The Sun and Community Shine at the Kenny Lake Fair
Kenny Lake community members appreciating the beautiful weather for the community dinner August 16. Photo by Carol Cozzen.
Allison Sayer
NOTE: This article was edited to add an additional “thank you” that was omitted from the original version.
The Kenny Lake Fair began with a well attended dinner and cake auction Friday August 16 and continued with events and exhibits through Saturday afternoon. Overall, the fair drew a crowd of over 700 attendees this year. Organizer Maureen Kimberlin said that was twice last year’s attendance.
Saturday began with the Kenny Lake Fire Department breakfast and a fun run organized by Judith Lorenz. Dana and Brenda Becker from the VFW and VFW Auxiliary led the event flag raising.
There was music all day, including a 60’s cover open mic. The musical lineup was organized by Nigel Young. Performers included Matt Morse, Savanna Sullivan and Jason Abrie, Anadyr (both solo and with Corinna), Make Great Success, Bill Isca, Mike Rutledge, Wave Train and Sammie Vonnahme.
The performances were universally awesome. There were some extra special treats. Make Great Success comprises members of the Helkenn family and their partners who currently live in Anchorage and the Pioneer Valley. What a great surprise they had been practicing regularly over there. They brought killer vocals, a rich, multi instrument sound, and spot on drums home with them.
Beautiful cake made by Kristi Ewens for the Friday night cake auction. Photo by Carol Cozzen.
It was a treat to see long time Copper Basin musicians Dianne Malik and Mary Odden join the Wave Train performance along with other guests. Sammie Vonnahme, performing solo, closed down the music with gorgeous vocals that filled out the space every bit as much as the larger bands.
Beren and Sammie Vonnahme provided much of the sound equipment and Beren spent the entire day volunteering at the sound table. These two were essential to the success of the musical lineup and Young expressed his gratitude for their work.
The Copper Nugget 4H Club led by longtime leader Patty Miller ran the extremely popular horseback riding and petting zoo as usual. This year, Miller and 4H student Joseph Hauptman helped other members learn animal showmanship techniques so that members could learn more about the animals and how to handle them. Members could bring their own animals or borrow one if they did not have their own.
Nova the sheep, gentle veteran of Kenny Lake 4H events. Photo by Carol Cozzen.
Miller gave a review of the animal highlights. “Amber the horse earned top marks. The satin rabbit Rolf was the favorite for meat, looks and personality.” Both of those animals belong to Joseph Hauptman, and Amber was shown by Martin Bryan. Miller continued, “The poultry was a tough class. The chickens outdid the ducks but not by much. The favorite chicken came from the Kistler Family.”
“The baby goat from the Bryan family was a hit in the petting zoo. Our old but sweet black ewe Nova took tops in the sheep,” said Miller. “She has been in 4H her entire life and she’s about 12 years old.” Nova belongs to Miller. “Addy Kurtz tackled a new project with her cat. Who knew there was so much to showing a cat?” Miller would like to thank all of the youth that showed and helped the public learn more about animals, and everyone who brought animals.
The Exhibit Hall featured quilts, embroidery and other beautiful crafts. It was a nice opportunity to see the colorful inner world of varied community members.
Flower arrangements, zucchinis, peppers, an impressive cauliflower, cabbages and other agricultural products lovingly cultivated in residents’ back yards were on display.
There were not enough judges to give awards for produce and art categories- instead there was one award for “People’s Choice” decided by vote. This year’s winner was Marlena Maxwell for her whimsical felted boots with upward turned elf-like toes.
Julie Knutson, who organized the exhibits, said that the youngest creator was two years old and the oldest was ninety! Knutson shared in an email that this year 31 juniors exhibited in the fair this year. With some submitting multiple items, there were 80 total entries submitted by juniors, which is higher than many previous years. She hopes this trend will continue! She also would like to thank “Naomi Young who accepts exhibits and does the paperwork at her store, Casa de la Arte, every year the Thursday before the fair.”
In total 11 flowers or floral arrangements, 34 animals, 33 fruits or vegetables, 32 artworks, 16 foods, 25 general crafts or hobbies, and 32 needle and handwork pieces were displayed for the community.
Anyone may enter an exhibit in any department, and according to Knutson, “If we don’t have a category, we’ll make one.” There is no cost to enter. Knutson hopes for more volunteers in the future in order to be able to judge individual categories. She thanks the 58 individuals who submitted the 183 entries, and also thanks Rita Ownbey and Tari Patinka for helping get the entries labeled and logged in.
Perhaps the most offbeat booth was “Fight a Nerd,” an opportunity to duel with members of the local Live Action Role Play (LARP) club using padded weapons. Group leader and monarch Ellyn Veters invited me to try it. Although I started out feeling hesitant and self conscious, I quickly started smiling and laughing. It turns out that whacking someone with a foam sword is a lot of fun.
Members of the Freehold of Gryphon’s Rest, the Copper Basin Live Action Role Play (LARP) club at the Kenny Lake Fair, along with weapons and costumes crafted by club members. Photo by Ellyn Veters.
A fair isn’t a fair without food of course, and treats included beautiful and unique cupcakes, ice cream sundaes, pie, popcorn and more. There were just two booths serving hot food and they were in high demand. The loaded mac and cheese from Iron Skillet was definitely worth the wait.
The fair was attended by numerous local, state and federal organizations providing information on topics from soil quality and agricultural grants to smoking cessation. The Copper River Basin Child Advocacy Center had a table of free books encouraging health and good communication including Howling With Huskies: And Other Ways to Feel Good.
Numerous awards were given at the fair. These included: Hometown Hero to KCAM radio station; Volunteer of the Year to Felicia Reidel; Best 60s Booth to Stacy Iska; Best Open Mic Cover to Savannah Fletcher; best 60s Outfit to John Travolta; Best New Booth to PDF Catering. The chili cook off was a mens’ event this year. The winner was Brian Reagin. Marvin Moser from Anchorage won the ten speed bike in the drawing.
Political candidates Mike Cronk, Savannah Fletcher, Brandon Putuuqti Kowalski, and Rebecca Schwanke had booths at the fair and circulated among the crowd.
Organizer Maureen Kimberlin would like to acknowledge Jolene Nashlund for donating flowers that were hanging throughout the fair. Kimberlin also thanked Linda Flint, who was in charge of the admissions booth, and did a good job of keeping that staffed with volunteers through the day. More volunteers are needed. There will be a meeting soon to start planning next year’s fair. Check the Kenny Lake Fair Facebook page for more information.
There are surely others who worked hard on this year’s events and who were not mentioned personally in this article. Tsin’aen and thank you to all who make this event possible for the community!