Friday Fling and then some

Did you notice just how fast this spring weather hit? From Memorial Day on, the weather has been amazing.

Suddenly, we had record-high temperatures. The trees and brush all decided to pop green leaves at the same time. What were bare trees just a few days before are now awash in green. I have commented before on this kind of change in the past; seen it happen as it only happens up here in Alaska.

But not like this. It was so very fast, everything popped at the same time. Did you notice it, too?

Wasn’t it only last week we had snow? Suddenly, any leftovers of winter are long gone, all except in the mountains. The snow line is in full retreat up there. By some reports, the snowmelt is happening too fast. Maybe the Valley is making up for lost time. Well, I’ll tell you what, I am not complaining. Not one bit.

This change in the weather came just in time for the Memorial Day hoopla and another annual sign of summer, Friday Flings. Last week was the first fling of the season and it was bigger than ever.

It was the perfect day to get out and about. I was finishing a volunteer shift at the Radio Free Palmer studio. Mike Chmielewski, the station manager, had just returned for another recording session. He grinned and told me to get out and enjoy the rest of the day an hour early. Well, all I can say is that I was just gone in seconds like a giddy, 52-year-old schoolboy.

I made my way toward the music. Follow the tunes, follow your nose and you can’t miss it. Cross the street and into the commons. With old railroad tracks and grass right across from the Palmer Museum and Visitors Center. I was met there by a gathering of booths and people, along with the assorted smells of food being cooked.

People from all over were coming out to greet old friends after a very long winter. Handshakes and hugs were the high point of the day. Little children darted amongst the gathering crowd, only to be eventually rounded up by their parents.

Live music by Lulu Small was coming from the stage at the far end. She has an amazing vocal range and performs music with a great deal of humor. It set the mood for the day. This, in my opinion, is Alaska at its best.

The honey lady was back doing her thing. Wearing a bright sunbonnet and very happy to be listening to the music not 20 feet from her table, chock full of a wide variety of honey-based products. She beamed at me as I walked up, telling a customer that I was her writer friend and then gave me a fun-filled accounting of problems with bees and politicians. She is a kick in the pants, full of life and opinions. You know, after all this time I never did catch her name.

Zack was running the Tundra comics booth. A fellow veteran, we gabbed it up for a spell. Both of us were falling under the spell of the warm weather and flocks of people to watch. The feeling of just being mellow is the only way I can describe it.

I made my way back toward the tiny stage where Lulu Small was playing tunes. Behind the stage, Josh Fryfogle was tweaking the levers and knobs on the soundboard to get the perfect sound. He was in sonic heaven. We yakked it up, but he was in his own realm. I left him there to enjoy the feeling of the spell we were all under.

People were out there in shorts, shirtsleeves, jeans, sunglasses and baseball caps checking out the booths that spilled onto the street in front of the visitors center.

Some people gathered on the grass and kicked back, eating food and grooving to tunes.

Yes, mellow is the perfect term to describe what happens in Palmer on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You, too, can partake of Friday Fling. Alaskans put this on for Alaskans. And if you are new here or just touring Alaska, well, you are invited, too. See Alaska and meet those who choose to live here year-round.

So come on out to Palmer on Fridays from now until fall and enjoy the mellow. I will.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.