Anchorage, we have arrived at sweater weather.
Not coat weather. Not quite “where did I put the snow brush?” weather. Sweater weather. That beautiful little window when the air feels crisp, the leaves are showing off and every cup of coffee suddenly tastes 30 percent better.
I love sweater weather. Don’t you love sweater weather?
Of course, dressing for fall in Anchorage still requires a backup plan. You leave home in a cozy sweater, add a rain shell because the sky looks suspicious, throw sunglasses in the car because the sky is a liar, and somehow still wind up standing in a parking lot wondering whether you should have brought gloves.
Fortunately, this weekend gives us plenty of places to wear those layers. We’ve got Oktoberfest in Girdwood, apples in an urban orchard, an Olympic champion on the big screen, chamber music at UAA and a rare chance to climb aboard a working cargo ship.
Let’s get out there.
Founding Partner Spotlight: Natural Pantry
I’ve got a pretty exciting Mr Anchorage milestone to share.
Natural Pantry has officially become the first Founding Partner of Mr Anchorage.
If you’ve been around Anchorage for a while, you probably already know the name. Natural Pantry is celebrating 50 years in Alaska, and over the next few months I’ll be working with the family to dig into the stories behind how a small Anchorage business that started in 1976 grew into the store we know today.
And trust me, there are some good stories.
We’re talking about the days when finding specialty foods in Alaska meant digging through enormous supplier books at the library, figuring out how to get products shipped north, raising 11 kids while building a family business, and trying to live by a pretty simple idea: if a customer needed something they didn’t have, they’d try to find it.
You’ll be seeing some of those stories soon.
Natural Pantry’s support as a Founding Partner also directly helps me keep researching, filming and sharing more Anchorage stories with all of you.
So thank you to Vikki, Rachael and the Natural Pantry family for being the first business to jump aboard.
Sponsored by Natural Pantry, a Founding Partner of Mr Anchorage.
Stop by today at 3680 Barrow St, Anchorage, AK 99503.
Alyeska Oktoberfest
Where: Alyeska Resort Daylodge, 104 Arlberg Avenue, Girdwood
When: Friday and Saturday, September 25–26, 4–10 p.m.
Admission: Free; all ages
If sweater weather had an official festival, it would probably involve mountains, bratwurst and somebody attempting to yodel after holding a very large stein.
Alyeska’s Oktoberfest turns the Daylodge into a two-night Bavarian celebration with German-inspired food, local and Bavarian beer, live music and competitions ranging from festival trivia to yodeling.
Friday includes a best-dressed contest and Stein Olympics for adults. Saturday adds children’s competitions, a German spelling bee and, because Girdwood has never been accused of undercommitting, a potbelly-pig petting zoo.
The event is free and open to all ages. Bring your own stein if you have one, leave the dog at home and prepare to discover whether your family has been hiding any championship-level yodelers.
Kikkan — Film, Storytelling and Live Q&A
Where: Bear Tooth Theatrepub, 1230 W. 27th Avenue
When: Saturday, September 26, 7 p.m.
Admission: $20 general admission
Kikkan Randall’s story already sounds like a movie: an Anchorage kid becomes a five-time Olympian, wins America’s first Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing, battles cancer and returns home as one of Alaska’s most admired athletes.
This screening of Kikkan follows that journey from childhood and East High through the Olympics and back to Alaska. The film is only part of the evening. A live storytelling session afterward features people who know Kikkan’s story personally, including former East ski coach Gary Snyder and Olympic teammates Nina Kemppel and Holly Brooks. Kikkan herself will then join the audience for a live Q&A.
Part of the proceeds will help the East High Nordic Ski Team purchase loaner equipment, giving more Anchorage students the opportunity to get on skis.
It is a movie, a fundraiser and a celebration of one of Anchorage’s best homegrown stories, and you can grab a slice.
That is an efficient Saturday night.
Boyer’s Orchard Harvest Festival
Where: Boyer’s Orchard, 645 E. 81st Avenue
When: Saturday, September 26, 3–6 p.m.
Admission: $10 per person or $30 for the whole crew
Tucked into South Anchorage is a one-acre urban orchard that feels like somebody accidentally dropped a little patch of rural Alaska into the middle of town.
Boyer’s Orchard is opening its gates Saturday for an afternoon of cider pressing, local vendors, warm food and wandering among the fruit trees. Costumes are welcome, fruit trees will be available for aspiring backyard orchardists and every ticket helps preserve the property for future generations.
This is a particularly good pick for families or anyone who would like to squeeze an apple with their own hands and then drink the consequences.
Alaska fall does not stick around for long. This is a chance to enjoy it while the leaves are still on the trees and before cider pressing becomes snow shoveling.
Sitka Music Festival: Anchorage Autumn Classics
Where: UAA Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building, 3700 Alumni Drive
When: Friday, September 25, at 7 p.m.; Sunday, September 27, at 4 p.m.
The Sitka Music Festival is closing its Anchorage Autumn Classics series with two concerts that still have seats available.
Friday brings the Ulysses Quartet and celebrated cellist Zuill Bailey together for an evening featuring Beethoven, Glazunov and music reflecting the quartet’s cultural heritage.
Sunday’s finale, On the Nature of Daylight, pairs Danish traditional music with Beethoven and the modern emotional wallop of Max Richter’s title piece.
A ticketing note: Saturday’s concert with Jason Vieaux and Zuill Bailey is sold out. Do not show up Saturday hoping the ticket fairy has been practicing scales in the lobby. As of publication, tickets remain available for Friday and Sunday, but I would not wait too long.
The Recital Hall only seats about 200 people, which gives these performances the kind of intimacy chamber music deserves. You are not watching tiny musicians from across an arena. You are close enough to see just how much work goes into making something sound effortless.
TOTE Ship Tour
Where: Port Security Facility, 311 Roger Graves Road
When: Sunday, September 27, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
Registration: Advance registration required
Most of us understand that a tremendous amount of Anchorage’s food, building materials and household goods arrives through the Port of Alaska.
Fewer of us have actually climbed aboard one of the ships carrying it.
Sunday’s TOTE Ship Tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at a working cargo vessel and the port infrastructure that keeps Anchorage (and much of the rest of Alaska) supplied. This is the kind of wonderfully specific local experience that turns “I wonder what happens over there?” into a two-hour field trip.
Participants should arrive about ten minutes early, bring identification and wear warm clothing with sturdy shoes. The tour includes outdoor areas, stairs and ladders. Port traffic will also be active, so follow security instructions carefully and keep your head on a swivel around the tractor-trailers.
In other words, this is not a cruise-ship buffet tour. This is the real port.
Honorable Mention: The Seawolves Are Coming Back to the Sully
This one is not happening this weekend but tickets are on sale now, and it is too important to Anchorage hockey history to ignore.
UAA opens its regular season against defending national champion Denver on Friday, October 2, at 7 p.m., marking the Seawolves’ return to Sullivan Arena.
Where: Sullivan Arena, 1600 Gambell Street
When: Friday, October 2, 7 p.m.
The Seawolves played at the Sully for decades, and there is something deeply right about seeing the green and gold skate back into that building.
The team will play five games there this season, beginning with the October 2–3 Denver series. If you miss the sound of a full-sized Anchorage arena reacting to a hard hit against the glass, now would be a good time to grab a ticket.
That is your weekend, Anchorage.
Wear the sweater. Press an apple. Attempt a yodel. Watch an Olympic champion’s story. Listen to world-class musicians and learn how an enormous amount of Alaska’s stuff gets from a ship to your neighborhood store.
Then put that sweater somewhere safe, because next Friday you may need to trade it for green and gold.
The Seawolves are going back to the Sully.
I’ll see you around town.
— Mr Anchorage