TOURISTS TAKE HATE
What may be Seldovia!s first step toward
a future in the Alaskan tourist trade is ap
roaching us now with the promised coming of
66 Anchorage engineers and guests on the La
bor Day weekend.
Although the city is ill prepared to
handle, so large a group at this, time, mem
bers of the District EngineerTs Associates
at Fort Richardson are interested enough in
Seldovia to make the trip without requiring
too much in the way of comfortable housing
accommodations. Since we will be. forcod to
offer them only a gymnasium floor for a bed,
it!s up to Seldovia to see that we mako up
in hospitality what we lack in housing.
* Fort Richardson at khis time is employing
civilians who come from every state of the
union. Most of these people have heard
glowing tales of Alaskan scenery, and its
hunting and fishing opportunities, but few
of them have found Fort Richardson to be
much different from any state-side installa
tion. These people are eager to know more
of the real Alaska, and we of Soldovia will
have the opportunity to show them what Alas
ka is really like.
If the District Engineer’s Associates re
turn with a good report- of Soldovia’s hos
pitality, its scenic beauty, and its access
ibility to some of the finest fishing and
hunting country in the territory, then Sol
dovia may expect to be host to many more
such orgahizations in the fnonths to come.
Wo must plan, right now, to do cvanything
that wo can to make the stay of our guests
a's comfortable and pleasant as possible.
True, it1s a Chamber of Commerce undertak
ing; however that Chamber of Commerce will
bo only as effective as you of Soldovia are
willing to make it. The Chamber needs your
help in planning the entertainment for our
guo s t s.
First of all, and mos t '^important, the
Chamber needs a register of available rooms
in the city for the women guests in the
group. Seldovia*s
hotels have arranged
to caro for 25 of tho
party, and tho school
board has promised to
loan the gymnasium to
the men of the group
who come equipped
with sleeping bags.
However there are ad
ditional women guests
who are seeking shelr*
ter for two nights*
They will have sleep
ing bags, but a space
to put them is need
ed*
If you havo any
space in your home,
won’t you help us in
this problem by list
ing that space with
Sari Herr, Chamber
secretary? He ' is
committed, to the pro
curing of housing for
members of the group
who cannot be accom
modated in either the
hotels or at the gym**
nasium#
The Chamber also
needs to have at hand
a list, of gasboats
•and outboafds avail*
able for charter over
tho weekend, for par
ties of tho group who
may want to make ex
cursions to points of
interest about tho
Bay. The Chambor
should have available
a list of Soldovia»s
boys and girls who
will be ' willing to
take our visitors on
(Cont. next page)