What to do this weekend in Mat-Su (April 24-27): Home show, community clean-up, music and community connection
Spring is in the air with the first community clean-up and the annual Mat-Su Home Show.
What you need to know:
- The Mat-Su weekend calendar features a mix of home improvement, community service and entertainment events, including a home show, live music and a cleanup effort.
- Residents can attend activities in Palmer and Wasilla, from concerts and theater auditions to a large home and garden show.
- A bonus event Monday offers a free community dinner and a talk focused on building a more meaningful life.
- Want your event included in an upcoming edition of "What to do this weekend in Mat-Su?" Email contact@matsusentinel.com.
Home projects, spring cleaning and community service dominate this weekend’s Valley events calendar, but there’s still room to cut loose.
A big home show in Wasilla, live music in Palmer, a chance to help Mother Nature and even an opportunity to take the stage are all on tap. Plus, a bonus event Monday offers a chance to reflect on making life more meaningful – with a free meal.
From home improvement to improving the planet, here are five things to do this weekend in the Mat-Su:
Rock on, Palmer
It’s about to get loud in Palmer, with an explosion of live music through Saturday. The weekend kicks off Thursday with a final unplugged set for the season by Nick Anthony at 6 p.m. at the Palmer Alehouse. Friday brings Drew Sablon to the Fishhook Bar & Grill from 6 to 10 p.m., while Klondike Mike’s features Velvet LaLa from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
On Saturday, Green Sea Creatures hit the Hatcher Pass Lodge from 4 to 7 p.m. (assuming the road is open following an avalanche caution closure), Semosonite performs at Fishhook Bar & Grill, and Arctic Outlaws take over Klondike Mike’s. Visit each venue’s Facebook page for details.
Spring cleaning
Bring boots and roll up your sleeves when the Alaska Department of Fish and Game hosts a Rabbit Slough cleanup in the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge on Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to noon, with a bonus early cleanup time at 1 p.m. Thursday. All are welcome.
To get there, take the Trunk Road exit from the Parks Highway to East Fireweed Road, then follow the frontage road to the end at Rabbit Slough. For more information, email burl.dickman@alaska.gov or visit the Mat-Su Sentinel community calendar.
Join the show
Enjoy community theater? Mat-Su Community Theater Arts and the Palmer Arts Council will hold auditions for this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park production of “Much Ado About Nothing” on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the studio, 10355 E. Palmer-Wasilla Highway.
Performers must be 16 or older and bring a one-minute comedic monologue. More information is available at palmerarts.org.
Get to work!
It’s “honey-do” season, and the Mat-Su Home Builders Association Spring Home Show returns to the Menard Center in Wasilla on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hundreds of local vendors will be on hand, along with food trucks and door prizes.
Admission is $5; kids 12 and under are free. Sunday admission from 10 a.m. to noon is free, thanks to MTA. Visit the event’s Facebook page for more details or visit the Mat-Su Sentinel community calendar.
Fireside chat set for Monday
The Mat-Su Jewish Center will host author Rabbi Simon Jacobson for a free fireside chat and community dinner Monday at the Palmer Depot Building. He will speak on “Building a Better World” at this public event, moderated by MyHouse CEO Michelle Overstreet and co-sponsored by several local organizations.
Jacobson is the author of “Toward a Meaningful Life,” based on the teachings of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. The event is free, with gluten-free and dairy-free dinner options and a children’s program. Doors open at 5 p.m.; the program begins at 5:45 p.m. RSVP is requested. For more information or to RSVP, visit matsujewishcenter.org/fireside.
-- Matt Tunseth is a freelance writer from Southcentral Alaska. Email him at matthew.tunseth@gmail.com.