FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Winter arrived last week -- and most people here are delighted.

I don't know the official snowfall total; about two inches fell at my apartment on the campus at the University of Alaska here.

If people here are right -- and I think they know what they're talking about -- the snow is here to stay -- certainly until April, maybe until May.

It's turned cold -- not the -30 or -40 we'll get in the depths of winter, but chilly, with highs in the mid-20s, lows in single digits.

But it didn't seem that cold as I walked to campus, probably because the air and snow are very dry. The snow tends to evaporate, so, even though we'll get lots of snow in the winter, it won't pile very deep.

That makes it easy to remove -- a broom worked reasonably well on the stairway outside my apartment -- but it's no fun for kids. You can't make snowmen or even snowballs when the snow is this dry.

But it does have to be shoveled off the walkways on campus. Crews were out early, shovels in hand, clearing the walkways.

One was using a device I'd never seen -- a snow shovel on a wheel.

The wheel, a bit bigger than a bicycle tire, lets you push a shovel full of snow out to empty it -- wheel-power instead of back power.

The student wielding the shovel said it's terrific. It's called a Snow Wolf shovel. I don't know if it's sold in Maine, but you can find information about it online.

The snowfall was a bit of a surprise; the temperature had been about 50 degrees just two days earlier. People were walking around in light shirts -- no jackets -- and when I went shopping I heard people complaining that it was just too warm.

Alaskans revel in their winters -- and this one was late.

According to the Fairbanks News-Miner, the local newspaper, this was only the seventh time since 1930 that the first official snowfall was this late.

Actually, we had a dusting of snow in mid-September, but it melted quickly. Folks here don't count a snowfall as official unless it totals more than one inch at the Fairbanks airport.

The date of the latest official snowfall was Dec. 27, 1953.

The results of the first snow are no different here than in Augusta or Waterville. Police are busy with fender-benders. Apparently Alaskans don't adjust to weather changes any more quickly than Mainers.

Longtime Fairbanks residents blame the traffic problems on the military and other transients -- like me -- who don't know how to handle the weather here.

University students and faculty members have been waiting for snow -- and getting ready for cross-country skiing with non-winter skis on wheels and ski poles with rubber tips. They've been everywhere, preparing for the real thing.

Now, with snow on the ground, I see cross-country skiers all over the UAF campus.

Before long, we'll also see mushers with sled dogs running on trails at the edges of the campus.

I doubt that can be found at any other university.

I visited with the editor of the Fairbanks newspaper recently. He has 26 dogs and has promised to take me mushing.

That's something I never thought I'd do -- and I'm excited about it.

My wife and I also recently visited Chena Hot Springs -- a natural hot water spring about an hour from Fairbanks. We plan to return in December -- when the weather is far colder. The routine at the springs is to soak in the hot water -- outside, of course.

When you get out, you face a mad dash in subzero temperature to get back into the lodge -- where warm drinks await.

It's also supposed to be a great place to see the aurora borealis.

* * *

Halloween was a big deal on the campus. Costumed kids partied at the student center -- and all over town.

While most folks seem delighted with the arrival of winter, some small children were disappointed. They wanted a warm Halloween.

That would have made it easier for them to show off their costumes while trick-or-treating.

With snow and cold, many had to cover their costumes with parkas. We gave candy to princesses and superheroes -- at least that's what I think they were, under their jackets.

* * *

Like Maine, there is an election in Fairbanks today. The big race is for mayor -- a two-candidate runoff between the two top finishers in a primary held last month.

The issues being debated are little different than those we see in Augusta or Waterville. One candidate, a social conservative, pledges smaller government and less spending. The other calls for better and more efficient use of city resources.

One candidate opposes zoning; the other urges responsible regulation.

The race is officially non-partisan, but one candidate is supported by Republicans, the other by Democrats.

Sound familiar?

David B. Offer is the retired executive editor of the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel. He is spending a year teaching at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks as the C.W. Snedden chair of journalism. E-mail davidboffer@hotmail.com