LARS to host Birthday Bash June 6

Maddie Webb
907-474-5724
May 27, 2026

A UAF Large Animal Research Station staff member feeds leafy greens to a muskox through a wire fence as a group of visitors, including young children, watch from behind a rope barrier, at the 2025 LARS Birthday Bash. — UAF photo by Eric Engman
Visitors watch as a staff member feeds a muskox during the annual Birthday Bash at the UAF Large Animal Research Station on June 7, 2025.

The ��Ƶ’ Large Animal Research Station will host its annual Birthday Bash on Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The free event is open to everyone and will include animal viewing and family-friendly activities. LARS staff will be on site to educate guests about the animals and answer questions.

The gift shop will be open, and a raffle will offer items made from qiviut, the soft, valuable underwool of muskoxen. Guests can buy tickets to support LARS and get a chance to win qiviut yarn or a handknit qiviut smoke ring.

Other participants include the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, ��Ƶ Children’s Museum and UAF’s International Arctic Research Center.

Food trucks will be available on site, including Corn Diggity Dogs, Simply Thai and The Crash Cart.

LARS is located at 2220 Yankovich Rd. Free shuttle service will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., departing from the Nenana parking lot on the UAF campus. Parking at LARS is extremely limited, so guests are encouraged to use the shuttle. The shuttle will run continuously between UAF and LARS, and the last shuttle departs LARS at 2:45 p.m.

No new calves were born this year — LARS did not breed last fall as part of its herd management plan. However, last year’s muskox and reindeer calves will be on display, giving guests a chance to celebrate the animals' first birthdays. LARS is also celebrating the arrival of a new wood bison herd.

More information and updates are available on the or from LARS outreach staff, 907-474-5724, uaf-lars-tours@alaska.edu.

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