What to do this weekend in Mat-Su (Sept. 18-20): Brews, Festivals and Recovery

What you need to know:

• The Mat-Su has a packed weekend of fall events, including Talkeetna Brewfest, Pyrah’s Fall Harvest Festival and a Palmer Museum artist presentation.
• Live entertainment includes concerts by Emma Hill, Blackwater Railroad and the Roland Roberts Band, plus the final weekend of Valley Performing Arts’ “The Phantom Tollbooth.”
• Community events include the MyHouse Walk for Recovery in Wasilla and a Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce candidate forum in Palmer.
• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

Fall is back-to-school time, and the Mat-Su entertainment calendar has all the subjects covered this weekend.

Scattered across the Valley from Friday through Sunday will be opportunities for the public to engage in arts and crafts, exercise, music, theater, civics, agriculture — even a little recess. 

Here’s our educated guess at the best ways to spend some free time this weekend in the Mat-Su:

Brew crew

It’s suds season in the Susitna Valley, where the Denali Education Center will host its Talkeetna Brewfest 2026 fundraiser from 2-6 p.m. Saturday at the center’s campus at 22510 S. Talkeetna Spur Road.

There will be food, live music and the opportunity to taste craft beers from across Alaska. Tickets are $65 for general admission or $25 for designated drivers. For more information, visit denali.org.

On the farm

Saturday marks the first of three weekend openings for the annual Fall Harvest Festival at Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm (4350 Bodenburg Loop).

The event, which runs from noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays, is a yearly tradition at the Butte farm, where visitors are treated to everything from pumpkin patches and hayrides to face painting, barnyard animals, mini-golf and more. Plus, food trucks. Tickets are $12.24 each and must be purchased online. For more information or to buy tickets, visit pppfarm.net.

Design team

Alaska State Fair official poster artist Ruth Hurlbert and Valley Quilters Guild Vice President Daniel Hughes will give an artist presentation at 6 p.m. Friday at the Palmer Museum (723 S. Valley Way) in downtown Palmer.

Hurlbert will share the historical significance behind her 90th anniversary design, while Hughes will discuss the technology behind the living archive quilt, an interactive textile project. Registration is required; admission is free for members, while nonmembers pay $10 or what they can. For more information, visit palmermuseum.org.

Home sweet home

Fall is homecoming season, and the Mat-Su music scene will be no exception Saturday when singer-songwriter Emma Hill returns to her roots for a hometown concert from 7-9 p.m. at Vagabond Blues (642 S. Alaska St.) in Palmer. Tickets are $20 for general admission or $15 for Palmer Arts Council members.

Hill isn’t the only popular Alaska musician making a return to Palmer this weekend. Blackwater Railroad will play at the Palmer Alehouse’s Summer Concert Series for the second time this summer (first time this fall?) Friday, while the Roland Roberts Band will make an encore trip to the downtown venue Saturday. Showtimes are 7 p.m. each night. For more information, visit palmeralehouse.com.

Walking tall

All are welcome to participate in the fifth annual MyHouse Walk for Recovery, starting at noon Saturday in the Wasilla Target parking lot. Participants will walk to the nearby MyHouse Youth Drop-in Center (300 N. Willow St.), where there will be a community barbecue to celebrate recovery from drugs and alcohol. For more information, visit the Mat-Su Sentinel calendar.

Last chance

Valley Performing Arts will wrap its production of “The Phantom Tollbooth” this weekend. Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the theater, located at 251 W. Swanson Ave. in Wasilla. Tickets are $25 for adults or $22 for kids, seniors and military members. For more information, visit Mat-Su Sentinel's calendar.

Great debate

The Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce will host a candidate forum for Alaska House, Senate and gubernatorial hopefuls from 2-5 p.m. Saturday at the Glenn Massay Theater (8295 E. College Drive) in Palmer. The public is welcome to attend this free event. For more information, visit wasillachamber.org.