Moonstone Railcar Tasting Room in Palmer

This 1943 Alaska Railroad railcar has traveled many miles and has had many lives. It now happily resides amidst flowers and fields on one of the Valley’s original Colony Farms. It is the first railcar tasting room in Alaska and serves locally crafted beverages for sampling, while overlooking a working family farm.

The Alaska Railcar was built by the Pullman Company for the Alaska Railroad in 1943. Initially it was an outfit car, which housed the railroad bridge and building crew, as they traveled from site to site along the railroad. Later it was refurbished by the Chicago Freight Car & Parts Company into a bulk cement carrier. The boxcar lived in Sutton after it was retired from the railroad, then moved to the Springer system where it was dutiful storage, and finally was moved to the Church Colony Farm, where it began its’ latest evolution. Now, after much physical labor and time, the box car has been transformed into a a simply elegant railcar tasting room with a huge deck, designed to offer pleasure for farm visitors.

Truthfully, It is one of the most beautiful places in the Valley. I’ve spent lots of time on the Church farm, which has been home to five generations of hard working Alaskans. You will see the seasonal crop rotations, flowers, vegetable gardens, chickens, hay fields, old farm equipment, hoop houses, greenhouse, and a wash house for processing the harvest. The purpose of the Tasting Railcar is to highlight both Alaska beauty and Alaska products. In a nod to Alaska agriculture and agritourism, Moonstone Farm works to spotlight both the area’s history and the importance of independent family farms.

If you’re in the mood, choose from Denali Brewery Blueberry Mojito, Twister Creek IPA, Hibiscus Cider, Lazy Mountain Stout, Railroad Ale or Root-beer from Bear Paw Brewery. The railcar is open on Thursday and Saturdays, in concert with the Moonstone farm stand, which is in its’ third year. Besides the freshest produce, there are herbs, eggs, sunflowers, famous pickled peas, and peonies. A select few vendors are also offering specialty items.

New Community Art at Palmer Restaurant—Omnivore Restaurant in uptown Palmer has both delicious and healthy food; plus they have a new collection of local original art on their wall. It is a perfect lunch or dinner place with excellent service and a great vibe. A second Community Art Show is up through the end of August. The local artists are listed here: Darrah Edgar offers a selection of deep sea-life paintings. Darah has been drawing and painting since she was young and all through high school and college. Letha Butts grew up in Palmer and has studied with the Milan Art Institute. She is passionate about her art and paints people, landscapes and particularly mammals. Diane Paoletti is a committed artist in the Palmer area and creates portraits, landscapes and wildlife paintings. Mimi Degange shows a curated collection of paintings in a dreamy green, blue and lavender palette. Mimi’s work is a bit ethereal while tethered strongly to the earth. Go enjoy some great food and enjoy the original local art.

Palmer Pride—This week is a fully Palmer oriented celebration at the Train Depot. Annually everyone gets together for a hot dog, hunk of homegrown cabbage downtown on Friday afternoon. It is appreciation time for one another and for volunteers’ and citizens’ efforts to make Palmer welcoming, friendly, lovely, healthy and whole. This simple appreciation event started many years ago. It is not a big festival with vendors. It is not a parade with political campaigners. It is not a food truck event nor is it a religious revival. It is simply a hometown appreciation event, thanking Palmer People for making Palmer good.

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. Email bhunt@mtaonline.net or text at 907.315.3222