Iditarod is far more than dog racing. Small Alaska communities celebrate the arrival of longer days and the people in the community. McGrath hosts an auction fundraiser each year when the Iditarod rolls through to raise money for a local organization and a family in need.
KNOM’s Emily Schwing stopped into the bar Tuesday night to get a first hand look at what the auction is all about.
Snow machines buzzed by McGuire’s pub in McGrath all night and a small group lingered outside smoking cigarettes. Inside a large crowd swigs beer as they toss quarters into coffee cans. This is McGrath’s annual Chinese auction. It’s an event the community hosts every year when the Idiatrod comes through the small Kuskokwim River community.
