Library & Museum
June&u, Alaska
Visitors Here For King Crab Festival
The banner-bedecked streets, the
booth-filled midway site, the store
windows decorated in the King
Crab motive, straw hats and lapel
pins all tell the same story—'today
begins the 3-day celebration of the
King Crab Festival
A benign sun, as if to give ap
proval to the proceedings, shines
forth in all his glory to usher in
what perhaps will be the biggest
and best Festival in Kodiak’s his
tory.
During the three days, Kodiak
will be a bustling city, with hun
dreds of visitors and dignitaries
from State government, Federal
agencies, Shriners, private plane
owners, the Anchorage Fur Ren
dezvous Queen, and many others.
The City will be honored by a
visit from Alaska’s givemor, Wil
liam A. Egan, and Mrs. Egan, who
will arrive this afternoon a>t 2:55
aboard PNA. A busy schedule for
the governor includes leading the
parade tomorrow, speaking at a no
host luncheon at the Montmartre
Sunday noon, dedicating the new
airport, and addressing a group
of Kodiak Democrats at a dinner
in his honor at the 49 Room Sun
day evening at 7.
The main events scheduled for
today are the arts and crafts ex
hibits in the downtown school, and
later in the evening the Festival
dance at the Elks Club. The Milli
kens will perform at the dance
which begins at 9 p. m.
The Kiddies parade, which be
gins at 10 o’clock tomorrow morn
ing has the promise of being one
of the best staged in Kodiak, ac
cording to parade chairman, Gene
Sundberg. Children’s entries in the
parade will include many novel
costumes and stunts. They will be
led off by the Navy band, Marine
Corps and other marching units.
A novel entry, “something that has
never been seen before in Kodiak,”
according to Ray Martin, Chairman
of the Festival, will be a highlight
of the parade, with all the Queen
contestants participating.
With the midway open Saturday
morning at 9, a continuous round of
events will take place in the small
boat harbor, including judging of
the parade, skin diving, plane and
boat tour bookings, and the Rotary
train. This latter is a favorite with
the young fry, with the older ones
looking wistfully on. A crab shak
ing contest is slated for 2 p. m., and
judging of the largest and heaviest
crab will take place at 3.
A Festival smorgasbord will be
staged at the Elk’s Club, beginning
at 5 p. m. Judging of entries in
the crab cooking contest will take
place at 6 p. m. The smorgasbord
always draws a huge crowd, offer
ing as it does, unusual recipes and
a large selection.
The crowning event, in more
ways than one, is the Coronation
Ball at the National Guard Armory,
which begins at 9:30 p. m. This will
get off to a good start with the big
stage production, “Mirth Around
the Earth,” staged by the Milli
kens, a group of local ladies, who
have been rehearsing for several
months. It is strictly for laughs.
Following the show, the Queen
will be selected and crowned. The
gown she will wear is on display at
the Louise Shop. Mrs. Louise Spen
cer, owner of the shop, made the
gown. The crown was designed and
made by Mrs. Anna Mueller.
Drawing for the car will be made
at 12:30 a. m.
Dedication of the airport is the
big event for Sunday. A special
breakfast open to the public will
be served at the Elks Club from 9
a. m. to 12 noon. Visitors are in
vited to attend services in the
church of their choice.
Midway events, including skin
diving, boat and plane tours, and
the arts and crafts show, bowling
tournament, and other events will
continue to 5 p. m. The midway
will remain open in the evening.
An added attraction just an
nounced by Ray Martin, PNA agent
here, are plane tours over Katmai,
which will be flown both Saturday
and Sunday. Reservations can be
made with the ticket office here
for any of the flights.
VOL. 21, NO. 66 KODIAK, ALASKA, MAY 5, 1961 PRICE TEN CENTS
Airport Dedication Sunday
Gov. William A. Egan will dedi
cate Kodiak’s new City airport,
Sunday- in ceremonies which will
be attended by Federal Aviation
Agency and Civil Air Patrol offic
ials as well as many out-of-town
dignitaries and visiting private
plane owners. The ceremonies will
begin at 2 p. m., and will be held
at the airport.
A no-host luncheon will be held
at 12.30 at the Montmartre Inn pro
ceeding the dedication at the air
port. Gov. Egan will address the
group. '
“Kodiak’s new City airport is the
direct result of the wonderful co
operation of State and City of
ficials and the many people who
contributed money and time to see
the airport become a reality,” said
Chuck Weir, Chairman of the Air
port Committee.
“We started with a wooded
swamp,” Weir stated, describing
the airport ground before work was
Fur Rendezvous
Queen In Parade
Teresa Hansen, 1961 Anchorage
Fur Rendezvous Queen, will attend
the King Crab Festival and will be
in the parade tomorrow morning.
Miss Hansen will arrive Satur
day morning. She will be accomp
anied by Mr. Clyde Rowan.
begun on the project Csee picture
elsewhere).
The airport has been open for
traffic for several months,” Weir
said. Already the economy of this
area is being bolstered through
the interest in aviation generated
by having this airport added to the
City’s facilities. We can be justly
proud of our new airport.”
The new field, located at the
north end of the city, is 2,200 feet
by 80 feet with a gravel surface.
Originally $125,000 was appropri
ated for the construction and
$6,000 more was provided later.
Even this was not enough. To fin
ish the job with adequate parking
Anchorage Group
Here For Festival
A plane load of Anchorage busi
nessmen will arrive here, Saturday
at 3 p. m. aboard a Reeves Airline
plane piloted by Bob Reeves.
The group will participate in
Festival festivities. A part of the
group are Shriners.
Also coming is E. D. Hulen, in
charge of the FAA for Alaska and
a party of the Agency’s officials.
Coming also is Mr. Art Woodley,
president of PNA, .and Mr. and
Mrs. Harold Olsen, the latter is
also an official in the airlines.
facilities, $1,200 was raised by local
residents interested in the project.
At the conclusion of the dedica
tion ceremonies, ten tickets will be
drawn entitling the holders of the
ones drawn to a dedication day
plane rides.
Photo By Ameigh
Work Resumes
On Island Airstrips
The Division of Aviation of the
Department of Public Works an
nounced today that construction
has been resumed on the Pioneer
Bush Airfields outlying Kodiak Is
land.
Wendell P. Miller, engineer in
charge of the Pioneers Program,
stated that the contractor, Alaska
(Coasting and Trading, Inc. of Sew
ard, has completed the work that
was initiated last fall on the Old
Harbor landing strip. The landing
strip at Old Harbor is 2,100 feet
long and about 50 feet wide. In ad
dition, some exploratory work was
performed at Lazy Bay and Akhiok,
but difficult soil conditions and ad
verse weather, combined with lim
ited funds, has prevented construc
tion of a landing strip in that area
at this time.
(Continued On Page 4)
Highway Division
To Help Cleanup
The Mission Road suburban
property owners are to be assisted
by the State Division of Highways
in cleaning up the right of way in
the area, according to Paul Stover,
foreman.
It will be necessary that all prop
erty owners move personal prop
erty from the right of way and as
sist in loading the remaining trash,
he stated. In most cases right of
way is 100 feet and the Division
of Highways will not be respon
sible for any property left thereon,
Stover said.
Katmai Flights
Special flights are planned over
the Katmai by PNA, according to
Ray Martin, agent for the Airlines
here. Flights will be made Satur
day and Sunday according to de
mand.
Land Offered
In East Addition
A public sale of lots in the East
Addition will be conducted in Ko
diak, Wednesday, May 17, by a
representative of the Bureau of
Land Management, according to
an announcement received this
week. The sale will be held in the
Court Room in the Post Office
building, beginning at 1 p. m.
The lots will be sold by auction
to the highest bidder. Minimum
bids have been announced.
In block 30, lots from 10 to 17
inclusive, the price range is from
$1,400 down to $1,100. These are
lots facing Mission Road on the
upper side beyond the FWS house.
They are said to be choice lots,
valued even higher by the City.
In block 40, lots are priced at
$75 for lots 13 to 16; block 47, lots
(Continued on Page 9)
Along The Waterfront
A run down of the King crab
catch around Kodiak island and
parts of the mainland reveals the
fact that many boats have been
active in bringing in a record catch.
Figures supplied by the Alaska
Fish and Game Department show
that from July, 1960 through March
of this year, the total number of
crab caught was 1,831,737. Stated
otherwise this is 18,428,047 pounds.
In order to give a comparison of
the carbs caught in 1959-60 and
1960-61, we quote figures for the
period up to February of each
year. Last seasons yeild was 1,416,
944 crabs. Expressed in terms of
pounds this amounts to 14,348,110.
This years figures are as follows:
1,610,141 crabs and 16,203,595
pounds. Thus, it is seen there has
been a gain over last season, but
on the other hand there are more
boats and gear out.
Alitak was again the big pro
ducer. Total crabs caught in this
area (to end of Feb.) was 641,611,
or 5,993,259 pounds. Last year the
figures were 851,134 and 8,348,925.
There were 107,274 crabs pro
cessed here from the mainland,
representing 1,099,641 pounds. The
balance of the crab take came from
Marmot Bay, Afognak, Uganik,
Uyak, 2-Headed Pt., Chiniak Pt.
and Chiniak Bay and elsewhere.
A
Roy Rickey, ADF & G manager
here stated this week that the Jap
anese are interested in a large
quantity of hair seal hides. He
said they would like a couple of
samples at present. Anyone wish
ing to supply these are asked to
contact Rickey at the Department’s
office.
There has been a lot of activity
in the small boat harbor this week,
with some of the crab boats re
turning to the fishing grounds.
Other skippers and crew are paint
ing their boats.
For more up-to-the-minute news
about the waterfront, visit the SBH
during the Festival.
vfc
It’s not too late to enter the
crab contest, which is set for 3
p. m. Saturday.
Prizes of $50 each for the heav
iest and the largest crab are of
fered, with $25 and $15 as second
and third prizes.
Entries are also sought in the
crab shaking contest, which also
offers some good prizes.