Alaska State Fair Replacing 60-Year-Old ‘Sluicebox’ Beer Hall

This winter’s unusually heavy snowfall caused a crack to worsen in one of the crucial beams of the Sluicebox, a 60-year-old building at the fairgrounds in Palmer. Consequently, the Alaska State Fair must replace the structure.

Safer Than Renovating 

Plans are underway to raise a new building on the existing Sluicebox footprint prior to the 2023 Fair, scheduled to start August 18.

Originally built to house vegetable exhibits, the building became known as the “Beer Hall” in the ‘70s. In 1982, it was dubbed the Sluicebox, and ever since it’s been a place to hoist a glass of beer and listen to local musicians and touring acts inside a roadhouse with gravel floors, long picnic tables, and a plywood dance floor.

Concerns had been growing over the past few years about the safety and structural integrity of the Sluicebox building. Due to the building’s age and structural issues, Fair officials decided the safest decision is to rebuild rather than repair or renovate. 

Many pieces of memorabilia have been saved and will be featured in the new Sluicebox, such as the artists’ wall signed by many Sluicebox stage performers. The familiar sign out front, along with reclaimed wood from the old structure, will also be included in the new Sluicebox.