The hills are alive: Inaugural Government Peak Music Festival set for Saturday

WASILLA — The Government Peak Recreation Area in Hatcher Pass already is a gem for most Valley outdoor types, but organizers of a weekend music festival hope to shine up the area for a wider audience.

Set Saturday, Aug. 20, the inaugural Government Peak Music Festival promises to be a family-friendly showcase of food, music and fun, along with sharing a parks and trails vision for the Valley, said Chris Jones, vice chairman of the board of the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation, which is hosting the event as a fundraiser.

The recreation area is located 10690 N. Mountain Trails Dr. in Palmer, off Edgerton Parks Road.

Denali Cooks will be the music headliner, and the beer garden, which opens at 4 p.m., will feature the craft brews of Palmer’s Arkose Brewery and Talkeetna’s Denali Brewing Co. Jones said a $30 beer garden package would feature a stainless steel pint and four drink tickets.

“We are really excited for the festival, and hope it can move on to be an annual thing,” Jones said Monday. “It is going to be a lot of fun.”

With two stages, food vendors, trail advocacy group information booths and the beer garden, Jones said along with being a foundation fundraiser, he hoped the event would be a celebration of Mat-Su trails and a coming out party of sorts for GPRA.

“It is amazing how many people don’t know what is up there,” Jones said of the chalet and the miles of skiing, hiking, biking and horse trails that the area offers. “We hope to get a few first-time folks.”

Festivities kick off at noon, with a children’s music concert and other activities. Food booths will line the parking lot overlooking the stadium area near the chalet, while the main music stage is planned for the winter sledding hill nearby, which will create an amphitheater feel, Jones said.

Inside the chalet, trail advocacy groups that will include Hatcher Alpine Xperience, Mat-Su Ski Club, the Upper Susitna Soil and Water Conservation District and the historic Herning Trail will have information on their projects and mission, said Stuart Leidner, the interim executive director of the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation.

“It will be a great opportunity for people to see what these groups are doing with parks and trails,” Leidner said, “plus it will be a great chance for folks to be informed on the borough recreation bond on the ballot this fall.”

Leidner added that the foundation is reviewing its latest round of fall grant applications, a funding cycle that will offer $100,000 in grant money for 10 projects — or $10,000 apiece for each qualifying candidate.

The chalet also will have a stage, with music beginning at 4 p.m. with the Nashville Trio. The acts will follow in hour increments, with Aurora Davidson at 5 p.m., followed by John French, Tyson James and John Cook.

The main stage will feature the Carhartt Brothers at 4 p.m., followed by Braided River at 6 p.m. and Denali Cooks at 8.

Festival admission is $30, and tickets are available at Palmer locations Arkose Brewery, Lavender hair salon and Active Soles. Tickets also can be purchased online at the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation website, www.matsutrails.org. Look under the “music festival” tab. Children under 12 are free with a ticket-holding adult. Beer garden tickets and packages are separate.

Tickets the day of the event are $35.

Both Jones and Leidner encouraged carpooling to the event if possible, as parking will be limited.

Jones also noted that the foundation was seeking volunteer assistance starting Wednesday to help set up for the event. Call 746-8757 (select option 2) or email info@matsutrails.org to learn more.

Leidner said the recently installed lighting system along with GPRA’s ever-expanding trail network is making the area a true outdoor destination.

“GPRA is such a great asset — we want to share that,” Leidner said.

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com