Alaska Day.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: TRAVEL

The Alaska Day Festival takes place in honor of the purchase of Alaska by the United States from Russia in Sitka on October 18, 1867. According to Elaine Strelow, secretary for the Alaska Day Committee, it "celebrates the diversity of cultures and historical perspectives of our people." The 2015 theme of the Alaska Day Festival is "Meet me at the Centennial."

While Alaska was transferred in a single day, the festival commemorating the event spans approximately a week starting October 10, culminating on October 18 with the annual parade and re-enactment ceremony. "For me, what we do with the transfer reenactment on Castle Hill is the most meaningful," says Strelow. "It brings together hundreds of people of many cultures and background experiences to commemorate an event that changed the history of our area, of Alaska, and far beyond."

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