Celebrate Hanukkah in Mat-Su with these free events -- including a pogo stunt show

What you need to know:

• The Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad Lubavitch is hosting its largest Hanukkah celebrations yet, featuring multiple public menorah lightings – including a 20-foot menorah at Wasilla Lake – and events in Palmer, Wasilla and, for the first time, Talkeetna.
• Event highlights include Jump Into Chanukah on Dec. 16 at the Glenn Massay Theater, with extreme pogo performers, games and traditional foods. The grand finale on Dec. 21 will feature a gelt drop from a firetruck, music from a DJ and a menorah lighting at Wasilla Lake.
• All Hanukkah events are free and open to the public.

Adam Sandler famously described Hanukkah as “eight crazy nights.” He’d feel right at home in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

This year’s public celebrations of the annual Jewish holiday include more than just menorah lightings. From acrobats on pogo sticks to a chocolate gelt drop, Rabbi Mendy Greenberg said the Mat-Su Jewish Center Chabad-Lubavitch, is pulling out all the stops.

“A lot of things are happening,” said Greenberg, whose center is in its 11th year of hosting public Hanukkah celebrations in the Valley.

Returning this year to the shores of Wasilla Lake will be the most visible of the center’s efforts: a giant 20-foot menorah that will anchor a grand finale celebration on Sunday, Dec. 21, the final day of the festival. There will also be public menorahs set up outside the Palmer Depot building, the Menard Center, Glenn Massay Theater, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, Iditapark in Wasilla, and — for the first time — in Talkeetna.

There was some unwanted excitement in early December when the menorah recently installed at Iditapark broke due to high winds that slammed the Mat-Su. But Greenberg said Palmer artist Patrick Garley jumped into action immediately and welded the structure back together.

“He’s a great friend,” Greenberg said.

One of the most anticipated events of the eight-day festival is “Jump Into Chanukah,” a community celebration and menorah lighting set for the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Glenn Massay Theater in Palmer. The event will include a menorah lighting, a performance by the Xpogo extreme pogo stick stunt team, a buffet dinner, games, kids’ activities, festive music and plenty of traditional fried foods such as latkes and doughnuts.

Greenberg estimated last year’s event attracted about 400 people, and he expects at least that many this year.

“It’s going to be a very beautiful event,” he said.

The festival kicks off Sunday evening with a menorah lighting at the Upper Susitna Senior Center in Talkeetna. Greenberg said he’s excited about the first menorah lighting in that community.

“We have members who come in from Talkeetna all the time,” he said.

There will also be a menorah lighting ceremony at the Palmer Depot on Monday evening, with additional lighting events throughout the week. The grand finale menorah lighting on Wasilla Lake on Dec. 21 will feature music from a DJ, chocolate gelt (coins) dropped from a firetruck, and plenty of snacks and goodies.

Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C. The festival begins at sundown on Dec. 14 and ends at sundown on Dec. 21. Greenberg said the lighting of the nine-branched menorah and the eating of oily foods such as latkes commemorate the “miracle of the oil,” in which oil in the Temple that was expected to last one night instead lasted eight.

“I don’t know if that’s the healthiest, but that’s what we do,” he said.

The nine branches of the menorah represent the eight days, plus a ninth “helper” candle (or electric light, in the case of large public displays) used to light a new branch each night.

The festival is celebrated by both Jews and non-Jews and is perhaps the most recognizable of Jewish holidays. Greenberg said the festival centers on spreading light and cheer during one of the darkest times of the year.

“The message is to come at darkness with positivity and goodness,” he said.

Public Hanukkah celebrations in the United States date back to the early 1970s, when Chabad-Lubavitch leader Rabbi Menachem Schneerson set out to make the holiday more accessible to all—not just Jews—through the lighting of public menorahs.

“The idea of Rabbi Menachem was to bring the light of Hanukkah to everyone,” said Greenberg, who estimated 1,000 Jews call the Valley home.

There are now public Hanukkah celebrations around the world and in countries from A to Z – literally. Greenberg said his sister hosts celebrations at the Jewish center she runs in Zambia.

“The message of the menorah reaches millions of people,” he said.

Greenberg said the events in the Mat-Su have always been warmly received by the broader community, and he has never received any threats or negativity in the decade since public celebrations began.

One major and enthusiastic supporter of the local Jewish community was the late Wasilla Mayor Bert Cottle, who died in 2022. This year, the menorah alongside Wasilla Lake will be lit by Cottle’s widow, Kathy, in his honor during the Dec. 21 event.

“He always wanted to help us out and welcome us to the town,” Greenberg said.

The holiday celebrations coincide with the center’s annual fundraising drive. This year’s effort is particularly important to the center, which hopes to expand onto land it purchased earlier this year next to its existing property. Greenberg described the planned ARK Center—which stands for “acts of routine kindness”—as a space for fellowship and positivity.

“The idea is to be able to have a fun place people can come in during the winter,” he said.

Greenberg said all the Hanukkah events are free and open to all. The only requirement is a desire to enjoy the holiday season in a festive, positive environment.

“The message is universal.”

For more information on the festivities, Greenberg said people can visit the center at matsujewishcenter.org or find the center on Facebook.

Event Schedule

Light Up Talkeetna Sunday, Dec. 14 3:30 p.m.
Upper Susitna Senior Center Menorah lighting, holiday treats, festive music, and activities for all ages. Free admission; all are welcome to attend this first-ever menorah lighting in Talkeetna.

Menorah Lightings at the Palmer Depot Monday, Dec. 15 – 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17 – 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18 – 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 – 6 p.m.
Monday’s event will be attended by Mayor Jim Cooper and local dignitaries. Free latkes and doughnuts each evening.

Jump Into Chanukah Tuesday, Dec. 16
Glenn Massay Theater in Palmer Doors open at 5 p.m.; program begins at 5:45 p.m. Extreme pogo stick show, buffet dinner, activities, menorah lighting and holiday fun for all ages.

Wasilla Lake 20-Foot Menorah Lighting Ceremony Sunday, Dec. 21 Wasilla Lake Events include a chocolate gelt drop from a firetruck, music by DJ George Sikat, holiday treats, and a 20-foot menorah designed by Alaska artist Pat Garley.

-- Matt Tunseth is a freelance reporter from Southcentral Alaska. Reach him at matthew.tunseth@gmail.com