Programs & Events
Celebrate Patsy Ann’s Birthday at the City Museum Saturday, October 11th from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m
Celebrate Patsy Ann’s Birthday at the City Museum
Saturday, October 11th | 1:00 – 3:00 p.m
Come celebrate the 96th anniversary of the birth of Juneau’s most famous dog, Patsy Ann, on October 11th at the City Museum. This event is best suited for children aged 5-10 but all ages are welcome. Arrive at 1:00 p.m. for story time, or drop in between 1:30 and 3:00 p.m. for a craft and a scavenger hunt.
(1:00 pm) Story Time: Patsy Ann picture book read aloud
(1:30 – 3pm) Patsy Ann craft and scavenger hunt
November 15th Book Talk with Larri Spengler from 10:30 a.m. to noon
Taking Time: Sailing with my Family in Southeast Alaska
A Book Talk with author Larri Irene Spengler
Saturday, November 15 | 10:30 a.m – 12:00 p.m.
At the Juneau-Douglas City Museum
Taking Time: Sailing with my Family in Southeast Alaska chronicles the many adventures Larri Spengler and her family experienced while sailing their 27-foot Cape Dory sailboat, Altariel. Over the course of 18 years, Larri, her husband, and her daughter made regular wilderness forays from their home in Juneau. While sailing throughout Southeast Alaska they became attuned to weather, gained skills and resiliency, coped with emergencies, watched whales and sunsets, read aloud to each other, and had spacious time for both conversations and silence. In 2022, the family decided it was time to sell Altariel, and in 2025 Larri published Taking Time, Sailing with my Family in Southeast Alaska.
Taking Time conveys one way to live in the present, and to nurture together-time in the face of brimming schedules and encroaching technology. It provides a life-affirming template, whether or not you own a sailboat!
November 20th Performance by Jan Welch from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Plucky Lady, a Solo Performance by Jan Welch
Thursday, November 20th | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m | at the City Museum
Join us at the City Museum for a free solo performance by Jan Welch. Plucky Lady brings to life the story of fearless Alaskan adventurer Mary Joyce, who came to Southeast Alaska in 1928 and instantly embraced its rugged beauty. She was a nurse, the owner of a hunting lodge, a mink farmer, bush plane pilot, stewardess, Alaska's first female radio operator, military advisor, territorial government candidate, movie actress and bar proprietor. But she's most famous for traveling 1000 miles by dogsled from Taku to Fairbanks in the harshest of conditions.
Jan Welch is a professional writer and actress who first learned about Mary Joyce when she visited Taku Glacier Lodge in the summer of 2023. She immediately knew she wanted to bring Mary's story to life in Plucky Lady, the script she adapted from Mary Anne Greiner's book Mary Joyce Taku to Fairbanks 1000 Miles by Dog Team.
This project was funded in part by a Juneau History Grant from the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, City and Borough of Juneau, 2025.
See Wild Joys: Creating Community through the Performing Arts before It’s Gone! Friday, October 3rd, 4:00– 6:00 p.m. Live Performances from 4:30– 5:30 p.m.!
First Friday at the City Museum | October 3rd | 4:00– 6:00 p.m.
Join us at the City Museum on Friday, October 3rd, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm to view our summer exhibition, Wild Joys: Creating Community through the Performing Arts and stay for our final line-up of local performing artists.
“Wild Joys” is a popular exhibition that explores Juneau’s rich history of dance, theater, and music. Throughout the summer local performing artists brought this exhibition to life by performing in the gallery for museum visitors during monthly open-mic sessions. Our final open-mic performance is Friday, October 3rd from 4:30– 5:30 p.m. and the museum will be open until 6:00 p.m. This event is free.
Local performing artists for this event include the Filipino dance groups Itik-Itik Dancers (8 children); the Juneau Filipino Dance Troupe (4 adults performing Pandanggo sa Ilaw ); the Juneau Pipe Band (2 performers on bagpipes); and members from the High Costa Living, a high energy, booty-shaking band (Collette Costa, Shona Strauser, maybe more).
The last day to view “Wild Joys” is Thursday, October 16th, 2025.
The City Museum will switch to winter hours of operation and free admission beginning September 28th. Winter hours are Tuesday– Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday. Admission to the museum is free during winter hours.
Stonehouse Family Home Movies a Not So Silent Film at Gold Town Theater Thursday, October 16th at 7:00 p.m.
Gold Town Theater, in collaboration with the City Museum, will present a 30-minute film compiled of historic clips of Juneau as part of their Not-So-Silent Film series. The film will be accompanied by live music composed and performed by Bob Banghart and David Hunsaker.
In 2023, the City Museum received a donation of thirty-six 8mm home movies from Rebecca Pickett, granddaughter of Harry and Lucille Stonehouse. The Stonehouse family lived in Juneau from the 1920s–1950s and their collection of home movies reveals visits to the Mendenhall Glacier, fishing, wildlife viewing, downhill skiing, and prominent events like the 4 of July as well as other scenes from the past. The City Museum worked with Summit Media to digitize the 8mm reels and then created a movie from the best clips from all thirty-six movies.
The Juneau History Grant Application
Applications Due Annually on April 3rd or October 1st
Do you have a good idea for preserving or sharing Juneau's history or culture? Are you a teacher looking for an authentic history project for your students? Do you have an interest in a specific aspect of our local history? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider applying for a Juneau History Grant. The Juneau History Grant supports and encourages research, learning, dissemination, recording, and archiving of all types of information pertaining to the human history of Juneau and Douglas, and it is open to organizations, groups, or individuals of all ages.
The Juneau History Grant is administered by the City Museum with funding from the Friends of the Juneau-Douglas City Museum and the Juneau Community Foundation. Projects are typically funded at the $500-$1500 level; however, the Committee will consider all worthy projects within its ability to subsidize. Examples of projects include: live performances, public presentations, recordings (audio or video), publications, community signage or memorials, or any other project that produces a tangible product that can be shared with the public.
The next deadline to apply for a Juneau History Grant is April 3rd, 2023; however, deadlines occur biannually, so if you would like more time to plan your project, you can aim to complete your application by October 1st, 2023 instead.
For more information about the Juneau History Grant and applications instructions, click here.
The Marie Darlin Prize Applications Due May 1st, 2026
Applications Due Annually on May 1st
The Marie Darlin Prize recognizes outstanding works of artistic, literary, performative, or scholarly merit that concern the cultures and peoples of Southeast Alaska. The prize is awarded annually to an individual or collaboration whose work expresses a commitment to the region’s social or cultural history, community advocacy, or Indigenous identity.
In accordance with the wishes of Marie Darlin and donors, the Juneau-Douglas City Museum administers the Marie Darlin Prize, and the Juneau Community Foundation oversees the fund. Prize contenders are writers, visual artists, performing artists, or scholars from Alaska or elsewhere who have completed a significant work that emphasizes community values and regional identity. Applicants are reviewed by a selection committee which determines the winner. A cash prize of $5,000 is awarded annually and may be used as the recipient wishes.
For more information about eligibility and submission instructions, please visit the Friends of the Juneau-Douglas City Museum’s website at fojdcm.org