FYI Fairbanks: Issue 11

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.

If there’s a pothole or road maintenance issue on your regular route that has you bracing for impact every time you drive by, you can actually report it directly to the agency responsible for the road.

Depending on where the problem is located, use one of these:

City of Fairbanks streets: Report a Problem to the City of Fairbanks

State-maintained roads & highways: Report a Pothole to Alaska DOT

It only takes a few minutes—and at the very least, you’ll know someone besides your suspension has been notified.

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

After more than two decades in the welding industry, Christopher Norman decided it was time to put his experience and skills to work for his own community.

Chris is the owner of Big Cat Metal Works LLC, a family-owned mobile welding and fabrication company based in North Pole. The licensed, bonded, and insured specialty welding contractor provides mobile welding, custom fabrication, and AWS-certified welding inspection services throughout the Interior.

For Chris, starting Big Cat Metal Works was an opportunity to take everything he had learned throughout his career and build a business around doing the work well, treating people fairly, and helping customers find solutions that make sense.

One of his favorite parts of the job is seeing a project come together exactly the way a customer hoped it would. Whether that means fabricating something custom, solving a welding problem, or going beyond what a customer originally expected, Chris takes pride in providing quality work at an honest price—and in finding solutions that can ultimately save his customers time and money.

That approach shows up in the experiences his customers share, too. After bringing a trailer to Big Cat for a frame repair, one customer praised Christ's quick turnaround, communication throughout the process, and fair pricing. Chris not only repaired the damaged side, but fabricated additional brackets to reinforce the other side as well.

The business also has a strong family foundation. Chris credits his wife, Rachael, and their sons, Cj and Charles, with supporting Big Cat Metal Works from the very beginning. Building the company has given him an opportunity to show his children firsthand what can come from hard work, determination, and taking a chance on something you believe in.

And if you're wondering about the name, Big Cat goes back much further than the business itself. It was a nickname Chris picked up during his years in the Iron Workers Union, and it stuck with him. When it came time to put a name on his own company, Big Cat came along for the next chapter.

As we all know, working in Interior Alaska brings its own set of challenges, but that's part of what Chris enjoys about it. Our environment demands experience, adaptability, and the ability to solve problems—and Big Cat Metal Works gets to do that work in our community, a place the Norman family is proud to call home.

Need welding or fabrication work?
Learn more about Big Cat Metal Works and get in touch with Chris and his team.

Connect with Big Cat Metal Works:

Website || Facebook || Instagram

Ongoing
Beaver Sports ReBirthday Party — Sept 18-20

Tuesday September 15
Twos’ Time at the Library — 10:15-11:15am
City of Fairbanks & City of North Pole Candidate Forum — 12-1pm
Southside Community Farmers Market — 4-6:30pm
From Kodiak to the Aleutians, Researching Emperor Geese at the Edges of their Winter Range Talk — 5-6pm
Pioneer Park Pickers Weekly Music Jam — 6:30-8:30pm

Wednesday September 16
Tanana-Yukon Historical Society Lecture-Wickersham, Dimond, and Gruening: Roots of Government-Native Relationships in 20th Century Alaska — 7pm

Thursday September 17
Fairbanks School Board Forum — 5:45pm

Friday September 18
Senior Potluck — 12pm

Saturday September 19
Equinox Marathon
Learn To Curl Open House at the Fairbanks Curling Club — Various Times
Baby Mingle at the Children’s Museum — 9-10am
Tanana Valley Children’s Market — 9am-12pm
Family Matinees at the Planetarium — 10am and 11am
Fall Tomfoolery, Harley 3rd Saturday Event — 11am-3pm
Fall Festival at Alaskaland — 12-4pm

Sunday September 20
Walk & Talk: All About Seed Saving — 1-3pm

Monday September 21
Chess Club at Noel Wien Library — 5:30-7pm

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.

Last week, we asked for your favorite way to prepare moose or caribou and...crickets. Apparently, Fairbanks is keeping its wild game recipes under lock and key. We respect the secrecy.

So this week, we’re asking something you might be a little more willing to share:

Do you get ahead of the rush, wait until the forecast starts looking questionable, or refuse to make the switch until you see the first snowflake?

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