roast each August.

Other dance-till-2 places are The Marlin (3412 College Rd., 907/479-4646, www.themarlin.alaskansavvy.com), and Silverspur Nightclub (285 Old Richardson Hwy., 907/456-6300).

For a nice riverside drink and hors d’oeuvres in a historic setting, head out to the Pump House (Mile 1.3, Chena Pump Rd., 907/479-8452, www.pumphouse.com). College Coffeehouse (3677 College Rd., 907/374-0468, www.collegecoffeehousefairbanks.com) has folksy music.

Out in Fox, Silver Gulch Brewery (907/452-2739, www.silvergulch.com) has a popular restaurant and pub. Across the road is the infamous Howling Dog Saloon (907/456-4695), a great spot for dancing and midnight volleyball.

The Palace Theatre (at Pioneer Park, 907/456-5960 or 800/354-7274, www.akvisit.com) offers a musical-comedy revue nightly mid-May–mid-September. The show, Golden Heart Revue, goes on at 8:15 p.m. It’s professionally produced, and worth the admission ($18 adults, $9 children).

Movies and Plays

Out on Airport Way at Lathrop Street, Regal Cinema (907/456-5113, www.regmovies.com) has comfortable seating and 16 movie screens. The Blue Loon sometimes shows films too. Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre (907/457-7638, www.fstalaska.org) performs plays behind the University Museum in July and August.

Baseball

Composed of top college players, the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks (907/451-0095, www.goldpanners.com) plays against teams in the Alaska Baseball League. The games are played at Growden Field (2nd Ave. and Wilbur St., behind Pioneer Park), starting at 7 p.m. The famous Midnight Sun game, played around the summer solstice, starts at 10:30 p.m. and goes nine innings without using the field’s artificial lights. The Goldpanners are composed of college players, dozens of whom have gone on to play in the major leagues, including Dave Winfield, Graig Nettles, and Tom Seaver.

© Don Pitcher from Moon Alaska, 10th Edition