A spontaneous visit this summer to Porcupine’s only remaining gold mine sparked the idea for a celebration of gold rush in the region in Haines, which starts on Oct. 5.
“I visited Mark Sebens mine this summer. Once I got back, I started going through some history of Porcupine Creek and Porcupine village, and that’s when I realized the 125th anniversary was coming up,” said Suzy Waterhouse.
She started reaching out to people and organizations, and pretty soon had the outline of the program for the first ever Gold Fever Festival. The two-day celebration includes an exhibit at the Sheldon Museum about the gold rush, a showing of White Fang including commentary from local actors who were part of the production, and a gambling hall on Saturday where participants are invited to dress as prospectors.
“We’re gonna have blackjack, we’re gonna have roulette, we’ll have craps, hopefully we’ll have a poker table,” said Sebens, who is also on the board of Haines Community Players. “It’s going to be a fun night.”
The final day’s celebration culminates in a raffle of a $1,500 gold nugget that Sebens donated.
“You don’t find that every day, I was in some good ground. I said ‘Oh my god, that will buy a couple drums of diesel,'” he said, adding that the nugget had “a lot of character.”
Waterhouse said nonprofit organizations like Haines Community Players and the museum have been supportive with their time. She said she doesn’t expect to make any money, despite a $15 charge for the film screening and gambling hall.
“We’re hoping it will be solvent,”‘ he said.
Shortly after gold was discovered, Porcupine boomed. It once boasted four saloons, and a post office which flew both the Canadian and American flags (the official boundary line wasn’t settled until 1903.)
Schedule of events:
Friday, October 6
Gold! Gold! Gold! Exhibit 5 p.m. Sheldon Museum. Free.
White Fang Exposed 7 p.m. at the Harriett Hall. $15 cash.
Saturday October 7
Mother Load Breakfast 8 a.m.-10 a.m. at the American Legion. $15 cash.
White Fang Movie 2 p.m. at the Harriett Hall. Free.
Gold Panning and Gambling 7 p.m. at Harriett Hall. $15.