MATANUSKA MINSTRELS of 1954
Two Day Showings Only
April 9 and 10
PALMER SCHOOL GYM
BUY YOUR TICKET EARLY
/
the Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
CLASSIFIED AD for that
item you may have for sale,
rent or lease.
VOLUME 7. NO. 29
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. APRIL 8, 1954
PRICE TEN CENTS
City May Lose
Leased Fire Truck
The City of Palmer this week
was notified that the 1942, 500
gallon pumper fire truck on
lease to the City by the Alaska
Railroad will be put for public
sale through bidding on April 20.
No previous notice of this in
tention was received by the city.
First news of the decision to
dispose of the truck was receiv
ed through a bid forms received
yesterday.
The truck, hose and other pie
ces of fire fighting equipment
was originally leased to the Ma
lanuska Valley Volunteer Fire
Association in 1947 and trans
ferred over the City along with
other equipment when the asso
ciation went out of being and has
been on lease to the city since
that time.
The truck located in Palmer,
along with similar trucks at Spen
ard and Nenana, were leased in
1947 for the sum of $1.00 per
month in exchange for fire pro
tection on, railroad property. It
was announced that “priorities”
can not be given to cities who
now have these leased., trucks.
The truck referred to is the
Dodge fire truck, the only hose
carrying truck in the city of Pal
mer. Members of the City Fire
Committee and the city fire chief
plan an immediate meeting to
prepare a bid.
PARC MEMBERSHIPS
ON SALE IN VALLEY
Over 400 membership tickets
have been distributed to represen
tatives of various local organiza
tions, by the Palmer Area Recrea
tion Council, it was reported to
day.
The tickets are being sold at
SI.00 each, for either adult or stu
dent membership. AH members
will be entitled to vote at the
next regular meeting to be held
April 29 in the Co-Op club room
when 15 board members will be
elected.
Organizations who have not yet
received membership tickets may
pick them up at the office of The
Frontiersman during the next
week.
BPW OFFICIALS
TO VISIT PALMER
There will be a meeting next
Tuesday noon, April 13, in the
Co-Op club room for all Val
ley women interested in a Busi
ness and Professional Womens’
club in Palmer.
The meeting will be in the
form of a luncheon and Mrs.
Hazel Johnson, president of the
Anchorage BPW chapter will
be present, along with several
other Anchorage members.
All Valley women who are
interested are invited to at
tend and are requested to drop
in at Bettys’ and indicate their
intention of attending the
luncheon.
COUNCIL NOTES
During the regular city coun
cil meeting held at the City
clerk’s office on April 6, coun
cil members authorized a letter
be written to Harold Standberg
of the Territorial Road Commis
sion requesting an access road be
built and maintained by Terri
torial Road Commission at the
Palmer Airport. The road would
be constructed parallel to the
north-south runway. At the pres
ent time vel icles are running
over the runways, Ralph Farns
worth of the Matanuska Valley
Airmens Association told council
men, while making the request
the letter be written.
• • •
Charles Tryck, Anchorage en
gineer, presented preliminary
lay-out plans for a proposed sew
er system in the City of Palmer.
In presenting the lay-out, Tryck
estimated the cost of construc
tion would run around $335,000,
within the city. As a “wild guess”,
he ventured that another $75,000
would be needed to supply an
outfall for the system.
* • *
Mayor Don McKechnie was
given authorization to sign con
tract with the Department of
Public Health, when the contract
is completed and ready for signa
ture.
• • •
The purchase of a boiler by the
water department received coun
cil sanction. The boiler will be
used for thawing frozen water
lines on city property and will
also be put to use by the street
department in thawing culverts.
The purchase price was announc
ed at $1,250.
* * *
Following council action, ad
justments will be made on un
metered water accounts who h'ave
suffered freeeze-ups in water lin
(Continued on page 8)
CUT EKLUTNA PROJ.
COSTS $21/2 MILLION
On a dollar-basis, the Eklutna
hydroelectric project is 80 per
cent complete, L. F. Wiley, pro
ject engineer told members of
the Matanuska Electric Associa
tion at their annual meeting April
J.
Current costs of the project
have been reduced, Wiley report
sd. From the expected $33 million,
sroject costs will be reduced to
around $29 Vi million. “We are
fairly certain the project can be
completed at the reduced figure."
Wiley said. Fewer drains and
large savings in re-enforcement
iteel have been realized, he ex
plained. The reductions were
made possible when engineers
discovered the tunnel would not
require the expected steel re
enforcement.
Last year at this time the pro
ject was about 50 percent com
plete, he stated. At that time de
lays were incurred through leg
islature, low estimates and flood
ing. Considerable progress has
been made since that time, in
cluding the holing-through, after
two year’s work on the four and
one-half-mile tunnel.
“It now appears that work on
lining the tunnel, which is pro
gressing at a rate of about 200
feet a day, will be completed by
the end of June”, Wiley predict
ed. There are still some items of
work connected with the tunnel,
surge tank, pipe to penstock,
gate shaft and the lake intake
remaining, he stated. However,
we feel fairly certain all work
will be pretty well done by Sep
tember.
Completion of the power plant
will be next, he reported. Some
work has continued throughout
the winter, and with better wea
ther and a second shift now on,
work is expected to progress rap
idly. There have been delays in
equipment deliveries, he said.
One turbine is now in Seattle and
is expected in Seward sometime
after the first of May, and the
second generator is expected to
follow in from 60 to 90 days.
‘The work schedule at the power
plant will be very tight. We are
(Continued on page 8)
CHAMBER HEARS
COMMITTEE REPORTS;
TWO REQUESTS
John Weisenberger made a
preliminary report to members
of the Matanuska Valley Cham
ber of Commerce on a proposed
credit bureau in Palmer at the
regular Chamber meeting held
April 7.
Weisenberger reported on a
study he is making for the local
Chamber and told members that
in all probability the cost of a
credit bureau would have to be
underwritten by participating
members, and a small fee would
be charged for those using the
bureau facilities. Further study
will be made by the committee,
he stated.
The need for local crafts which
may be sold as souvenirs this
summer was brought out by Miss
Lenore Ammerman, tour commit
tee member, following the read
ing of a letter of inquiry she has
sent to the Arctic Tours Agency
in Anchorage. In the letter Miss
Ammerman pointed out several
points of interest in the Valley
that could be used during a plan
ned tour—suggested eating places
—and briefly described hand
crafts now available.
Ralph Farnsworth requested the
local Chamber send a letter to
the Territorial Road Commission
requesting the building of an ac
cess road to the runways at the
Palmer Airport. At the present
time, vehicles must use the run
ways as roads, he pointed out.
Chamber members agreed such
a letter should be written, fol
lowing a discussion. Mr. Farns
worth, as president of the Air
men’s Association, invited Cham
ber members to attend a meeting
of the organization Thursday eve
ning at which time the recently
appointed director of aviation
Herman Porter will be present to
discuss the operation and main
tenance of the local airport with
the association. Members of the
City Council have received a like
invitation, he reported.
A second request was tabled
until substantiating information
may be gathered. The request
was that a letter be sent to the
(Continued on page 8)
HOMEMAKERS7 GIVE
$500 TO HOSPITAL
The Sourdough Homemakers’
club this week presented 10
crisp new $50 bills to the Val
ley Hospital fund committee
to further aid in constructing
and equiping the Valley Pres
byterian Hospital.
A club committee of Mrs.
Nan Curtis, Mrs. Lyla New—
ville, and Mrs. Edna Cook de
livered the funds to fund com
mittee treasurer, Hugh A.
Johnson. This latest donation
raises the hospital fund to over
$18,000, Johnson stated.
CO-OP CREAMERY
NOW PRODUCING
HOMOGENIZED MILK
Famous Matanuska Maid milk
was offex-ed to the public this
week in a new form.
Users of the famous Matanuska
Maid milk this week found they
have a choice at their favorite
grocers. Along With their regu
lar Grade A pasteurized milk,
buttermilk, and chocolate drink,
the Co-Op creamery is now of
fering homogenized pasteurized
Grade A milk.
The homogenized milk distri
bution was made possible by the
purchase of approximately $25,
J00 in new equipment which in
cludes an homogenizer capable of
handling one thousand gallons of
milk per hour, and a new cooler.
Consumer demand has been
evident for a long time, Keith
Walker, Co-Op creamery manag
er said this week. The milk will
be sold along with other Matan
uska Maid products in Anchor
age and Fairbanks markets, as
well as locally.
Cottonwood Exporting
Gets Government Nod
The exportation of cottonwood
logs from Alaska to Japan for
manufacture has been approved
by Secretary of the Interior
Douglas McKay, Governor B.
Frank Heintzleman advised his
office in Juneau yesterday.
Cottonwood logs for export will
be cut from public domain lands,
principally in the Matanuska Val
ley and Anchorage areas. I he gov
ernor said the exportation will
continue until such time as local
manufacturing facilities are de
veloped to provide a substantial
home market for such logs.
Gov. Heintzleman said: “Since
the cottonwood timber is not be
ing utilized at the present time,
the supply of timber for local use
would not be endangered by ex
portation of reasonable volumes.
This arrangement will increase
the economic activity between
Japan and Alaska.”
The request for authorization
to export cottonwood timber came
from several Palmer individuals
md the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce.
The governor said he feels the
exportation of cottonwood logs
at this time will demonstrate the
value of this timber and arouse
interest in developing an indus
try for Alaska.
A group of local sawmill own
ers and lumbermen recently or
ganized into the Matanuska Lum
oermens’ Association Incorpora
tion and incorporation papers are
n their final stages at the pres
I ant time. With the good news re
ceived this week, the association
s now in a position to go ahead
with their plans for an industry.
Present board members of the
issociation are: J. L. Sisley,
Howard Estelle, L. O. Hayes,
Lawrence McNarry, A. L. Smith,
Lloyd Hill and Chuck Baines.
STYLE SHOW PROCEEDS
GO TO LOCAL
RECREATION COUNCIL
As a highlight to the spring
style show presented by Theta
Chapter, Beta Sigma Phi last
Friday, Mrs. Charles Wilson, tem
porary secretary of the recently
organized Palmer Area Recrea
tion Council was presented a
check representing the proceeds
of the show by sorority president
Betty Rice. In thanking the group
for their donation, Mrs. Wilson
remarked that this was the first
money received by PARC, and
will be used in furthering recrea
tion the the greater Palmer area.
The style show was pronounced
a complete success by those at
tending and by sorority mem
bers. A large crowd filled the
Elks Home to capacity to view the
wide range of spring and sum
mer wear, which was shown dur
ing the, evening.
Miss Esther Pederson offered
three vocal numbers accompan
ied by Miss Dolores Mattila pian
ist who also rendered back ground
music throughout the show.
FREE CHICKS
HAVE ARRIVED
PICK UP NOW
Co-Op Warehouse
Minstrel Show Opens Friday Night
When the curtains open tomor
row night at the Kiwanis spon
sored Matanuska Minstrels of
1954, show-goers will be treated
to one of the best minstrels ever
presented in Palmer.
An outstanding chorus of mix
ed voices will open the program
with “Hallelujah”. This year the
chorus is being supported by an
orchestra. With the combina
tion of the additional musical in
struments and the fine arrange
ment of voices, Lois Thompson
has directed the chorus to a point
where it would be hard to define
a professional from an amateur.
Other numbers to be offered by
the chorus are “Mississippi Mud”,
“Waitin’ for the Robert E. Lee”,
and “Matanuska Choo-choo”, in
the latter two numbers, the en
tire cast will participate along
with the chorus.
“Mr. Interlocutor”, who is be
ing portrayed by Matt Onkka
will introduce the entertaining
endmen,—“Rufus”, played by Jim
Hurley; “Rastus”, Harold Ste
phan, “Johnson,” by George
Small, and “Brown”, by Keith
Stanton.
One of the many highlights in
the show this year, is the addi
tion of a bango. Charles Zak,
new to the minstrel show cast
this year, will present “The
World is Waitin’ for. the Sunrise”
as a solo number, and will be
heard in orchestra and chorus
numbers.
Another treat for the show
goers, and sure to please them
all is a number called “I Still
Suits Me” by Joe and Queenie
(Cy and Marjorie Brewer). Anna
belle Kelleigh and her partner
offer a dance that will probably
bring down the house.
Barbershop harmony will be
presented by the “Matanuska
Clippers”—Mel Munson, Sweeny
Ross, Warren Grant, and Norman
Rousey. They appear again on the
program with “Dry Bones” and
a wonderful encore.
Many, many other numbers
will be presented, many for the
first time, some are past favorites
with new numbers. These include
Dana, Robin, and Terry; Paul
Martin, Gerry Pazaruski, and
Lois Thompson.
Cleverly executed stage set
tings in the second act were done
by Betty Jo Riddle.
Members of the chorus are:
Bass: Jim Woods, Jim Cottrell,
Charles Zak, Phil Gardner, and
Bob Pippel. Tenors: Lloyd Sev
erns, Kenneth Hughes, Bob Paul
son, Lowell Krise, and F. Johan
son. Sopranos: Stephanie Sobc
zak, Zola Sanders, Lois Thomp
son, and Gwenn DeLapp. Altos:
Mabel Wallace, Norma Richey,
Bernice Kuoppola, Esther Peter
son, and Vosella Hughes.
Members of the orchestra are
Dolores Mattila, piano: Gerry
Pazaruski, violin; Leo Getsgo,
trumpet, Allan Mick, bass violin,
and Bill Barry, drums.
The show, which was produced
by Jim Hurley and Jim Wilson,
is being directed by Keith Stan
ton. Stanton said today the show
is ready for showing and extend
ed an invitation to the entire
Valley and Anchorage area to
“come and enjoy an evening of
fun and entertainment.”
Proceeds from the show will
go toward the Kiwanis youth ser
vice fund.
niiiisKA’s frvorite GnmE euerb ires.
PALMER ELKS LODGE HOME 8:00 P.M. EVERYBODY WELCOME PRIZES, PRIZES, PRIZES