Alaska Man Monday - Heroes, Myths and Thunder Funk

We all need heroes. They inspire us, they make us strive to be better people. The term “hero” is overused these days; I’ve never liked the term “sports hero,” for example, as just being able to play sportsball isn’t heroic. If the player did something else heroic, that would be great. Fortunately for us, though, there are real heroes out there.

Read this tale of an Alaska hero.

On 5/29/2025 at 0224 hours, AST received a 911 call from a woman reporting a male calling for help while in the water of the Tanana River in Nenana AK near the location of the Nenana Ice Classic.  AST Trooper Hollenbeck responded and located the male who was in the water, below the Steel Dock/Sea Wall about 15 feet below the dock ledge in the water.  Trooper Hollenbeck  used a tow strap anchored to his patrol vehicle to attempt to pull the male up out of the water 15 feet below the dock ledge, but he was severely hypothermic and could not hold onto the tow strap. Trooper Hollenbeck stripped his duty gear off, fashioned a harness using rescue climbing rope, and repelled down to the water to hold the male, after failed attempts to get the male hoisted, Trooper Hollenbeck entered the cold water to hold onto the male who was no longer able to hold himself above the water. 

This is a guy who fearlessly plunged into icy cold water to save another man’s life. That’s deep hero territory. And both men came out of it OK.

Trooper Hollenbeck remained in the cold water holding the male for about 30 minutes until Nenana EMS/Medics and a local Nenana resident got a boat on scene to get both the Trooper and the male out of the water.  The male was identified as Jonathan Pitka, age 37 of Fairbanks.   Both the Trooper and Pitka were transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for cold water exposure-related injuries (hypothermia).   Trooper Hollenbeck’s was warmed up at the hospital and evaluated by medical staff, he was discharged and released. 

We might add, as well, that the Alaska National Guard pulled off no fewer than 10 dramatic rescues in the last week.

Alaska Man score: 5 moose nuggets. This is true-blue hero stuff, here.

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See Also: Essex Files: Honoring a Hero on Memorial Day

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One more thing this week: A few miles south of us lies the town of Houston. No, not that Houston, Alaska’s Houston. In Houston is – yes, really – a marijuana-themed campground that has an annual celebration called the Matanuska Thunder Funk. Now, the Houston city council will be deciding whether to make this the town’s first official holiday.

A private festival hosted by a marijuana-themed campground could become Houston’s first official city holiday under a measure proposed for city ballots in October.

If approved for the ballot by the City Council, the measure would ask voters whether to declare the third Saturday of each June as “a holiday for Matanuska Thunder Funk,” according to the proposal.

Matanuska Thunder Funk is the name of a free, one-day festival hosted by the Houston Grass Station Campground. The event is also known as the Matanuska Thunder Festival.

It's also a little weird because Houston is in the Susitna Valley, not the Matanuska. Maybe someone at the Houston Grass Station Campground has been pre-gaming.

I’m not sure what to make of this. Houston, unlike its Texas counterpart, isn’t so much of a much, but it’s already on the tourist map because of the famous Miller’s Market and their wonderful selection of ice cream. Maybe keep it at that? Of course, if Houston wants to be known as Alaska's funkiest community, this may be how to go about it.

Alaska Man score: 3.5 of 5 moose nuggets. It’s a funny idea, but does Houston really want to be known for this?

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