The North Star Catholic / Slippery Gulch welcomes Alaskans to state fair

The Alaska State Fair in Palmer welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, and nestled in the midst of the mountains, the fields, and the rides is Slippery Gulch, a ministry of St. Michael parish in Palmer. Slippery Gulch serves as a point of contact between the Church and Alaska.

“It’s a way we as a church do community service and share our beliefs with others,” said Slippery Gulch Operations Manager Terry Dickey. As visitors come to the fair from around Alaska, Slippery Gulch has offered a friendly presence for many years.

Customers enjoy Slippery Gulch’s offerings. (Levi Livengood / North Star Catholic)

Slippery Gulch is as old as the fair, starting in 1936 to raise funds to cover the unexpected costs of building the first St. Michael’s parish church. It began as a pie stand but has since expanded its inventory. Now, one can find burgers, hot dogs, soups, and more.

“It’s a family-fun place with a roof over our heads,” Dickey said as volunteers served at the grill, put whip cream on warm pies, rung customers up at the cash register, and strode around the quaint dining area, cleaning tables and interacting with customers.

Slippery Gulch relies on volunteers from the parish to operate. As of 2026, there are different roles for volunteers based on age. Young children clean tables and trays. Older children can serve food and take grill orders. Young adults can operate the grill. Those over 21 can work the cash register, drive the shuttle, or work as shift manager.

Customer Nolin Ainsworth presents his burger. (Levi Livengood / North Star Catholic)

“It’s a big process,” Dickey said. Several shifts operate throughout the day and across the length of the fair. There are different levels of leadership as well, such as the role of grill master coordinator, who ensures all who work the grill offer quality service. Pies and other desserts are made daily at St. Michael’s kitchen, and Fr. Michael Shields lets Slippery Gulch store food in his garage and is, Dickey says, proactive, helping in many ways.

Volunteers receive a free ticket to the fair and a free meal. Primarily, though, they are there happy to serve. From the grill master joyfully interacting with customers, to the young volunteers talking with customers as they clean tables to make space for them, to the cashier patiently working through cash payments, in their sacrifice they follow Christ and bear witness to the gospel.