Palmer event ‘a great day of food and friendship’

PALMER — Hundreds of people brought their families to enjoy an evening of fun, food and conversation at the Governor’s Family Picnic at Raven Hall at the Alaska State Fairgrounds Friday evening.

The annual Mat-Su picnic kicked off a series of five celebrations around the state, including Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Homer.

For more than a decade, donations from Alaska businesses and hundreds of volunteers have made the picnics possible, according to a press release announcing the event.

First Lady Sandy Parnell said she loves the Palmer picnic because of its focus on Alaska Grown foods. And she said, it’s a good chance to visit with friends.

“I absolutely love the Palmer picnic. It’s a great day of food and friendship,” she said. “You can’t beat it.”

Another neat feature of these annual picnics is who it is serving up the free hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork sandwiches, salad, carrots and ice cream. Folks like Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development Commissioner Susan Bell; Alaska Department of Corrections Commissioner Joe Schmidt; Department of Administration Commissioner Becky Hultberg; Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Larry Hartig; and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Joe Masters stood shoulder to shoulder in white aprons and serving the meal and visiting with Valley residents.

Perhaps the most well-known guests at Raven Hall Friday were the Cabbage Fairies, who treated the crowd to an special pre-fair appearance and graciously posed for photos with fans.

LB and Linda Young were at the picnic with their four of their 10 children.

The Youngs said this is their third year attending the picnic. The Governor’s Picnic is a good opportunity to see friends from around the Valley, Linda said.

Siblings Levi, 11, Lee, 9, and Lydia, 7, said their favorite parts of the party were the ice cream and the prizes. But baby brother Austin had his own favorite.

“My mom,” he said. “My mom’s the best part.”

Contact Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or

heather.resz@frontiersman.com.