As we hold our breath waiting for the first signs of spring it’s a nice time to start thinking about upcoming events in Alaska.
We don’t JUST have fun in the summer! Look at all the fun things we do in the winter like Fur Rondy, the Iditarod, Colony Christmas, the ice carving championships in Fairbanks, ice fishing derbies, the Iron Dog, and so on.
Ever heard of Cabin Fever? It’s a real thing and you have to get out and do things in the winter to keep yourself from losing it. Winter can be long, and it’s even longer when you don’t have a couple of things to plan for.
Summer is easier, we get 90 frost-free days here in South Central and every single Alaskan absolutely lives life to the max. And it is so easy when the sun is up at 4 AM and sets at 11:30 PM. We just live life to the absolute fullest in the summer. Did you know you can work a full day at work AND spend 6 hours fishing?? YOU CAN! And we do!
Spring and Fall are spent gearing up and gearing down respectively. We ramp up in the spring, we shovel soccer fields to clear them quickly. We push the limits of taking walks and try to get one more cross-country ski trip in before it’s too late. And we live knowing that any day until early June we could be the victim of a cruel joke known as 4 inches of fresh snow.
And it’s the same thing in reverse in the fall. Can I get one more hike in before it snows? One more bike ride. One more morning coffee in the garden with flowers. One more beer around the fire pit with friends before we need down coats and boots.
In spring And when spring clean-up hits, you have never seen so many people doing so much to make it beautiful. Because we have a longing to be outside. And do as much as possible after the “winter we just lived through”, it’s the same every year.
Apart from being useful we also love to get out and have fun. Different communities do different things in the spring.
Take Homer Alaska for instance. They host the Kachemak Shorebird Festival in early May. This year its May 3rd-7th and they’re celebrating the Spring Migration of Shorebirds. According to their website they “invite people of all ages and abilities to join us for guided birding excursions, wildlife viewing, and kayaking tours at locations around Kachemak Bay.” Interested? You can check out their website for more information!
Don’t want to hit the Kenai Peninsula? You can also attend a shorebird celebration in Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival May 4th-7th and their website says “We invite you to join the mass migration of Pacific shorebirds, raptors, waterfowl, and songbirds.” Migrating raptors must be a site to see.
But you have to fly in just like all the migrating birds.
Both shorebird celebrations have programming specifically for kids so they really are for everyone in the family! I’m adding both shorebird festivals to my list of things I want to do.
Who Let the Girls Out? is a local celebration in the more centrally located town of Palmer. It’s 2 days in late April of talent shoes, tea parties, fashion shows, and good times out with your girlfriends. There is so much to do, fun is always had, and you should definitely gather up your girls and get out to Palmer!
Ok one more Spring event of note the Seward Mermaid Festival! It sounds like a great weekend spent in Seward Alaska pub crawling, shopping, listening to live music, and being in town for the Harbor Opening. Also another event of note I need to go to!
I know there are MORE events of note around the state, got something to share? Let me know and I’ll try to fit it in.
Want to let someone know you’re ok? In the same vein as the “catch up with a friend” on KABN radio? Let Mug-Up Alaska do it for you! Leave a comment with your message and we’ll give them a shoutout in the next newsletter.