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The aroma of salmon on the grill wafts through the air. The sounds of a dulcimer mingle with the shuffling of thousands of feet.

To the right are northern lights; to the left is a multicolor moose.

Far off in the distance, Mount McKinley towers over everything.

So it is every Saturday and Sunday in downtown Anchorage. The Anchorage Market and Festival is a two-day event that kicks off May 14. The final market is Sept. 11.

Market manager Bill Webb smiles as he contemplates 300 vendors and thousands of visitors coming together in a parking lot at the corner of Third Avenue and E Street.

"It's an eyeful of a shopping experience," Webb said of the market, which is expanding to two days weekly after being a Saturday market for two decades. "People like to look at all the produce, even if they aren't buying. There are more than 30 food booths.

"There is every type of gift and souvenir available at the market. We've got furs, jewelry, woodcarvings, fine art, pottery, gold jewelry, fleece, clothing. Gosh, you name it, we've got it."

Webb said 58 percent of the items sold at the market last summer were made in Alaska. He expects it to be a higher percentage this year.

As an outdoor market, the downtown gathering is subject to weather, but Webb said he is surprised by the regularly good conditions. Last summer, the market had 19 consecutive Saturdays without rain. "But even when it does rain, people come out," he said. "People can step into the booths and be out of the rain. You get a chance to talk to the artist."

Webb said being able to talk to the artists or craftspeople is one thing that makes the market special.

"Markets are popular throughout the world, and ours is no different," he said. "People like to be able to walk up and talk with the person who did the work. When you see a beautiful photograph, the photographer is running the booth. You can ask him about the picture -- where it was taken, what the conditions were.

"That's something different than just walking into a shop or something."

And most shoppers get hungry. The market has 37 food booths. They sell a wide range of treats.

Regular festival fare includes cotton candy, pizza and popcorn. But why not try a salmon quesadilla, some Filipino food, reindeer sausage or fresh Kachemak Bay oysters?

After picking up a bite to eat, Webb suggests sitting down and enjoying some entertainment.

"We have continuous entertainment from 10 to 6 on stage and all over the place," Webb said. "We've got Irish dancers and cloggers, kids with fiddles, singers, clowns, a unicyclist. It's very family-friendly."

If the art at the Anchorage Market and Festival inspires you, check out some of the downtown shops, many located on Fourth, Fifth and Sixth avenues.

Molly Willson Perry runs a working studio-gallery at 706 W. Fourth Ave. Her creations combine art and anthropology. She specializes in porcelain jewelry and wall art that is sculpturally formed.

"I like to make something that had a meaning behind it," Perry said. "I want it to be art that matters to the person."

Hands and human forms have a strong presence in her artwork. Many of her jewelry pieces sell for $25 to $35.

During the busy summertime, Perry said, she often switches from creating to serving as shopkeeper and tourist guide. She doesn't mind.

"When you're doing your art, you're working with one side of the brain," she said. "When you have visitors come in, you go to the other side of your brain. You visit with them and enjoy their experience.

"I enjoy getting to talk with them. You can get some great stories that way."

The Ulu Factory, 211 W. Ship Creek Ave., has a larger operation than Perry, but it's still uniquely Alaskan.

The Ulu Factory has been family-owned for 30 years, said family member Dannelle Gransbury. It started in the garage but now has a large production location just a short distance from the Anchorage Market and Festival site.

Visitors can see the entire operation through large glass windows. And, of course, ulu knives are for sale. The store also sells other Alaska-made items, including note cards, sauces, jams, syrups and candles.

"People are always amazed when they come in here and see the production," Gransbury said. "They say, 'You really do make them right here.' It's nice because the gals who work the retail floor can take them right up to the windows and explain what each machine does.

"Then they can give them a demo about the knife and show them how to use it."

Ulu knives have a connection to Alaska's ancient past. The traditional ulu was an Eskimo cutting tool made of slate and bone. Native people made them in a variety of sizes. The Ulu Factory has a display that includes ancient artifacts.

Bone and slate have been replaced by stainless steel and hardwood handles, but Gransbury said the value of the knife hasn't changed.

"People buy one, then they e-mail us and tell us they've come up with another use for the ulu," she said. "They love the functionality, the shape and the way the handle is right above the blade.

"A lot of people buy it to display it, but then they get home and start using it. Then they just can't stop. They'll tell us they need more because their friends want one too."

Another downtown shopping option is A Novel View bookstore, 415 L St., which sells mostly used books. The store is in one of Anchorage's older homes, built in 1921.

Owner Pat Tegtmeier said most visitors look for a book that reminds them of Alaska.

"Alaskan books are great because they can take something home that reminds them of Alaska, but others can enjoy it too," she said.

When it comes to Alaska gifts, nothing is more original than hand-knitted items from Oomingmak, 604 H St. The Native-owned cooperative sells clothing made from qiviut, the extra-soft and extra-warm under-wool from musk oxen.

More than 200 Native knitters who live in isolated villages use the qiviut to make hats, scarves, headbands or Eskimo smoke rings. Qiviut is warmer than wool and is often compared to cashmere.

Special sections editor Steve Edwards can be reached at sedwards@adn.com or 257-4316.