North Pole, Alaska
Candy-Cane street lamps decorate the roads in the city itself. On some buildings, Christmas lights are present year-round. The world famous Santa Claus House still stands on St. Nicholas Drive, and is now a home to four of "Santa's" reindeer. Though the store has posted the animals' traditional names, I prefer to call them things I find more suitable than Dancer and Prancer, etc.. My names for them are: "Breakfast," "Maple," "Sage," and "Italian." Of course they all share the same last name: Sausage.
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North Pole has very little to offer in the entertainment world, but it is the home to five franchise restaurants: Subway, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Wendy's. In addition, there is The Great Alaska Pizza Company, a fairly new diner, Harley's, two Chinese places, FireWok and Pagoda, The Thai Cuisine, a bar/diner, The Elf's Den, Dallman's Family Restaurant, and a country cafe' that I honestly don't remember the name of. Oh, yes, we have more than our share of eateries!
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We do have our own radio station located here! 100.3 KJNP is a Christian station which also hosts a TV channel. The station is made of rustic, old log buildings. Their broadcast does come in clear, however, owning the largest antenna in the area, and possibly all of Alaska. In fact, if you still have a phone with a cord, you can often hear the radio through that phone!
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The central location of North Pole is the grocery store which now displays the store label of Safeway. Since I have lived here, the same store has also been called Super Value and Carrs, and I must note, that it is perfectly acceptable to use any of its names interchangeably. Any true Local will not notice if you do not call it by its current title. The store and its adjoining strip-mall is owned by the Gavora family of Fairbanks. They own several locations in the more popular town as well. The mall itself has changed very little except for the lack of stores it is home to. Sentry Hardware is the only store that has been a constant since I have lived here. Everything else, from movie rentals to pet stores, have come and gone. I think the Gavora family is hoping to change that turn-over with their recent addition of North Pole's first Hotel, which is just being finished just outside of the mall's entrance.
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There are three gas stations here; all of which are over-priced and typical of small-town charm. (ie: semi-warm hot dogs at $3.00 each and the restrooms are no place to rest!) I used to work at one of them, Sourdough Fuel. Petro Star owns that one as well as a credit card only pump station under the notable name of Texaco. The third used to be our 7-11, and again, it is perfectly acceptable to refer to it as such.
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The United States Postal Service has a wonderful, little branch in North Pole. Giant Candy Canes in front of the building, and a sign stating its address make the location a very popular photo-op for our many tourists. Though the clerks at the Post Office are the friendliest, I know them each by name, and they have seen me grow up, it is a horrible place to need in November and December. No one can resist sending a Christmas package from North Pole, after all.
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My family moved just outside the small town of North Pole in 1990. Nineteen years later, with the absence of just under a year, I am still living in Alaska's Christmas town. It has been through its course of changes; new buildings up, old ones torn down, growth of population, roads re-routed, etc. But nothing has changed of its personality.
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The Mayor, Mr. Doug Isaacson, (once my youth-group leader, by the way) is often seen walking down the sidewalk and will always smile and wave to anyone and everyone driving by. He is a wonderful mayor, I will note. He has implemented several things for the community including a Christmas Ice Park that has been fantastic the last two years!
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Going into "The Super Carrs Way" (grocery store), you are nearly guaranteed to run into more than a couple familiar faces, in addition to "knowing" all the cashiers. In fact, at the onset of this pregnancy, I noted to my visiting friend that I might be pregnant and she insisted we purchase a home pregnancy test. I refused to buy such an item in North Pole! She bought one. I told that wasn't much better: instead of whispers of the possibility that I may pregnant, North Pole would now be contemplating the state of my single friend visiting from Arizona! Ah well, even today, as I discussed pregnancy issues with one my favorite cashiers, three others and several customers listened in and added their input. Some may find these situations "nosey" or annoying, but it is just the small-town way.
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These same people will be the ones to help raise money when your loved one has cancer. They will help put a porch on your house when the snow caves it in. They will stop to ensure his safety when your child's chain comes off his bike. They will "rescue" your lost dog and most likely keep it in their own home instead of turning it in to the Animal Shelter. North Pole-ians are people with great heart for their community. I'm so happy that my kids are growing up here as I did. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, and this is one great, charming village. :)
