Around the Valley

VCRS plans ‘FUNdraiser’

Valley Community For Recycling Solutions will hold its Harvest Recycle Fest “FUNdraising” event on Friday, Oct. 9 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Palmer Depot. The event will feature live music by Marge Ford and the Alaska Polka Chips as well as Arkose beer, veggies, meat and apple cider. There will also be door prizes and a silent auction.

‘Harvest Recycle Fest’ set for Oct. 9

Valley Community for Recycling Solutions is hosting its second annual “Harvest Recycle Fest” on Friday, Oct. 9 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Palmer Depot. Tickets get attendees local food, fresh-pressed cider, brew and live music. Call 745-5544 for more information.

‘The Dirty Hands’ plays Talkeetna Oct. 9

Georgia blues/Alaskan grunge band “The Dirty Hands” will perform at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar in Talkeetna on Friday, Oct. 9. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $10 online, $13 at the door for Denali Arts Council members, and $12 online, $15 at the door for non-members. Visit denaliartscouncil.org for more information.

John Sebastian to play at Massay Theater

Whistling Swan Productions will present John Sebastian, co-founder, lead vocalist and principal songwriter for The Lovin’ Spoonful (“Do you Believe in Magic?”) on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Glenn Massay Theater in Palmer.

College art show planned

Mat-Su College will host a student art show on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the college’s studio at 716 S. Alaska Street in Palmer. This is a free event that’s open to the public. The show will also be on display from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oct. 9-21. The show is sponsored by Radio Free Palmer 89.5.

‘Beer Meets Canvas’ is Oct. 10

Arkose Brewery invites the community to “Sip. Relax. Create.” with a glass of handcrafted brew at its monthly “Beer Meets Canvas” event on Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. For this anniversary event — Arkose turns 4 this year — $30 covers one beer, all art supplies needed, and a free anniversary glass to take home. There will also be door prizes. To make a reservation, call 746-2337.

CMS will host craft bazaar

The Colony Middle School craft bazaar will be held Saturday, Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the school. Vendors looking to sell items can contact Toby Lambert at 761-1517 or email tobias.lambert@matsuk12.us. Table space is $40.

Documentary on teen struggles showing at Massay

A documentary titled, “Paper Tigers” will be shown at Mat-Su College’s Glenn Massay Theater on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. with a discussion panel to follow. According to the film’s website, “Paper Tigers captures the pain, the danger, the beauty, and the hopes of struggling teens — and the teachers armed with new science and fresh approaches that are changing their lives for the better.” Admission to the Mat-Su showing is free.

Women’s health expo to be held Saturday

The Healthy Woman Health Expo, which will feature free lab screenings, will be held Saturday, Oct. 10 from 8 a.m. until noon at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Free labs include fasting glucose, lipid panel and TSH. The health fair is not exclusively for women, but for men and children, too. The expo will also feature local health and wellness experts as well as free flu shots to the first 200 people. For more information, call the hospital’s marketing director, Alan Craft, at 861-6849.

Documentary to show at Massay Theater

Watch the story of motorcyclist Ron “Stray Dog” Hall unfold in the film “Stray Dog,” showing at the Glenn Massay Theater on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. Admission is free with discussion to follow.

Food drive ends Oct. 11

The Palmer Food Bank will hold its “Palmer Pantry Push” food drive from Oct. 1 through 11. Groups will be gathering food at a variety of locations around Palmer. Donations may also be dropped off at the food bank, or call Patti at 746-2135 to schedule a pickup. For more information, call the food bank at 746-3565.

Health fair to be held Oct. 14

Alaska Health Fair Inc. will hold a community health fair at the Mat-Su Senior Center in Palmer on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. All are welcome. The event will feature low-cost blood tests, flu shots and free educational health seminars. For more information, visit alasakhealthfair.org.

‘Fall Family Fun Days’ at the Reindeer Farm

The Williams Reindeer Farm at 5561 S. Bodenburg Loop will host its annual Fall Family Fun Days Oct. 17, 24 and 31. For $10 festival-goers can enjoy a host of games, live music, and the company of reindeer, elk, bison, rabbits, chickens and horses from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit reindeerfarm.com/fall-family-fun.

See ‘Moose: The Movie’ in Talkeetna Oct. 16-18

Hangar Door Cinema will bring “Moose: The Movie” to Talkeetna for a three-night run at 8 p.m., Oct. 16 and 17 and at 4 p.m., Oct. 18

Celebrate ‘Oxtoberfest’ at the Musk Ox Farm

The Musk Ox Farm, along with the Alaska Farmland Trust, will present “Oxtoberfest,” on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m. This farm-to-table event will feature locally brewed beer, locally-grown food (cabbage for sauerkraut, brats, potatoes for German potato salad) as well as polka under the stars with Alaska Blaskapelle (as well as musk oxen). Tickets are $25 for adults or $15 for children ages 5-17 and available at muskoxfarm.org.

Legion Auxiliary to hold craft bazaar

The American Legion Auxiliary 35 will host its 8^th Annual Craft and Vendor Bazaar on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17-18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local crafters and vendors will be featured and the kitchen will be open. The auxiliary is located at mile 46 Parks Highway in Meadow Lakes. For more information, call 376-3500.

Mat-Su Concert Band performs Oct. 18

The Mat-Su Concert Band will open its 2015-2016 season with a fall concert at the Glenn Massay Theater on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. Purchase tickets at the door or in advance at bit.ly/1MfNpC9.

See ‘Chicago’ at Massay Theater

Presented by the Glenn Massay Theater and Enliven Dance Company, “Chicago: The Musical” opens Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. For additional showings and to purchase tickets, visit glennmassaytheater.com

Transportation fair planned

The Mat-Su Transportation Fair will be held Thursday, Oct. 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center. The event is sponsored by the Alaska Department of Transportation, the cities of Palmer, Wasilla and Houston; the Alaska Railroad Corporation; Mat-Su Community Transit; and the Mat-Su Borough. It will feature project updates and information on a variety of transportation issues in the region. For more information. Call 1-866-535-1877 or email. Comments.brooksalaska@gmail.com. There is also an event blog at matsutranspofair.blogspot.com.

Swing for Stride Alaska

The Swingin’ Ravens will perform their “Modern New Orleans Swing” on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, located at 2600 N. Barry’s Resort Drive. The event will benefit Southcentral Therapeutic Riding Inc. (Stride Alaska). Tickets are $50 and are available through Stride Alaska at stridealaska.org or by calling 929-7876. The event also includes dinner.

Big Lake to decide city question

Big Lake voters will decide on Oct. 27 whether or not to incorporate as a second-class city. Community “compass forums” are being held each Thursday leading up to the election from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Big Lake Library. The forums will include a panel of incorporation proponents followed by a question-and-answer session. Voters may vote in the upcoming election if they were registered to vote in the proposed city boundaries on or before July 1. Voters will vote by mail, and absentee in-person voting begins Oct. 12.

‘Rocky Horror’ film fest in Talkeetna Oct. 30

Join the Denali Arts Council for a “Rocky Horror Picture Show” film party at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar on Friday, Oct. 30 from 9 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $10 for arts council members, $15 for non-members. Costumes recommended.

‘The Hills are Alive’ at Colony Middle

Colony Middle Schools drama department will stage “The Sound of Music” starting Oct. 30. Showtimes are Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 31 at 2 and 7 p.m., Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 7 at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 each or $13 for dinner and show tickets fro the Nov. 6 and 7 evening performances. Call 761-1517 or email tobias.lambert@matsuk12.us for tickets.

Firefighters to host open house

The Palmer Fire Association will host its 24^th annual Autumn Harvest (Halloween) Open House on Saturday, Oct. 31 from 5 to 8 p.m. Kids can have their photo taken with Sparky the Fire Dog, play games and enjoy treats and pumpkin juice. All kids are welcome. For more information, call 745-3701 ext. 1.

Grandparent support group meets twice a month

The Grandparents Support Group in Mat Su Meets twice a month at Turn a Leaf Community room next to the thrift store at 404 N. Yenlo in Wasilla.

On the second Saturday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m., relative caregivers and their children enjoy activities and snacks. On the third Friday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, relative caregivers (no children) plan activities and provide support with guest speakers on topics that relate to raising grandchildren that may have experienced abuse and neglect.

For more information, contact David Carry with Volunteers of America at 1-888-522-9866 or email grands@oaak.org or visit www.voaak.org. The local contact person for the group is Rozann Kimpton, who can be reached at 376-7322 or by email at rozann@mtaonline.net.

Cribbage tourney on Thursdays

Play a nine-game cribbage tournament at 6 p.m., Thursday evenings at North Bowl along the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. For more information, call 315-4398.

Big Lake yoga Thursdays

Yoga class is from 6 to 7 p.m., Thursdays at the Big Lake Lions Rec Center. Instructed by Anita Hartman, RYT, PT. Suggested donation of $10 per class, bring your own mat. Call Anita 907-227-0640.

Join Mat-Su Youth Orchestra

Youths are invited to join the Mat-Su Youth Orchestra, a multi-age youth orchestra community group. Cost is $25 a year. For more information, contact 373-6763 or levesque@mtaonline.net.