Each January, Barrow residents look forward to the return of the sun after it has been below the horizon for over two months. - Photo by Earl Finkler / for Alaska Newspapers

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OPINION: Here comes the sun

January 20th 3:01 am | Earl Finkler Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

As the New Year comes in to Wisconsin and Alaska, in the high Arctic there is always a special feature. On January 23,the sun will return to Barrow skies after an absence of over two months. The last view was back on November 19.

With New Year temperatures hovering around 20 below or colder, some might think that just the appearance of the sun over the horizon would help Barrow residents feel a little warmer. Actually, what my wife Chris and I experienced was that it often got even colder after the sun came back. But it looked warmer!

To get residents out of winter hibernation by the TV, we started having a four-mile "Run to the Sun" the day the sun came back. Not only for runners, but walkers, bikers and cross-country skiers, even some being pulled by a Greenland Husky. We'd go out the Road to the Fresh Water Lake. Sometimes the public safety would drive the route first, to look for polar bears.

In the 1997 "Run to the Sun" the wind chill was 60 below, but everyone made it out and back OK. When they reached the finish line, there was hot coffee, tea or chocolate to drink and commemorative T-shirts provided by the Calvary Bible Baptist church.

Now and then the event attracted some media or visiting runners. I remember a reporter for The Readers Digest who did interviews and then ran and walked. We made sure he had enough layers to avoid frostbite.

Another time, two DJ's from Los Angeles came to see the returning sun, and try to describe it live for listeners back home. Unfortunately, that year it was very cloudy and no one could see the disc of the sun. I don't remember them coming out for the run.

At our local Barrow radio station KBRW, we'd try to find as many sun songs as possible. Veteran KBRW DJ Isaac Tuckfield was always able to find more and more sun songs.

Obviously "Here comes the sun," by the Beatles and "Sunshine Superman" by Donovan. Let's not forget "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves. And even Sun Records of Memphis, Tennessee, with artists like Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. They could warm up Barrow, no matter what the wind chill!!

Earl Finkler is a former Barrow resident and radio announcer who now lives in the Lower 48, but revisits his time in the Arctic frequently.

 


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