Listen&Learn: Alaska’s Cat Mayor
8th September 2021 by Jaksyn Peacock
Pre-listening vocabulary
- election: a process where people vote for political candidates
- resident: someone who lives in a certain place
- mayor: the person who runs a city or town
- destination: a place that people go to
- tradition: an action that people continue to repeat
- kitten: a baby cat
Listening activity
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Gapfill exercise
In 1998, the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska held a mayoral election. But the residents quickly became when no one stepped up for the job. Instead of electing a candidate, the town voted a cat into office. The cat’s name was Stubbs, and he served as mayor for 19 years. His office was a general store in the centre of the town. During Stubbs’s term, Talkeetna became a tourist destination in Alaska. Visitors would come to take or have meetings with the mayor. After Stubbs’s death in 2017, the residents of Talkeetna continued the tradition and elected a kitten named Denali to fill the role.Comprehension questions
[wp_quiz id=”20578″]Discussion/essay questions
- Do you participate in local elections in your town?
Transcript
In 1998, the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska held a mayoral election. But the residents quickly became frustrated when no one stepped up for the job. Instead of electing a human candidate, the town voted a cat into office. The cat’s name was Stubbs, and he served as mayor for 19 years. His office was a general store in the centre of the town. During Stubbs’s term, Talkeetna became a popular tourist destination in Alaska. Visitors would come to take photos or have meetings with the mayor. After Stubbs’s death in 2017, the residents of Talkeetna continued the tradition and elected a kitten named Denali to fill the role.