New food, free music, apps — lots on deck for fair

PALMER — Whatever else the Alaska State Fair is, it’s not the type of annual event where organizers struggle to answer “what’s new and/or exciting this year?”

“Probably, other than the usual things, the thing that we’re most proud of is the fact that over the last two or three years we’ve added a lot of on-grounds acts that really come with your fair admission,” said the fair’s marketing director, Dean Phipps.

Grounds acts are the type of events that don’t require an admission price. They include circus performers and goat wrangling, but mostly quite a bit of live music, from Ventures guitarist Nokie Edwards to sardonic honky tonk band Possum Posse.

“Parents are constantly looking for things that they can do that don’t cost extra money, so that’s something that we want to provide,” Phipps said.

One of the biggest new things this year, he said, is the Our Body exhibit in the Don Sheldon Events Center.

“It’s an exhibit that was at the LA County Fair for the last two years and was very well attended,” Phipps said.

Well attended, he said, even though in Los Angeles people had to pay to get in.

“Because of Mat-Su Health Foundation’s help we were able to offer this free with fair admission,” Phipps said.

The exhibit features actual human bodies displayed with various parts removed or pulled away to display how the body works.

Of course, the main draw for the fair is always the food. There are two new vendors this year, Reuben Haus on the Purple Trail and The Soda Jerk on the Yellow Trail. There’s also a new covered log pavilion eating area.

“It’s an absolutely gorgeous log structure with 28-inch logs,” Phipps said.

People have been asking for covered eating areas for years, he said, and the fair has provided some tents. The pavilion is the first of multiple such attempts planned to address those requests with permanent structures.

Phipps said that if you plan to go to multiple concerts on multiple days — concerts with admission fees this year include Creed, Big and Rich, Air Supply, Jeff Dunham and Five Finger Death Punch — you should buy all the tickets you need at one time to avoid paying online convenience fees.

Speaking of planning, Radio Free Palmer has officially launched its smartphone application. The app lets you listen to Big Cabbage Radio from wherever you happen to be, even if it’s outside its broadcast range.

What does that have to do with the fair? Well, Radio Free Palmer is broadcasting live from the fair for the duration. Content will include interviews with vendors and performers, but also information helpful for planning — things like traffic and weather reports.

Speaking of apps, the Alaska app has tons of information on the fair, including a directory of food options and event listings.

And if you want to get to the fair but don’t want to drive just to park a mile from the gate, there are public transportation options this year from both Valley Mover and MASCOT with daily service between Palmer, Wasilla and Anchorage and the fairgrounds. Check Frontiersman.com for a schedule.

The train also is providing a pricier service running from Anchorage to Palmer on weekend days.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.