Local vendors set up at Valley Freedom Festival

PALMER — Dozens of local vendors set up at the MTA Events Center in downtown Palmer, Friday, June 3 during the Valley Freedom Festival, a two-day festival with a parade on Independence Day, featuring an array of food and goods, plus contests and activities.

“We went around and talked to the vendors. Everybody seems pretty happy,” Valley Freedom Festival committee member Tammy Shields said.

A number of Valley residents formed a committee in wake of the city of Wasilla’s decision to cancel the annual Independence Day parade and accompanying community celebration.

The committee is comprised of residents with varying occupations, some of the business owners. Putting on the event has relied solely on them.

“It’s been all of our own money,” Shields said.

Shields said this event was created to help local vendors with a way to sell their wares while offering the community “happy, freedom-loving fun for everyone.”

“We understand that this has been pretty tough,” Shields said. “I think it’s hugely important to our local economy, for our morale. All the vendors you see here love and work in the community. You see all the money get spent back in the community.”

Shields said they may do something as a group again but not sure. She said despite the slowness, they heard a lot of ‘thank you’s’ from attendees. A few minutes later, a family stopped by the information booth to say thanks for putting on the event.

Committee member Haylee Kurka reflected on the outcome, saying, “We learned this has been received by the community very well overall.”

Like many vendors there, Aloha Shaved Ice/Just Dough It owner Tricia Reaves said the first day of the festival was slow. She said that she isn’t sure why it was so slow but guessed the nice weather and holiday weekend probably played some role.

Reaves said she’s been operating Aloha Shaved Ice for 10 years and recently started the Just Dough It, an additional gourmet, edible cookie dough service.

Reaves lives in the Valley and she’s been running the booth with her kids the entire time. She said her son was serving shaved ice at Wasilla Lake while she ran the Freedom Festival. She said they don’t like missing their weekends but they certainly appreciate the paychecks.

Reaves said that she’s also at Friday Fling every week and also part of the Food Truck Fair within the Alaska State Fairgrounds on Saturdays.

“That’s been fun actually. That has been really good,” Reaves said.

Reaves and her children travel the state and set up at a variety of events. Reaves said they mostly go to places in the Valley and Anchorage. She said that she was thankful to be able to set up at events like the Freedom Festival, which were created to help vendors offset lost revenue from other events across the state that have been cancelled.

“This has definitely let us stay very close to home,” Reaves said. “These have been everything for us...If these little ones hadn’t popped up we couldn’t do anything.”

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