Palin to celebrate Alaska’s 50th anniversary at home of William Seward in upstate NY

Palin set to mark Alaska anniversary in upstate NY

AUBURN, N.Y. — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is in upstate New York to help Auburn town officials celebrate their inaugural Founder’s Day and 50 years of Alaska statehood.

Palin will take part in a parade and speak later Saturday at a fundraiser at the Seward House, which is organizing the event.

Alaska and Auburn are linked through William Seward, who lived in Auburn and was secretary of state under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Seward negotiated the deal to buy Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million.

But June 6 has no historical significance for Auburn or Alaska. Alaska became a state in January 1959. Seward Day, an Alaskan state holiday, falls on the last Monday in March.