Eagle River’s Merry Merchant Munch delivers holiday fun

Let’s just borrow a line from a classic holiday tune that states, “It is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and apply it to Chugiak-Eagle River this weekend.

Well, okay, so how about we change that to, “it is the most ‘munchful’ and ‘craftful’ time of the year” in Chugiak-Eagle River.

Now, you’re talking.

Well, okay, to be a bit more accurate: now you are merry munching.

The first weekend in December in the “land between two rivers” has morphed from a couple of low-key tree lighting ceremonies started a couple decades ago to a full three days of merriment that begins Friday afternoon with the sampling – and yes, complete gorging – of sumptuous holiday treats prepared by local merchants. Santa and his reindeer from the Williams Reindeer Farm in Butte arrive in the evening at Town Square Park in Eagle River after children’s choirs from the local elementary schools fill the air with seasonal music as folks waiting for the official tree lighting attempt to stay warm consuming free hot beverages.

Officially, it is titled the, “Merry Merchant Munch” and this year it celebrates its 25th anniversary.

In recent years, it has become much more than just the doling out of holiday decorating and food bragging rights by representatives from the local chamber of commerce to participating business owners.

A gingerbread house competition combines architectural and culinary skills as locals of all ages compete for honors of the best construction. View the entries at the First National Bank of Alaska at 11412 Business Blvd.

New this year: a wreath-making class at P&M Garden Services located at 21144 Eagle River Road on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Also new this year: The Chugiak-Eagle River Women in Business in conjunction with Adonia – a women’s clothing boutique – are sponsoring the Wonderland of Vendors in the space next door to the store above the hardware store at 17034 N. Eagle River Loop Road.

Michele Monastra, Adonia owner, said her entrepreneurial spirit couldn’t pass up the opportunity to utilize the space next door formerly occupied by a video-gaming lounge.

“What a great space for women business owners to use for the Merry Merchant Munch to showcase what they offer,” she said.

Burn off those calories

The Eagle River Jazzercise Fitness Center is offering free classes throughout the Merry Merchant Munch weekend as well as a cookie decorating station for kids during the official “munch” hours on Friday and Saturday. Fitness Center staff will be distributing glowing bracelets at the Friday night tree lighting ceremony. The center’s Holiday GLOW Dance Party Class at 5 p.m. on Saturday is a special event set to raise funds to provide for needy families during the holidays, Nina Perino, center owner and fitness instructor, said. Admission to that class is $5.

Crafts, crafts and more crafts

The Chugiak-Eagle River area is craft mecca this coming weekend.

Six venues are scheduled featuring everything from homemade delicacies to holiday décor and an opportunity to sample the wares of local representatives of direct sales companies.

One of the longest-running shows is held at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church where 15 long-time vendors have re-signed for this year’s show. Holy Spirit is located at17545 N. Eagle River Loop Road.

Ravenwood Elementary at 9500 Wren Lane is slated to be chock full of vendors on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Two local churches – Community Covenant Church located at 16123 Artillery Road and the Peters Creek Christian Center at 20640 Chapel Drive – are also venues for craft shows. The CCC event is a fundraiser for the high school group to attend a conference next summer and is open Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vendor space is still available. The “Christmas at the Creek” event at PCCC features 30 vendors and is open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The VFW Post 9785 Auxiliary hots its craft bazaar on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the post located at 10527 VFW Road next to the fire station.

To celebrate its new location in the Parkgate Building, the Bella Luca Styling and Retail Saloon is sponsoring a bazaar on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday featuring 13 direct sales distributors offering blankets, clothing, cleaning and cooking products, homemade jams and goodies, jewelry and makeup.

Escape to Christmas Towne

It is the local version of “over the river and through the woods,” with the “through the woods” part remaining accurate and a revision to “around Mirror Lake” we go being added. A ten-minute drive on the Glenn Highway headed toward the Valley brings one to the Mirror Lake exit and the entrance to Christmas Towne – now in its second annual year being held at Camp Gorsuch.

The cabins, dining hall and play field have been transformed by Cortney Moore and her crew of elves from a place where the Boy Scouts hold summer camp and earn merit badges to a winter wonderland with sparkling lights, inflatable holiday favorites including Disney’s Elsa and artificial snowballs already packed and waiting on Scott’s Field ready for a fun and less dangerous snowball fight. (Yes, my son and I spent a good ten minutes flinging the spongy white-colored balls back and forth at each before Santa became our willing target as he journeyed across the field headed back to the dining hall. Hey, he - my son, Ian – is 20 years old this holiday season, but he is still a kid at heart and well, his mother ... well, she might be aging chronically but not in spirit.)

The Camp Gorsuch dining hall – a place that usually smells of bug spray and sweaty young men – is barely recognizable as a camp chow hall with the walls decorated in Christmas décor, Santa’s big chair next to the wood stove, the chow tables covered in classic red paper tablecloths and the dining hall chairs each covered in gigantic Santa hats. Rather than camp food, the dining tables are where an assortment of children’s crafts – making ornaments, creating reindeer handprints and – are offered.

And um, those heads of the dead animals hanging on the walls – you guessed it – they each have a red Santa hat on them as well.

The dining hall kitchen is now “Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen” through Christmas Eve. For a fee, kids can bake holiday cookies with Mrs. Claus. The smell of cinnamon filled the air in the dining hall as Ian and I watched an authentically-dressed Mrs. Claus help a youngster transfer snickerdoodle cookies from the baking pan to a holiday-themed plate.

That – a holiday experience that goes well beyond just mimicking the Normal Rockwell images advertisers employ this time of year – is exactly what Moore was aiming for in creating Christmas Towne last year. She wanted to give folks an opportunity to participate in holiday-oriented activities and create memories for their children.

She said Christmas Towne is based on the type of events she has seen in the Lower 48 states.

“These events are everywhere in the Lower 48,” she said. “We needed something like this in Alaska.”

Moore said her children were a major part of her motivation to create the event that takes place every weekend until the big day – Christmas, Dec. 25th.

“My children are still young and I wanted to make memories with them in their childhood that they would cherish as adults,” Moore said as she bundled up in a red velvet cape to venture outside. “And then I thought, other people would like this too.”

For four bucks, attendees can make s’mores at the camp’s Dan’s Palace where the fire pit – a large oval from the oil pipeline – is a piece of Alaskan history itself and puts out a decent amount of heat making the chilly trek from the dining hall worth the effort.

And, yes, Virginia, Christmas Towne has reindeer. And yes, also an old-fashioned style sleigh that you can take a ride in – pulled by a reindeer – during daylight hours.

Vendors vary from weekend to weekend, however, the Anchorage-based Arctic Crown Canvas studio has signed on for every weekend.

Christmas Towne is open Friday, Saturdays and Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m.

Support the Arts: Attend a musical

The Alaska Fine Arts Academy might be without a permanent home, but as they say in the entertainment industry: “the show must go on.”

So it is with this year’s production of “Toy Camp” presented on Fri., Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. and on Sat., Dec. 2 at 2 and 7 p.m.

There is no-charge for admission to the performances are being held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at the corner of Chandalar Street and Eagle River Road.

“We are so grateful to the church for opening its doors for this performance and for this opportunity to give back to our community,” Lailini Cook, AFAA executive director, said.

“Toy Camp” is directed by Catie Bartlett and is a mini musical featuring the AFAA Children’s Choir. Its underlying theme of learning to like oneself and have self-confidence is portrayed as each toy in the plot works to graduate from the week-long camp to earn a price tag so it can be sold at a toy store. Each toy has a goal of being eligible for play with a child, but each toy has to learn to overcome fear and weakness.

Support the Arts: Buy gifts from local artists

Stephanie LeProwse, owner of the River’s Edge Gallery and Gifts located at 17049 Old Glenn Highway, has transformed the former Fuji Gifts store in to a go-to destination for those seeking locally-produced art.

For the month of December, she is hosting a “Christmas Countdown Extravaganza” each Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. From painting produced by local artists to handmade soaps and jewelry, wood bowls and of course, the colorful outdoor flags that were the signature sale of her uncle Art Wallace – the founder of Fuji Gifts and creator of the koi pond still inside the building – River’s Edge offers a diverse selection.

“There are unique gifts here that you simply will not find anywhere else,” Le Prowse said.

Author’s Note: Learn more about the 25th Annual Merry Merchant Munch and its various activities at its self-named Facebook event. Look for the printed version of the official guide at local businesses.