Juneau tradition: Governor’s House holiday open house set for Tuesday

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It’s a Juneau tradition: Holiday music, decorations, and thousands of cookies will be featured at the Governor’s Residence for the annual Holiday Open House this Tuesday, Dec. 10 from 3-6 p.m.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, First Lady Rose Dunleavy, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Kit Dahlstrom will be in the house to greet visitors and be available for photos. Typically, a line of people stretches down Calhoun Ave., as people brave the weather to get a chance to see the governor and look at the decorations inside the iconic building, which was built in 1912.

Students from the Thunder Mountain Middle School Carolers, the Juneau-Douglas High School Band, Faith Christian School, and Juneau Alaska Music Matters will perform holiday music, while Alaska’s 15 state commissioners will serve hot apple cider to all visitors. 

The governor’s announcement said that 17,050 cookies, 35 pounds of toffee and 90 pounds of fudge and chocolate will be served in the dining room of the mansion. This year’s Christmas tree was donated by the U.S. Forest Service and was harvested from the Tongass National Forest. Ornaments for the tree were handmade by students from schools across Alaska.

The first open house was held by Territorial Gov. Walter Eli Clark and his family on New Year’s Day 1913. The annual tradition has been held every year since, except from two years during World War II and in 2020 due to Covid-19.

3 COMMENTS

  1. The Beautiful People of North Seattle invite all you Alaskans who live hundreds of miles away to see the Governor’s home!

    ‘https://donnliston.net/2023/06/former-philippine-capitol-makes-dandy-museum/

  2. Its high time we repurpose the mansion into a homeless shelter. In this current era, conspicuous privileges for politicians is considered non-woke and socially unacceptable. On the other hand, care of the homeless and addicts is the pinnacle of current woke policy. Pointedly, the mansion is underutilized and vacant for the most part. Governors typically reside in Anchorage or Mat-Su anymore. We need to stop pretending the original purpose of the mansion is still socially acceptable. Need evidence? We are even afraid to call it a mansion.

  3. Meanwhile, the tall, socially-awkward Governor, dressed in his ill-fitting suit and coifed with a bad haircut, munches on Costco cookies (“we’re setting an example of gov’t austerity!”) and pinches toddler’s cheeks while leering at their cute young moms….

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