In 1974 residents of Sitka, Alaska were alarmed when the long-dormant volcano neighboring them, Mount Edgecumbe, suddenly began to belch out billows of black smoke. People spilled out of their homes onto the streets to gaze up at the volcano, terrified that it was active again and might soon erupt. Luckily it turned out that man, not nature, was responsible for the smoke. A local practical joker named Porky Bickar had flown hundreds of old tires into the volcano's crater and then lit them on fire, all in a (successful) attempt to fool the city dwellers into believing that the volcano was stirring to life. According to local legend, when Mount St. Helens erupted six years later, a Sitka resident wrote to Bickar to tell him, "This time you've gone too far!" (photo via sitka.com)
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.

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This is just one of many great stunts that Porky gave to his fellow Sitkans. There is yet another great one he pulled off with a Lady Godiva look alike during a downtown parade. As to the pollution comment, TOUGH! This is Alaska! We get a lot more pollution from the cruise ships than Porky's stunts ever caused!
Posted by Dave  in  Sitka  on  Wed Jun 21, 2006  at  06:04 PM

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I remember my being told that story when I was little. It makes me smile every time I hear it.
Grandaughter of Porky's brother Lewis.
Posted by Lindsay Tross  in  Lake Tahoe  on  Fri Aug 11, 2006  at  04:28 PM

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got to love a good practical joke
always seize on any opportunity to play one my self
Posted by Kay Edgecumbe  in  New Zealand  on  Sat Aug 26, 2006  at  11:52 PM

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I think this should be #1

My uncle Larry helped with this prank, which I didn't know until he passed away last week. When I found this, I laughed so hard I about cried.
Posted by Kayla  in  Denver, CO  on  Thu Dec 28, 2006  at  04:47 PM

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Really funny!

"this time you've gone too far!" :-D
Posted by amgm  on  Wed Jan 03, 2007  at  10:52 AM

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Mrs. Bickar, if you ever get back on this thread, my appreciation and gratitude to your late husband for one of the best hoaxes ever. That one was just flat-out inspired! If he had lived closer to a major population center with an innocent, idle volcano nearby, it would have been world-famous. Ranier, Hood, Vesuvious, Fuji.

If he had only been born Porkii Bikiyara and pulled it off on Mt Fuji instead!!
Of course no 50 buck fine. The Japanese would have slapped him in prison after half of Tokyo and Yokohama fled as if Godzilla was after them....
Posted by Chris Ford  on  Sun Jan 21, 2007  at  05:44 AM

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No fine, and no prison sentence--but the prisons matron was serving lunch at the time and she kept getting phone calls and her deliveries to prisoners would be interrupted by phone calls. She would just lift up the receiver and say "look at your calendar".
Posted by Patty Bickar  on  Sun Jan 21, 2007  at  02:09 PM

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In 1998, as we were passing by Mt. Edgecumbe on the way out from Sitka, the M/S Jubilee's cruise director told us the story of Porky's prank and all the passengers had a great laugh :-D
Posted by Jose  in  Miami, Florida  on  Sat Mar 31, 2007  at  07:34 AM

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I first lived in Sitka in 1989 and it wasn't a few days before I heard about Porky and his awesome jokes. He was a contruction man and I had heard that he was once doing some street work in downtown Sitka. Apparently he fooled tourists by pulling up large rocks painted gold and yelling that he'd struck paydirt. I wish I could have been there! A few years ago, when I was again living in Sitka, he pulled another fast one. There is a metal sculpture of a moose at Swan Lake in town. On April 1st, he replaced it with a similar metal sculpture of meat hanging and a person cooking over a fire. That kind of pranking doesn't fly most places down south. God bless small-town America! God bless you Patty!
Posted by Scott Ford  in  Oakley, CA  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  12:38 PM

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The people on this thread who know first hand about Porky should write a wikipedia entry. Quite honestly, anybody who can pull off a prank of this scale deserves to have some encyclopedic content kept for peoples' reference.
Posted by dfn_doe  in  Oakland, CA  on  Mon Apr 02, 2007  at  09:31 PM

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Was up in Sitka this past week and heard the story and met Patty Bickar. Seems this sort of thing exemplifies the attitude in Alaska - it can be a hard life but it can be fun. I also heard about Porky putting plastic flamingoes in the trees for the tour boats looking for wildlife.
Posted by Mike  in  Baltimore  on  Sat Aug 11, 2007  at  03:42 PM

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The pilot from Petersburg was named Earl Walker. He retired from flying in 1978 and died in 1994. His role in this prank made him an honerary member of "The Dirty Dozen Club."
Posted by Heard the Story from the Pilot  in  Alaska  on  Fri Dec 21, 2007  at  04:29 PM

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I recently went fishing in Sitka Alaska with my grandfathr and everyone at the Kingfisher's Lodge knew about this prank and told me all about it.
Posted by Nick Saldana  in  Roseville California  on  Mon Mar 31, 2008  at  08:55 PM

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I first found out about this is a brochure put out by the city commerce of Sitka when I was planning a trip there. I think it is great that people there have a sence of humor. I think this should be #1 also.
Posted by Paddi Tudor  in  Montana  on  Tue Apr 01, 2008  at  07:47 AM

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Growing up in Sitka my father and I used to tell this story to tourists, most didn't look like they believed us, but telling the story always made me smile. Thanks for the tall tale and rest in peace Porky.
Posted by Cody Campbell  in  Formerly Sitka  on  Tue Apr 01, 2008  at  05:15 PM

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I work with a guy that was there and he told me the story a few years back. Just hilarious! Should be #1 - I agree. I also like the idea of tourists looking through binaculars and finding 'native' pink flamingos in the trees. Wish I had known Porky.
Posted by Eric Brock  in  Seattle  on  Tue Apr 01, 2008  at  05:16 PM

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lmfao!!!! what a great prank to pull. just think how bad he was laughing. i wish i had been there to witness it. this story/prank makes me proud to be an Alaskan!
Posted by Takpaan  in  Barrow AK  on  Wed Apr 02, 2008  at  05:40 AM

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I remember one year when Porky called up our local radio talk show (problem corner) on April 1st. He announced that his shop was having a big chainsaw sale, one for the price of two! A friend of mine raced down in his pickup, grabbed two chainsaws, and didn't realize it was a joke until he saw that the price was doubled! Porky was a true Alaskan - and an exceptional one.
Posted by Sam  on  Wed Apr 02, 2008  at  03:49 PM

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