Alaska’s summer music festival celebrating salmon and its
habitat has a new name and new organizers, who say they plan to carry forward
the campaign to protect Alaskan salmon and its habitat throughout the state.
The musical line-up for Salmonfest, set for July 31 through
Aug. 2 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik, already includes
headliners Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, and organizers say many more acts
will be announced in the weeks ahead. Last year’s Salmonstock, the forerunner
to Salmonfest, featured more than 60 bands, and attracted several thousand
people.
The scope of Salmonfest, said festival producer/director Jim
Stearns, will become an all encompassing salmon/fish/habitat oriented event
that will focus on the unifying concepts that bind Alaskans together, rather
than divide us. As Salmonfest evolves, the new organizers said, they want to
emphasize and celebrate the connection of all Alaskans to the fish and the waters
that provide this magnificent resource.
Salmonstock was created four years ago by the Renewable
Resources Foundation, in Anchorage, in an effort to bring people together to
learn more about the importance of salmon and salmon habitat, and to educate
them on potential adverse affects of a massive copper, gold and molybdenum mine
proposed at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed. Along with numerous
booths offering food, beverages, clothing and art, there are several booths
offering conversation and literature on environmental issues related to salmon
habitat, in opposition to the various proposed mining projects, including the
Pebble mine.
Updated details on bands confirmed for Salmonfest will be
posted at http://salmonfestalaska.org
and at www.facebook.com/SalmonfestAlaska