National Guard is part of community

James Kempner runs the show at the National Guard Booth at the Alaska State Fair. 30 years ago he was just a kid who was a carney with Golden Wheel Amusements. Non Commissioned Officer in Charge, Sargent First Class James Kempner has grown up with the fair. He loves his job and he loves the fair. And mostly he enjoys encouraging young people to feel good about their lives and their choices. And he values learning from Veterans.

James has been involved at many levels with the Alaska State Fair. He has taken his family to the fair for decades and now he is involved in entries. This year he is a Division Champion in several categories for his hand made leather crafts. This is his second year entering his honey. It is a special blend of peonies and sunshine, from his happy bees residing at MoonStone Farms, an original Colony Farm in Palmer. It has 16.5% moisture content which is high quality. He is anticipating entering some Mead in next years fair. (Just like many other fairgoers, the inspection of current 2025 fair exhibits inspire and provoke folks into winter plans to prepare for their next 2026 fair entries.)

James’ most important job is running the National Guard at the fair where he keeps good care of his people. He is a leader who considers people first, before anything else. He believes that by taking care of people, he is taking care of the mission. He loves being an integral part of the Army National Guard. It is a positive culture and he thinks it is a great organization. The Guard encourages its members to be a part of their own local community and James answers that call by serving as a volunteer with multiple local organizations.