What to do this weekend in Mat-Su (June 26-28): Highland games, music and Iditarod picnic

What you need to know:

• The Alaska Scottish Highland Games headline the weekend with two days of athletic competitions, live music, food, Scottish culture and family activities at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer.
• Live music fills the Mat-Su, with Natalie Gelman kicking off her Alaska tour, Wasilla's Music in the Park continuing Saturday, Friday Fling in Palmer featuring Baker, and I Like Robots bringing an '80s tribute show to the Palmer Alehouse.
• The Iditarod's 2027 season gets underway Saturday with the Musher Sign-Up and Volunteer Appreciation Picnic in Wasilla, featuring mushers, dog cart rides, food and family activities.

• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

It’s about to get loud. The entertainment calendar is jam-packed with the sounds of summer this weekend in the Mat-Su, where everything from reggae and rock to bagpipes and Blondie will make for a lively mix of tunes at venues throughout the area. There also will be a few grunts and grimaces at one of the summer’s largest athletic festivals — plus a couple of barks and yips at Iditarod’s opening day. 

From Scotch to sled dogs, here’s what not to miss this weekend in the Mat-Su.

Great Scot!

Bagpipes will echo across the Valley this weekend when the 45th annual Alaska Scottish Highland Games take over the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer for two days packed with cabers, clans and Celtic camaraderie.

More than 200 merchants and food vendors will be at the event, which includes traditional Scottish athletic competitions throughout the day, plus live music on multiple stages, children’s games, cooking demonstrations, a haggis-eating contest, the Kilted Mile, a beard competition, mead and Scotch tastings, and more.

Gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with the parade of clans for 10 a.m. Saturday and closing ceremonies at 5:15 p.m. Sunday. Single-day tickets are $21.72 for adults, $9.30 for youth ages 6-15 and free for children 5 and younger. Two-day tickets are $37.25 for adults and $17.58 for youth. Family rates also are available. For a complete event guide and schedule, visit their Facebook page.

California singer makes Mat-Su scene

Ojai, California, singer-songwriter Natalie Gelman returns to Alaska for her summertime "Mountain Mama Tour," which kicks off with a string of shows in Wasilla, Willow and Palmer this weekend.

Valley venues will feature heavily in Gelman's summer swing through the Last Frontier, with 10 Mat-Su shows scheduled between now and July 18.

The tour begins with a free show Friday from 7-10 p.m. at Burnt Toast, 33900 Parks Highway in Willow. On Saturday, she'll perform twice: from 3-4 p.m. at Wasilla's free Music in the Park series and at 6:30 p.m., opening for Hussy Hicks, at the Musk Ox Farm, 12850 E. Archie Road in Palmer.

Tickets for the Musk Ox Farm show are $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 5-17. For more information and a complete list of tour dates, visit the Mat-Su Sentinel community calendar.

Music in the Park continues

Gelman won't be alone at Music in the Park on Saturday. The penultimate concert in the city-sponsored series, which ends July 4, also will feature Madeline & the Brother Smith from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and Hawaiian reggae band H3 from 6-9 p.m.

All Music in the Park events are free and also feature food trucks and vendors at Iditapark. For more information, visit the Mat-Su Sentinel community calendar.

Sled dog season gets summertime start

Mushing isn't normally thought of as a summertime sport, but sled dog racing will take center stage Saturday when the Iditarod holds its annual Musher Sign-Up and Volunteer Appreciation Picnic at 11 a.m. at Iditarod Headquarters, 2100 S. Knik-Goose Bay Road in Wasilla.

The event is free and open to the public and, in addition to being the first chance for racers to sign up for the 2027 race, honors "the incredible volunteers who make the Iditarod possible each year."

It will feature a free, family-friendly picnic with salmon burgers, Iditarod mushers, summer dog cart rides, door prizes and more. For more information, visit the Mat-Su Sentinel community calendar.

Friday Flings get folksy

Friday evenings are always lively in Palmer, where the city's weekly Friday Fling farmers market and music series continues Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Downtown Palmer Pavilion, 720 S. Valley Way.

Friday's musical guest is Baker, an Alaska singer-songwriter and former Stone Atlas frontman who "keeps rock and roll at the core while polishing the edges on some of his most beloved solo blues and folk ballads." For more information, visit PalmerChamber.org.

Remember the '80s?

The Palmer Alehouse is bringing the 1980s to downtown Palmer on Saturday night for a free, all-ages outdoor show featuring the retro stylings of I Like Robots.

The popular Anchorage band will play "a setlist featuring everything from Duran Duran and The Cure to Blondie and Talking Heads" from 7-10 p.m. at the Alehouse, 320 E. Dahlia Ave. For more information, visit palmeralehouse.com.

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