Gearing up for Tent City Days 2013

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Tent City Days are coming back to Wrangell.

Winter is a busy time for Penny Allen, coordinator of Tent City Days – the annual celebration of Wrangell’s golden past.

For the past two months, Allen has been setting schedules, planning activities, and making the final preparations for the big weekend.  But it can be a tough job wrangling people into position.

“We’re still looking for someone that wants to chair the bed races,” said Allen.

She said people can expect to see the usual activities back again this year – as well as some familiar faces.

“As every year, the Coast Guard will be coming to town. I’m still trying to figure out if the two boats from Petersburg are coming this year or not,” said Allen.

But, she said, there are some new events to look forward to as well.  So get out your Xtra-tuffs and raingear because one new event is not for landlubbers.

“There’s going to be a fishermen’s competition that we haven’t had in the past. And I think they’re going to be doing things like coiling and anchor toss,” said Allen.

Allen said adults will also get to try their hands at an event formerly left to the kids.

“And another event that we haven’t had in the past would be the adult scrap fish derby. And it’s run kind of like the kids’ one. Everybody goes down there with hand lines and they try to catch their fish and they have prizes for different types of fish,” said Allen.

As for Allen – her favorite parts of the festival get down and dirty with Wrangell’s rough frontier past.

“I like to take my kids to the carnival and go do that. They have a little jail there and the kids can arrest each other. And then I like doing the Tent City Night. There’s a casino night at the Marine.  Last year they had it all set up all old-timey and you go in there and you do your gold rush gambling,” said Allen.

The 2013 Tent City Days will be February seventh through tenth.

KSTK will keep you up to date with Tent City Days’ schedule of events.