2008 Wilderness Woman Flyer
PLEASE email this this PDF to every wilderness woman you know!
2008 Bachelor Auction Flyer
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2007 KTUU REPORT
2007 TALKEETNA BACHELORS BACK ON THE MARKET
The Talkeetna Bachelor Society
announces the resurrection of its annual winter fundraiser benefiting
women and children in crisis. Our first going out of business sale was
so successful, we’ve decided to do it again. The 22nd Annual Wilderness Woman Contest and the 27th Annual Bachelor Auction and Ball
will take place Saturday, December 1st, 2007 in beautiful downtown
Talkeetna. Thanks to a group of cold footed and warm hearted bachelors,
accompanied by the new leadership of two naïve and enthusiastic
volunteers, these festive and uniquely Alaskan events will continue.
Like the persistent bachelors who fearlessly brave the auction block
year after year, and the rugged women who haul buckets of water down a
frozen Main Street in sub zero temperatures, these events just won’t
quit. Yes, we said last year was the last year, but bachelors
exaggerate. So let’s just say we’ve lost our lease again -- all sales
are final, everything must go.
Could You Say That Again, Slowly?
The Society cordially invites All Single Ladies, 21 years of age and
older to compete in the 22nd Annual Wilderness Woman Contest, Saturday,
December 1st, 2007 high noon, or thereabout, in Talkeetna, Alaska.
Single ladies will demonstrate their proficiency at a variety of vital
skills necessary for daily living on the Last Frontier such as
water-fetching, beverage opening, and ‘ptarmigan’ shooting. After a
late afternoon nap, the fun starts back up at 7:00 pm at the VFW Hall
for the 27th Annual Bachelor Auction, when it’s the bachelors turn to
entertain the ladies and vie for their favor. The ladies in attendance
may purchase, at fair market value, a feisty bachelor to accompany them
at the 27th Annual Bachelor Ball, to be held at 10:00 pm at the Sheldon
Community Arts Hangar. Each bachelor promises a drink, a dance, and, of
course, honorable intentions.
What Will You Do With All That Money?
All proceeds benefit the Talkeetna Bachelor Society Fund for Women & Children in Crisis
(administered by Sunshine Community Health Center), Sunshine Station
Child Care Center, the Denali Arts Council, KTNA Community Radio, the
Talkeetna Youth Hockey Association and Talkeetna Elementary School as
well as other community needs and projects.
Like Snowflakes, Each Bachelor is One-of-a-Kind
They come from all walks of life, including mechanics, firemen,
loggers, pilots, miners, guides, businessmen, carpenters, geologists,
teachers and more. And hey, let’s not forget the unemployed. Bachelors
range in age from 21 to 70. And you won’t find these products on eBay,
they do things the old-fashioned way – a “Male Order Catalog”, with a tongue-in-cheek biography and photo of the 2007-08 members, will be available for purchase from the Society.
More on Wilderness Women
The Wilderness Woman Contest was added in 1984 to select the lady who
best exemplified the traits most desired by a Wilderness Man. A sense
of humor is highly recommended -- it’s largely satire, but the
competition and prizes are real enough. Single women 21 years of age
and older compete in multiple timed events which change a little from
year to year. Fame and fortune awaits the woman with fastest overall
time in:
The preparation and delivery of a sandwich and a beer to a bachelor
Gather firewood and deposit it near a bonfire
A 100-yard dash to a simulated creek to fill water buckets, and return with them full
Drive a snow machine around a small pre-designed course
Catch a ‘salmon’, shoot a latex ‘ptarmigan’, and saw a birch round
Evade, then dispatch, a ‘moose’ which is behaving like a lonely bachelor
Let’s Buy Men and Dance
The Bachelor Auction and Ball are held in the evening, following the
Wilderness Woman Contest. Only single ladies 21 years of age and older
and members of the Society are allowed inside the auction room. Robert
Forgit, Anchorage broadcast meteorologist and reporter, and local
Talkeetna celebrity Marne Gunderson will emcee the Auction. From the
get-go, the bachelors attempt, with varying degrees of success, to
impress the ladies with their talent and style. Winning bidders are
entitled to a photo, a drink and a dance with their bachelor; anything
else is strictly up to the parties involved. After the Auction, during
the Bachelor Ball, the Wilderness Woman is crowned. The Ball is open to
anyone old enough to participate - up to the limit of the dance floor.
Where Have I Seen You Before
These events have been featured on the Game Show Network, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel,
various Belgian, German, Dutch, British and other international TV and
radio programs. Articles have been written about them in People Magazine, GQ Magazine, Marie Claire Magazine (Paris edition) as well as numerous other publications and newspapers. The Anchorage Daily News featured the Auction on its front page after last year’s events. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno sent up a film crew last year, but decided the footage was simply too hilarious to use.
It is with great pride that the Talkeetna Bachelor Society announces
that the show must and will go on. Mark your calendars, book passage
and lodging, and come to participate in or chronicle the 27th Annual Talkeetna Bachelor Auction on Saturday, December 1st 2007.
