Mark your calendars for the Big Lake Summer Solstice celebration

Unless you use a lunar calendar to schedule your activities, June 21 is already marked on your calendar as either the first official day of summer or the summer solstice. But if you want to be sure to have fun on solstice weekend, you'll want to add two more words.

Go get a felt tip pen and, in large letters over the two blocks marked June 21 and 22, write the word "Big." Then, on the two blocks just below those -- the blocks marked 28 and 29 -- write the word "Lake."

There. Now you're scheduled for two weekends of fun on the longest days of summer at one of Southcentral Alaska's best small-town festivals.

The Big Lake Summer Solstice Festival's theme this year is Mardi Gras, so bring beads. This unabashedly small-town festival features both a boat parade and a street parade. Both parades have prizes, so decorate your boat or street float Mardi Gras-style for a chance to win.

There will also be horseshoes and cribbage tournaments, hosted by the Hangar Lounge, and carnival games for youngsters at both the East Lake Mall and at Big Lake Super Store at the "Y," across form the post office.

A fish pond for kids and a cake walk will both be held at East Lake Mall on Saturday, June 22. A new event this year will be a scavenger hunt, which also starts at the mall.

Big Lake Super Store will host a street dance on Friday, June 21. Robert Mark Button said in the four years since his store started the street dance it has grown into a festival highlight. The bands Third Knuckle and Full Tilt will play alternating sets starting in the afternoon.

"Usually we start out with a lot of kid's music, and they get out and dance with their parents. Later on, it turns into more of an adult party," Button said. "It lasts until around midnight or one o'clock."

The street dance will happen rain or shine.

"We'll have a covered band stand -- not only a covered bandstand, but a covered area to play and dance in."

Button said there are three things he likes about the solstice festival; it has entertainment for kids of all ages, the sun usually shows up, and the mud volleyball tournament, which is sponsored by the Lion's club the second weekend, is right across the street from Big Lake Super Store.

It's a two court -- or pit -- tournament that attracted about two dozen teams last year. A half-foot of water and a few inches of soft mud keep players cool and cushions their falls if they dive for the ball.

"Make sure you wear something that you're never going to want to wear again," Button said.

This year's Mud Volleyball is sponsored by Lion's Club and the pits are dug by Fisher's Fuel. volunteers from the Big Lake Fire Department will supply the water.

Vi Hasti of the Lion's Club is on a big push to make this year's street parade the best ever. Hasti has lived in Big Lake off and on for about thirty years and said she likes the small town festivals mostly because they are about community.

"I don't like the great big things because they're too much about money," Hasti said. "What I like to see is the community spirit. The thing that I like about the community is the community. You don't find too may people that aren't friendly here, at least I don't."

The Lions Club pancake feed, from 8 to 11 a.m., June 22, is a great chance to meet the people that make it all happen in Big Lake. Hasti said she isn't sure how many people the pancake feed serves, but there's always enough for everyone.

"You know I never really counted them, but it seems we're busy for two or three hours," She said. "But I want everybody, regardless of where they're from, to come out and have a good time."

Members of the Big Lake Chamber of Commerce sponsor the events. Festival coordinator Paula Clark said the chamber will have schedules printed soon, watch the Frontiersman for details.