I was lured with a promise of al fresco cookery and culture lessons and a whole lot of Alaskan seafood. And I certainly wasn’t disappointed on that front.
I lusted over shimmering silver salmon and delicious huge crabs. A nice chap (@passion4fish) – who donates his profits from such events to the Fisherman’s Mission – spent time explaining how these beautiful fish are caught at sustainable levels – regulators count how many swim into an estuary and the fishermen are told how many they may catch.
But as I sipped my chilled glass of wine with my happy companion – sitting on a wooden sleigh in an Old West saloon decorated marquee (complete with a stove) – and our noses were assailed by aromas from the nearby Poach House it was the children that dominated our field of vision.
“The Last Frontier” was a (mostly free) event comprising a series of large tents set up as a gold rush era settlement on the grass on the riverside at Pimlico Gardens. While parents learned about Alaskan food and holidays their kids were thoroughly entertained by a variety of wholesome and fun activities.
There were some small folk panning for gold. There were tents dedicated to arts and crafts and storytelling. The kids were engrossed. There was an old time detective agency to find missing persons and another explaining about telegrams and encouraging kids to write their own.
All around were characters dressed in American-style frontier clothes, leading happy kids in games and adventures. Yes, they even had a band with a guitar, double bass, violin and banjo – and everyone joined in the dancing. I watched for a while at a tent forge where we they playing throw the horseshoe – and the kids there were utterly enthralled with the stories – all told with authentic American accents.
I came away with a smile on my face and a substantial recipe book of “Wild wonderful Alaska seafood” – and I can’t wait to start experimenting.
Anyone who has seen the film “The Proposal” doesn’t need to be told how beautiful Alaska is. I’ve always want to go, and now I’ve had a further taste I so want to go and play with seaplanes, fishing and try some bear and whale spotting.
www.travelalaska.com
www.alaskafood.org
http://www.shuttlecock-inc.com/ arranged the pop up event.
