Musk Ox Farm turns 25 Sunday

The public is invited to join the Musk Ox Farm as it celebrates its 25th birthday beginning at 2 p.m., Sunday. Cost is $10 for individuals or $20 for a family.

Mark Austin, executive director of the Musk Ox Farm, put together a lineup of musicians from around the state and nation to add to the festivities. Austin said he knows Mike McCormick from Whistling Swan Productions, and he hopes that relationship will yield more performances at the Musk Ox Farm. It was McCormick who booked the party’s two national acts.

“We are looking forward to developing this venue and are looking at some bigger name acts next summer,” Austin said.

Starting off at 2 p.m. is the local band Wild Cat Trio, which has a fun rockabilly two-step sound, Austin said. Next to take the stage is Alaska singer-songwriter Chelsea Berry, 27, whom he describes as a performer with the edge, power and finesse of legends.

The birthday party also includes a performance by national recording artists Jefferson Hammer and Tashina Clarridge.

Hammer is a singer and guitarist based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Clarridge is a Grand National Fiddle Champion known for her work with the new acoustic group The Bee Eaters and Grammy winners Laurie Lewis and Mark O’Connor.

The nonprofit Musk Ox Development Corp. is dedicated to the domestication of musk ox in order to establish sustainable agriculture in the far North as a means of creating an economic opportunity in rural Alaska.

For more information, contact 745-4151 or mark@muskoxfarm.org.