There were cars lining the streets and parking lots in every direction as I entered the gates of Growden Memorial Park, home to the farthest north baseball club, the Fairbanks Goldpanners.
Every year, on June 21st, the summer solstice and longest day, the Panners play a game under the midnight sun without the assistance of any artificial light. They are in the 106th year, and it’s still pretty damn cool.
The first pitch is thrown at 10:30 PM, and the games often extend well beyond midnight. Today, extra innings were necessary and the bottom of the 10th saw the clock strike 1:30 AM. There had been an intermittent drizzle throughout the game, but just before 2:00 AM it started to pour heavily and the game was paused, with a plan to press play again at 6:00 PM tomorrow, much to the dismay of the waterlogged but diehard fans.
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