Family Fest ’08 promises fun

WASILLA — With the Alaska State Fair set to begin Aug. 21, organizers of the Mat-Su Boys and Girls Club hope families will get a head start on the end-of-summer celebration this weekend.

Hoping to spread the word about the club’s after-school and weekend programs, the Mat-Su Boys and Girls Club will host Family Fest ’08 from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at the club in Wasilla at 3700 E. Bogard Road. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 13 and younger.

With four zones of fun and recreation — including a carnival — organizers invite the public and families to enjoy a range of activities, including a split-the-pot raffle, games for kids, prize giveaways, extreme sporting events, a barbecue, live music and more.

Gretchen Geist Dumbrow, community outreach coordinator for the club, said Family Fest helps raise awareness about the Mat-Su Boys and Girls Club’s year-round services and the role it plays in the community.

“We wanted an event that included the entire family with a music and carnival combination,” Dumbrow said. “We want people to know that we provide a positive place for kids to be. No one is ever turned away here.”

Funds raised from Family Fest ’08 will go toward providing new programs for the Mat-Su Boys and Girls Club, as well as staffing, field trips and transportation.

Fun Fest ’08 will include a carnival zone with activities for the kids, including a duck pond and bean bag tic-tac-toe.

For older youths, an “Xtreme Zone” will be set up, equipped with a quarterback pass game, long-putt golf and balloon darts where each balloon is filled with paint that will make colorful pictures when ruptured. This art will be displayed at Mat-Su area clubhouses.

Starting at noon, the musical lineup will feature sets from Dusty Bannon, UTN Records, Strept and Suicide Nation, a local teen band sponsored by Make-A-Scene in Wasilla that plays songs advocating clean living.

“All of the bands are donating their time and efforts to support the club,” Dumbrow said. “We’ve had a great response from the community to put this on.”

Dumbrow said a hot dog and hamburger barbecue, complete with chips and beverages, will be available for $3.

“We’re still looking for volunteers to help out,” she said.

The BGC’s Torch Club and Keystone Club, run by local teens and tweens, are also lending a helping hand with the event.

Dumbrow said the two Mat-Su BGC locations serve more than 400 kids in the Mat-Su Valley. Annual membership is $20 for youths ages 6 to 18 through December. The fee includes all access to the Mat-Su Boys and Girls Club from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekly.

For sponsorship, booth rental information and details about Family Fest ’08, call the club 357-2582.

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.