We’re in the midst of our usual mid-winter cold spell here in Alaska. Up in Fairbanks it is a lot worse than here – temperatures are hovering between -40 and -50F. No matter how you slice it, that’s pretty cold… But not really all that unusual for January.

Tonight, all around Alaska, people will wander out into the biting cold. Bonfires will be lit, and fireworks fired. For today is our birthday.

More correctly, it is the 50th anniversary of Alaska’s admission into the Union. On January 3, 1959, Alaskans set bonfires to celebrate their admission to the Union, and will do so again tonight.

It has been a tumultuous but happy 50 years. We’ve suffered great earthquakes and tsunamis. We suffered the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Now we’re dealing with the creeping but real effects of global warming. But at the same time, we’ve grown to about 650,000 people… Our land and water is as beautiful as ever, and when it comes to the creative, ingenious and individualists of our society, Alaskans are still the benchmark.

Times have changed a bit, though. Plans for bonfires across the state ran afoul of clean air standards in places like Juneau, where air quality is often a problem in the Mendenhall Valley – because of wood-burning stoves! And in Wasilla, celebration planners have have postponed the celebration for a week because of the cold weather.

Here in Anchorage there have been events and celebrations for the past week, including a banquet last night at the new Den’aina Center. There will be live music and performances all day at a number of venues, and of course, the fireworks this evening.

It is cold out… but I will be there. It will be a little Alaskan ingenuity and some pre-planning that will keep us warm. A thermos of hot cocoa, good friends, and some fireworks.

Here’s to fifty more!

UPDATE: Here are some photos from last night’s fireworks. We found the perfect perch, on top of the J. C. Penney parking garage.

Town Square Park, just before the start of the show.

Fireworks with the Atwood Building. Notice that the fireworks are in front of the building – they were very low!

More fireworks in downtown Anchorage