On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of people from around the neighborhood and across Anchorage gathered outside Clark Middle School for the annual Mountain View Street Fair.

Kids slurped ice cream, tossed beanbags, rode bikes and ran curbside lemonade stands. Rows of booths housed nonprofit organizations, games and food vendors. Balloons bobbed in the breeze. Bagpipers marched, and a young couple danced the salsa in front of a smiling crowd. The music picked up, and a few minutes later, a spontaneous circle formed in front of the speakers — a dancing, laughing cross-section of Alaska life.

This year’s street fair took place in tandem with Catholic Social Services’ annual World Refugee Day celebration, and the people who assembled in Mountain View Saturday afternoon included everyone from lifelong Alaskans to recent newcomers. Kirk Rose, executive director of the Anchorage Community Land Trust, wandered the crowd.

“It’s just a great opportunity to hug your neighbor,” he said.

Dancing at the Mountain View Street Fair, June 10, 2017.

Travis Melton, 8, throws a beanbag at the Mountain View Street Fair, June 10, 2017.

Spectators watch a soccer demonstration at the Mountain View Street Fair, June 10, 2017.