June 7-17 - International Summer School in Glaciology, UAF Geophysical Institute: WMC is proud to once again host the UAF Geophysical Institute's graduate summer school in glaciology.

July 9 - Sew Fun! A Stitching Workshop with Maria Shell: Any and all sewing projects are welcome. Make new curtains for your cabin, learn how to make pillows or pajama bottoms, or learn the basics of quilting making by using patterns or creating your own designs. If it involves thread, cloth, and stitch it will be a great project for this workshop. You pick the project, and Maria will help you make it a reality.  

July 10 - Introduction to Local Plant Medicine and Botany with Amy Seifert: This course covers the basics about medicinal plants in the Wrangells as well as gain a deeper understanding of how to use and prepare common plants. We will move beyond the “this plant is for digestion” paradigm, and explain why and how to use specific herbs.  The day-long workshop will include both classroom and field time. 

July 14-17 - Family Music Camp with Mary Schallert, Brian DeMarcus, and Ian Wahl: Summer camp is not just for kids. At the McCarthy Family Music Camp, all family members get to enjoy learning and playing music with others, accompanied by the melodies of some of Alaska’s biggest glaciers and most inspiring mountain scenery. During our tune-filled, action-packed folk music camp, families will engage in multiple instructor-led group sessions and classes. Family members will have opportunities to play together, as well as with individualized peer sessions. Craft activities for youth and exploration of the Wrangells environs will round out the fun.

July 20-27 - Wrangell Mountains Writing Workshop presents RiverSong with Michelle McAfee, David Grimes, and Nancy Cook:  The Wrangell Mountains Writing Workshop is pleased to partner with McCarthy River Tours & Outfitters to host a seven-day, six-night adventure in the fabulous Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. This year’s workshop will feature accomplished singer-songwriter Michelle McAfee, river sprite and musical poet David Grimes, backcountry banjo-diva Robin Child, and workshop director Nancy Cook. Together we will explore the ways wilderness can help inspire songs, stories, poems, and essays. Activities include an opening reading/performance and craft sessions in the comfort of the Wrangell Mountains Center’s facility in McCarthy, followed by three nights and four days of creative inquiry along the Kennicott, Nizina, Chitina, and Copper Rivers. Space is limited to eight student writers/ songwriters.

August 19-21 - Ice Mysteries and Stories with Joanna Young and Aurora Roth: Join us for two days of exploring and learning about the dynamic forces of glacier ice. We'll spend one day investigating the surface of the Root Glacier, and learning about the amazing dynamic force that has shaped so much of Alaska's landscape.  On the second day, we'll imagine what it might look like underneath a glacier, and see what happens when a glacier retreats.  What will Alaska's glaciated regions look like decades from now?  Our instructors, Joanna Young and Aurora Roth, team up with an experienced mountaineering guide to offer two days of unforgettable learning and adventure.  

August 25-28 - Landscape Painting with Color and Light with Rita Pfenninger:  Enjoy the fall colors! Fall in the Wrangell Mountains offers a spectacular and visually rich environment to study landscape painting. This course will involve both studio painting with field excursions to gather inspiration. Instructor, Rita Pfenninger, will share the process of building a two-dimensional landscape painting by layering vibrant colors. Students will explore the technique of layering oil paint on top of acrylic under layers. Students have the opportunity to critique work in a friendly, intimate group and share work with a small art show on the final day of class.

Saturday, September 3 - McCarthy Half Marathon and 5 Mile Runs: Race starts at 2 pm at Glacier View Campground (Mile 59 of the McCarthy Road). Followed by Spaghetti dinner and awards ceremony at the Old Hardware Store at 6 pm. $30 per person registration; $15 under 16. Proceeds benefit the WMC. Register online or at the starting line from 12-1:45 pm. 

2016 Fundraisers & Volunteer Opportunities

Friday, April 22 - Spring Break Up Celebration and Fundraiser in Anchorage: 6:30 pm at Resolution Brewing in Anchorage (3024 Mountain View Dr). Join us to kick off the season with food, drink, and a silent auction.

Saturday, May 28 - Memorial Day Weekend Community Work Party: The Wrangell Mountains Center invites neighbors, alumni, and other volunteers to join us anytime during our facility and garden workparty. Open to anyone and everyone looking for a good time at the Old Hardware Store and Porphyry Place! Swing by for a few minutes or a few hours between 12 am and 6 pm. There will be plenty of opportunities for some laughs, meals, and old fashioned manual labor directed toward a good cause.

Date TBD - Tall Tales Storytelling Contest and Silent Auction, at the New Golden Saloon: Our annual fall contest returns for 2016. Bring your best story (or most compelling lies) and join us for this entertaining evening showcasing the creativity of local residents and visitors. This delightful and sometimes raucous annual summer fundraiser is co-sponsored by the McCarthy Lodge and features a silent and live auction.

2016 Weekly Programming

June -August - Kids Camp invites pre-school aged youth to get together, play, and explore our mountain community. Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays.

July & August - Mountain Arts and Sciences for Youth programs invite youth (and enthusiastic parents or caregivers) to join artists, naturalists, and scientists for a series of  workshops for kids designed to connect them with the natural world around them. Program Director Lara Applebaum. Meets Mondays and Fridays 1-4 pm

June-August - Summer Arts & Lectures Series promotes the arts and sciences as integral and necessary components of an educated and enlightened existence. This program is organized to inspire personal discovery, creativity, and intellectual inquiry and to sustain an inclusive community by presenting relevant, unique, entertaining, and diverse events including performances, films, and lectures in the Kennicott Valley. Most of our lectures and arts presentations are free to members and highlight the incredible talent housed in or drawn to this small mountain community. This series is sponsored in part by the National Park Service. Many of the events are held in the Kennecott Recreation Hall and others occur at our McCarthy campus. Please check back for an expanding list of specific dates and times. FREE to current members. $5 suggested donation for non-members unless noted otherwise.