Willow celebrates Memorial Day

Memorial Day Weekend was filled with a variety of events in Willow. From live music to chaga-infused tea and pig roasts, a community of artists, bakers and backwoods creatives all showed out to celebrate the beginning of summer… or maybe spring.

Northern Spirit Rustics and Chaga Chicks hosted a Kick-Off Summer event at their studio on Saturday. They were joined by local artists with watercolor displays, crocheted stuffed animals, pottery and hand-carved bowls.

“We wanted to bring a bunch of local artists together and get the community out to visit a bunch of people,” McCrae Mills said. “We wanted to kick-off the season and create a nice atmosphere for a bunch of locals to stop by and meet local artists.”

McCrae and her sister, Micheala, are the Chaga Chicks. They offer a variety of chaga-derived goods and share their space with Northern Spirit Rustics, their family-owned business building custom log furniture. They also sell baked goods out of their storefront that were made fresh Saturday morning. Their bright studio warmed by a cozy wood stove was filled with laughter and socializing as customers perused the shelves and enjoyed complimentary chaga tea.

In a state as big as Alaska, and even in tight-knit communities, small local businesses and artists can slip through the cracks. Events like these connect customers with business owners, who often end up being their neighbors.

“It’s really important to have [these events] in Willow because you need a way to bring the community together,” McCrae said.

Addison Brubaker recently started Hook and Homestead, a local crocheting business. Crocheted chickens, octopuses, dragons and even a llama danced around the table as Brubaker welcomed guests. The kick-off event was her second market that she had ever attended. Interacting with the community has been her favorite part of operating her business so far.

“We love this community and they’re nice here,” Brubaker said.

Stephanie Richey from Stephanie Richey Art displayed a variety of scenic landscapes and animal-focused watercolors. She regularly attends local shows and markets and enjoys reconnecting with return customers and meeting new ones. Enjoying what other vendors are up to is also a great way to see what is going on in the community.

“I think not only coming to the event as a customer, but also coming to the event as a vendor so that you can support the event,” Richey said. “And when people come there’s stuff to see, stuff to do. I think it’s important for both sides, the customers and the vendors to be here.”

The Willow Library hosted a 5k Fun Run on Saturday morning, where participants navigated a series of soggy trails. Congruently, Fireside Books hosted a book fair inside the Willow Community Center. Partial proceeds from every sale went back to the Willow Library to help purchase new books and materials for the future.

In a time when certain topics and titles are highly scrutinized and becoming banned from certain institutions, local book fairs like these help to connect readers with the materials they are in search of.

“It’s good to show people that there is an option for them to get books if there’s something that they’re interested in,” Bookseller Matthew Akers said.

Shortly thereafter, the Willow Historical Museum welcomed the community with hotdogs and a series of local vendor booths. Willow’s very own Craig Walls serenaded the crowd as hail began to bounce off of the canopies and listeners frantically shielded themselves and their steaming ‘dogs from the onslaught.

Held outside of the Willow Museum, this event was designed to welcome newcomers to the community and connect them with their local businesses and neighbors. It was also a great way to learn more about the museum and the history of Willow.

“We have noticed that a lot of new people have arrived in our community that don’t know anything about Willow,” Rose Chamberlain from the Willow Historical Museum said. “That’s our primary [goal], to welcome new people and to have fun with the old people that we know.”

Hotdogs and cookie sales benefited the museum. The museum will be open this summer from noon to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays to coincide with the Farmer’s Market. Private tours will also be available.

“We also would like to encourage people to tour our museum because there’s a lot of history in Willow that you don’t know about until you go through our museum,” Chamberlain said.

Owner of Willow Wildcraft Cynthia Simkins hosted one of the booths at the museum on Saturday, displaying a variety of soaps, salves and hand creams. She enjoys being part of Willow and was invited to join her fellow small-businesses at the event.

“This is a very tight-knit community and everybody is always trying to support everybody else,” Simkins said.

Saturday evening was capped off with a pig roast by Burnt Toast and a performance by Last Frontier Band at the Pioneer Bar. BBQ platters continued into Sunday with a performance by musician Benjamin Wood.

The Second Willow Memorial Day Swap Meet and BBQ hosted by Susitna Valley Realty and Raven Lunatics Coffee Shop took place behind the Willow True Value Hardware on Sunday and Monday. Local businesses and community members set up canopies selling home goods, fresh plants and advertised local fishing trips. Raven Lunatics cooked up hearty bison burgers and smash burgers while kids enjoyed the inflatable bouncy house.

With the Farmer’s Market still a few weeks away and the desire to get out and explore during the first major weekend holiday of the year, this fun event helps usher in the outdoor season. A steady line of traffic along the Parks Highway helped to bring in customers from near and far.

“It gets people out of the house, gets everybody talking to each other. It’s the transition time between winter and summer,” Justin Howington from Susitna Valley Realty said.