It’s time for Page Two: News that might not make the front page for Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
Managing Director of the Palmer Arts Council Meggie Aube-Trammell keeps busy. She plans storytelling workshops; watercolor painting classes, popular and classical music concerts; and a class on cooking brisket.
What? Brisket from an arts council? Why not? Take a tough cut of meat, prepare it with love, slowly transform it into a melt-in-your mouth meal. Does it get more artistic than that?
That’s just one of the ways the Palmer Arts Council hopes to broaden people’s experience with art. The Council identifies barriers that keep people from experiencing art and overcomes them.
The council was founded in 2000. It tries to keep events free, but if that’s not possible, they keep them “at-cost,” Meggie says.
That way if a classical music concert feels alien to someone, they might be willing to try it.
Distance is another barrier that the Arts Council overcomes. Performers tend to gravitate to the big city. The Pamer Arts Council brings them closer to home. That makes art more accessible to people in the Valley. “I think, maybe we’ll open a door to a style of music that you wouldn’t have been interested in or thought you were interested in, but that maybe you’ll learn about,” Meggie says.
The Arts Council works with youth, augmenting classes in the schools and supporting homeschool students with low-cost classes and experiences.
Sometimes art breaches age barriers. Yesterday, the Arts Council sponsored a graphics arts and storytelling workshop with the authors of the “Chickaloonies” series. Meggie thought of it as a teen event. The authors encouraged her to open it to all ages. The range of ages broadened the experience for all involved.
Perhaps one sign of their success is that the Arts Council events often fill up. Yesterday’s Chickaloonies workshop was “at capacity” and Saturday’s Erik Howk concert is sold out.
Here are upcoming Palmer Arts Council events:
On Friday at 6 p.m. the Palmer Arts Council will hold its Annual Meeting at Lekker Coffee House. Rogues and Wenches will perform Irish music, sea shanties, and “pirate music” after the brief business meeting.
On Saturday at 7 p.m. Erik Howk will perform at Vagabond Blues. He’s a rock and roller from Portugal.The Man. Erik got his start performing at Vagabond Blues, so he is really excited about this show. It sold out.
On Saturday February 21 at 1 p.m the monthly Literary Salon will discuss the role of food in literature at the Matanuska Brewery Dog House.
The mouth-watering “Brisket and Brews” workshop follows the Literary Salon at 4 p.m. in Matanuska Brewery Dog House.
Check them all out at palmerarts.org.
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This Page Two article was written by David Cheezem and read by Lee Henrikson. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.
That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on January 21, 2026.