Roadtrippin’ 2024: Seeing Aurora in Talkeetna
TALKEETNA, Alaska (KTUU) - The northern lights are a major attraction in the Last Frontier, but the summer months are not the ideal time to sneak a peek. The best chance to see Aurora will require a quick trip to Nagley’s Store in Talkeetna, but it won’t be the breathtaking solar phenomenon in the sky — it’s the small city’s mayor.
She’s a cat about town and Talkeetna’s highest “elected” official, drawing in dozens of visitors a day to the small general store located off Main Street. When she’s not trolling for scraps at Denali Brewpub, Aurora can usually be found lounging on her cat bed or greeting constituents and tourists from her offices on the counter next to Nagley’s checkout register.
As an unincorporated community, Talkeetna does not have an elected mayor. Instead, an in-name-only feline mayor has served its citizens dating back to 1997 with Mayor Stubbs, a Manx mix with a stubbed tail.
Rayanne Orr, an employee at Nagley’s, said she’s not sure what Aurora’s nationality is but regardless, she’s a popular attraction to the northern Matanuska-Susitna Borough community.
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