SeaLife Abounds in Palmer!!

Wineck Barn: The ASLC Pavilion at the 2010 State Fair

(right next to the Red Gate)

(all photos here courtesy of Nate Chambers)

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of showing my visiting family from Australia some of the very best that Alaska has to offer as we toured around the 2010 State Fair in Palmer.  My sister was simply amazed to find jellyfish and other assorted marine life in the midst of an inland agricultural town!

Perhaps she would not have been so amazed if she understod just how skilled our education, exhibits and husbandry teams are at promoting public understanding of marine life - the State Fair exhibit is just the latest in a long line of public outreach events where we magically give the public a chance to experience Alaska's amazing marine life from the comfort of a dry vantage point.

The theme of this years exhibit is "Growing up in Alaska's Ocean Nurseries" and each element of the exhibit picks up on the theme of just how important our oceans are as nurseries for the many species we depend on and enjoy.  The eider exhibit above is just one example of species that has local, national and global significance.

Perhaps the most visually compelling element of the exhibit is the collection of milk bottles (Matanuska milk of course!) that demonstrate the role of milk in mammalian development...

The State Fair exhibit really highlights the amazing creative design skills of our staff and their ability to deliver a high quality education and entertainment experience. For example, I had watched Laurie Stuart draw the whale that is the backdrop to the milk exhibit and was incredibly impressed by her artistic talents - my sister was equally entralled with the story that her drawing told!  That same theme of great story told thru great exhibitry was replicated as we moved through the barn - it really was hard to believe that were in a barn in Palmer... and I guess that is the epitome of an effective exhibit.

If you haven't already been to the State Fair, you really should plan to go and make sure you stop by the Wineck Barn before this amazing, but temporary, exhibit is temporarily dissassembled... if you really can't make it, the good news is that all these exhibits are designed to be re-used; the main tanks (provided with the generous support of the Rasmuson Foundation) will be a mainstaty of future outreach exhibits... their next public outing will likely be at the Alaska Marine Gala in Anchorage on January 16th... stay tuned!