By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
After being cancelled for the first time in its 32-year history, Girdwood Forest Fair will be returning this summer.
The fair was cancelled last year due to security concerns, specifically at the Glacier Creek campground.
Shine Herfindahl told Girdwood Board of Supervisors at their Dec. 15 meeting that a security firm has been hired to oversee the Fair. The camping area is on Heritage Land Bank (HLB). The bank is donating $10,000 towards security. In addition, members of the Alcohol Control Board will be assisting at the fair to help control people, Herfindahl said.
“These are ways to deter people that we don’t want here,” she said.
At the last Forest Fair held in 2007, over 2,000 campers showed up at Glacier Creek, which is a temporary campground set up for campers attending the fair. The numbers have swelled over the years, and the last fair was especially difficult for volunteer security personnel to control under aged alcohol consumption. Unruliness and fights were prevalent in and around the campground throughout the three-day event.
Herfindahl said special attention will be paid to policing the campground. She stressed that the fair is a community event and it is up to the community to help make it safe and fun.
“I’m sure there are no issues that we can’t work out,” said GBOS member John Gallup.
Chairman Tim Cabana asked the five board members if any of them had a problem with bringing back the Fair, but there were no objections.
In addition to HLB’s donation, the GBOS is donating $5,000 for Fair security, and the Fair committee will be kicking in approximately $15,000. Herfindahl said the total budget for security will be about $30,000, double the amount paid in the 2007 Forest Fair.
Securitas, an Anchorage based security firm, has been hired to police the fair. Forest Fair Committee member and former state Trooper Michael Olpalka will be the “security czar” overseeing all security issues.
In addition to the increased security, the campground fee will be raised to $25 per person per night. At the previous fair, campers paid $75 for an entire week of camping.
The Fair hours will also change, opening from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and closing Sunday at 6 p.m. It will be held the weekend of July 4.
Herfindahl said last year was a good time for the community to take a break and regroup to make Forest Fair safer and bring it back to being a family event.
“We had so many people that were problems in the campground that it was not safe,” she said. “Last year we took a break to send a message that this is going to be a family fair.”