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 Colony Days June 11-13, 2010 as we Celebrate the 75th Anniversery of the Matanuska Colonist.
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Small town feel makes community Colony Days celebration a hit in Palmer every summer
A grand parade through the heart of the town, community events in nearly every building, a quilt walkabout and a custom car rally at night conjure up images of childhood celebrations. Small children drawing with chalk on the sidewalk and playing games help reinforce the notion.
It sounds like the recipe for the perfect small town America event. That’s exactly what it is—Palmer’s Colony Days, a sampling of everything fun in the heart of the Mat-Su Valley, thrown together for a three-day celebration.
Walking through downtown Palmer in the middle of June is a great way to spend an afternoon—checking out the Palmer Museum of History and Art, the Palmer Agriculture showcase garden, taking pictures of the rustic buildings framed by Pioneer Peak in the background or smelling the flowers in the downtown. But add the Colony Days celebration, and the town has even more to offer in the middle of summer.
Each summer, the Colony Days festival pays tribute to the history of Palmer. Hosted by the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce, the event is rich in history, and rich in fun. There truly is something for everybody at the event—young and old.
The small town feel to Palmer lends a very personal felling to the event. All you have to do is park your car and walk around town to take in all the fun and festivities. There is the Saturday Parade, sidewalk art for children, the Bill Mitchell 5K Fun Run/Walk for both children and adults and events such as a quilt walkabout, a smoked salmon contest, and craft landscape and open air markets located in Palmer. Hayrides whisk people around town, while music blares from the Air force band stationed at the Palmer Depot lawn.
At the heart of the Colony Days celebration is the history of Palmer. Colony House tours are offered by the Palmer Historical Society during Colony Days, and the tours give people a chance to take in the history of the colonists and the impact they made in the Valley.
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This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Matanuska Colonist and the 1935 New Deal Act, were President Franklin D. Roosevelt offered 204 families from the hardest-hit areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan the chance to start fresh in a new land, in a fertile Alaskan valley with the melodic name Matanuska.
This year the celebration should be even bigger and better.Â
Events include:
Colony Days Parade - Saturday @ 11:00am
Ice Cream Social - Friday evening
Colony Days Bed Race - Friday evening
Friday Fling Market - Expanded to all three days!
Salmon GONE WILD Smoked Salmon Contest - Saturday
Colony Days Kids Games
Outdoor Food Court
Petting Zoo
Bill Mitchell Fun Run
And much, much more.
Keep checking back as the list of events grows and for more information |
