Palmer's outdoor season ends on a single day this year. On Saturday, October 3, Pyrah's Pioneer Peak Farm runs the last day of its Fall Harvest Festival. The Musk Ox Farm holds Oxtoberfest. Palmer Alehouse hosts the event it calls its final outdoor show of the season. Seven days later, on October 10, the calendar moves indoors to Raven Hall at the fairgrounds and to a set of downtown studios and storefronts. For the rest of October, almost everything on Palmer's public calendar happens in one of a few rooms.
Planning October here mostly comes down to two Saturdays. The first is the last full day outside. The second shows where the town will gather until spring.
October 3 Has Four Events Running at Once
Four events overlap on the first Saturday of October, and two of them sit on the same block of East Dahlia Avenue.
| Event | Where | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Saturday Vendor Market | Mat-Su Borough Gym, 350 E. Dahlia Ave. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Not listed |
| Fall Harvest Festival, final day | Pyrah's Pioneer Peak Farm, 4350 Bodenburg Loop | Noon to 6 p.m. | Not listed |
| Oxtoberfest | Musk Ox Farm, 12850 E. Archie Rd. | See ticket page | $80 general, $200 VIP loft |
| Palmer Alehouse Oktoberfest | 320 E. Dahlia Ave. | Stein hoist 6 p.m., band 7 p.m. | Free, all ages |
The street addresses make the day easier to plan. The vendor market at the Borough Gym ends at 4 p.m., and the Alehouse stein hoist starts at 6 p.m. a short walk down the same avenue. That gap leaves time to drive out Bodenburg Loop before Pyrah's closes at 6 or to head home for an hour. Under-21 guests at the Alehouse must come with a parent or guardian. The Ken Peltier Band, a Palmer group that plays country, rock, and Americana, goes on at 7.
At Pyrah's, October 3 is the third and last festival Saturday. The festival opened September 19 and ran again September 26. The farm lists a pumpkin patch, hayrides and wagon rides, a jump pad, bazooka ball, mini golf, pedal tractors, face painting, and live entertainment. Families who missed the first two Saturdays get only this one before the festival ends for the year.
Oxtoberfest leans on local food. The $80 general admission includes a bratwurst or veggie brat, Alaska-grown potato salad and sauerkraut, Palmer-made giant pretzels, and locally made potato chips, plus access to the beer tents and music from Alaska Blaskapelle. The farm keeps the world's largest captive herd of musk oxen in pastures between the Talkeetna Mountains and the Chugach Range. New this year, the farm is raffling a one-night stay in each of its four on-site cabins for the night of the event. Ticket holders get the raffle link in their confirmation email.
The party has one cost for weekend planning. The Musk Ox Farm closes for regular tours on October 3 and 4. Anyone hoping to take visiting relatives on a guided tour that weekend should move it to the following Wednesday through Sunday, when the farm's October hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Mountain Side Started Closing Before the Valley Did
Hatcher Pass started closing for the season before Palmer's festivals end. In its September 24 conditions report, Alaska State Parks set 6 p.m. on September 30 as the last chance to drive to Independence Mine. After that, visitors hike one mile from the lower lot.
The full summit road works on a different schedule. Its closure date shifts each year with snowfall, and last year's date does not predict this year's. Check the state parks report before driving up. By the first weekend of October, the high country is already into its winter rules, and the farms and fields in town are wrapping up.
October 10 Moves the Saturday Indoors
The next Saturday picks up where October 3 left off, this time under a roof. Two events cover the whole day, and their hours line up almost exactly.
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Holiday Bazaar at the Alaska State Fairgrounds. Admission is free. More than 100 vendors fill Raven Hall and the Hoskins Building with clothing, art, knives, jewelry, glasswork, quilts, antiques, woodwork, furniture, and books. Food trucks on site include Grandma Wei's, Alaska's Best Gourmet Dogs, Baby Cakes, Barbecue Babes, and Senior Moose Tacos. Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Palmer Arts Council Fall Studio Tour. It starts the same hour the bazaar closes.
This year's Studio Tour is the second one. Attendees get a map and walk the route at their own pace. They visit working artists in their own spaces, watch them work, and can buy pieces on the spot. Every stop serves appetizers and beverages. The last hour is a group party at Lekker, where the raffle prizes are drawn.
Three Palmer artists are opening their own studios: Ray Gamradt, Pat Garley, and Sandra Cook. Downtown businesses are hosting the rest. The host list includes Lekker, 203 Kombucha, The Art Cafe, Turkey Red, Vagabond Blues, Mat Valley Dance, Alopex Interactive Design, Bleeding Heart Brewery, and the Palmer Museum of History and Art. The visiting artists include Judy Vars, Mattias Ahlvin, Lynsey Dellinger, Vanessa Powell, Paul Morley, Sam Chadwick, Betty Hansen, Rose Hendrickson, Suzanne Bach, Brian Martin, Heidi Scott, Becky Holsinger, Barb Steigen, Jamie Janko, Brittany Johnson, Shelli and Matthew Franckowiak, and others, along with Palmer High School art students. Visit Palmer notes that artists and locations were still being finalized, so the event map given to attendees is the place to confirm the route.
The tour can sell out. The Palmer Arts Council is capping attendance at 150 tickets. General admission is $30, and council members pay $20. Tickets have been on sale since September 1 at Fireside Books and on the council's website. Each ticket includes one raffle entry, extra entries are available for an added fee, and winners must be present. The bazaar runs again on October 17 and 18, so if you have to choose, buy the Studio Tour ticket first.
Three Rooms Carry the Rest of October
After October 10, Palmer's calendar runs through a few buildings, most of them downtown. Knowing those rooms covers most of what's left this month.
Raven Hall at the fairgrounds
- Holiday Bazaar, second weekend: October 17 and 18, same hours, free.
- Mighty Monster BooFest: Saturday, October 24, 6 to 10 p.m. The $40 ticket includes 20 beer samples, plus live music and a costume contest.
Bleeding Heart Brewery
- A Studio Tour host on October 10.
- Hibernation Celebration: Friday, October 16, 6 to 9 p.m., hosted with Alaska Wildlife Alliance and Trustees for Alaska.
Palmer Depot, 610 S. Valley Way
- Library storytimes on October 6, 13, 20, and 27: Baby Lap Sit at 10 a.m. and storytime for ages 2 to 5 at 11 a.m.
- Friends of the Palmer Public Library annual membership meeting: Tuesday, October 20, 6 to 7 p.m.
- Free all-ages family contra dance with live music: Friday, October 30, 7 to 9 p.m.
The Palmer Public Library building at 137 E. Arctic Ave. closes on Wednesday, October 21, for staff training. The Quiet Company Book Club still meets there that evening from 6 to 8 p.m.
October 30 links two of these events. The Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce runs Trick or Treat Street downtown from 4 to 7 p.m. It's a free, family-focused walk past participating businesses that hand out treats. The contra dance at the Depot starts at 7, the minute trick-or-treating ends, so a family can go from candy to dancing without going home first. The Chamber started Trick or Treat Street in 2020.
November returns to the same rooms. The Palmer Museum of History and Art's next Local Leaders artist evening is Monday, November 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Palmer Depot. The Alaska Vintage Market & Food Truck Fest takes over the fairgrounds November 20 to 22 and November 27 to 29.
Most of Palmer's October calendar happens indoors, in a few buildings. At Top Homes Alaska, we spend a lot of time thinking about how Mat-Su buildings hold up through the cold months. If that question is starting to matter for your own place in the Valley, we'd be glad to talk it through. Schedule Your Personal Consultation.
