Wasilla Museum wraps up Night at the Museum winter series during Day of the Dead

WASILLA — The Wasilla Museum and Visitor Center held the final Night at Museum event of the winter series with a community event centered on the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos).

“It’s been a lot of fun,” event organizer Alma Ortega said.

Night at the Museum is an educational opportunity for locals that features a variety of classes and group activities covering a range of topics such as crafting, gardening, art, science, safety, and cultural immersion.

The Wasilla Museum established this new winter series following the success of the summer series. Wasilla Museum curator Bethany Buckingham they’re continuing to expand this program in response to the positive feedback and high participation from the community. Buckingham said the summer series will pick up in May and they plan to keep the winter series from this point forward.

“We’ve had a lot of positive interactions. Everyone has enjoyed the themes we’ve selected,” Buckingham said.

The Day of the Dead event was one of numerous community events held at the Museum throughout the Night at the Museum winter series. Buckingham said they held the first Day of the Dead event last year, but it was smaller in scale compared to the new version they held this year. She said they plan to keep growing the event each year to incorporate as many elements from the beloved Mexican holiday as they can.

“We’re looking forward to more participation next year. This will definitely come back,” Buckingham said.

Numerous community members left photos of family, friends, and even pets on a decorative table to celebrate their lives. The photos were placed alongside the traditional Day of the Dead bread (Pan de Muerto) and other offerings. Buckingham said they had a great response from the public for putting this event together.

“They appreciated the opportunity to remember family members who passed,” Buckingham said.

The Day of the Dead event featured several activities for all ages such as decorating the sugar skulls and sampling traditional Hispanic dishes. The sugar skulls represent the honored dead and the sweetness of life.

“We’re remembering our loved ones and sharing the laughter and memories of when they were alive,” Ortega said. “To me, it’s honoring our ancestors. This goes back a long time. We were raised to continue the culture and keep the culture alive. To me, it’s always important to remember our loved ones.”

Ortega said that she was thrilled to have the opportunity to share her culture and help locals honor their loved ones. She said the Wasilla Museum is doing a great job of bringing the community together through events like these all year round.

“I love it. Hopefully we can do more to get people involved. This is great,” Ortega said.

For more information, visit cityofwasilla.gov/services/departments/museum.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com