Greetings from beautiful Palmer, Alaska, where the Alaska State Fair opened yesterday. There’s an old saying that if you don’t like the weather in Alaska, wait five minutes, and it will change. That saying proved itself yesterday, as the skies changed every five minutes, from a glorious sunrise, to thunder and rain, to mild and sunny, to cold and wildly windy, to, finally, one of the world’s most spectacular sunsets, followed by a late-night treat: the Northern Lights. Temperatures in Palmer plunged to 34 degrees overnight, but today dawned bright and clear, and we’re ready for a spectacular day at the Fair.
We’re back again in the historic Wineck Barn (just inside the Red Gate), where we are showing Alaska Far Away daily at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m., and our other Matanuska Colony films (including the popular Where the River Matanuska Flows) daily at 12:30. Stop by to watch our films, check out the fantastic displays by the Palmer Historical Society (more on those in another post), or just say hello.
The sweet peas are already 8 feet tall, and smell heavenly as you walk by them to enter the Barn.
On opening day we were delighted to greet visitors from all over but were particularly pleased that so many members of Matanuska Colony families stopped by to chat. Earl Wineck, son of colonist Ed Wineck, who built the Wineck Barn, came up from Anchorage for his annual visit with us. It is always a pleasure to sit down with Earl and hear his stories of growing up in the Colony, as well as his subsequent adventures throughout Alaska and the world. We look forward to his return next week to take part in Senior Joke and Storytelling Day in the Wineck Barn.
Earl Wineck and his wife Rebecca with Palmer Historical Society president Sheri Hamming and her daughter Samantha (above), and with Joanie Juster (below)
