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

• Author: Pilkington, Steve

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."

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