Heart of the Aleutians festival celebrates the end of summer

VICTORIA BARBER

September 04, 2008 at 1:18PM AKST

About 300 locals and visitors arrived at the Kelty Ballfield for the Heart of the Aleutians Festival on Saturday, Aug. 23.

Though big tents were set up to shield attendants from the threat of rain, the weather held through the day with occasional bursts of sunshine to remind residents that, despite school starting next week, it is indeed still summer.

That was a welcome change from last year, when it rained the entire day of the outdoor festival. Shelly Lawson, recreation coordinator for the Unalaska Department of Parks, Culture and Recreation, said that while that didn’t keep people away, it didn’t encourage them to hang out very long either.

The festival featured live music from the Ballyhooters, Tom Goodwin, the Unalaska Blues Society, Daniel Weirich and Broken Gutter.

In addition to local celebrities, state Rep. Bryce Edgmon was present for the first part of the day talking with residents.

Hot dogs and hamburgers were on offer under the big tent in the middle of the field, where 15 organizations had set up booths. There was also barbecue, Filipino cuisine and three different stands with baked goodies for hungry attendants.

While adults perused booths under the tent or sat on the grass and listened to music, kids were kept busy with the many free races and games organized by parks and rec, including classics such as the egg toss, tug-of-war and potato sack race.

But it was a slightly less conventional game that got kids really excited. The Unalaska School District foreign language club had two giant, inflatable “hamster balls” that they let children run around in for $1. The fundraiser was undoubtedly a hit — children were rolling and being rolled inside the balls all afternoon, sometimes mobbed by other children, other times racing around the lawn in pursuit of their friends. While often seen flying feet over head, none of the children seemed to mind.

“There have been a few injuries but nothing that required an EMT,” said Lawson of the ball antics. Lawson said that 11 parks and rec staff members, including five lifeguards, were on duty over the course of the day.

A giant, inflatable caterpillar was also a big success for children, who crawled in one end, out the other and raced back to the beginning, eager to get back in line.

Lawson said that the Heart of the Aleutians grew out of the Unalaska tradition of having a party at the summer, before the school year began.

William “BJ” Cross was there enjoying the live music and good weather. He said that he attends the festival every year.

“It’s real good for the community,” Cross said. “Living in rural area, events like this help, people get cabin fever. We need more stuff like this.”

Curt Chastain agreed. “It’s good for community, everyone gets to hang out for awhile,” he said.

Victoria Barber can be reached at 907-348-2424 or toll free at 800-770-9830, ext. 424.