Artists flock to Girdwood Forest Fair: this festival runs from July 1-3 at Girdwood's community fairgrounds.

Just before fireworks sprout in the summer sky this month, a weekend of fun and amusement ignites in Girdwood during a specially Alaska festival, providing a chance to see handcrafted art from locals and hear an array of music performed by the state's own musicians. It adds up to a wonderful opportunity for relaxation in a beautiful resort town.

The Girdwood Forest Fair, celebrating its 30th anniversary, kicks off July 1 and runs through July 3 at the community fairgrounds, located at Mile 2.2 on the Alyeska Highway.

"We work all year for this," said Cara Frantz, a member on the Girdwood Forest Fair Committee. "Every year it gets better. It's never ordinary."

The fair is a free event. Proceeds earned come from the vendors who purchase booths to show their wares, all required to be hand-made from Alaskan artists, painters and designers. The money from the fair, organized by volunteers, is then used for scholarships for local students, to help other nonprofit groups and to pay for future fairs. Since it began, the festival has grown and changed into something anyone can enjoy.

What started out as a showcase for local artists has evolved steadily into much more. It's situation with Girdwood's green, open surroundings at the foot of Alyeska. Slogans such as "No dogs. No Politicians. No religious orders. No beer outside the garden," have surrounded prior fairs, highlighting this event's local, family feel. Performers entertain the crowds and on a sunny weekend the trees and grounds have a life of their own.

What really makes this fair unique, though, is the atmosphere and people of Girdwood and Alaska, Frantz said.

"It's Alaska state artists and crafts only," she said. "That includes food." It also includes the beer, which is from Alaska brewers as well."

The Girdwood Forest Fair kicks off at 11 a.m. on Friday and runs through 9 p.m. It keeps those same hours Saturday, but the day begins with a parade winding along the Alyeska Highway. Roughly 20 floats take part, all designed on a special theme and designed by locals. The last day, Sunday, begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m.

An outgrowth of the crafts and home state appeal has been the surprising number of musicians who enlist to perform during the fair. The list for local talent has become so long, organizers have to pick and choose who gets to perform. Organizers say it is tough to choose from all the potential performers.

"It's tremendous, it really is," Frantz said. The committee selects as many acts as they can, covering as many different styles of music as possible, ranging from bluegrass to country, pop, blues and rock. Children and adults are able to share their music. In prior years, roughly 30 bands have performed in a weekend, making it an unusually large free music festival.

Stages, known as the Marlow Pavillion and Beach Stage, are set up on the fairgrounds surrounded by vendor booths; and open areas near the stages fill with dancing, laughing crowds as the evening progresses. It's a great way to hear the cross-section of Alaskan performers in one place, Frantz said.

For more information about the Girdwood Forest Fair, check online at www.girdwoodforestfair.com.

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