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100th Anniversary Midnight Sun Game
June 21, 2006


1949 Midnight Sun Game


Ken Rankin of Fairbanks

  • Local baseball coaching great honored with "Rankin Field" - "The Rankin family has a long tradition with youth baseball and the Alaska Goldpanners. General Manager Don Dennis said that Ken was his "unofficial adviser" and a reliable sounding board for many of the things Dennis did with the team, helping out on such decisions as  the design of the uniforms.   "I think it's hugely appropriate that he gets a field named after him," said Dennis. "His interest went far beyond the baseball part into a very personal interest in each kid."
  • Ken Rankin: "Heavy Hitters" - Aug. 8, 1990 "We've gotten a little better with each game and that's what you want to see"
 
My name is Dean Clukey and I was the winning pitcher in the 1956 Midnight Sun Game. I played for the Eielson Outlaws. We beat the Civilian All Stars that year and it was quite an experience. At that time it was known as the Midnight Sun League and was affiliated with the National Baseball Congress. In 1956 I was one of 16 players selected for the all star team. What was then Seattle AAA professional team came up and played the all stars that year and beat us 15 -14( I believe that was the score) a real pitchers duel.
 
The Eielson Outlaws had a succesful season that year, won the Alaskan championship, and went on to the Air Force World Series at Scott AFB Illinois. We were the last overseas team to be eliminated. Yes, we were an overseas team because Alaska was not a state at that time as you know.
 
Prior to entering the military I had signed a contract with Baltimore in 1954 but later got released. We had the draft at that time and the military was mandatory for most of us and I ended up in Alaska for two years
 
After the military I returned to Maine, played a little semi-pro ball and served in the Maine State Police for 24 years and am currently a Maine State Senator.
 
I got a kick out of reading your Web Page and thought you might be interested in some history.
 
Dean Clukey
  • The boys of summer solstice - David Hoeckstra, Chicago Sun Times "The Goldpanners beat Omaha 3-1 in the 100th Anniversary game. Fairbanks native Sean Timmons was the winning pitcher. He is now the winningest pitcher (3-0) in the history of the Midnight Sun game. Immediately after the game, his No. 33 jersey was shipped to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. "

  • 100 Years of Baseball Fun in Fairbanks - "You can almost feel this day approaching," Basch said. "These people wait the whole winter for the solstice and this game."

  • Reprinted in New York Times

  • Thousands Attend Midnight Sun Game - Newsday

2004 ADDITIONS


Historic Chena River Flows Through Heart-Shaped Downtown


Official Giants Uniform!

  • 11/15/4: Interior department approves drilling - The Interior Department has approved ConocoPhillips' plan to build two oil production pads in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, but the company has not yet decided to go forward with the drilling.
  • 11/6/4: Alaskan Native Heritage Month - "Therefore it is that our fathers have inherited from their fathers all the old rules of life ... we do not know how, we cannot say why, but we keep those rules in order that we may live untroubled." -- Aua, An Iglulingmiut Shaman, Lyon Inlet (1922)
  • 11/2/4: Valley Green Giants, North Pole Nicks, Fairbanks Pictures:

Valley Green Giants - 1976 Original Team

North Pole Nicks
NBC Story 8/15/85>


Fairbanks Pictures

  • 10/30/4: Bad news (and good) on Arctic warming - "The first thorough assessment of a decades-long Arctic warming trend shows the region is undergoing profound changes, including sharp retreats of glaciers and sea ice, thawing of permafrost, and shifts in ocean and atmospheric conditions that are likely to harm native communities, wildlife and economic activities, while offering some benefits."
  • 10/28/4: Valley Green Giants: 1976, 77 Yearbook Covers


Before Construction, After Construction




Swede Stenberg

Dermot Cole
  

2003 ADDITIONS

 

  • 11/26/3: KoreaTimes: 'Missile warhead found in Alaska' - "According to a U.S. document, the last piece of a missile warhead fired by North Korea was found in Alaska, former Japanese foreign minister Taro Nakayama was quoted as saying in the report. ``Washington, as well as Tokyo, has so far underrated Pyongyang¡'s missile capabilities."
  • 11/25/3: Happy Trails Ahead: Mother Nature gives mushers something to work with - PEN "It's bitchin'," said Bagle in regard to the trail conditions in the high country over the weekend. "It's the real deal up here."
  • 11/19/3: Atta Boy 300 set for "showdown on the snow" - "The showdown that everyone associated with sled dog racing has been waiting for since Frank Teasley of Jackson, Wyo. redefined modern day stage racing in 1995 is finally happening. "
  • 11/10/3: Fund-raiser garners support for mushers - PEN "Lance Mackey, Jeff, Jason Mackey and his son, Jason Jr., congratulate Ray Stelljes, the outcry auction's winning bidder for the vasectomy package"
  • 11/1/3: Website Opening!

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