Seeing is believing: Alaska State Fair opens Friday after year hiatus

PALMER — The Alaska State Fair is gearing up to host visitors in Palmer to enjoy rides, food, art and attractions for the first time in over 600 days. The Alaska State Fair was canceled in 2020 for the first time since 1942 and ASF staff are eager to once again host the state’s largest celebration this week. The theme for the 2021 ASF is “seeing is believing.”

“The staff is excited to be bringing the fun back to Alaska. Excited for all the new changes, consistent hours, a couple days off during the Fair plus all the new vendors and our favorites that we missed!,” said ASF General Manager Jerome Hertel.

New health and safety protocols have been posted on the ASF website, and Fair staff are encouraging fairgoers to purchase tickets and parking passes online with contactless delivery, preventing the excessive spread of germs. Masks are strongly recommended for fairgoers who are not fully vaccinated and in highly congested areas, but not required. Masks will be available at the entrance of every building and additional handwashing stations and disinfecting of surfaces will occur. Fairgoers are also encouraged to socially distance and stay home if symptomatic or ill.

“The events of 2020 required us all to do things differently. While there were plenty of hardships, the silver lining was the opportunity to grow and evolve and try new things. We did socially distanced events such as two drive-in concerts, a Food Truck Fare every Wednesday and Saturday, multiple drive-in movies and a Bright Up the Night drive through light display. These events allowed us to establish a safety mitigation plan implemented at Harvest Fest 2020 and make necessary changes to help make a safe space for all Alaskans,” said Hertel.

The Fair schedule will also look different this year, with closures on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Fair will run from August 20 through September 6 on weekends.

“This will help us predict crowd sizes and manage our resources to keep patrons safe,” said Hertel. “Purchasing tickets online is a contactless transaction that reduces the spread of germs.”

During the past year, the operations of the Fair have changed to adapt to the decision to cancel the yearly gathering of 300,000 people in Palmer. A 2015 economic study measured the impact of the Fair at $23 million to Alaska as a whole with one third of that directly spent in the Mat-Su Borough. Hertel said that that figure is estimated to be at over $26 million currently.

“A celebration for 300,000 people takes a whole year to plan. We started planning in the fall of 2020 for the 2021 Fair while closely monitoring the pandemic. We knew early in 2021 that we could produce a Fair if we remained flexible to the ever-changing conditions, making it safe for the public to attend. With a year off and an earlier start, vendors and exhibitors are earnestly working to be ready by August 20. One thing is for sure, everyone is eager for the Fair to begin. It takes a whole year to prep for the Alaska State Fair. We started work on the 2021 Fair last

Fall right after Harvest Fest,” said Hertel.

Debuting at the Fair this year will be the largest roller coaster in Alaska, “Aftershock.” The Aftershock is engineered and manufactured by Inerpark in Modena, Italy and stretches 1,181 feet with 25 feet of drop. The Aftershock reaches a top speed of 35 miles per hour and stands 40 feet tall.

“We’re always looking to expand and improve the Fair experience for our fairgoers, and are pleased to have the Aftershock join the carnival as another ride the entire family can enjoy,” said Hertel.

Friday at the Fair will be a memorable return for fairgoers. Alaskan balladeer Hobo Jim will play the Blue Bonnet Stage at 3 p.m., and locally grown Grammy-Award winning Portugal. The Man will play on the Borealis stage at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Fairgoers will have the chance to experience food from new vendors Jeepney Filipino fusion food, Alaska’s Original Shake Up, Grandma Wei’s homemade dumplings, Tiki Pete’s Alaskan grill and Oma’s Poffertjes. The Fred Scheer lumberjack show will take place at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m., and an antique tractor pull will occur on the yellow trail lawn every day at 3 p.m. The WEIO Alaska Native Traditional Games will be featured at The Gathering Place at 3:30 p.m.