In Alaska, politics and oil blurred on the day wildcatters struck it big in 1968. As oil companies and the federal government kept the state living high and wild, a handful of players ran the show, including the late Sen. Ted Stevens and oilman Bill Allen, who paved the way for Sarah Palin’s rise to fame. Amanda Coyne, co-founder of AlaskaDispatch.com and co-author of Crude Awakening, charts the epic tale of these characters, set in a state of soaring hopes, fading dreams, drying oil fields, and an uncertain future. Presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life with Elliott Bay Book Company. Series media sponsorship provided by PubliCola. Series supported by The Boeing Company Charitable Trust and the RealNetworks Foundation.