FYI Fairbanks: Issue 10

There’s always something happening around Fairbanks—and we’re here to help you keep up with a little more of it.

Each week, we bring together local events, community updates, useful things to know, and stories from the people and businesses that make Fairbanks what it is. Whether you’ve lived here for decades or are still getting to know the area, we hope you find something useful, interesting, or worth sharing.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with us.

Let's get started.

Did you know your Museum of the North membership doesn't have to stay in your household?

The museum's Dual Membership is $100 per year and includes admission for two named adults—and those adults can live in different households. That means you can split a membership with a friend, sibling, parent, or someone else you'd love to visit the museum with. At $50 each, you both get free admission for an entire year.

There's also a Family Membership for $140, which includes up to two adults (also allowed to live in different households) plus children—so the second adult could even be a grandparent or childcare provider.

Membership comes with a few other perks, too, including discounts at the Museum Store, select events and workshops, and more.

With regular Alaska resident admission currently $17 per adult, it doesn't take too many visits for a shared membership to start paying for itself.

It's an easy way to make visiting the Museum of the North more affordable—and enjoy it as often as you'd like throughout the year.

Support events and businesses that help make Fairbanks a great place to live, work, and play. Click images for more information.

For Alaska beards, Permafrost Beards is keeping beard care local.

Co-owners Levi Lewellyn and Colby Wright handcraft beard care products right here in Fairbanks using all-natural ingredients. Their products can be found in local shops and at festivals and vendor events around the state.

Permafrost Beards was originally founded in 2017 by a veteran, and Levi and Colby’s connection to the business actually began as customers. They were already loyal users of the products when the previous owner decided to scale back and put the business up for sale. Knowing how much they liked the products—and having struggled to find anything else that matched the quality—they jumped at the opportunity to take over the business themselves.

Today, they’re continuing to build Permafrost Beards while maintaining the products and quality that made them customers in the first place.

One of their favorite parts of running the business is the people they meet along the way. Traveling to festivals and vendor fairs around Alaska gives them a chance to introduce Permafrost Beards to new customers while reconnecting with longtime ones. They regularly encounter people who used the products in the past and are excited to find them again, while the scents have earned plenty of fans among the wives and partners of their bearded customers, too.

For Levi and Colby, those interactions are a big part of what makes the work enjoyable. Whether they’re meeting customers at an event, seeing their products on the shelves of local shops, or talking with people who have used the brand for years, they enjoy staying connected with the Alaska community.

That community focus extends beyond beard care. Each year, Permafrost Beards hosts the Mr. Facejacket Competition, a fundraiser benefiting the Fairbanks Community Food Bank. Local businesses and individuals contribute items and services for raffles and auctions, creating a fun event that brings people together while supporting a local cause.

One of the things Levi and Colby value most about Fairbanks is the support people show for small businesses. It’s a community where people remember the businesses they love, are excited to see them at local events, and make an effort to shop local.

That support is something they experience firsthand with Permafrost Beards—and it’s a big part of why they enjoy staying connected with customers throughout Fairbanks and across Alaska.

Ready to check out Permafrost Beards? Shop their Alaska-made beard care products and find your new favorite scent.

Connect with Permafrost Beards:

Website || Facebook

Ongoing
Delta Junction Fall Festival — Sept 11-13
Remote Area Medical Clinic — Sept 12-13

Tuesday September 8
Twos’ Time at the Library — 10:15-11:15am
Southside Community Farmers Market — 4-6:30pm
Community Craft Night at 8 Star Events Center — 5-8pm
Chess Club at Noel Wien Library — 5:30-7pm
AI Discussion at Solstice Books — 6pm
Pioneer Park Pickers Weekly Music Jam — 6:30-8:30pm

Wednesday September 9
Much Ado About Mushrooms at the Library— 6-7:30pm

Friday September 11
Early Explorers: Baskets at Museum of the North — 10am-12pm
Community Harvest Time at the Library — 4-5pm
The Great Alaska Stair Climb — 5pm

Saturday September 12
Family Matinees at the Planetarium — 10am and 11am
LARS Locals Day — 10am-4pm
Fire and Ice: Launching Rockets in Alaska — 11:30am-12:30pm
Far North Fiddle Fest — 7pm

Sunday September 13
Community Arts & Crafts Rummage Sale at the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts at Alaskaland — 10am-4pm
Fall Harvest Festival at Calypso Farm — 12-4pm

Monday September 14
Chess Club at Noel Wien Library — 5:30-7pm
The Revolutionary War in Song at the Library — 6:30-7:30pm

Fairbanks is full of interesting people, opinions, and stories. Each week, we'll ask a quick question just for fun and share some responses in the next edition.

Hunting season means moose and caribou are making their way into freezers around the Interior.

Whether it’s a family recipe, a favorite cut, or just your go-to way to cook it, we want to hear what’s on your table.

Last week we asked “What's your go-to comfort food when the weather starts getting colder?”

Heather is ready for soup season—anything from a thick, creamy chowder or potato soup to chili or moose stew. We also had votes for pumpkin bread and an enthusiastic “Pho allll the way.” Honestly, all three sound pretty good as the temperatures start dropping.

FYI Fairbanks is built by community members, for community members.

Have an event to share? Know a business we should meet? Interested in advertising? Have an idea for a future edition? Just hit reply, we’d love to hear from you.

And if you enjoy getting local stories, events, and community updates delivered straight to your inbox, it would mean a lot if you'd forward FYI Fairbanks to a friend or neighbor so they can subscribe too.

See you around town,

Your Friends at FYI Fairbanks