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International Space Station astronauts orbiting high above Alaska on a dark January night early next year might suspect something terrible is happening below when they spy large fires erupting across the Kenai Peninsula.

It won't take them long to figure out, however, that it's all part of Alaska's 50th anniversary of statehood, because -- if it's a clear night and all goes right -- eight giant bonfires purposefully set at widely spaced but strategic locations will take the shape of the Big Dipper and the North Star, just like Alaska's flag.

At least that's the concept, Borough Mayor John Williams said Friday at a well-attended public meeting at the borough building in Soldotna where residents gathered to present ideas and volunteer for a host of committees assigned to pursue specific celebration goals.

"We've picked the (general) locations," Williams said. Meanwhile, the borough is trying to coordinate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to have a picture taken from a satellite permanently above Alaska in a geosynchronous orbit. "If we do them (the bonfires), we need to establish a time and date."

Jeanne Camp, economic analyst for the borough whom Williams asked last September to spearhead the borough's statehood celebration effort, said locations at Nikiski, the Kenai-Soldotna area, and Kasilof would form the dipper's handle, while locations around Ninilchik, Anchor Point, Homer and out East End Road would form the ladle.

"And Seward would be the North Star, which is appropriate. That's where the designer of the Alaska flag lived," Camp said.

Benny Benson designed Alaska's flag in 1926 when he was 13 years old. Born in Chignik in 1913, Benson was attending school in Seward when he won a flag-design contest promoted by the Alaska American Legion at the request of Territorial Gov. George Parks. The Territorial Legislature adopted his eight stars of gold on a field of blue as the territorial flag in May 1927.

A recently formed steering committee is coordinating statehood celebration efforts on behalf of the borough. The goal is to have municipal officials, private businesses and citizens come together and develop ideas for celebration activities and to promote public participation in the state's golden anniversary party.

Among the ideas already being discussed are barbecues, bonfires, concerts, fireworks displays, parades, history education, flag displays, commemorative medallions and coins, special speakers, contests, footraces, artwork and more.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly recently approved a resolution backing borough participation. That resolution indicated that borough celebratory projects would mostly be funded through grants available for statehood activities. The Alaska Humanities Forum has joined with the Rasmuson Foundation to provide such grants.

The borough has applied for grant funding to produce a history book and DVD of the Kenai Peninsula Borough. The basis for the book and DVD may be an existing soft-cover volume from the Kenai Peninsula Historical Association called "Alaska's Kenai Peninsula: The Road We've Traveled."

The borough envisions adding new information and color photos, and expanding it to make a hardbound coffee table book. It could be updated again in 2014 when the borough celebrates its 50th birthday, Williams suggested.

During Friday's meeting, those in attendance voted and chose a name for the peninsula's celebration effort: "AK50 on the Kenai." There has been discussion about developing a logo that would be copyright-free, allowing anyone to use it on just about anything, including commercial products like T-shirts and cups, as well as in promoting events. However, it will be up to a new committee to decide exactly how the logo would be used, Camp said.

Volunteers at the meeting, as well as several from outlying areas such as Homer who participated by teleconference, signed up for several subcommittees.

A quilt committee will coordinate creation of local blocks that will be incorporated into large panels joining blocks from across Alaska that will tour the state throughout 2009.

One committee will look into promoting contests. Some ideas already floating about include a trivia contest, a poster contest, sled dog races, a poetry contest and talent shows. That same committee has been combined with a committee looking into participation by the school district.

A statewide event will create a time capsule that would be opened the year of Alaska's 100th statehood birthday. A local committee will entertain suggestions for what the peninsula should contribute. Each community may add its own objects to the capsule, Camp said, but this committee will decide what to add as a borough.

An arts and traveling exhibits committee will be looking for historical items and decide how to display them, she said, adding that a similar effort is focusing on performing arts.

Shannon Hamrick, with the Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council, is keeping an event calendar.

Another idea being floated is to create a passport to the Kenai that visitors and locals could carry throughout 2009, getting it stamped each time an event is attended or a location visited. The details have yet to be worked out -- again, by a committee -- but it may turn into a contest of sorts.

About 40 people attended the meeting in Soldotna, Camp said. She and the others are very excited about the possibilities.

"The potential is awesome," she said. "It will be as big as people may want it."

Hal Spence can be reached at hspence@ptialaska.net.