The annual Fishtival begins Thursday in the Bristol Bay Borough. It will celebrate a busy salmon season with arts, crafts, music and a parade through Sunday.
The theme for this year’s Fishtival is ‘Running Wild.’ And that it is, with dozens of events spread throughout the Borough.
Part of the Fishtival is the Bear Grass Arts and Music Festival. Melissa Mancuso is the director of the non-profit. She said the third week of July is the real crux of the salmon season…with everyone wrapping up work.
“All of the folks that comes from all over the world for our fishery get to wind down and celebrate," she said. "If I had it the last week in July there’d be nobody in town to enjoy it.”
Five bands will play at the local Naknek bars, as well as at the Sunday Naknek Village Council. The Alaskan bands include the White Trash Warrior Princess, Eternal Cowboys, Matt Hopper and The Roman Candles, Goat Rodeo and Emma Hill.
Festival bracelets to see the bands are a $10 optional donation. Mancuso said the funds will go toward a split-the-pot - half to the winner and half to support the bands, as well as youth arts and culture education.
“And knowing there’s some kids here who hadn’t even seen anybody play guitar or hadn’t been surrounded by that culture really inspired me to say he we can do something to bring this out," she said.
But there are other events too. Dan O’Hara, one of the Borough’s Chamber of Commerce board members, said it is a fun weekend meant for the fishermen, summer workers and local community.
“I would say it’s a time when people return from a high pressure industry with a lot of stress," he said. "A huge amount of pressure that takes place, and fishtival comes and it’s all gone. We are all kind of dancing in the streets.”
Some other events include a parade on Saturday, chili cook off at Eddie’s Friday, bazaar Saturday at the school gym, water balloon fight, numerous educational seminars at the King Salmon Visitor Center, a raffle for a new Nissan Truck, a color run and art competition Sunday.
A queen of the Fishtival is crowned, as well as an elder fisherman is named the ‘Salty Dog.’
Mancuso said the Fishtival is usually quite the event, especially at the concerts.
“I’ve seen the walls wobble with all the dancing going on," she said. "It gets pretty packed. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to wind down after everybody working so hard.”
Events will kick off Thursday with the White Trash Warrior Princess at Hadfield’s at 8 p.m. and the Eternal Cowboys at the Red Dog at 8 p.m.
More information can be found at the Fishtival or Bear Grass Facebook pages.
Reach the author at fish@kdlg.org, caitlin@kdlg.org, or calling the station at 907-842-5281.