Alaska State Fair

This year at the Alaska State Fair, you can expect old favorites like the Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off, along with some new some attractions like a moose calling contest. Organizers spent Wednesday preparing for thousands of visitors and completing the Palmer fairgrounds' transformation for the 12-day event. “Overnight almost, we turned into a small village and somehow miraculously all the booths get up, flower-hanging flower baskets -- everything just comes to life overnight,” said Dean Phipps, the fair's marketing director.

Anyone with an interest in the Alaska State Fair is encouraged to attend a public meeting in Palmer. On Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Colony Theatre in the fairgrounds, officials will present a proposed master development plan. Since last summer, fair staff has been working with "Populous", an architectural and planning firm, on an overhaul of the fair facilities and infrastructure. The plan will be presented and people can offer their comments which will be taken into consideration prior to presenting the recommendations to the fair board.

The Alaska State Fair celebrates 76 years with its opening day August 23 beginning at noon and continues until Labor Day weekend. The usual fair staples, including rides, concerts, and food, will be at Palmer fairgrounds at mile 40 of the Glenn highway. This year's theme is “You're Gonna Love It,” and there will be more freebies than ever before. You can access Alaska Native exhibits and performers from all over the state, acrobatic horseman, Cirque-de-Solee style performers and the Bodies exhibit, which will be debuting never before seen elements.  Rock band Creed kicks off the concert series, and the band has a requested a public safety inspection as patrons enter the venue and the inspection will be by same-gender security personal.

Vendors are getting ready for another year at the Alaska State Fair. According to fair officials, each visitor spends an average of $50 -- a total of $13 million over a span of 12 days. While the fair prepares to make a profit, there are ways to get the most bang for your buck at the annual event. “Tundra” comic artist Chad Carpenter has had a booth at the fair for the past 18 years. “I've acquired a lot of loyal customers who want to come back and see a new book or calendar,” Carpenter said.

One vendor at the Alaska State Fair is putting a sweet spin on the regular grilled burger. The fair's Chipstix stand is currently selling donut burgers. The treat combines one-third of a pound of charbroiled beef, eggs and bacon, all tucked between the halves of a glazed donut. The donut burger originated in Atlanta, Ga. The novel treat debuted at the Alaska State Fair this year with good reactions. Chipstix plans on making the donut burger a regular menu item at future fairs.

In an annual taste test done at the Alaska State Fair, Alaska-grown produce wins nearly every time over produce flown in from the Lower 48. Thursday is Alaska Grown Day at the fair. The idea is to get the fair back to its roots by promoting Alaska agriculture, as the cooler temperatures and the long days of sunlight seem to make the fruits a little sweeter and the greens a little greener.      “It's fresher so it tastes better, it has lots more nutrients and it helps the local economy,” said Carol Kenley with Alaska Grown.

The Alaska State Fair held its Kids' Day Friday. Games were in full swing at the Pebble Corral, including a race for crawling kids -- the first to crawl across the finish line won, possibly with a little help from Mom or Dad. This year's Diaper Derby winner was Nikolai Ranauneut. His parents say they weren't surprised that Nikolai won, because they always have trouble keeping up with him around the house. “He's very fast, he -- I'm surprised how sometimes I have to run after him, and he's just crawling,” said mother Nicole Ranauneut.

It's often said the journey is more fulfilling than the actual event when it comes to competition and at the Alaska State Fair, the journey is practically the competition when it comes to the giant pumpkin weigh-off. On Tuesday, Dale Marshall had redemption after last year's disqualification for a dime size hold. Marshall's pumpkin, weighing in at the hefty size of 931 pounds, took top honors at the annual event. Marshall said “I'm really happy with that, especially with this year getting here with no holes and almost a thousand [pounds]

Thursday was the first day of the Alaska State Fair, and hundreds of people made the most of it. The fair also celebrated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Mat-Su colonists, with a big line up of speakers and entertainment at the Colony Stage. In addition, the fair hosted a reenactment of the arrival of the colonists -- farmers from the Lower 48 who came to Alaska in the middle of the Great Depression -- as well as an appearance by Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell. Of course there was plenty of other entertainment going on as well, and those who took advantage of “$2 Thursday” to get in cheap between noon and 2 p.m. on the fair's opening day knew exactly where to find it. “We're excited that it's $2 Day, with all these kids, and yeah, we're going to get in on the rides and the great weather -- yeah, we're excited,” said fairgoer Rhonda Kack.

A video taken Thursday at the Alaska State Fair is getting major attention online. It shows a political activist being restrained and arrested for criminal mischief -- but did fair security guards threaten his right to free speech? Hundreds of people have watched the video on YouTube overnight THursday. State fair officials say they viewed the incident with protester Sidney Hill as a public safety issue, and not a threat to Hill's free-speech rights. “This is free speech, leave me alone!

Anyone with an interest in the Alaska State Fair is encouraged to attend a public meeting in Palmer. On Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Colony Theatre in the fairgrounds, officials will present a proposed master development plan. Since last summer, fair staff has been working with "Populous", an architectural and planning firm, on an overhaul of the fair facilities and infrastructure. The plan will be presented and people can offer their comments which will be taken into consideration prior to presenting the recommendations to the fair board.

About 50 homeless young adults are getting a free meal every day they work at the Alaska State Fair this year, thanks to one woman's initiative. Victoria Hambleton was inspired to help the fair workers after learning that there were several dozen people living in tents, hoping to earn money from temporary employment at the fair. Hambleton, with help from her friends, family and Abundant Life Church, began purchasing food to feed the workers, just to let them know people care.

It's often said the journey is more fulfilling than the actual event when it comes to competition and at the Alaska State Fair, the journey is practically the competition when it comes to the giant pumpkin weigh-off. On Tuesday, Dale Marshall had redemption after last year's disqualification for a dime size hold. Marshall's pumpkin, weighing in at the hefty size of 931 pounds, took top honors at the annual event. Marshall said “I'm really happy with that, especially with this year getting here with no holes and almost a thousand [pounds]

Taking part in all of the funnel cake and carnival rides is going to cost you. Most people come to fair with a budget in mind but sticking to it can be quite the challenge... Scott Martin says "You don't think you're going to spend as much money n the food but it just smells do good. " Meet the Martin family. They've got 4 kids and are trying to stay under $100 today. Chanel 2 decided to tag along with them for a few hours on Tuesday to see just how far they would get on that budget.

The Alaska State Fair is an attraction that draws thousands everyday, but there are some Alaskans who rely greatly on what the fair means every year- employment. For homeless or unaccompanied youth in the Valley, the fair often provides temporary work that can be crucial to teenagers who are on their own or without a permanent home. Lily Shannon, 18, is living in "tent city" on the fairgrounds because it is within walking distance of her job as a ticket taker. She says the $8 an hour she will make at the fair will help tremendously.

The Alaska State Fair celebrates 76 years with its opening day August 23 beginning at noon and continues until Labor Day weekend. The usual fair staples, including rides, concerts, and food, will be at Palmer fairgrounds at mile 40 of the Glenn highway. This year's theme is “You're Gonna Love It,” and there will be more freebies than ever before. You can access Alaska Native exhibits and performers from all over the state, acrobatic horseman, Cirque-de-Solee style performers and the Bodies exhibit, which will be debuting never before seen elements.  Rock band Creed kicks off the concert series, and the band has a requested a public safety inspection as patrons enter the venue and the inspection will be by same-gender security personal.

Despite the lackluster summer we've had in Anchorage, a local beekeeper says the past few months have been pretty sweet for him. He says this year he's extracted more honey from his beehives out in the valley than ever before. Joe Dunham and his friends help extract honey after gathering the comb from his beehives out in the valley, and this year he's had about 6,000 pounds worth. Dunham says his success is likely because of how well the fireweed has bloomed this year. Dunahm and his friends spend eight hours a day in a room kept at 110 degrees to help keep the honey thin and pourable, and he says that is a challenge in itself.

They're real human bodies frozen in time through a process called plastination. The Body Worlds Vital exhibition makes its Alaska debut next month at the Anchorage Museum. "We want to show to the public, the wonder of the human body, the intricacies of the human body, and how the human body can inspire better health,” said museum director James Pepper Henry. Henry says museum members were surveyed on what on the kind of exhibitions they would want to see and an overwhelming majority wanted Body Worlds, but that doesn't mean everyone is happy about it. "I find the exhibit morally problematic at a minimum, and I would not encourage parents with young children to take them there," said Father Tom Lilly, the Vicar-General in the Anchorage Catholic Diocese.

Alaska State Fair Runs through Monday at the Alaska Fairgrounds in Palmer Don't miss the final weekend of big food, giant veggies, farm animals and great entertainment! Fri :   Wellness Day; Staind in Concert Sat : Mining Day; Gabriel Iglesius in Concert Sun : Alaska Native Cultures Day; One Republic in Concert Mon : Alaska Airlines Day; Colbie Caillat in Concert   For info and a schedule of events:   AlaskaStateFair.org . First Friday Art Walk Friday, Sept.

None of the cabbages entered in the Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off at the Alaska State Fair broke the world record Friday, but the largest one came very close. Steve Hubacek's cabbage weighed in at 126.4 pounds, less than one pound shy of breaking his current world record of 127 pounds. The Wasilla grower says it took about two hours to get the cabbage out of the ground today, and in physical size, it's the largest cabbage he has ever grown. Scott Robb of Palmer took second place at the competition with a cabbage weighing 103.8 pounds.