The City of Nenana is abuzz with excitement as it prepares to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the completion of the Interior Alaska Railroad.
President Warren G. Harding drove the golden spike into the ground on July 15, 1923, to mark the completion of the railroad in Nenana.
Now, 100 years later, the city is gearing up for a grand celebration, including the grand opening of a new gazebo in town, purchased by the Alaska Railroad and donated to the City of Nenana for the occasion.
The celebration on Saturday will take place throughout the day in Nenana, with a block party, entertainment, food, and a reenactment of the driving of the golden spike.
The schedule for the festivities:
9 am – Opening of time capsule at Railroad Depot
10 am – Commemoration of first flight, whistle stop train arrives in Nenana
10:30 am – Unveiling of Mears bridge monument and Ralph Modjeski plaque
11 am – Lunch opens
11:15 am – Buses and special train arrive
12 noon – Ribbon cutting at gazebo
Ceremony
1:15 pm – Native drummers
1:20. pm – Greetings from Tribal Leadership
1:25 pm – National anthem
1:30 pm – ARRC Chair Shively welcomes guests
1:35 pm – Greetings from Mayor Verhagen, presenting miniature replica bridge gifted to President Harding
1:40 pm – Greetings from ARRC President Bill O’Leary
1:45 pm – Reading ARRC 100th plaque and reference to time capsule
1:47 pm – ARRC’s Mears bridge plaque reading
1:50 pm – ARRC Chair intro guest speakers
1:55 pm – Federal Delegation
2 pm – Gov. Mike Dunleavy
2:10 pm – Chair closing words
2:15 pm – AK state song
2:20 pm – Driving of golden spike reenactment
2:45 pm – Eielson fly over
3 pm – Board special train and buses
6:26 pm – whistle stop train leaves for Fairbanks
Worth noting, there will also be an Eielson Air Force Base flyover in the afternoon to commemorate the July 4, 1923 first flight in Alaska, accomplished by aviator Carl Ben Eielson, who flew in his airplane from Fairbanks to Nenana as a Fourth of July demonstration flight. His plane, “Jenny,” still hangs from the ceiling at Fairbanks International Airport.
The Alaska Railroad is one of the oldest institutions in the state, predating statehood by 36 years. The railroad has played a crucial role in the development of Alaska, connecting communities and towns and moving passengers and goods between Seward and Fairbanks in what has become known as “The Railbelt.”
