Join Mat-Su Sentinel for a civic engagement fair in Talkeetna

What you need to know:

• An Earth Day celebration and nonprofit festival will take place April 19 at the Denali Education Center in Talkeetna, featuring a new civic engagement fair.
• Attendees can meet with officials from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and state fire prevention programs. The Mat-Su Sentinel and KTNA will gather feedback on news coverage and record residents’ civic stories.
• The festival will include free hot dogs, a photo booth and a variety of outdoor-themed resources and activities for the community.

Mat-Su residents in the Upper Valley can connect with community nonprofits, meet with borough and state service officials, and interact with local news reporters at a festival scheduled for Saturday.

Hosted by the Denali Education Center, this year's annual Earth Day celebration and nonprofit fair will include a new civic engagement fair, organized in partnership with the Mat-Su Sentinel and KTNA.

Visitors to the civic fair will have the chance to meet members of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Public Works and recreation teams, as well as representatives from the state's Firewise and fire prevention programs. Volunteers and staff from the Talkeetna Library and the Valley Community for Recycling Solutions will also be on hand with resources and information for residents.

Attendees can also connect with team members from the Mat-Su Sentinel and KTNA, which provide local news coverage for the region. Sentinel Editor Amy Bushatz will gather feedback from attendees about what topics they want to see covered in local news, and KTNA News Producer Andrew Gelderman will host a recording booth where locals can talk about their own civic experiences.

The Earth Day event will also feature a variety of outdoor-oriented community resources, along with free hot dogs and activities. A photo booth will provide a fun way for visitors to commemorate their experience at the festival.

The event is scheduled for April 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Denali Education Center's Talkeetna campus at 22510 Talkeetna Spur Road in Talkeetna.–

-- Contact Mat-Su Sentinel at contact@matsusentinel.com