Sitkans get down in Alaska Day parade

After days of steady rain, Sitkans turned out under blue skies and fresh snow on the mountain tops to celebrate Alaska Day on Thursday. KCAW’s Anne Brice and Rebecca LaGuire teamed up to make this slideshow.

Commemorating the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States tops even the Fourth of July for holidays in Sitka. The festival schedule this year was almost three pages long.

But for most people, the Alaska Day Parade is the main event. This year, festival organizers honored the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Alaska Native Brotherhood as the theme.