What to do this weekend in Mat-Su (June 12-14): Colony Days, free music and racing

What you need to know:

• Palmer's annual Colony Days festival returns Friday through Sunday, celebrating the area's Depression-era colony history with a weekend of family-friendly events in downtown Palmer.
• The weekend calendar also features several other Valley events, including a Mat-Su Miners exhibition baseball game Sunday and Speedfest Alaska at Alaska Raceway Park on Saturday.
• Free concerts are also planned throughout the region. Wasilla's Music in the Park concert series takes place Saturday, while free performances are scheduled at the Palmer Ale House on Friday and Saturday.

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Depression-era settlers who arrived in the Mat-Su nearly a century ago didn’t have trouble finding things to do once they got off the train. The new arrivals had to build virtually everything from scratch, eking out a life in Alaska’s often inhospitable terrain with hands tools and horses. 

Luckily, today’s residents of the community don’t have to dig rocks to keep themselves occupied. But they can still remember the spirit of the 1930s during Colony Days, an annual community celebration presented by the Palmer Chamber of Commerce Friday through Sunday in downtown Palmer.

This year’s festival is themed "Rooted in Community" and features bushels of family fun in and around the downtown area — from music and munchies to markets and memorabilia. Highlights include the Grand Parade on Saturday at 11 a.m., where Mat-Su Sentinel founder and editor Amy Bushatz will serve as judge, bed races Saturday at 1 p.m. in front of the Palmer Museum, a community market all weekend long and a variety of live music at the Palmer Pavilion throughout the festival.

For a complete schedule of events, visit palmerchamber.org.

Though the festival is the biggest event on this weekend’s Mat-Su social calendar, it’s not all that’s going on around the Valley this weekend — and with daylight hours nearing their peak, there’s always time for more. Here are some other ways to get out and about:

The boys are back in town

The Mat-Su Miners have returned to Hermon Brothers Field at the Alaska State Fairgrounds for the 2026 Alaska Baseball League season. The hometown nine will play an exhibition game against the Anchorage Adult League All-Stars on Sunday at 4 p.m. For more information and a complete season schedule, visit matsuminers.org.

Start those engines

Alaska Raceway Park will host one of its biggest events of the summer on Saturday with the return of Speedfest Alaska to the drag strip and oval track facility in the Butte. There will be food trucks, a car show, burnout contests, a drift exhibition and more. Spectator gates open at 11 a.m. Tickets are $15 per person for this multiple-motorsport event. For more information, visit raceak.com.

Tune in

Wasilla’s Music in the Park series is in full swing. This Saturday’s event at Iditapark in downtown Wasilla will feature music from Masahiko Kawajo from 3 to 4 p.m., Harp Twins + Wolfgang Twins from 4 to 5 p.m. and Nervis Rex from 6 to 9 p.m. There will also be vendor booths and food trucks throughout. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Wasilla music in the park website. The Palmer Alehouse will also host concerts over the course of Colony Days on Friday and Saturday. Details are available on the Palmer Alehouse Facebook page.

Don’t “Pass” it up

The Fishhook Bar and Grill is hosting a Hatcher Pass Community Market on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The weekly markets feature art and crafts from local makers, food from area farmers, vendors and more. The free community markets will be held Saturdays through Aug. 1 (with the exception of July 4). For more information, visit Mat-Su Sentinel's community calendar.

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