Lecture Series: America250-Alaska’s Week of Dreams (Anchorage)

Cook Inlet Historical Society Presents: America250-Alaska’s Week of Dreams: Celebrating America’s Pastime in the Far North!
(The in-person event is free and open to the public. To to watch the presentation virtually, please register here: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/33tawa73vef5)

Join us for Cook Inlet Historical Society’s Lecture: America250-Alaska’s Week of Dreams: Celebrating America’s Pastime in the Far North
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 7 PM
Anchorage Museum Auditorium
In-Person at the Anchorage Museum Auditorium and Online via Crowdcast. Free and open to the public. Please use the Museum’s 7th Avenue entrance.
To register for the online event, click here: March 26 Lecture No registration needed if attending in person.
This lecture is a preview of the seven-day, history-filled Week of Dreams tour, which honors the longstanding and storied history of the National Pastime in America’s Far North. Please join Alaska State Historian and America250-Alaska Co-Commissioner, Katherine Ringsmuth, PhD, for this fun-filled presentation. Learn more about Alaska’s Week of Dreams and other America250 activities that celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

America250-Alaska is planning a seven-day, history-filled Week of Dreams tour, which honors the longstanding and storied history of baseball in America’s Far North. The marquee event embarks in Anchorage on Saturday, June 27, 2026, with games at Mulcahy Ballpark, then culminates in Interior Alaska, with an exhibition game at the nationally significant Growden Memorial Ballpark in Fairbanks, Alaska, on July 4, 2026. The aim is to use the national celebration as an opportunity to inform the nation about a unique aspect of Alaska’s history, highlight Alaska’s need for improved recreational facilities, and generate local investment in historic, cultural, and educational resources that empower Alaska’s youth through sports.

In partnership with Major League Baseball, Alaska’s Week of Dreams will bring together two beloved national narratives: The American Pastime and The Last Frontier, fulfilling the state’s vision while offering a creative, compelling, and surprisingly history-rich way for Alaskans to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. To learn more about Alaska’s Week of Dreams and other America250 activities, join Alaska State Historian and America250-Alaska Co-Commissioner, Katherine Ringsmuth, PhD, for this fun-filled presentation.

About the Speaker
Serving as co-commissioner for America250-Alaska, Dr. Katherine (Katie) Ringsmuth is spearheading Alaska’s Week of Dreams, the state’s marquee event celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday. As the Alaska State Historian and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Dr. Ringsmuth represents the State of Alaska on a statewide coalition known as AKBaseball250, composed of cultural organizations, Tribal partners, educators, sports leaders, and tourism professionals planning the Week of Dreams. Besides project coordinator, she curated a nine-panel traveling exhibit and authored the America250-Alaska publication, Alaska’s Fields of Dreamers: America’s Pastime in the Far North. Additional America250 projects include nominating sport and outdoor recreation properties to the National Register of Historic Places, an Alaska baseball-themed StoryMap, and even an interview on ESPN SportsCenter.

Katie Ringsmuth works in the Office of History and Archaeology (housed in the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation in the Department of National Resources), where she oversees Alaska’s National Register program. She has authored five books, including Alaska Skyboys: Cowboy Pilots and the Myth of the Last Frontier, published several articles, including “Field of Dreamers: Baseball in Anchorage, Alaska,” and continues to teach Alaska History at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She has curated two major history exhibitions: “Mug Up: The Language of Cannery Work” at the Alaska State Museum and “Home Field Advantage: Baseball in the Far North” at the Anchorage Museum. She earned an M.A. in Northern Studies from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Ph.D. in History from Washington State University. Ringsmuth lives in Eagle River, Alaska, with her husband, Eric. Her son Benjamin is pursuing a degree in sports business at Oregon State University and her youngest son, Thomas, is following his dreams at a soccer academy near Munich, Germany.