Coming up: First week of the Alaska State Fair; a film festival that’s for the dogs

First week of the Alaska State Fair

The State Fair opens this weekend, rain or shine, and … we can't lie — Palmer has rain in the forecast. But some sprinkles should never stand in the way of elephant ears, 4-H, carnival rides and a tour through the animal barn.

[Rides, food, concerts, deals: Here's your guide to the Alaska State Fair, from A to Z]

Some of the biggest shows will be this week, including:

'90s rock icon, the Goo Goo Dolls (7 p.m. Friday); country stars Midland (7 p.m. Saturday); classic rock group Three Dog Night, of "Joy to the World" fame (6 p.m. Sunday); Jonny Lang (7 p.m. Wednesday (remember when everyone freaked out about how he was 15 and sounded like a weathered, septuagenarian blues singer in "Lie to Me"?); and genre-bending rapper Juice Wrld (7 p.m. Thursday)

For ticket prices and to see the full schedule for the week, see alaskastatefair.org.

Bow Wow Film Festival

An annual traveling film festival is headed to Bear Tooth this weekend for all those dog-loving cinephiles out there — and we're guessing there's more than a few.  It's Alaska, after all. We love our dogs and we love movies that can be watched while eating pizza. The Bow Wow Film Festival will feature 90 minutes of dog-centric short films. Doors open at 2:25 p.m. and show starts at 2:45 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $6 for general admission. This is a fundraiser for AK Dog and Puppy Rescue (beartooththeatre.net)

Sunstruck and starry skies

There are two new shows at the Anchorage Museum planetarium, both of which will have you gazing skyward.

"Stars of the Alaskan Sky" is a special live presentation that's a tour of the night sky — an astronomer will show you what you can see during Alaska's long winter nights, what constellations are visible and what planets you can see. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Friday.

"Sunstruck" will follow and show how our sun has supported life on Earth for millennia and how solar activity impacts our world. 8-9 p.m. Friday.

Both are presented by UAA Planetarium manager, Omega Smith. Tickets are $5-$10 at uaatix.universitytickets.com.

Alyeska Downhill Cup

The Alyeska Cup is a downhill mountain bike race on a single track course where riders complete timed runs and earn points throughout the series. Entry is free with purchase of a day-lift ticket or season pass. 2-6 p.m. Sunday on the mountain. (alyeskaresort.com)

55th Anniversary of the March on Washington

UAA will celebrate the 55th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech with presentations, including one from Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, and performances by Anchorage artists as well as a screening of the historic speech itself. Refreshments provided.

Tickets are free for UAA students and the general public. Attendees must reserve tickets at UAAtix.com. Seating is limited. 6:30 to 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the UAA Fine Arts Building, Recital Hall.

Friday Night Divas go back to the '80s

The Divas at Mad Myrna's doing the '80s with Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Max Headroom, Michael J Fox and more. Featuring your favorites from the Friday Night Diva Variety Show. Tickets $5 — no cover before 8 p.m. 21 and over. 9 p.m. Friday. (Search "FNDVS – The 80's Show" on Facebook for details)