Governor Mike Dunleavy will once again open his doors to Juneau tomorrow. The Governor’s annual Holiday Open House takes place Tuesday, Dec. 9 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Governor’s Mansion.
The state will offer 26,000 cookies and more than 100 pounds of Almond Roca and other sweets. In keeping with tradition, Alaska’s 15 state commissioners will serve hot cider.
This year’s dessert data is up from the 17,000 cookies and 90 pounds of fudge served last year.
Music will fill the mansion’s halls throughout the afternoon, with performances from Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé chorus and band, Juneau Alaska Music Matters and the vocal chamber ensemble Vox Borealis.
The Yakutat Ranger District harvested this year’s Together Tree — a 12-foot Sitka Spruce — from the Lost River Watershed.
The Together Tree tradition began in 2017, representing collaboration between governments and communities and across Alaska: The state government, Tongass National Forest, the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Marine Highway System, Alaska Airlines, Alaska Native peoples and rural communities.
Children from Yakutat School District and Tlingit Haida HeadStart helped create the 250 ornaments to adorn the tree.
The open house is one of Juneau’s longest-running holiday traditions. Territorial Governor Walter Eli Clark hosted the mansion’s first open house in 1913. The tradition has continued annually, save two years during World War II and in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
