WILLOW -- Willow's Fourth of July celebration over the weekend featured small-town patriotism tempered by the reality of the 55 homes burned by last month's Sockeye wildfire.
Parade floats featured hand-lettered signs thanking the firefighters who helped save homes while at Willow Community Center a small group of volunteers gathered to build homes for fire victims.
Publicly, much of the attention around the fire has gone to the numerous kennels that house sled dogs in the area. Willow, with its easy access to miles of trail, is Alaska's unofficial dog mushing capital. Of the homes destroyed in the fire that began June 14, about 10 belong to mushers or people with large dog teams. Hundreds of sled dogs were evacuated. At least six dogs died or disappeared.
Among the popular Iditarod kennels that suffered losses are those belonging to DeeDee and Mike Jonrowe, Jan Steves and Bob Chlupach, and Justin and Jaimee High, and their stories have galvanized an international outpouring of support. Mushing fans around the world have given more than $100,000 in donations including $65,000 raised through a Facebook auction, at least $32,000 in sled-dog club donations and $10,000 in total donations to Underdog Feeds in Wasilla.
The Willow Dog Mushers Association, a small local nonprofit with about 60 members suddenly tasked with distributing the donations, is scrambling to figure out how to distribute the dollars flowing in a way that's fair and helps the whole community where possible, officials say.
Some donations were earmarked specifically for mushers to buy sleds or lines or other items, board members say. A musher-specific fund as of last week included $30,000 from the Northwest Sled Dog Association as well as donations from sled dog clubs in Maine, Oregon and Pennsylvania, among others. Mushers need to apply for the money.
But the group is giving the $10,000 donated to Underdog Feeds to the Willow Community Rebuild Project that's building seven homes for uninsured fire victims. It also plans to divide among mushers and nonmushers the $65,000 raised by a United Kingdom-based Facebook auction. The board still has to tackle the difficult decision as to how that money will be divvied up.
The public is watching, said Robert Sexton, WDMA board president.
"We need to do this right the first time," Sexton said. "I want it done quickly but cautiously."
Displaced fire victims are living in tents, yurts, campers and vehicles on scorched property or staying with friends. Winter's snows are just a few months away.
Several residents have expressed concern about the publicity going to mushers while other residents in need are facing the same struggles with less help. Few were willing to speak out publicly. One resident, Iditarod critic Laura Stine, sent a letter to Alaska Dispatch News that criticized the general absence of private fundraising for everyone displaced by the fire, most of whom were seniors or families rather than mushers. Stine declined an interview for this article.
But people in the destructive path of the fire say the mushing community is giving back as much as it gets.
Jim Sprengel lost his home near the Jonrowes on Serenity Drive. He was gone when it happened, working on a school construction project in St. Mary's.
The Jonrowes and other mushers pitched in to move debris off his property, Sprengel said Saturday as he helped the Rebuild project start its first house. "They came together and helped neighbors."
Mushers are donating financially with the $10,000 gift, Rebuild project coordinator Krista Fee said. But they're also helping with demolition and to build the homes; Justin High, Bob Chlupach and Jan Steves were all coming Saturday to help with construction.
"They're ultimately our biggest supporters," Fee said of the local mushing community.
Her group still needs another $200,000 to finish or relocate five more homes, she said. Donated materials, equipment and labor allowed the group to build two homes with about $15,000 donated so far. More than 150 volunteers are participating but the group could use more contractors, Fee said. For more information call 907-982-4955.
Numerous businesses are also donating material, money and time to the Sockeye recovery effort including Alaska State Employees Association and Spenard Builders Supply, which teamed up to give $4,000 in lumber and building supplies, according to an email from the employees' association.
Established recovery agencies are working in Willow too. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is conducting damage assessments and the state of Alaska is administering individual disaster assistance grants.
The American Red Cross of Alaska spent last week assessing the community's needs and found some people still don't quite know what they need yet. The agency can provide everything from food or gas money to coupons for free propane and help with reams of state disaster assistance paperwork.
"The biggest thing they're doing is rebuilding homes," said Red Cross Alaska CEO Tanguy Libbrecht.
Displaced residents are also seeking help at the Willow United Methodist Church, where a weekly food pantry that's always busy is more needed than ever, Pastor Dan Wilcox said Thursday. The church is now providing items like water, paper goods and personal care items for fire victims.
The church is part of a fledgling effort to build what's being called the Willow Recovery Team that brings together nonprofits, churches and other volunteer organizations.
"Our goal is to try to address everyone who has unmet needs," Wilcox said. "The intention being that we're going to try to make certain that everyone gets cared for."