As a young girl in China, Linda Yu had a frightening experience with a street dog that chased her. She tried to run away, but the dog knocked her down, baring its teeth while barking and growling in her face.
Fur Rendezvous, Anchorage's 71-year-old winter festival, has been dogged by debt, mired in a city-led makeover, shaken by board turnover and dissed by just about everyone for being out of touch. Now it's about $100,000 in debt and has a staff of one.
Like Samis, trappers and Arctic explorers before them, visitors to Europe's frosty north are discovering the joy and challenge of dog-sledding across the snowy landscapes of Scandinavia.
An extensive study of Anchorage's popular weekend open market concludes that it works well in its present location, but should grow to interact more with the rest of the downtown area.
