Palmer Alaska Buzz

Palmer Wind Smackdown— We welcome in this bright and shiny new May month with a big and beautiful dust storm, compliments of our friend the Knik Glacier and transported swiftly by our familiar east valley winds. Showing off its’ mighty power, the strong easterlies knocked down more than a few small trees who had only just barely survived brutal winter storms.

Abundance of Glacial Dust—It makes you lick your lips, not because it’s tasty. The powdery dusting resembles the salty residue of ocean spray. It’s grittiness is everywhere—on your clothes, in your eyes, on your face. It is a natural and inexpensive exfoliation treatment. The silty dusty abrasion feels like sandblasting. Glacial dust is often called Alaska’s smog. It’s hard to think of it as beneficial. The hazy layer of silt lays everywhere in every crevice and every crack. It arrives generously in Palmer yearly—in the form of fresh loess deposits, building up in some areas and nearly creating new real estate. Loess is a high nutrient contributor for building some of our richest topsoil, as it annually is dumped in the valley. In fact glacial rock dust is very marketable as a garden supplement. It contains organic trace minerals which benefit soils and health. Plus it is a colorizer! The rich blues and green colors of some of our lakes are a result of glacial rock dust sediment, suspended in the water. Scientists say that the sediment scatters light which creates those colorful blues and green, seen after the spring thaw.

Fire Time—Between now and green-up, is fire season. Clearly if there is big wind, then there shouldn’t be fires. As seen this past weekend, fires get out of control quickly.

Aviation Weekend in Palmer—Palmer is the place for the 25th Great Alaska Aviation Gathering and Trade-show this weekend. There will be flight schools, parts suppliers, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, aircraft static displays, markets and swap meets. There is an expected 25,000 attendance of air enthusiasts and professionals. There will be many food trucks and a Show and Shine aircraft event.

At Palmer’s home-office and the main campus of Airframes Alaska, there will be an annual open house, demo days, aviation product demonstrations, outdoor gear demonstrations, facility tours, bush planes on display and access to a team of experts to answer your questions.

Mother’s Day at the Musk Ox Farm—This is definitely a Palmer tradition going back decades. “Moms are free, and everyone else is admitted by donation!” This is a peaceful and fun destination for the whole family. You will get to stroll around the limited chutes and learn from the various interpretive guides. The animals are so darn primitive and magnificent. The setting of the farm is gentle—but with purpose. You will get to meet most of the herd members, including generations of moms and offspring. It’s a perfect Mother’s Day event

More Weekend—There’s a lot happening in Palmer. Here is a sampling: this weekend is First Friday at Poppy Lane. Ak 49th State Street Rodders will be at the MTA Events Center for their Valley Chrome and Wheels show. Birchtree school is having a May Faire. The Palmer Arts Council Annual Meeting Dinner is at Turkey Red. And there’s an open house at the Butte Fire Station. Have a good weekend!

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff in the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz Column in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Her “Palmer Buzz 2022 Community Calendar” is available at NonEssentials on Main Street. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222