Capital City Governor's Picnic

Posted by Paulette Simpson

Posted: August 23, 2009 - 12:08 pm

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Just days after being sworn in as Alaska’s tenth governor, Gov. Sean Parnell addressed Juneau’s business community at their weekly Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Along with a discussion of economic issues challenging our state and region, he said he’d like to host a Governor’s picnic in Juneau.

Chamber of Commerce stalwarts and a few alpha females took the lead and in less than three weeks time, the first-ever Capital City Governor’s picnic came together Friday. Organizers quickly raised enough cash and in-kind contributions to rent tents and purchase food and supplies for the inaugural picnic. Juneau’s fishing community donated and barbecued 350 lbs of sockeye and coho while CBJ parks employees and dozens of volunteers spruced up the Sandy Beach shelters, set up tables and tents, prepared food and then stayed to pick up trash.

No one’s quite sure why Juneau hasn’t had a Governor’s picnic in the past. Perhaps it’s because planning an outdoor event in Juneau is tricky since typical summer weather can quickly morph from pleasant to the sideways rain of a mid-October squall.

Sure enough, we all woke up to the wet stuff Friday morning but by midday the skies began to clear. By the time the Governor greeted his guests, the late afternoon temperature was about as good as it gets for Southeast Alaska.

The Sandy Beach park and picnic grounds are situated on crushed rock from the mines - a daily reminder of Juneau’s past. In his remarks, the Governor recalled the Treadwell Mine then spoke to Juneau’s future saying that the Kensington Mine will provide new jobs and opportunities.

Traditions are important for families, communities and society as well. They offer an opportunity to come together, pause and in Juneau’s case anyway, put aside our political divisions. When Gov. Parnell first suggested a Juneau picnic, he referred to it as the “Capital City” Governor's Picnic. It’s a little thing, maybe, but symbolic, I think, of a sensitivity and generosity of spirit that will serve the Governor well.

For the better part of the past year we’ve celebrated 50 years of statehood. In June on this same Sandy Beach site the community gathered for Gold Rush Days and then again for Juneau’s July 4th festivities. The Governor’s picnic gave us another chance to come together and demonstrate to the Parnell administration that we value the special role we play in hosting Alaska’s governor. And with a hint of autumn in the August air, it won’t be long before we’re welcoming the legislature back in January.

Juneau’s identity as the capital is dependent largely on goodwill, which is of course, a two-way street. I’m grateful to the Governor for giving us another reason to gather and proud of my community for turning out three thousand residents to welcome him to town.

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