It’s all fair

Now is the time that we have waited for all year. It’s the culmination of summer and the opportunity to indulge in familiar and brand new experiences at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Alaska. We have this joyous Fair for a short three weekends so go often and enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and attractions. You will see old friends; you will eat memorable food; you will laugh at tiny goats; you will wander on customary trails and explore new pathways and attractions. I promise the Alaska State Fair is an interesting and healing place, overloaded with joy of all types.

Parade through Palmer—The Alaska State Fair parade started at 11am sharp, Saturday morning, on Main Street, aka Alaska Street. There were marching bands, a parrot, dancing horses, Smokey The Bear, tractors, floating gardens, a snake, free books, candy, Ukrainian dancers, Palmer bike police, seniors, old cars, singers, drill team, community groups, fire trucks, state fair acts, demolition cars, artistic costumes, stilt circus performers, and lumberjacks.

Best Ride Ever—There are many different rides at the fair. The ferris wheel and floating hamster balls are favorites. There are rental rides for handicapped and toddlers. There are the crazy Sling-Shot and other scary rides. Four year olds prefer the pony rides.

But this year I discovered the VERY BEST RIDE EVER. It is the Helicopter Ride, in which you leave earth-side and hover over the fair and visit the mountains as if you are a very skillful and talented bird.

The helicopter takes off at the fairgrounds, behind the Slingshot at the Purple Gate. After a comprehensive safety briefing, you are helped into the helicopter, buckled up and given a pair of high-tech earphones with noise canceling technology and mic. Within moments you are airborne and you don’t feel a thing. It is as if you are floating quite quietly in a bubble and moving into heaven.

Aerial view of the Fairground—It is quite extraordinary to see the fair from above. You can easily see the biggest buildings—the Ag Barn, the theater, and now the larger Sluice box. These huge facilities give you reference points to figure out the familiar layout of the rest of the fair. As you go past the ferris wheel, the oblique view of the fairgrounds extends and stretches into a linear perspective of the Palmer area farms and rolling fields surrounding the fair.

Palmer Perspective—When you are airborne you can look down and see the settlement pattern of Palmer clearly. It was a grid system of roads and buildings, all built for pedestrian connectivity. Despite being planned nearly 90 years ago, it is still highly functional and has stood the test of time. It resembles a toy model town of building blocks where there was thoughtful consideration of human needs. Seeing it from the air is really a gift of vision and a look into historical planning.

Approaching the Mountains—This is where the helicopter trip gets real. Quite smoothly and suddenly you are halfway up the Pioneer Peak elevation with the mountain close up and in your face. Those decades of gazing at our mountains, from far distances, are no longer your sole perspective. It is hard to explain the majesty and complexity of the peaks and fields and detailed mountain side geology you see from the helicopter. Everything is like an IMAX film, up close and very personal. It feels like you have entered an entirely new and intimate dimension with the mountains.

Beyond the Mountains—In the distance is Cook Inlet, the layers of Chugach mountains, Talkeetnas, and Knik Glacier is glowing, Jim Creek is stretched out along the intricate braided river channels. It’s an extraordinary perspective.

Safety—There was never a question of safety during this flight. The company working out of the Palmer Fairgrounds is HeliAlaska, based in Wasilla. The owners, Justin, Rob and Dusty have over 6000 hours of experience of flying and are well-respected in the FAA and pilot community. They are not cowboys and their respect of the land, air, weather, passenger safety, and flying conditions was evident. If you do this trip, plan on early in the day because they get filled up in the evening hours. It is so worth it.

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. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222