EVENTS CALENDAR ANCHORAGE
7 Salmon Daze Don’t miss out on this fun-filled day in Downtown Anchorage with a festival celebrating one of Alaska’s most valuable resources, wild Salmon, as well as local Alaskan artists and galleries. Anchorage Museum Quad, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. anchoragedowntown.org 13 Book Party in the Park thread celebrates early literacy by giving away thousands of books to local children. Get free books for infants through school age kids and enjoy free activities like a cardboard box construction zone, face painting, door prizes, story time, crafts, food, live music, bubbles, and more. Garden Art Park in Mountain View, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. facebook.com/events/1652872328259202 14-15 Big Wild Life Runs Sports and Fitness Expo This event is a collection of runs including a 49K ultra, marathon, marathon walk, marathon relay, half marathon, 5K, the Anchorage mile, Kids’ 2K, and Back 2 Back Challenge. Events associated with the event include a movie, “Trails in Motion,” on Thursday and a pasta feed on Saturday at Dena’ina from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. bigwildliferuns.com 20-23 Alaska Salsa Festival Don’t miss this great weekend of dancing, workshops, showcases, banquets, and more. Get fit, make friends, find romance, have fun. Dance Champions from around the world will be in Anchorage, presenting instruction and entertainment. Hotel Captain Cook. alaskasalsafestival.com
FAIRBANKS
7-16 Tanana Valley State Fair This fair features Alaska produce and competitive exhibits. Commercial, craft, and food vendors will be on site, as well as rides, games, and live entertainment. Tanana Valley State Fairgrounds. tananavalleyfair.org 7-16 Alaska International Senior Games This event includes competitive sports and activities for anyone fifty years of age and older. alaskaisg.org 28-30 Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival Each August as thousands of Sandhill Cranes begin their southward progress from Alaska, the Tanana Valley rings with gathering calls. The festival includes talks, bird watching, nature walks, workshops, and many other related activities with ample opportunities for observing Sandhill Cranes and other fall migrants. creamersfield.org
GIRDWOOD
8-9 Alyeska Blueberry Festival A celebration of the lush blueberry season, this family-oriented outdoors event features over two dozen arts and crafts booths and food vendors, as well as live music and all the blueberry concoctions you can try. Blueberry picking and eating is encouraged; find your own secret stash. Activities include a pie eating contest, face painting, and more. Alyeska Resort, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. alyeskaresort.com 28-30 Girdwood Fungus Fair Guest speakers will be joined by local fungi experts. Activities include lectures, mushroom forays, and various fungus activities. New this year is the Mushroom and Martini Cocktail party at the Sitzmark, which includes live and silent auctions and live music. Girdwood Community Room and Hotel Alyeska. fungusfair.com 108
Compiled by Tasha Anderson HOMER
Mid-May through Mid-September Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby This derby runs from mid-May through mid-September. To celebrate the Derby’s thirtieth anniversary, in addition to the more than one hundred tagged fish out there, including the GCI $50,000 and the Stanley Ford F-150 Tagged Fish, an extra thirty fish will be tagged; these tags will be worth $50. Catch a previous year tagged fish and win $100. homeralaska.org
KENAI
29 Soup Supper & Auction The Kenai Peninsula Food Bank’s Annual Soup Supper & Auction is the organization’s annual fundraiser and begins at 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. to allow examination of auction items. Each ticket holder enjoys delicious soup and receives a bowl hand thrown bowl by local potters. Call 907-262-3111 for tickets. Kenai Central High School, 9583 Kenai Spur Highway.
NINILCHIK
21-23 Kenai Peninsula Fair In addition to arts, crafts, and commercial vendors, the fair features a Fair Queen contest, Alaska’s Got Talent, exhibits, live music, fresh produce and food, and more. Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds. kenaipeninsulafair.com
PALMER
8/27-9/7 Alaska State Fair The Fair celebrates its 79th anniversary in 2015! The heart of the Fair still centers on the things the original colonists started with—agriculture, produce, lots of food, flowers, friends and family, and an old-fashioned, good time that includes the AT&T Concert Series. Alaska State Fairgrounds. alaskastatefair.org
SEWARD
8-16 Seward Silver Salmon Derby This is the sixtieth anniversary of the Seward Silver Salmon Derby. There are prizes for tagged fish ranging from $1,000 to $50,000; by weight, with angler with the heaviest fish winning $10,000 and the weight of the fish in Silverhook Coffee by Kaladi Brothers; and for other categories such as mystery fish, 49th heaviest. seward.com
SITKA
7-9 Sitka Seafood Festival This two-day festival celebrates wild Alaska seafood, bringing together local and celebrity chefs, bands, fishermen, foodies, and local food vendors with non-stop activities from fish head tossing to the Alaska-style Highland Games and cooking demonstrations. sitkaseafoodfestival.org
VALDEZ
7-8 Women’s Silver Salmon Derby The Women’s Silver Salmon Derby has been going on for nine years and is the only women’s fish derby in Alaska. The Derby includes an Opening Celebration starting 6 p.m. August 7 that features door prizes, no-host bar, a wheel of chocolate, a costume contest, and fish Olympics and an Awards Party on August 8 with music, door prizes, and prizes for the Top 50 fish. Valdez Civic Center. valdezfishderbies.com/womens-derby
Alaska Business Monthly | August 2015 www.akbizmag.com