About Mat-Su College

2008 marks the 50th Anniversary of Matanuska-Susitna College University of Alaska Anchorage in Palmer. They will celebrate fifty years of excellence in education by inviting the public to a free Winter Festival on the Mat-Su College campus Saturday, January 26, 2008, from noon until 4 p.m.

The event will offer family‐friendly fun for everyone. All events are free and include horsedrawn sleigh rides, a world‐premiere movie, live reindeer, a presentation on grizzly bears, book signings, children's storytelling, live music, grilled hot dogs, beverages and snacks.

Visitors will have an opportunity to meet the cast of the locally produced movie “Jack and Jill” a film by Grant Olson, MSC faculty. DVD copies of the movie will be on sale and the cast will be available to sign the DVDs.

Bear expert and former MSC faculty, Stephen Stringham, will present a talk titled “When Bears Whisper, Do You Listen?” He will greet the public and sign his four books, Alaska Magnum Bear Safety Manual; When Bears Whisper, Do You Listen; Bear Viewing in Alaska, Expert Techniques for a Great Adventure; and Beauty Within the Beast: Kinship With Bears in the Alaska Wilderness. His books will be on sale during the event.

Sarah Birdsall, current MSC faculty, will greet the public and sign her book The Red Mitten, which was awarded a bronze medal in the 2007 Independent Publishers annual competition. Her book will be on sale during the event.

Visitors will enjoy live music by “Just Playin’ Jazz” directed by, and courtesy of, Hank Hartman of Matanuska Music.

The Mat-Su College Winter Festival begins at noon, Saturday January 26 on the Mat-Su College campus, Mile Two Trunk Road, in Palmer and ends at 4 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend and all activities are free.

Schedule of Events (subject to change)