PALMER BUZZ: Major holiday action!

Major Holiday Action in Palmer—It’s this weekend! There are so many events happening, I promise you satisfied exhaustion—by the time it’s over. The list is huge and you need to check it out personally on the website or flyers provided by the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce.

Palmer Promises Wonderful Celebration—This is one of those weekends where Palmer is golden. Yes, it will look like a busy holiday Currier and Ives Christmas Card. Yes, there will be carolers. Yes there will be funny hats. There will be reindeers. There will be bikes with lights. There will be the running of the beers. There will be holiday cheer. There will be cookies absolutely everywhere. There will be Santa, live nativity scene, snow-people, sparklers, Santa-con, Garden of Lights, festive farms, decorated tractors, gingerbread buildings, open skate, candlelit yoga, hayrides, radio stories, animal adoptions, and paper origami cranes. And in the midst of it all the Palmer Library Christmas Tree will be shining and the Palmer Water Tower will be lit. Over at the Palmer Senior Center there will be “Vested Interest,” a great local band, with Jeremy Millen on the fiddle. Hometown Fireworks happen after the Parade of Lights Saturday evening. Boogie Shoes will be swinging at the outdoor tent and there is much music and merry making all around town.

New Museum Collection—See the art that OUR youth produce at the “Beyond the Classroom” student art exhibit, which is held annually at the Palmer Museum. Students from high school art classrooms around the valley each submit a piece for display. Their work is exhibited at the museum. Additionally, the museum is awarding two $1,000 scholarships for best achievement, and making donations to each of the school art departments. This is the Palmer Museum’s largest Beyond the Classroom exhibit yet, with 31 pieces from 6 different schools on display. There are 13 pieces from Palmer High School and 6 pieces from Colony High School. You can visit the exhibit on display from now until January 31.

So Many Ways to Help—Palmer is full of opportunities to give. You see it everywhere in the form of Angel Trees, Bread Day and Red Kettles. Special Santa is huge and connected to the Toys for Tots program. So here is a new Palmer opportunity to help out—over at Dr. Brian Hutchings’ Palmer Dental Clinic is a nice new Toys For Tots donation box. It’s ready for toy collection!

This is the first year for the “Toys For Tots Donation Drive” sponsored by Dr. Hutchings’ team. Collectively, they have wanted to be more involved, because the entire office has a huge heart for children in need. They’re pretty excited about the collection and the donation box is just inside their front door. They are so enthusiastic they anticipate filling more than one box. Everyone is welcome to donate unwrapped toys to help this cause.

Local Neighbors join up to assist each other—This type of tiny community solidarity strengthens neighborhoods by extension of care. Last week a Butte and Knik neighbor group reached out to help some elders who were living in a trailer, with poor insulation and a lack of adequate heat. Thankfully, the community came through with hot food, donations, straw, insulation, blankets, and plenty of care. The elders are also being helped in the navigation of ongoing services now. Best of all, this neighborly assistance is done without judgement or blame.

Be safe Palmer peeps and celebrate safely.

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 a few Palmer shops. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222