Farm markets are open

Palmer Farm Markets Are Open — As our Palmer farm crops begin to produce, so do our local grower’s markets. You can find local eggs and vegetables at field farm markets (on location) or at secondary markets like the Friday Fling. Either way, it’s a pretty wonderful time of year to buy a bunch of arugula and munch all the way home. Arctic Organics farm market is open on Friday afternoons. Moon Stone Farm is open on Thursday and Saturday afternoon. Sun Circle Farm is open on Tuesdays. Mountain Fields and Gray Owl Farm are other Palmer farms but it’s difficult to find a listing with all the farms along with their scheduled times and open days. My best suggestion is to scour social media for specific farm market announcements. Or look for roadside signs!

Wine Walkers on Friday Night—This wonderful Palmer event—the Annual

Palmer Wine Walk (which is sold out again) features adults walking around Palmer, and sipping various wines at the various shops. There is nothing better than clinking on the sidewalk—except for the fact that the admission goes to support our wonderful Palmer Museum.

Beautiful Nasty Hairy Vetch—Saturday morning is Palmer’s 10th Annual

Invasive Weed Smackdown! I’m sure you have seen that purple flowering vine that takes over fields, ditches, gardens and roadsides? It kinda looks pretty initially—but it is an aggressive devil, especially when it escapes, sprawls and reseeds itself. It will choke out nearly any other plant and even our hardy fireweed succumbs to it. So the Invasive Plant weed pull all starts at 11AM. Saturday, at the white downtown pavilion across the street from the Palmer Museum. There will be prizes and vouchers for participants. Basically you receive instructions and a bag and you set off to capture vetch weeds, which are plentiful. Be sure to bring some gloves. This is a really healthy family or teen opportunity to do some good work and simultaneously have some fun. The Palmer Soil and Water Conservation District organizes this annual weed pull, along with the help of all the sponsors and citizens.

Saturday—Mid Summer Garden and Art Fair—This is the second weekend in July and annually this is one of the very best summer festivals around. The Mid Summer Garden and Art Faire happens right downtown, next to the Museum and library and extending up the town green to the white borough building. There are so many offerings at the fair, including old trucks and tractors, garden art, plants and flowers, peony portraits, craft booths, food trucks, music all day and into the night.

Saturday at the Fair Grounds— at the Heliofest. This all day musical event is sponsored by JUST US GIRLS SUPPORT (J.U.G.S) which provides resources to Alaskans diagnosed with cancer. There is a lot going on including 20 musical acts, food trucks and a TRASHed Art contest which will show trash bins recycled into works of art.

Sunday—The Big Cabbucha—Sunday afternoon is a sweet Palmer musical string event at 203 Kombucha, located at 105 South Valley Way, in Palmer. Palmer’s Big Cabbage radio station is sponsoring tunes all afternoon by “Vested Interest,” a fun band with banjo, guitar, bass and fiddle. Jeremiah Millen and friends will be playing bluegrass, country, folk, pop, rock and a mix of all of it.

There is no admission fee to the event, although a donation of $10 is suggested. There is no lack of things to do in the Palmer area at this time of year. Be safe.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff on the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Email bhunt@mtaonline.net or text at 907.315.3222