What to do this weekend in Mat-Su (Aug. 28-30): State fair stops and fair-free fun

What you need to know:

• The Alaska State Fair heads into its second weekend with national acts including Modest Mouse, Nate Smith, BigXThaPlug and comedian Nick Offerman, along with discounted admission days.
• Fairgoers can also catch free entertainment and activities, including live music, farm demonstrations, lumberjack shows, the Fireweed Spectacular, a livestock costume contest, a pie contest and Mullet Mania.
• Beyond the fair, the Mat-Su has several weekend events, including a Shakespeare festival, guided hikes, a veterans gathering with service dogs and a free bluegrass concert in Talkeetna.
• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

What do you get when you cross a rat race with a Modest Mouse? The second weekend of the Alaska State Fair, of course. There are big national acts, familiar only-at-the-fair attractions (those “rats” are gerbils, actually) and several special events on the calendar as the annual late-summer spectacle hits its midpoint. 

And while fair activities tend to consume the early fall events calendar like an entertainment black hole, there are still a few things to do this weekend around the Mat-Su that don’t involve 50-acre parking lots. 

Alaska State Fair weekend highlights:

Find some laughs

Comedian Nick Offerman became beloved for his role as stoic anti-government Parks Department director Ron Swanson in the iconic NBC comedy Parks and Rec. The comic and author will bring his straight-shooter style of comedy to Palmer with a 1 p.m. Sunday performance at the Borealis Theatre. Tickets start at $59; buy them at alaskastatefair.org.

What a deal

Friday is Kids’ Day at the fair. All children ages 12 and under get free admission — a $12 value. Saturday is Family Day, with kids getting $2 off general admission.

Jailhouse rock?

The Borealis will host well-known music acts from a diverse mix of genres over the weekend, with Portland indie rockers Modest Mouse taking the stage Friday, rising country star Nate Smith performing Saturday and Dallas rapper BigXThaPlug scheduled Sunday — despite a high-profile arrest earlier this month on DWI and weapons charges. As of Tuesday, a few lawn-area BigXThaPlug tickets were still available at their $59 face value through the fair’s website, while Modest Mouse was sold out. However, tickets can still be found on resale websites — but be prepared to pay more than double face value. Tickets for Nate Smith are $39 for lawn seating and $59 for reserved seating. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit alaskastatefair.org. Though the stage acts require tickets, most music at the fair is completely free (other than admission to the fair).

Among Friday’s performers will be some of the Valley’s finest young artists during the Make-A-Scene Songwriters’ Showcase at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Gathering Place (just before a demonstration by “Eskimo Ninja” Nick Hanson at 4:30 p.m.). The Gathering Place is just one of several venues hosting live music, including the Sluicebox, the Alyeska Pipeline Colony Stage and the Watering Hole — which will feature the Hope Cassity Band, AspenYarrow and Trail Dust over the weekend. Check the website for a complete list of entertainment.

Life on the farm

Got milking? Ever wanted to look a gift horse in the mouth? There are herds of agricultural activities and demonstrations to choose from this year, from the daily petting zoo inside the Craig Taylor Farm Exhibits building to exhibits on equine dentistry. For a hands-on look at life on a farm, local farmers Ali-K Paka and Kerri Stoltenberg will host goat and cow milking demonstrations at 5 and 6:30 p.m. each day this weekend in the milking parlor. For a complete list of farm results, visit the fair website.

Logging on

Some of the world’s best lumberjacks will swing into action with daily lumberjack shows at the SBS Woodlot. Catch all the sawing, climbing and good-natured competition at 1, 3 and 6 p.m. It’s free.

Horsin’ around

The Alaska Reined Cow Horse Association will bring some of Alaska’s most agile horses to the France Equestrian Center for two days of ropin’ and ridin’ at the annual Fireweed Spectacular at 11 a.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

Lipstick on a pig

Turkey and dressing take on a whole new meaning at the annual Livestock Costume Contest from 2-4 p.m. Sunday in the Craig Taylor Farm Exhibits building. Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary as exhibitors display their patriotism and creativity at this free showcase.

American pie

Bring your best pie and leave with $100 (and some big-time bragging rights) at this year’s Red, White and Blue Pie Contest, which will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Hoskins Exhibits Center. Entries will be accepted from 4:45-6:45 p.m., with judging to follow. Pies must include the colors red, white and blue.

No. 1 with a mullet

With hockey hair season fast approaching, there’s no better time for a good mullet competition. Mullet Mania will pit the Valley’s best “business up front, party in the back” hairstyles against one another at 4 p.m. Saturday in the SBS Woodlot. There are multiple age categories and the chance to win $100 and bragging(?) rights.

Other Mat-Su events this weekend 

Here are four (free!) non-fair events going on this weekend around the Valley.

Bardy hearty

All the world may be a stage, but the St. John’s Lutheran greenspace in Palmer is the only place in the Mat-Su to catch some Shakespeare this weekend. That’s where Mat-Su Community Theatre Arts and the Palmer Arts Council will host Palmer Shakes & Bakes, a free community Shakespeare festival, from noon to 6 p.m. Friday. The family-friendly fest will feature performances of Much Ado About Nothing, a sneak peek of the upcoming production of Come From Away, blacksmithing demonstrations, “peasant” dancing, food trucks, vendors and more. For more information, visit the event page on Facebook.

Get out!

Palmer’s Revel Tours has a pair of community hikes scheduled this weekend. On Friday, Eagle River Nature Center naturalist Ute Olsson will lead Foraging 101: A Plant Identification Walk from 4-5:30 p.m. on the Pioneer Loop at the Government Peak Recreation Area in Palmer. Olsson will explain how to identify edible plants and harvest them ethically. On Saturday, Revel’s Kierre Childers will lead a challenging hike up Frostbite Ridge at Skeetawk Ski Area near Hatcher Pass. Over the 5-mile trek, hikers will gain about 2,500 feet in elevation. Revel’s hikes require preregistration and cost $15 but are free for first-time participants. For more information or to register, visit reveltreksandtours.com.

Service dogs for those who served

According to the Mat-Su Health Foundation, nearly one in 10 Mat-Su residents served in the armed forces. Those veterans are invited to Coffee, Canines and Camaraderie, a free monthly event that connects veterans with service dogs (and each other) for fellowship over coffee. Meetups are held the last Friday of each month from noon to 3 p.m. at Band of Brothers (2050 N. Merciful Street) in Wasilla. For more information, email wegotyoursix@hrtk9.org.

Feeling bluegrass?

Talkeetna’s Live at Five series will feature local bluegrass band Grand Old Ospreys at 5 p.m. Friday at Talkeetna Village Park. The free weekly concert series runs through Labor Day weekend. For more information, visit denaliartscouncil.org.

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