Do you need a break from the Fair vibes? Are you feeling more Renaissance Fair than State Fair? Then head over to Palmer Shakes and Bakes on Saturday afternoon.
Palmer Shakes and Bakes evolved out of Shakespeare in the Park at Arts in the Garden last month. MASCOTarts presented the event. MASCOTarts stands for Mat-Su Community Theatre Arts.
From Shakespeare in the Park they imagined…
Shakespeare, of course.
Shakespeare and food trucks.
Shakespeare and sword fights.
Shakespeare and community groups.
And so Palmer Shakes and Bakes was born. The main attraction is the Shakespeare play “Much Ado about Nothing” at 12:15 p.m. and at 4 p.m. The show runs about an hour. It has an Alaskan twist and is set in an Alaska port town. If you’re feeling feisty, you may want to attend the afternoon show. The audience will be encouraged to throw tomatoes, or in this case water balloons, at the actors.
Come from Away actors will showcase songs from the upcoming musical. Come from Away opens at the Glenn Massay Theater next weekend. The actors will also do a sword fight demonstration.
In between shows, join in peasant dancing, engage a soothsayer, or really get into the spirit of the day in the foam-sword “fight pit”.
You can enjoy a gyro (yee-roh) from Andiamos food truck or a vegan dessert from the Giggling Fox food truck while you stroll around to the community booths. The Palmer Folk Art School will demonstrate blacksmithing. The Steel Ravens stage combat group will be on hand. Visit with the CreativiTea Alaska writing group and other artists, crafters, and creative groups.
You can wander in and out of events at your leisure.
Palmer Shakes and Bakes runs from noon to six p.m. this Saturday in the green space beside St. John’s Lutheran Church on East Elmwood Street in downtown Palmer. MASCOTarts and the Palmer Arts Council created this free event. Contact Allen Stout for more information at astout@mascotarts.org or 907-707-9854.
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Kendra Zamzow reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. 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 Tuesday August 25, 2026.