This weekend, I have been invited to something called Fire Ops 101 with the Anchorage Fire Fighters Union, where I’ll get an immersive look at what it’s like to spend a day in the life of a firefighter.
They are planning to put me through scenarios involving an actual fire, a very large ladder, the Jaws of Life and several other pieces of equipment that probably should not be operated by someone whose primary professional tool is a salmon-shaped microphone.
This is an invitation-only event, but you better believe I’ll be trying to capture as much footage as they’ll allow so I can share the experience with you. I’m excited, honored and suddenly reconsidering every flight of stairs that I have avoided this year.
Meanwhile, the Alaska State Fair is still rolling up in Palmer, but Anchorage has plenty happening closer to home. This week’s picks include jazz on a mountainside, two meaningful community runs, an improv doubleheader and an organized excuse to spend Sunday hunting for berries.
Let’s get into it!
Music on the Patio: Solar
Where: Hilltop Ski Area, 7015 Abbott Road
When: Friday, August 28, 6–7:30 p.m.
Admission: Free
Hilltop’s outdoor concert series returns with Solar, a five-piece Anchorage jazz group ready to give your Friday evening a considerably better soundtrack than traffic reports and the mysterious rattling noise coming from somewhere inside your vehicle.
The patio setting gives you local music, mountain scenery and enough fresh air to convince yourself that sitting down with a drink still counts as an outdoor activity. It’s also one of the final opportunities of the season to enjoy live music outside without needing mittens or at least without admitting that you brought them.
Bring a layer, grab something from Finn’s Kitchen and ease into the weekend with some smooth local jazz.
More info: Solar at Hilltop Ski Area
Randy’s Cheeseburger Picnic
Where: Koot’s, 2435 Spenard Road
When: Saturday, August 29; doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.
Tickets: Starting at $30; ages 21+
Randy Bobandy is bringing his cheeseburgers—and almost certainly not enough shirt buttons—to Anchorage.
Pat Roach, best known as Randy from Trailer Park Boys, is taking over Koot’s with Randy’s Cheeseburger Picnic: a live comedy show combining stand-up, audience interaction, ridiculous contests, behind-the-scenes stories and the kind of cheeseburger-fueled chaos that would make Jim Lahey deeply concerned.
You do not need to know every episode of Trailer Park Boys to enjoy the spectacle, but longtime fans will probably arrive with a greater appreciation for the complicated relationship between Randy, pants and processed beef.
This is a 21-and-over show. Doors open at 7 p.m., giving you time to find a good spot, order something appropriate for the occasion and prepare yourself for what may be the most cheeseburger-intensive cultural event Anchorage hosts all year.
More info and tickets: Randy’s Cheeseburger Picnic at Koot’s
Run for Healing, Run for Justice
Where: Kincaid Park Chalet, 9401 W. Raspberry Road
When: Saturday, August 29; activities begin at 11 a.m. and the run starts at noon
Registration: Free and required; a $30 donation is respectfully suggested
The annual MMIWG2S+ Alaska Run for Healing, Run for Justice brings the community together to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit+ people and all affected relatives.
Participants can choose a timed 5K or an untimed one-mile walk or run, making this an event for serious runners, casual walkers and anyone who simply wants to stand beside families and communities carrying an enormous burden.
This is more than a race. It is an opportunity to remember, raise awareness and turn collective grief into visible community support. Come early for the pre-race activities, wear appropriate running or walking gear and take part at whatever pace is right for you.
Every step has meaning here.
More info and registration: MMIWG2S Alaska 5K Run for Healing
Scared Scriptless Featuring ComedySportz
Where: The Nave, 3502 Spenard Road
When: Saturday, August 29, 6–9:30 p.m.
Tickets: Individual-show and combination tickets available
Anchorage improv is getting a doubleheader.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with ComedySportz, an all-ages competitive improv performance where teams turn audience suggestions into scenes, games and improvised nonsense. Applause helps determine the winner, making this the rare sporting event where nobody can blame the referee for a bad call. Probably.
Later, Scared Scriptless takes the stage with its veteran cast and a show that can wander into more grown-up territory. The troupe has been making up comedy in front of Alaska audiences since 2000, which is an impressively long time to operate without learning the script.
You can attend either performance or make a full evening of it with a combination ticket. ComedySportz begins at 6 p.m.; Scared Scriptless begins at 8 p.m.
More info and tickets: Scared Scriptless featuring ComedySportz
Community Berry Picking
Where: Arctic Valley Ski Area, Arctic Valley Road
When: Sunday, August 30, 11 a.m.
Admission: Community event; the first 65 participants receive a complimentary lift ticket
The Alaska Native Professional Association is inviting the community to Arctic Valley for one of Alaska’s most beloved late-summer traditions: walking around the mountains staring intensely at the ground.
The first 65 people to arrive will receive a free lift ticket, providing access to higher elevations and, theoretically, berries that have not already been claimed by someone’s auntie with decades of closely guarded picking knowledge.
Bring a bucket, dress for changing mountain weather and wear footwear suitable for uneven terrain. Berry availability is never guaranteed—wild plants have not yet adopted online inventory systems—but the scenery and time outside make the trip worthwhile even if your bucket returns lighter than expected.
Just remember to leave some berries behind for wildlife, other pickers and future plants.
More info: Community Berry Picking details
Honorable Mention: Alaska State Fair
Where: Alaska State Fairgrounds, 2075 Glenn Highway, Palmer
When: Friday–Sunday, August 28–30; open 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Admission: General fair admission and separately ticketed attractions vary
The Alaska State Fair is still rolling, and this weekend’s schedule is large enough to require either advance planning or the complete abandonment of planning.
Friday is Kids’ Day, Saturday is #Club49 Family Day and Sunday is CU1 Day. The concert lineup includes Modest Mouse on Friday, Nate Smith on Saturday, Nick Offerman at 1 p.m. Sunday and BigXthaPlug at 7 p.m. Sunday. The Alaska Champions Tour Rodeo is also scheduled Saturday and Sunday.
Add carnival rides, livestock, exhibitions, live entertainment and enough fair food to make your digestive system request a formal meeting, and you have a full-day expedition. Check whether your concert or rodeo ticket includes fair admission, and allow extra time for Glenn Highway traffic.
More info: Alaska State Fair daily schedule and official tickets
That’s your weekend, Anchorage!
You can welcome Friday with jazz, run or walk in support of healing and justice, enjoy two very different flavors of improv comedy, attend Anchorage’s most cheeseburger-forward show of the year or finish the weekend filling a bucket with berries at Arctic Valley.
I’ll be spending part of mine finding out whether all those years of watching firefighter movies have prepared me to operate the Jaws of Life. Preliminary research suggests they have not.
If you see new Fire Ops footage appearing on my pages, you’ll know everything went well. If the next newsletter is written entirely from the bottom of a very large ladder, please excuse any formatting issues.
Have fun, support your neighbors and enjoy the fair and remember: a funnel cake does not qualify as emergency-response nutrition, no matter how quickly you eat it.
— Mr Anchorage