Alaskans get ready for Memorial Day weekend plans

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Come rain or shine, Memorial Day weekend must go on in the Last Frontier.

Among the many plans put into action for the extra long weekend, one thing no one in Alaska planned for is to let a little rain slow them down. Despite some cloudy weather in the weekend’s forecast, lots of people made plans to take full advantage of everything the state has to offer.

Folks like Charles Fualaau from Seattle don’t just tolerate the rain — they thrive in it.

“I’m born and raised in Washington so we love the rain where I’m from … a vest keeps me just fine,” Fualaau said. “We didn’t think there was going to be a lot to do in Alaska, but there are — surprisingly — there are quite a few things, at least sightseeing, and it’s free, right? So, it’s lovely.”

Fualaau came up from the Lower 48 with his wife and six children just for one day Friday, flying in early in the morning and flying out late at night. He said though their time was limited, they made sure to soak up every second they were here, even going so far as to let the children weigh in on scenic destinations.

From Beluga Point to Bird Creek Campground, Alaska has no shortage of scenic destinations. Whether it’s whale-watching, sightseeing, or even just packing up the car and hitting the open road, for many, Memorial Day weekend is often the first chance of the year to soak in the great outdoors.

Corbin and Ruby Fraizer and their 17-month-old daughter Ivy are spending the weekend at Thumb Cove. For the longtime Alaska couple, making it a point to get outside for adventures isn’t just important for their own wellbeing, it’s an Alaskan right of passage they now enjoy passing down to their daughter.

The Fraizers said with Anchorage winters being particularly long, Memorial Day weekend is often their first chance to do so.

“We’ve been pretty cooped up over this winter and this is the first chance that most of us can get out and get wild,” Corbin said.

“Yeah, everybody’s been cheering us on at the grocery store, seeing us unload the vehicle and stuff,” Ruby added. “We’ve had a couple people be like [thumps up].”

Scott Comeaux, along with his wife and daughter, have made a yearly tradition of spending time together at Bird Creek Campground every Memorial Day weekend.

“It’s our family time,” Comeaux said. “When you’re at home, you get distracted by all the electronics and the TV, but you come out here and none of that stuff is here. It’s just nature and us, and it helps us to kind of grow as a family.”

No matter how residents and visitors choose to spend the holiday weekend, the underlining theme from those all throughout Southcentral Alaska is to spend it with family, and as anyone in Anchorage will say, there’s no better place to do so than in the great state of Alaska.

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