Bank robbers with guns purposefully stride down Front Street each solstice with one goal: to rob the Wells Fargo Bank and get away with bags of loot. The plot is somehow always foiled, but that doesn’t matter. Those robbers keep trying! And with spectators urging on the both good guys and bad guys, it’s always fun to see just how the Society for Historical Reenactment will play out the scene each year.
Actors dress their parts, donning whatever historical gear they own and puffing on cigars. Cowboy hats, fringed coats, fancy dresses – even long-underwear is fair game. “Wyatt Earp” usually saves the day, in a shootout reminiscent of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Kids especially appreciate it when the smoke clears and the loot bags – containing candy – are redistributed to the fair citizens of Nome.
The Nome Bank Robbery starts at high noon, just after the Midnight Sun parade. Show up early to watch floats, fire trucks and decorated bicycles parade by, and then keep a look out for the bad guys. Following the robbery, everyone is invited to cool off at East End Beach during the Polar Bear Swim, another cherished Midnight Sun tradition in Nome.
