Mat-Su Untold brings a night of laughter, community connection

PALMER – True tales of what makes the Valley special marked the Mat-Su Sentinel's inaugural storytelling evening Friday, as about 200 people gathered at the Palmer Depot for the sold-out event.

Ticket holders were treated to free drinks donated by Bleeding Heart Brewery, 203 Kombucha and Hamilton Farms, along with about 90 minutes of moving first-person stories on the theme of "What Makes Us Valley." Seven storytellers from around the region, including Willow, Wasilla, Sutton and Palmer, took the stage.

The event benefited the Mat-Su Sentinel, a nonprofit news website serving the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

The Sentinel's mission includes connecting community members through civic engagement and storytelling, founder and editor Amy Bushatz said during the event. Mat-Su Untold is meant to highlight the community's role in that, she said.

“The Sentinel connects community together through stories, and that’s what we are here doing tonight,” she said. “Storytelling is a really important part of news, and it’s an important part of community.”

The evening's speakers included Trygve Erickson, president of the Willow Area Community Organization; Angie Wade, who leads tribal historic preservation for the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council; Polly-Beth Odom, executive director of Daybreak; Tim Rockey, a former Mat-Su news reporter now with Alaska Public Media in Anchorage; DeeDee Jonrowe, a 36-time Iditarod racer; Jason Marvel, principal of Wasilla High School; and Hillarie Gosset, an ASL interpreter and Iron Dog racer.

“‘What it means to be Valley’ is that I know that we’re fiercely independent while being generous, being helpful, being kind -- something that we all are as Valley,” Marvel said during his story, which focused on his move to the region to become a teacher more than 20 years ago. “So the Valley, then, is a place that we all came to make a better life and a better future for ourselves and our families.”

The event also featured about 20 silent auctions, with items ranging from car detailing donated by RC Detail to gym memberships donated by Impakt Athletics. Live auctions included a cabin night paired with an ice cave helicopter landing on the Matanuska Glacier, donated by Sheep Mountain Lodge, and a paddleboarding trip to the Knik Glacier, donated by Alaska Helicopter Tours.

Other event sponsors included Big Cabbage Radio, which provided audio support and a video recording and Brad Carper, who provided photos. Silent auction items donations also included items or gift cards from Poppy Lane Mercantile; Jaded Body Wellness and Spine Institute; AK Mountain Dog; All Seasons Clothing; Paint Nights with Sara and Co.; Farm Loop Coffee; Backcountry Bike and Ski; Adventures by True North; Crumby Bakery; Midnight Sun Yoga; and the Alaska State Fair.

In total, the event raised about $8,000 to support the Sentinel's ongoing community news operations.

Attendees were also invited to visit the Sentinel’s community news needs table, where they weighed in on a survey about what they want and need from local news. The survey, which is also available online, is part of an ongoing Sentinel project to shape news coverage to meet the needs of Mat-Su residents.

“The community support for the Mat-Su Sentinel has been amazing, and I see that in this room,” Bushatz said during the event. “The Mat-Su Sentinel is a news organization that only exists because of you, so thank you so much for your support—just like this event only exists because we have storytellers here who are sharing their lives with us and because you are here to hear them.”

The next Mat-Su Untold is scheduled for February 2026.

-- Contact Mat-Su Sentinel at contact@matsusentinel.com