Bellydancing, bluegrass and brews

PALMER — The Palmer Museum of History and Art’s annual membership celebration at the Palmer Train Depot, on Saturday night, mixed it up with barbecued pizza, belly dancing, local brews, historic photos, fiddle playing, and flannel shirts. The combination was pure art and culture, for which the Museum is well known. It’s a non-classic approach which appreciates and celebrates Valley’s diversity. Museum President Pat Chesbro welcomed the crowd with a “very short speech,” outlining the achievements and goals of the Museum.

All seats were filled as she explained the past and future efforts, which depend in a large part on the community’s loyalty and love of the museum activities. Members of the museum sat at round tables enjoying the exotic rhythms of the Gaia Tribal Bellydancers and the sweet songs from the Mountain Waxwings bluegrass group. Guests indulged in hot homemade Humdinger pizzas along with local beers provided by the Arkose Brewery and Pizza Delphi.

Conversations at the tables underlined the community’s great appreciation for the continuing efforts for art and history at the precious location of the log museum in the heart of Palmer. Awards were given to volunteers LeAnne Smith and Dorrie Dean for their donation of thousands of volunteer hours assisting with the Historical Photo Project. Strong supporter Linda Combs was honored with a Lifetime Membership, based on her continual energy and dedication to Palmer.

The past year has seen many interesting exhibits including Apron Strings; Ties to the Past, Charging the Mound—featuring local baseball memorabilia; and the Art of Self Love which addressed the sensitive topic of body shaming.

The museum estimates that it served nearly 30,000 visitors in the last year. Chesbro explained that fundraising is always a constant priority and this year will focus again on the wildly popular Palmer Wine Walk and the quarterly Untold Stories.

Both events are promotions featuring an unusual musical, narrative and personal showcase for Palmer and residents. Various fundraising events were highlighted at the annual meeting including a competitive “wine grab” and silent auction for large baskets, abundant with gifts. 2017 will see continued development of their impressive regional photography bank which includes historic visual history of Mat Su Communities of Sutton, Palmer, Big Lake, Houston, Willow and Talkeetna.

This important project is the result of a successful grant written by Director Selena Ortega Chorizo. Another recent grant from the Rasmusson program will result in an interesting audio tour and equipment. The annual election of board members resulted in the following individuals holding seats on the Palmer Museum of History and Art: Clifford Fletcher; Jim Beck; Patricia Chesbro; Bill Pendleton. They join existing members Kim Carver, Dace Boyd, Brooke Heppinstall, Merry Maxwell, and Betty Pierce.