Visiting Alaska?

Alaska celebrates Summer every July to Labor Day when the sun is at its highest. Come the weekends there are 3 major State Fairs in 3 disparate cities: Fairbanks to the North, Nanilchik to the South, & Palmer within 1 hr of Anchorage. These 3 are a hoot . . trust the pictures.

There are display gardens, free seminars, workshops, vendors like me, and thousands of other treasures in the garden competitions.  It’s a big deal for many remote folks up there thanks to the extra-long seasonal growing days.

And you have to see a pumpkin weigh-off to believe it. The current state record is 2,051 pounds. Yeah – a single pumpkin . . . the size of a Fiat.

The Palmer State Fair

At the big Palmer State Fair, giant vegetable exhibits, include 2010’s world record-breaking 46-foot (14 m), 8-inch (20 cm) gourd vine, and the state record-breaking 39-inch (100 cm) bean, 83-inch (210 cm) gourd.

The Palmer Fair’s giant cabbage contest tradition began in 1941, when a $25 prize was offered for the largest cabbage and Max Sherrod took the prize with a 23 pounder (10.5 kg). The official Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off was established in 1995. In 2012, grower Scott Robb entered a 138.25 pound (63 kg) cabbage, which not only took first place, but also set a new world record.

In 2007, the Fair’s flowers and gardens received some national recognition when the makers of the Public Broadcasting Service program GardenSMART visited the Fair to film a 30-minute segment.

One of fairgoer favorites is Fair food. Usually around 70 food vendors are scheduled to attend, offering staples like hot dogs, pizza, burgers and nachos, to more exotic selections including gyros, Alaska seafood and all kinds of food on a stick, and more. More than 400 non-food vendors like me were also present at the Fair.

And yes, there was some down-time while at Palmer. So let’s visit the reindeer farm,” he said. They’re real docile & used to visitors, just don’t handle the velvety antlers, they’re sensitive. Behind me, there was one rubbing his antlers to remove velvet on the fence during my visit.

And so that’s where I kissed a moose. We had a moment.

The Tanana State Fair

The Tanana Valley Fair outside Fairbanks was founded in 1924, making it the oldest state fair in Alaska. Since it was closest to the Arctic Circle, this is the Fair that the native Inuit villagers visit. It’s usually the first one of the season, due to the climate. And in fact it was hotter here than Seattle . . .

Also, at the U. of AK, Fairbanks is the Georgeson Garden, which is the northernmost Botanical Garden in North America. Research at the garden involves a variety of plants, including annual flowers, vegetables, and perennials with an emphasis on Alaska native plants.

A ten-year effort begun in 2001 to explore the possibility of exporting fresh cut flowers has led to a small industry centered on peonies as shown above. Flowers have been exported to retail and wholesale markets and because of Alaska’s northern blooming environment, they have a competitive advantage on world markets.

Kenai Peninsula Fair

Ninilchik is the host community for the mid-season Kenai Peninsula Fair, know as ” The Biggest Little Fair in Alaska” each August. Each year, about 7000 people from all over the Kenai Peninsula visit to share their stories and compete in judged exhibits like largest cabbage etc. Of the 3 major Fairs, it is the smallest & is dwarfed by the huge Palmer Fair around Labor Day, but boy is it a nice spot. You drive over the Kenai River to get there, plus the town of Homer is 1 hour to the south.

Keep your eyes open for moose, though . . .

Source: Wikipedia, AlaskaFair. The pictures are my own.