Last Friday Fling of the 2021 season this week

WASILLA — The last Friday Fling of the 2021 season is this week. The conclusion of downtown Palmer’s cherished community marketplace is seen by many as an indication that summer has come to end.

“Summer flew by as normal,” Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ailis Vann said.

According to Vann, the Chamber sold out of vendor space this season, featuring a variety of new and long-established vendors on top of featuring different local and visiting musicians on stage every week without duplication.

“We feel like it was a very successful season. The weather was definitely was not the greatest in Friday Fling history but people still came out and supported our vendors and musicians, and really seemed to have a great time,” Vann said.

Whether it’s fresh cabbage from a Palmer farm or a handcrafted piece of jewelry, there was a variety of local goods on display throughout the summer. Vann said they saw a large number of tourists along with waves of locals readily supporting the market this year.

“I think we had a good variety, which is our goal. We want to keep it interesting for everyone,” Vann said. “People were incredibly happy to have a full market again. Last year it was kinda toned down for COVID. We always get compliments on the vendors and the food and the music and the fact that it’s a really nice space visit… It’s fun to get to show off our crafters and artisans to tourists.”

Next year marks Friday Fling’s 20th anniversary. Vann said there’s a lot of people in and around Palmer who look forward to one of the city’s most cherished and longstanding traditions. She noted that it’s one of the oldest consecutively running markets in the state.

“The fact that there’s a market running that long in a community says something about what Palmer and the Valley want in the community… It’s a really good sign of the dedication that people who live here have,” Vann said. “We are lucky where we live. It’s easy to park and walk and enjoy beautiful mountain views from anywhere in town and meet people who grow delicious produce and create beautiful art or anything. We’re so lucky to live in such a place where we can do all those things so easily.”

Vann said the Chamber is working out plans and ideas for 2022, including themes for the season, and the possibility of holding a kids’ day on a designated Friday to foster youth entrepreneurship.

“We’d like to invite some young crafters and farmers to come and have a day at Friday Fling and get to see what it’s like to be in a market,” Vann said. “I think it’s incredibly important, from the sales tax the city of Palmer gets to the foot traffic our brick and mortars businesses receive and giving these vendors to start up a business or work on capital to have a brick and mortar one day. Everybody does Friday Fling for a different reason… That’s the beauty of markets like this. It gives the people the avenue to do that. We get to see them make their dreams come true or live out their retirement,” Vann said.

The week’s Friday Fling runs its usual hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Palmer near the Palmer Museum of History and Art. Lower 48 artist, Milo Matthews is the final featured act of the season from 11:30 a.m to 1:30 p.m. There will also be a showcase of local acoustic singer-songwriters during the Variety Playhouse from 4 to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit palmerchamber.org/fridayfling.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com