Girdwood Festival features Blueberries, Tunes.

• Author: Pounds, Nancy
• Position: Alaska: This Month

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Colorful alpine meadows beckon berry pickers and hikers in August. This month in Girdwood, savory aromas and bright melodies will waft up to hillside sojourners near Alyeska Resort during the Blueberry Mountain Arts and Music Festival Aug. 22.

The fledgling event marks its second year in 2009. Last year resort officials planned the event to mingle outdoor recreation enthusiasts, families, artists and musicians during blueberry harvesting season, according to Karen Lane, an Alyeska employee who helped coordinate the premier Blueberry Festival. Vendor booths and a music stage are set up at Alyeska Resort's Pond Courtyard and near the base of the tram, she said. "It's a wonderful place for a music festival," Lane said. Last year the festival coincided with the grand opening of the resort's new single-track mountain bike downhill trail called Blueberry Pancake Trail. This year Alyeska officials are opening the North Face Hiking Trail and have scheduled a downhill mountain bike race on the Blueberry Pancake Trail, Lane said. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the new hiking trail is set for 2 p.m., Lane said.

The Blueberry Festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. Live music also begins at noon. Resort officials have planned a beer garden near the stage, Lane said.

Event organizers have planned children's activities, including a fun run, T-shirt drawings and face painting. Pie-eating contests are scheduled for children and adults. Event organizers also plan to offer free guided tours on the new North Face hiking trail. Tram...