This weekend: Spenard Jazz Festival and Twilight 12K plus First Friday events
Jun. 3—Spenard Jazz Festival, 4:30 p.m. Friday, Anchorage Museum Lawn, 625 C St.
To kick off the Anchorage Summer Arts in the Park series, the Spenard Jazz Festival is hanging out on the lawn of the Anchorage Museum on Friday afternoon. They will be followed by the Tap Studio at 6 p.m. at Town Square Park outside the Performing Arts Center. Anchorage Summer Arts in the Park (ASAP) is a free concert series by the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, and the Anchorage Museum. On Saturday at 1:30 p.m. the Sankofa Dance Co. will be performing in Town Square Park as well as part of ASAP. Spenard Jazz Fest will also have an event on Friday night at Van's Dive Bar and an 11-hour marathon of music at the Nave on Saturday.
Twilight 12K & Skinny Mini 6K, 7 p.m. Friday, Delaney Park Strip
Skinny Raven Sports is hosting the Twilight 12K at the Delaney Park Strip on Friday night, with a 6K option for those who want to enjoy a road race for half the distance. The run includes plenty of bonuses, like live music, beer and Bear Tooth wraps to help you across the finish line and to recover on the other side. Registration starts at $50 for the 12k and $40 for the 6k.
5k Walk/Run for Mental Health, 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Goose Lake Park
As a part of the 5th annual Five Fifty Fifty Run/Walk for Mental Health, this 5K starts at Goose Lake Park in support of the AB Korkor Foundation. Anchorage is the fourth stop of the 50 days of races across all 50 states in an effort to raise funds and awareness for mental health. Registration costs $35.
Kids Day at the Zoo, noon-4 p.m., Saturday, Alaska Zoo, 4731 O'Malley Rd.
Sponsored by the Anchorage Moose Lodge, kids will get 50% off admission with free cotton candy and live music all day. Tommy Moose will be on site to greet and hang out with kids.
Young the Giant, 5 p.m. Saturday, Williwaw Social, 609 F St.
Young the Giant is coming to Alaska this weekend. The show at Williwaw will be opened by local support from Medium Build, with doors opening at 5 p.m. Tickets start at $55, with VIP tickets available for $125.
Josh Ritter, 7 p.m. Saturday, Anchorage Museum, 625 C St.
Josh Ritter returns to Alaska for a single show in the 49th State. Ritter's most recently released album "Fever Breaks" was his 10th. The Forest That Never Sleeps opens the show. Tickets are $40 for this 21+ show.
Ken Waldman, Alaska's Fiddling Poet, 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Anchorage Museum, 625 C St.
Ken Waldman is a novelist, a poet, and a fiddler who has just published his 20th book, "Now Entering Alaska Time." Join the Anchorage Museum, Waldman, and the Anchorage Folk Festival on Sunday to celebrate the release of this book and to raise funds for the Anchorage Folk Festival. Tickets are $10 to experience the combination of high-energy fiddling, stories, and poems.
June First Friday
Turnagain Brewing, 7920 King St., 5 p.m.
2 Friends Gallery, 341 E. Benson Blvd., 5 p.m.
Georgia Blue Gallery, 3555 Arctic Blvd., 5 p.m.
Anchorage Museum, 625 C St., 4:30 p.m.
Anchorage Distillery, 6310 A St., 5 p.m.
International Gallery of Contemporary Art, 427 D St., 5 p.m.
Midnight Sun Brewing Company, 8111 Dimond Hook Dr., 5 p.m.
Dos Manos, 1317 W. Northern Lights Blvd., 5 p.m.
Hotel Captain Cook, 939 W. 5th Ave., 5 p.m.
