Vol. 1, No. 26
Palmer, Alaska, December 17, 1947
len cenis
Chest Drive
Starts Slowly
With three and a half days of
the Valley's 13-day Community
Chest drive already gone, only
S35 had been collected by drive
workers by Saturday noon, so
licitation chairman Jack Maze
reported.
Chest workers have until next
Monday to solicit contributions
and pledges which will meet the
§3,000 goal set for Palmer.
Some areas have not yet
been covered, others still need
solicitors appointed. Mrs. Iola
Sims, in charge of all solici
tors, has been ill during the
past week and has been unable
to reach a representative in
all of the rural areas.
Workers expected to begin a
concentrated effort toward their
goal yesterday, rsotn vicior
Alfsen and W. L. Zeile said they
expected to reach most of the
homes in their assigned areas
early this week.
Mr. Maze said many families
do not understand that the Com
munity Chest donation does not
need to be paid at this time.
Workers will accept pledges, to
be paid in installments as indi
cated by the donor, as the Com
munity Chest receipt indicates.
Because the drive has come so
close to the Christmas season,
many of the Valley residents
reached' earlier this week said
they were unable to contribute.
Mr. Maze earnestly requests that
homes which cannot make a con
tribution at this time, accept a
pledge card and name an amount
to be paid at a later date.
"The success of this drive
depends entirely upon the
whole-hearted co-operation of
all Valley residents/' Mr.
Maze said. "We believe that
your gifts, pledged through
the Community Chest, will
make this year's giving easier
for the Valley residents. Com
munity Chest giving is the
business-like way of taking
Care of your charity obliga
tions. It works in the cities
of the states, and it will work
in Palmer, if we all work to
gether to suppor it."
The Community Chest central
committee met last night to draft
last-minute plans for reaching
this year’s goal. The solicitation
committee and all solicitors are
to meet tonight in the basement
o/ the Lutheran church for final
instructions.
It is expected that the date
for the drive’s Red Feather day
will be announced at the conclu
sion of these committee meet
ings. A red feather is given to
every drive contributor who
pledges $10 or more to the Val
Hy’s Community Chest fund.
AJtis-rtis uames
To Start At 8:30
Next Saturday
For the lull between last-min
ute Christmas shopping next
Saturday and the Fire Associa
tion-sponsored Bingo game that
evening, there’s a full round of
basketball scheduled at Palmer
gymnasium.
On that evening, beginning at
8:30, there will be two inter
scholastic court tilts between
Anchorage and Palmer high
** (Continued on page 8)
It’s So-0-0 Cold—In Chicago
I
FLO ALICE DINKEL
(Photo by Palmer Photographic
Center)
Junior Play
Is Friday
“Foot-Loose,” a three-act com
edy of life in a middle-class
American home, will be present
ed by members of the junior
class of Palmer high school next
Friday evening. Curtain-time
is 8 o’clock in the school gym
nasium.
The plot centers about the
mother-dominated home of the
Richard Early’s, and is con
cerned with what happens to the
high school and college age sons
and daughters when dad takes
mother on a cruise.
Juniors who are cast in “Foot
Loose,” in the order of their
appearance on the stage are:
Jim Gleason, Esther Kertulla,
Joanne Frank, Richard McAl
lister, Marianne Bryant, George
Hermon, Gayle Eckert, Dick
Remple, Leeann Wade, Henry
Kircher, Dorothy Plumley, Don
Hutchinson, Wayne Bouwens
and Vivian Meiers.
(Continued on page 8)
“Oh, it’s good to be home. It
vas cold out there. Why, in Chi
:ago it was only three above.”
With that brief summary of
heir Chicago vacation, Flo Alice
3inkel and Lynn Sandvik dis
nissed a week of once-in-a-life
ime experiences during the re
lent national Four-H convention,
rhey both admitted that it had
jeen fun, but both were ex
;remely happy to be back in the
Valley again.
Flo Alice sent detailed reports
)f convention activities to the
Valley Frontiersman, but Lynn
admitted he’d been having so
much fun there wasn’t any time
for reporting. “I was busy,” he
protested. “We were up until 2
a’clock every morning and then
/e had to get up at six again.”
For Flo Alice it was a com
oination of so many “first in
my life” happenings, that it sets
her to counting fingers to itemize
them all. It was her first plane
ride; she was a guest at the first
football game she’d ever attend
ed; she took her first long train
ride; she stayed at a large hotel
for the first time in her life. She
also saw a radio program in ac
tion for the first time, and
earlier was herself a participant
on a radio program for the first
time in her life.
The Chicago conference in
cluded trips to museums, li
braries, art galleries and a visit
to the International Livestock
show, held during the conven
tion week.
Alaska’s delegates were re
ceived with wonder by fellow
Four-H club members from the
states, and all three (Richard
Dangler of Seward was also an
Alaskan representative) are still
surprised that there’s so little
factual information available in
the states about the territory.
Both Lynn and Flo Alice spent
much of their free time in just
answering questions, and both
feel that a good many boys and
girls know a whole lot more
about the Matanuska Valley, at
least, than they did before the
Chicago convention.
The Alaskan delegates were
not the only representatives
from territorial possessions,
however, for there were dele
gates from Hawaii and the Vir
gin Islands at Chicago, too.
LYNN SANDVIK
(Photo by Palmer Photographic i
Center) 1
Anchorage School Head
Unable To Be ;
At P-TA Meeting
(
j C. C. Caldwell, Anchorage j
i superintendent of schools, will ,
not be present at Tuesday’s meet
ing of the Palmer Parent-Teach- '
er’s Association, it was an
nounced this week. Mr. Caldwell
had been tentatively scheduled .
as guest speaker at this meet
ing, in order to present a more
complete discussion of the prob- 1
lems of incorporation as an in- 1
dependent school district.
It is hoped that either Mr. '
Caldwell or James Ryan, terri- .
torial commissioner of educa
tion, will be present at the
P-TA’s January meeting to con
tinue this discussion.
The regular December meet
ing of the P-TA will be held
Tuesday at 8 o’clock in the
school cafeteria.
NO APPENDIX NOW
Barbara Kindgren underwent
an emergency appendix opera
tion at Valley hospital last
Thursday. She is recovering
satisfactorily.
BUY CHRISTMAS SEALS
Valley Boy Scouts Rank High
Although Scout advancement
in Alaska has not been rapid be
cause the work is relatively new
here, Palmer’s troop 654 has
maintained a consistently high
level of progress, it was report
ed at the annual dinner meeting
of the Boy Scout district com
mittee last week. Troop 654,
which has an enrollment of 24
Scouts, is 33 per cent First Class
Scouts.
Recommendations for best
Scouting achievement call for at
least 25 per cent of troop mem
bership as First Class Scouts,
and no more than 40 per cent
should be Tenderfeet.
The Palmer-Wasilla area now
has four organized Scout troops,
with a fifth in the process of
organization. Palmer has one
regular Scout troop, an Air
Scout unit, and a Cub scout unit.
Wasilla has a regular scout
troop and is organizing a Cub
pack. The Scouts in the Valley .
area total 6 per cent of the en- .
tire membership in the Terri- ]
tory. |;
Last week’s meeting, attended 1
by Victor Alfsen, W. E. Huntley, '
Duane Huntley, Dick Drabble
and Jack Maze of Palmer, sum- '<
marized the Scout work of the 1
past year and listened to plans j
for the year ahead.
Scouting has grown in the
Anchorage district, from a total
enrollment of 35 men and boys
in April of 1946 to 530 in De
cember of 1947. Three Scout
camps have been organized in
the territory—one at Cordova,
another at Kodiak and a third,
King’s lake, in the Valley.
Active plans were made at the
district meeting for coming
Scout activities. There will be
another district rally for all Boy
Scouts in the area early next
year. The rally is to be held in
Anchorage and will be in either
ranuary or February. Two ral
ies were held during the past
fear, one of which was won by
Palmer and the other by Anch
>rage Scouts.
Col. T. S. Mosely of Fort Rich
irdson discussed with the group
jlans for the coming Air Jam
boree to be held at the Post in
Hay. At least 400 Scouts and
heir leaders are expected to at
end. It is hoped the Jamboree
:an be organized on a hemis
pheric plan, but it will be na
;ion in scope if the first plan
cannot be developed.
Keith M. Lesn ol rt.no.»orage
was installed as distiici chair
nan of Boy Scouts at last week's
neeting. His committee mem
aers include Jack Maze of Palm
jr, A1 Hulen, Alan Brandes, Rev.
R. Rolland Armstrong, Robert
Risley, J. L. McCarrey, Dr. Asa
Martin Colonel Mosley and Wal
ler Williams.
Jiristmas
Zomes Early
ro The Valley
There’s a smell of spruce in
he air, the blaze of colored
ights from miniature in store
windows, Christmas trees, a
ook of hushed expectancy on
he faces of children gazing wide
yed at crowded toy counters—
fr’c Phricfmac in tho Valiev
vith a round of club and com
nunity activities scheduled for
ivery day until next week’s holi
lay.
Dec. 20
The week really begins on
Saturday with the 100-minute,
0-reel all-comedy show and
dsit of Santa Claus at the Valley
rheatre. All children under 10
/■ears of age are asked to be the
juests of Palmer merchants at
his show. (It’ll be a wonderful
>pportunity for parents to fin
sh that last-minute Christmas
ihopping, too, with the small fry
;afely checked at the Theatre
Christmas party.)
The show begins at 1:30, when
Santa Claus will appear with a
jag of sweets for every child in
;he Theatre. He’ll bring fruit and
luts in addition to the Christmas
:andy and popcorn contained in
lis pack.
Following the show for the
/alley’s under-tenners, there’ll
je a second showing of com
;dies at 4 o’clock for older chil
iren and adults. Again in the
ivening at 7:15 there’ll be a
free show for adults, and for
children who come with their
jarents.
Valley merchants who are par
;icipating in the sponsorship of
:he Saturday Christmas party at
the Valley Theatre include:
Neal Wright, Pete Lucy, Steve
Ward, Palmer Cold Storage,
Palmer Photographic Center,
Sourdough Bar, Charlie’s Bar-B
Que, Palmer Automotive Service
and Storage, Con Pearsky, Val
ley Cleaners, A1 Hagen, Vic
Nielson, Shamrock Bar, Sham
rock Bakery, Koslosky’s depart
ment store, Valley Service, Mat
ciim&tkci v ctixey uaun., V/. xx. xvxcix
Transfer, Ketchikan Spruce
Mills, Dan Sullivan, Brown’s
Cleaners, Hartley Brothers, Val
ley Telephone Exchange, North
Palmer Store, Hopkins Popcorn
& Nut Shop, Eino Wertanen,
Matanuska Valley Farmers’ Co
operating Ass’n., and Morton’s
Watch Repair.
Dec. 21
On Sunday, members of the
Sodality of St. Michael’s church
will meet at the home of Mrs.
Richard Mohan for a Christmas
party.
Sunday afternoon members of
St. John’s Lutheran church will
meet at 1:30 to decorate their
church for Christmas. That eve
ning, the Lutheran church will
begin its program of Christmas
music and hymns over the tower
chimes.
Dec. 23
On Tuesday, Wasilla will hold
its Community Christmas pro
gram in Community hall at 7:30
o’clock.
Dec. 24
Wednesday, the day before
Christmas program in the gym
school will present their annual
Christmas program in the gym
nasium at 1 o’clock. Plays, songs
(Continued on page 8)