HISTORY ALIVE AT SOUTHEAST ALASKA FAIR.

• Author: PILKINGTON, STEVE
• Position: Bald Eagle Music Festival - Brief Article

Southeast Alaska comes alive this time of year with musical events and plenty of historically Alaskan things to do for tourists and locals alike. A popular attraction is the Southeast Alaska State Fair, which runs from Aug. 8-12 in Haines and encompasses the Alaska Bald Eagle Music Festival.

"The Bald Eagle Music Festival is actually the entertainment portion of the fair," said Judy Murphy, operations manager for the fair and its surrounding events. "It's now been rolled into one."

The fair is planned by the Southeast Alaska State Fair Inc., a nonprofit corporation founded in 1971. The fair started in the late 1960s as the Haines Strawberry Festival, Murphy said. During the Strawberry Festival, local growers showcased their homegrown fruits and vegetables at the American Legion Hall downtown. After a few years, the festival outgrew the American Legion and 40 acres of land was obtained from the Presbyterian Church on what is now called Fair Drive. The exhibit hall, Harriet Hall, was build with mostly volunteer labor and named for Harriet Jurgeleit, the first fair manager.

The fair continued to grow in size each year, reaching out to attract fairgoers from across the region of Southeast Alaska and up to British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

"We're really a unique event," Murphy said. "We serve the entire region."

Turn-of-the-century historical events bring the flavor of older Alaska to visitors and fairgoers and have become a centerpiece of the fair. Throughout the years, MacPherson Barn was built as well as the Raven Arena and three outside horse stall barns. These facilities allow for the current year-round boarding of horses. Food booths and retail trade booths were also built.

A special addition to the Haines fair came directly from Hollywood. The movie set from the Disney film "White Fang" was donated to the fair in 1991...