For over 20 years the Denali Education Center has hosted an annual fundraising auction. Over the years this event has become a cornerstone for the Denali community – allowing people to come together to celebrate friends, fun, and fundraising! The funds raised at this event not only allow DEC to continue making campus improvements, it also helps to ensure our ability to provide informative and inspiring programs to the local community and its visitors.
This year, we celebrated Denali’s 100th birthday with friends, food, magic, and live music at our 23rd annual end-of-season fundraising event! Locals, park employees past and present, and Denali visitors joined us at our 1900’s-themed Charlie’s Carnival and Silent Auction on Saturday, September 2, part of the Denali Reunion hosted by the NPS.
This year, thanks to a generous grant from the Rasmuson Foundation, each monetary donation we received will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000, which will help build a new commercial kitchen for the Charles Sheldon Center and updated staff facilities!
Charlie Sheldon (Charles Sheldon’s grandson) and Willie Karidis gave a presentation about Charles Sheldon – his influence on this park, and how our community building came to be named after him. They shared stories about their time together in the park, following Charles Sheldon’s footsteps, and there was a rededication of Charles Sheldon’s gun to the National Park Service. The evening closed with live music from Jimmy and Woody of the Denali Cooks, followed by The Whiskey Overtones!
In support of Denali’s Zero-Landfill Project, and thanks to a generous donation from the Doyon-Aramark Joint Venture, we were able to compost all dishes, cutlery, napkins, and discarded food from the Taste of Denali food tent. We appreciate everyone supporting our efforts to make Charlie’s Carnival a zero-waste event.
Check out our Flickr album for more photos from the event.
And special thanks to all of our sponsors and donors!
Sponsors
Greg LaHaie of KAT Air
Matanuska Telephone Association
The Alaska Collection
Patty Sanders
John Davies & Cheryl Paxson of PaxKnits
Wildlife and Wood
Arctic Brewing Supply
Donors
Subaru
Alaska Wildland Adventures
Alaska Sealife Center
Denali Air Flightseeing Tours
The Alaska Collection
Moose’s Tooth
Denali Brewing
Mountaineer Grill
Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
H20asis
San Francisco Maritime National Park Association
Major Marine Tours
Patagonia
REI Anchorage
Alaska Mountaineering & Hiking
Arctic Brewing Supply
Traverse Alaska
ChicoBag
Denali Mountain Works
Denali General Store
McKinley Creekside Cabins & Cafe
Black Bear Coffee House
Denali Cannabis Cache
Northern Lights Gift Shop
Karibu Gifts
Johnny Johnson Photography
McKinley Chalet Resort
Denali Balls
Michelle Turk
Wayne Iverson
Cheryl Catalano
Joan Hodgeboom
Kathy Marchlinski
Anja Phenix
Emily Zelenka
Mollie Foster
Kris Fister
Tina Rozmus
Susan Lenman Gottlieb
Natasha Shyko
Jerry Elkan
Holly Rodwell
