Busy weekend for fun in the Mat-Su Valley

U.S. Census numbers are one way to tell how much the Mat-Su Valley has grown. Looking at a list of community events set for this weekend is another.

Folks used to try to schedule events so they didn’t conflict with Palmer’s Colony Days, set to begin today and run through Sunday.

But as our population has grown over the decades, double-booking events on Colony Days weekend is no longer avoidable.

This weekend’s fun started Thursday at the Alaska State Square and Round Dance Festival at King’s Lake Camp, Wasilla. The festival is for experienced dancers, but visitors are welcome. For details, visit tinyurl.com/AKSquareDance.

That’s followed this morning by a nine-hole golf tournament at Palmer Fishhook Golf Course to benefit Mat-Su Services for Children and Adults Inc.

An opening ceremony is at 6 p.m. for “The Moving Wall,” which will visit the Mat-Su Valley June 8-14. The ceremony includes delivery of the flag by the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, presentation of the colors by the Alaska Army National Guard Honor Guard and special performances by country musicians Steve Cochran and Aaron Tippin. Following the main event, at about 7:30 p.m., volunteers will begin reading the more than 58,000 names memorialized on the wall.

Across town at Wasilla High School, the annual Mat-Su Relay For Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society begins at 7 p.m., and continues to June 9. Even if you aren’t participating, stop by and encourage those who are. Or, people can stop and visit the information and education booths set up around the track.

Local horse lovers can check out the Alaska State Quarter Horse Association’s “A Day with Horses,” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 9 at Bluegrass Equestrian Center, 4652 N. Bluegrass Lane, north of Wasilla. Admission is $12 per person. For more information or directions, call 357-1416.

Saturday, a second walking event takes place in Wasilla, HeartReach Center’s annual Walk For Life is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 9 at IditaPark, 500 W. Nelson Ave., Wasilla. This year the fun includes fellowship, food and a carnival with games and prizes for all ages.

Up Lucille Street just a few blocks away, Primrose Retirement Community will celebrate its third anniversary from 1 to 2 p.m., June 9 with a variety of food and entertainment.

In Meadow Lakes, the West Lakes Department is collaborating with the North America Outdoor Institute and the Mat-Su Borough Department of Emergency Services to offer a free safety fair from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 9 at the Meadow Lakes Fire Department, Mile 2.2 Pittman Road. This fun includes free food, music and Zombie preparedness games and activities.

And that’s not even mentioning the dozens of activities and events scheduled as part of Colony Days. Colony Days schedule can be found at Frontiersman.com at tinyurl.com/ColonyDays2012 or on pages B2-B3 in today’s newspaper.

There is more news than we can fit on our plate this weekend, so if you pack a camera with you on your adventures, email a photo or two to us at news@frontiersman.com. Be sure and include who took the photo and names of the people in the photo.