I notice that, although the story appeared in an Anchorage paper, the incident happened in Fairbanks. This caught my eye because I was in Fairbanks this summer and I saw the outside of this strip club (it's next to the famous Alaska Wooden Bowl Company, where tourists like me go to watch bowls being carved out of birch tree trunks). What's notable about the place is that it has three different huge signs and each sign has a completely different name for the establishment. In addition to "Showboat II" and "Showgirls," it also apparently is or has been named "The Lonely Lady," or maybe it's "Lonely Ladies," I don't remember exactly.
My brother, who lives in Fairbanks, told me that the place is known locally for trafficking in desperate Russian teenagers who are made to work off "debts" by stripping and doing such other tasks as you can no doubt imagine. The other notable feature of Showboat II/Showgirls/Lonely Lady, I was told, is that it has a special section for patrons who can't come into the main lounge because they are below legal drinking age. Hmm, too young to buy beer but old enough to buy lap dances?

I think for understated gross-out, the best one still has to be the discussion about what happened to the second drummer in This Is Spinal Tap. After explaining that he died in a horrible accident choking on his own vomit, the other guitarist explains, "Actually, it was someone else's vomit..."

Explkanation of the name I do not know where show girls comes from but showboat II is the name of the club and Lonley Lady is the name of the grill inside, "lonley ladeys bar and grill"

Big Gary in Dallas:
The Lonely Lady was the original name of the club in Fairbanks. You are wrong about the club. I worked for the late Sam Jeffcoat (club owner) for many years. The club in the early 80's and 90's was as classy as a topless gentalmens club could be. As a dancer and later talent sercher for the club I can assure you that the women who worked there were class acts. Just as the many sports teams that were regular customers in the club.Most of the women came from the lower 48. and were paid a very high wage and commitssion. All of thier living and travel exp were paid by the club. prostitution nor drugs were tolerated at this club! gets your facts stright before you talk about something you know nothing about.

I attended the Lonely Lady club back in 84. It was a great topless only club.

I, too, worked for Sam Jeffcoat at the Lonely Lady from 1982-84 as a bartender and DJ. Worked along with bartenders Bobby S., Kathey, and Terry. Bouncers Jimbo n Rick, Kelly the DJ, and George the manager (for a while). RIP Sam.
Great times, great money, and great girls!

"the place is known locally for trafficking in desperate Russian teenagers who are made to work off "debts" by stripping and doing such other tasks as you can no doubt imagine."

As far as I can tell, this is a fairly-accurate statement re: SHOWGIRLS club/BIG TIMBER motel in Anchorage. The comments made re: 'the early 80s-90s' version of the club could use some updating, since it is 2009 as I type this- basically some 20-30 years later. Time changes all things.

A good friend of mine stayed there very recently, and I can assure anyone reading this that the place is a dump. Basically a whorehouse that pretends to be alcohol-free so they can hire 19 year-old girls to service their customers.

Does anybody remember a manager named Mike? Sort of a big Italian.

Did the Lonely Lady go by another name prior to that?

Smokey, do you remember the red fox fur bikini? Did you stay with a friend at Wedgewood apartments for a bit in 1982 or early 83? Are you talking about mike zamora?

Yeah, I think that was Mike's last name. He was a little niave, but nice.

Does anyone remember Peter the best manager ever back in 2000! How about Wilson one of the DJ's in maybe 2000-2003? Or Tim who later managed after Peter? Is Terry still alive? How about Jake the Snake? To bad if it's true how the place has turned out. When I worked there it was absolutely a class act and most of all a family who stuck together. Some of the best times of my life. Here's a cheers to old times and the old Showboat.

Smokey, do you ever check this site? Please send a message. I want to get in touch with you.

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