This will be my seventh summer in Alaska after moving from Michigan. Every year, my mother-in-law visits. It's OK, I like Lexy, and we get along well.
She always has a long list of things she wants to do in Alaska. At the top of the list is a stop at the Anchorage Market and Festival.
I'm not sure what she likes best, the food or the goods or the festive atmosphere. I just know she has to go -- maybe more than once per visit.
The market has more than 300 vendors, and apparently Lexy isn't the only fan.
Bill Webb, owner of Anchorage Markets, said there were an estimated 750,000 visitors to the market last year.
"It's fun, and it's free," Webb said. "It think those are two important things right there. We have the biggest assortment of Alaska-made products in the state, continuous entertainment and a huge array of Alaska's big produce.
"And we have so much food you can gain 10 pounds in three hours."
The market has been an Anchorage summer standard for 14 years. While it once was called the Saturday Market, it now is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturdays and Sundays -- so it is a downtown destination all weekend.
The market's season is May 13 to Sept. 10. Admission is free.
Webb said statistics indicate it is the largest weekend market in the United States. The 300 vendors include photographers, artists, Matanuska Valley vegetable growers, crafters, clothing- makers, jewelers, authors and others. There are 36 food booths selling everything from salmon quesadillas and halibut to Pakistani and Thai food to mini doughnuts and baked Alaska.
New this year will be a kids' "market within a market," Webb said. The kids' market will be inside a large tent with free admission. Children can buy and sell toys with other youngsters.
Returning this year will be an Alaska-made tent, with five vendors present creating and selling their wares. Also in the tent will be one Alaska author each week signing copies of their books.
"We had one couple visit the market -- they were elderly world travelers -- and they said it was the best market they had ever been to," Webb said. "That makes us feel good. We want people to come down and have a good time.
"It's fun, and it's in a great location."
The downtown location makes it easy to visit many of Anchorage's other shops, art galleries and stores after or before a trip to the market.
One of the shops selling truly unique Alaska gifts is Oomingmak, 604 H St.
Alaska Native knitters from several Bush communities use qiviut, the extra-soft and extra-warm under-wool from musk oxen, to create several items. The 200-plus knitters are part of a cooperative.
For sale at the store are scarves, hats, headbands, stoles, tunics and Eskimo smoke rings, which are a combination scarf and head covering. Each village has a signature knitting pattern derived from traditional art or designs. Office manager Marie Texter said Bethel knitters use a pattern based on the community's traditional parka trim design.
"For visitors, this is a little bit of an opportunity to share in something very Alaskan, very unique" said Texter, who also is a knitter. "They also get something from a remote village -- a place they will likely never get to go to. And the knitters will never get to the homes of the customers. It's sort of bridge between cultures."
Texter said the cooperative's knitters create the qiviut items to help supplement their income. Many of the families live a subsistence lifestyle, but it still takes money to exist in Bush Alaska.
"They have to have fuel for boats or for four-wheelers," she said. "They may spend the summer at fish camp, but they have to buy supplies even if they are going out to fish camp.
"This allows them to continue to live the lifestyle they are used to."
Shoppers are often surprised at the texture of the qiviut-made items. Qiviut is about eight times warmer than sheep's wool, Texter said, and is often compared to cashmere in texture.
Most items are the traditional brown color, but some have a little silk added in and are bleached to add some variety.
"People are amazed how soft it is," Texter said. "They see a picture of the musk ox and they have this shaggy appearance. You don't think it would be soft.
"We tell them about the unusual softness and the insulating qualities. It doesn't shrink, and it's easy to care for."
At Title Wave Books, 1360 W. Northern Lights Blvd., most visitors are, not surprisingly, looking for a special book to take home with them.
Retail manager Angela Libal said the bookstore has the state's largest selection of new and used Alaska-themed books.
" 'Two Old Women' is always a classic," Libal said. "Either they heard about it by word of mouth or somebody gave them a copy and now they want to buy it.
"Also, people love the coffee table book, the quintessential photo book of Alaska images. We also have quirky books like the roadside attractions, outhouses of Alaska or boats. Also, there are lots of children's books and wildlife books."
Alaska's landscape, animals and lifestyle inspire many artists to create paintings, pottery, jewelry, sculptures and other items. The city is filled with art galleries, and on the first Friday of each month most galleries have special openings to unveil new art or artists.
Special sections editor Steve Edwards can be reached at 257-4316 or sedwards@adn.com.
