Archie Ferguson: Alaska’s Crown Prince and Craziest Pilot in the World

Alaska was built on aviation. Hard to believe when reading the life of Archie Ferguson authored by Steven Levi. How Archie made it through life as an Alaskan bush pilot and dying in bed an older man is mindboggling! Author and historian Steve Levi, is an entertaining story-teller both in print and radio. Listen to our fun podcast interview with Steve.

Visit our Big Alaska Show Book Review Section to find Steve’s book and links!  [http://www.bigalaskashow.com/book-reviews]

West High School Reunion Homecoming!

There's a tradition we call "Homecoming". For those of us who went to West High School in Anchorage, "Homecoming" stirs up memories of autumn temperatures, football games and termination dust on the mountain peaks. But most of all, it stirs up memories of 50+ year old friendships and the special bond we share. Today's Big Alaska Show revisits some of those moments with the 50th High School Reunions of West High School Classes of 1967 and 1968. Check out this fun podcast for a time when the internet and Facebook didn't exist!

Hear the 50th West High School Reunion podcasts for classes 1967, 1968 and 1969!

[http://www.bigalaskashow.com/bas-shows-archive/67-68-reunion-west-reprise]

Labor Day and the Alaska State Fair!

Hear the Full Podcast!

We know how to celebrate a Labor Day Weekend! The Alaska State Fair is packed with food and entertainment! For example, the Anchorage Midnight Sons Chorus share a history lesson a cappella style of the Gold Rush.

Alaska State Fair Memories                Memories abound at the Fair. Here, co-host Mike Ford and Steven Franklin were Goat judges! What did they know about goats? Let's just say the 4-H Club was shocked by the choice!

Then we visit a memory with Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees when he was at the Alaska State Fair and shared his story when he met the Beatles!

Remembering Robby Dennis        

Our close friend, Robby Dennis, was playing at the State Fair with John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. An accomplished musician, educator and close friend, Robby left us too soon in life and many who loved Robby. But his career was colorful and interesting having performed with some of the musical greats. We resurrected this interview with Robby when he was getting ready to perform at the Alaska State Fair.                                                                                                                                

This video tribute From his close friend, Steve Rychetnik.                                                             https://vimeo.com/sprocketheads/download/224807046/22dcb26bde

https://vimeo.com/224807046

VIPER Class Begins!

The first class of VIPER, Veteran Interships Providing Employment Readiness, started and we couldn't be more proud! This program is from Alaska and designed to help transition veterans into the civilian community and a major focus to End 22, the epidemic of suicides in our military. Hear what these interns have to say and their instructors!

www.vipertransitions.org

Click here to listen to our Labor Day Tall Alaska Tale

Quilts Helping the Homeless!

Meet these guys with BIG hearts and a BIG project from Sew Yeah Quilting out of Las Vegas. They're coming to Alaska providing quilts for the Homeless here in Alaska. Check it out! Current service project Souper Service Project

Brody Tippets joined us to tell us about the project.                     

Besides servants' hearts, these guys have arguably the most entertaining sewing show in the world! After all, where else can you find a sewing show with 3 guys that blow up a sewing machine! This is right down our alley on the Big Alaska Show! Now that's what Mike Ford and I call a sewing show!

Sew Yeah Show including Will It Sew segment with explosion Will It Sew??

You'll be hearing more from these guys when they come to Alaska and the good news they spread. In the meantime, check out their website and if you know someone that likes sewing, quilting - or just be entertained- send them to this website:   Sew Yeah Quilting!

Meet Casie Werner: Polar Bear Jump Off Update 2022 Polar Bear Jump Off Inc., Chair, Casie Werner, updates us on the latest. For more information visit their website.                                                                        

Tad & Sherry Stripling on the Road!

Cousin Tad and Sherry Stripling left Colorado a month before and drove to Alaska. That's half the trip! But here's a little update from them!                                                                     

Remembering Marcus Paine      

We lost Marcus 5 years ago during an airshow. But he belongs in Alaska's history of aviation pioneers and we aim to keep his legacy alive. Here's our interview with Marcus from 2012. Marcus Paine Interview                                                                                          

To listen to the Full Show Podcast   

Iditarod Education Future is Bright!

Iditarod Education Future is Bright!

Iditarod Director of Education, Jane Holmes, has reason to be excited. Iditarod educational opportunities abound, not only for the future but happening right now! Jane describes the variety and creative real-life lessons that come from the Iditarod. Plus, it's fun!

To contact Jane Holmes email wwww.jane.holmes@iditarod.com or visit
www.iditarod.com

Check out our podcast with Jane and our interview with the 2019 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail, Brian Hickox. If you think of a teacher who might enjoy sharing Iditarod lessons and excitement with their students, send them Jane Holmes'contact information. She'd love to hear from them!

Alaska State Trooper Jobs!                                                                                                               

The Alaska State Troopers are hiring and adding a $20,000 cash incentive! Co-host, Mike Ford, gets that facts in this interview!   www.alaskastatetrooper.com

Deadliest Catch Myth Buster 2021!

Mike Ferris is back from commercial fishing and it's not pretty! A tough business and Mike tells it like it really is like to commercial fish in Alaska.
You want a physical and mental challenge? Try commercial fishing in Alaska! Or you can enjoy our podcast and be grateful Mike is telling the story and not you!

Romance, Forest Fires and Science!

It's a fun, informative show when we get these two together on the Big Alaska Show!

Award winning author, Lolo Paige and our Science Guy, Dr. Gordon Snyder, join us to talk about Lolo's new romance novel, Alaska Inferno, and talk about overland wild fires.

Plus, our show started with an equipment glitch that we left in the full podcast. Or you can bypass it to go to our interview with Lolo and Gordon and find her book in our Big Alaska Show Book Review Section!

Happy Birthdays!

Our record setting "attempt" at the largest Big Alaska Show birthday celebration!

Women and Alaska Aviation!

Women and Alaska Aviation!
Carol Zerbe has over 20 years as an Alaska bush pilot. She's also an instructor, an examiner, a business owner, actively involved in aviation non-profits that promote women in aviation and she's a mom! Whew-I got carpal tunnel just typing that! Plus, she's a joy just to talk to. Fun interview. We even played a Tall Alaska Tale with Carol! Alaska was built on aviation and women have played a major role! Carol is one of them! Listen to the full show or just Carol's interview.

Carol's company Northbound Flying Service Website

Women in Aviation Last Frontier Chapter

Alaska Airmen's Association website

Check out our Tall Alaska Tale!

Click here to listen to our Alaskan women aviators Tall Alaska Tale

You can join the fun and let us know what you think!
http://www.bigalaskashow.com/contact

Power Player of the Week!

Ken Coston, president of Alaska Bikers Advocating Training and Education (ABATE), gives a quick update on Christmas in July, an annual program where ABATE and the motorcycle community delivers toys to kids in hospitals in Alaska. Ken's been helping lead ABATE to the next level!

www.abateofalaska.com

Here's the Full Show!

More Texan Visitors!

More Texan Visitors!
July 17, 2021

As our Big Alaska Show Guest tourist, Joel T. Rutherford and his family visited our great state. Originally from Canada, Joel and Heather relocated to the Dallas area to expand their musical careers and raise a family. In a short week they packed every moment with as much Alaska fun as they could. What a blast they had! You can listen to Joel's tourist report and his attempt at our Tall Alaska Tale that takes place in Moose Pass. There's quite an interesting and unique history that takes place here - or does it?! Check out our interview with Joel and the Tall Alaska Tale!

Tundra Comics and Tree Houses!

Want to get to know Alaska? Hang with the locals! Tundra Comics Creator Chad Carpenter is back! The Pandemic changed how he's doing some things but not his sense of humor. Over 600 newspapers carry his cartoon panels. And now he's added a bunch more in the digital world. We catch up on the latest with Chad.

For more information visit Chad's links:
www.patreon.com/tundracomics,
www.tundracomics.com

Plus, check out his tree house he built for his son!

Big Alaska Show Historian!

Stories of Alaska's history are some of our favorites. Steve Levi has them. As Steve says, "If you do not have something unique, you have nothing." Steve puts his words where his books are.  Check out these websites for his books: https://authormasterminds.com/steve-levi and on our Big Alaska Show Book Review Section: http://www.bigalaskashow.com/book-reviews/cowboys-in-the-sky-steve-levi

To find more information visit
https://authormasterminds.com/steve-levi

Listen to our podcast interviews with these two BIG ALASKANS!

Big Alaska Show Guest Tourist!

Big Alaska Show Guest Tourist!

Visitors to Alaska bring much appreciated revenues and we meet some interesting people. Joel T. Rutherford from Texas is bringing his family to Alaska for a vacation. And he’s a member of a gold medal winning quartet,  Acoustix, https://www.acoustix.com/. Better yet, Joel is our Big Alaska Show Guest Tourist and we play Tall Alaska Tales with him (where we’re eligible to win our own prizes- hence, “better yet!”).

 Tall Alaska Tale

Since the Rutherfords are going to Seward and go through Moose Pass, we thought our Tall Alaska Tale appropriate. You’ll find that here and our interview with Joel.

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Seward sits in beautiful Resurrection Bay, a charming, rich in marine-life community and home of the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Here’s a short, nifty description by its CEO/President, Tara Riemer.

Seward: Mural Capital of Alaska

Local Seward artist, Dot Bardarson, tells us about a unique feature about Seward:  murals!

Check it out the walking tour! Seward murals 

Special Tribute

My cousin’s daughter, Hannah, had a baby and named her middle name after my dad, Max Farrand Stripling. We thought we would welcome Annie Farrand Weatherford into the world in our very own Big Alaska Show way!

Full Show Podcast!

We’re Back Live!

Our last live show was March 2020 right after the Iditarod started. Then Lockdown.

Last minute we were granted access to the studio, 6/26/21!

Dr. Carrie Goertz from the Alaska SeaLife Center talked about the endangered Beluga Whales.

Visit the Alaska SeaLife Center website, it’s fantastic! www.alaskasealife.org

Our Science Guy, Dr. Gordon Snyder, share whale stories.

https://youtu.be/l3iGqMaKaWo

https://youtu.be/4j27xy5qYBg 

https://youtu.be/Q8iDcLTD9wQ

Whales Without Borders on Facebook

We spiced things up with our Deadliest Catch Myth Buster, Mike Ferris, and another Close Call. The saucy description featured a lot from our Big Alaska Show Censors!

Listen to the full podcast!

MEMORIAL DAY WE HONOR VIPER END 22!

Kyle Kasier and Gary Olson are at war with suicide in our veterans! They have a great weapon- VIPER!

VIPER, Veteran Internships Providing Employment Readiness, was created to fight the epidemic of 22 suicides that happen every day to our, mostly young, military men and women.

This innovative program provides training and education to transition veterans leaving the military into civilian life.

Often skills learned in the military are not readily transferable to civilian life making the transition scary and feeling hopeless.

This puts these people at risk for taking their lives. VIPER provides a way out and a path towards an exciting career.

 Alaskans should be proud. Because VIPER started in Alaska and it’s catching on including outside Alaska!

Meet some of the VIPER volunteers and others supporting VIPER!

Hear the podcast!

THE PLANE!

Here is the plane intern veterans will restore to fly veterans to fishing spots in Alaska!

https://vipertransitions.com/

Mama Moose Drama and RVs!

Mama Moose Drama and RVs!

Dana DeBernardi, founder of Moose Mamas. www.moosemamas.org, helped us out reunite a calf with its mother! Mama moose is maternal and can be downright dangerous when it comes to protecting her babies!  Dana talks to us about it!

 RV Tips with Ask Henry!

It’s RV season and Henry answers some RV questions from listeners.  Henry will be appearing over the summer with some RV tips and products to make our RV-ing experiences more enjoyable!

Hear the podcast!

Alaskan Biker Show!

Alaskan Biker Show!

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month and we celebrate with our biker friends!

Who better to talk about safety and riding smart than our Alaska Biker Women!

Hear the show!

Alaska Motorcycle Adventures!

For those with friends coming to Alaska that want to rent motorcycles meet our friends Marcus and Michelle Munro of Alaska Motorcycle Adventures, www.akmotoadv.com

Check out their interview about their company.

Deadliest Catch Myth Buster Birthday!

We enjoy celebrating birthdays, especially with Mike Ferris our Deadliest Catch Myth Buster. We pulled out the stops!

Happy Hands Birthday Greeting, Close Calls on the Bering Sea, history, Rotary projects, Tall Alaska Tale, shameless advertising- (did we mention shameless advertising?).

Plus, the man has stories! We’re talking Close Calls on the Bering Sea! We suspected his wife and mother knew a little about these close calls, but not the full details.

Which makes sense. He can share those details now without stressing them out since he’s out of harm’s way. Although once they hear the full details, Mike might not survive their wrath!

 Hear the show podcast – sans commercials!

Alaska Enterprise Solutions, www.aesalaska.com

Hummingbirds Arrive! Nature’s Fighter Pilots and Dr. Gordon Snyder!

Perhaps the most underrated creature in nature, hummingbirds migrate 3,500 miles during the winter. Their high-tech construction allows them to maneuver like a helicopter with precision.
Our Science Guy, Dr. Gordon Snyder, takes us through a tutorial why he thinks they’re so amazing. Gordon posted videos he took with his iPhone of hummingbirds in slow motion.

Hummingbirds in Alaska?! Not only Southeast Alaska but even Southcentral and that never happens. Wrong!

Our Science Guy, Dr. Gordon Snyder, shares science and biology insights to give a better bird’s eye view about hummingbirds.

Find out how remarkable and surprisingly fierce these creatures are and why Gordon calls them “nature’s fighter pilots!

Listen to the Full Podcast!

YouTube Videos

Amazing Anna's Hummingbird in Slow Motion Flight

https://youtu.be/VECn9hGMI2Q

Anna's Hummingbird sipping from feeder in Slow Motion

https://youtu.be/gEC4Afn8VcU

Young Male Anna's Hummingbird doing his best to stay in video frame.

https://youtu.be/stSf60Actjk

For more of Gordon’s pics and videos:

https://www.facebook.com/drgordonsnyder

BIG ALASKA SHOW BOOK REVIEW!

Guest authors, Lolo Paige and Chris Lundgren, join us to share some stories about their books.

Plus, they help introduce interview clips of authors and their books found on our Big Alaska Show Book Review Section.

These authors, books and interviews can be found here:

Steve Levi,  Cowboys of the Sky

Mike Gordon, Learning the Ropes: An Alaskan Memoir

Andy Hall, Denali’s Howl: The Deadliest Climbing Disaster on America’s Wildest Peak

Chris Lundgren, 

Accidental Adventures: True Tales of Ordinary People Facing Danger in the Wilderness

Lolo Paige,  Alaska Spark

1964 Alaska Earthquake!

Good Friday, 5:36 pm, 1964, a 9.2 earthquake struck. Alaskans share their experiences with us!

Check out the full podcast sans commercials. We’ll be posting more individual interviews but wanted to get the full podcast up right away!