Local Omnivores

“Local Omnivores” is the title of the newest Palmer Community Art Show, which was hung Monday at Palmer’s newest restaurant, Omnivore. The restaurant is situated between 203 Kombucha/Poppy Lane and the Matanuska Brewery on South Arctic, beside The Yak. It is in the former location of Humdingers. The restaurant features excellent food dishes including a delicious balance of meats and vegetables, thus the name.

In honor of Palmer’s new Omnivore Restaurant, this first community show is titled appropriately “Local Omnivores.” All of the paintings represent omnivores—which means hunter-gatherers with both plants and animals. The art, painted by eight local artists, helps to visualize the balancing concept of omnivorism, which is a healthy utilization of both plants and meat. There are many, many omnivores. But you won’t find a moose in this genre—because moose do not eat meat You won’t find a lion either, because lions aren’t local. Hunting, fishing, gathering plants, cooking, gardening is all part of the omnivorous lifestyle. At first it seemed like a limited subject for an art show, but it is a pretty interesting dive actually.

Omnivores Arrive in Palmer—Two ravens, one cat, one swan, one magpie, many chickens, two bears, one koi fish, four humans, one big salmon, one dog, one fox, two wolves, one pig, two cranes, and one owl make up the collection of local omnivores. Google research says all of these creatures eat some combination of fish, meat, crustaceans, animals, and insects along with a selection of woods/fields/riparian plants Painted by eight local artists, this show honors the brand new restaurant and shows the girth of Omnivore Living.

Artists in this show are: Betty Pierce Hansen, Darrah Edgar, Letha Butts, Meredith Daggett, Mimi DeGange, Diane Paoletti, Denise Nelson and Barbara Hunt.

Ongoing, themed Palmer Community Art Shows are planned and will be announced. The joy of Community Art Shows is the variety of themed pieces, painted here by various local artists in our Palmer area. Years ago we had a vibrant ongoing community art show— which folded when the Palmer Downtown Deli closed its’ doors. Now there are wonderful opportunities for artists in Palmer, including monthly artists at Vagabonds, the Palmer Museum weekly highlight, the Palmer Community Foundation grants, and the Art Cafe. However, Omnivore Restaurant has opened its doors to ongoing thematic Community Art Shows—at a grassroots level. Welcome Omnivores!

Who Let The Girls Out Festival—This weekend is the big, first festival of the season in Palmer. There are so many things to do. Rest assured you won’t be bored and all you have to do is get to Palmer and the event will just take over. There is something incredible and intangible in the energy of this spring festival. Everyone gets out of the house and comes to Palmer to play, after a long winter. Many volunteers give their time and so many people laugh and love. Do not miss this event. There is the ever-popular shopping passport. There’s live music at Vagabonds, 203 Kombucha and at the bars and breweries. There’s a talent show, tea party and fashion show. There are games and specials and giveaways and discounts and contests. But mostly there is just a big jumble of Palmer joy.

Rev up Your Tractors—May starts off with the annual “Drive Your Tractor to Work Day,” on Monday, May 2. It is a fun procession to watch.

Palmer Weekend—There is a large Spring Bike and Gear Swap at the Palmer Train Depot on Saturday morning. This weekend is also sadly the last days at the Alaska Picker.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff in the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz Column in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Her “Palmer Buzz 2022 Community Calendar” is available at the Palmer shops. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222