The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
: TRY A FRONTIERSMAN
; CLASSIFIED AD for that
item (you may have for sale,
1 rent or lease.
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 17
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. FEB. 24, 1955
PRICE TEN CENTS
Giant Exposition
Planned for Valley
Plans for Palmer’s first annual
Merchants Exhibition and Motor
Preview show are well underway,
according to Whitey Pullen, spear
header and manager of the show.
“This is the first time we have
attempted such a show in Pal
mer”, Pullen said this week. It
will offer the merchants of the
valley an opportunity to show
their merchandise early in the
year and acquaint valley residents
wit what may be purchased right
in the valley, he said.
Motor Preview highlights will
include the showing of Ford’s
1955 Thunderbird model by Hart
ley Motors, Inc. A model is en
route to Palmer and will be dis
played along with a 1955 Chevro
let Corvette which Kirk’s Sales
and Service will feature in their
section of the show. These cars
are sure to make a hit with all
sports car lovers and are expect
ed to draw one of the largest
• crowds.
Other vehicles to be displayed
include 1955 model Chevrolets,
Fords, and Oldsmobiles, Interna
tional trucks, International-Har
vester farm equipment, and Ford
farm equipment.
The two-day show will be held
in the new exposition building on
the Fairgrounds on Saturday and
Sunday, March 26 and 27 and
will include a three-hour enter
tainment show along with the
many expected displays.
Merchants of the valley will be
displaying their 1955 model stov
es, refrigerators, television sets,
freezis, furniture, clothing, elec-;
trical appliances, and farm, home
and office equipment. Plumbing
and heating, electrical work, car
pentery, and many additional
trades will be demonstrated.
There will be no admission
charge, Pullen announced. “This
is a show for the public ... to
acquaint them with what the lo
cal merchants have to offer. There
will be a door prize for some
lucky attender and we will pro
vide entertainment during the
two-day show. We want every
person in the entire valley to
* come to the exhibition, he added.
Anyone wishing to display at
the show who has not yet been
.contacted, is asked to call Pullen
at Kirk’s Sales and Service for
arrangements. All merchants are
urged to participate in this first
merchants exhibition and motor
preview show.
Gets Seven Years
For Assault on Marshal
Andrew Ewan, Native youth
from Copper Center, was sentenc
ed by Judge J. L. McCarrey to
seven, years in federal jail when
found guilty to a charge of as
sault with a dangerous weapon
on Deputy Marshal Nelson Mc
Crary. The assault took place
last October and McCrary was
hospitalized for several weeks.
Ewan entered a plea of guilty to
the charge.
Have you though of getting ]j
<1 on© of the smart short hair;!
<; styles? We Make Evening ;[
/ Appointments
ii Valley Beauty Shop i
;! CO-OP SHOPPING AREA ![
X-RAY UNIT FACILITIES
STILL AVAILABLE
Anyone in the valley area
who was unable to have a chest
X-ray when the mobile unit
was in Palmer or Wasilla, is
urged to take advantage of the
unit facilities while it is in
the Anchorage area. According
to word received by the Health
Center this week the unit will
be in the Anchorage area until
March 31.
On February 28 and March 1
through 5, the unit will be
operating from 1:00 to 4:00
p.m. and from 6:00 to 9:00
p.m. in, the Anchorage High
School. Those who wish to go
at another time are asked to
contact Jean Schaver, * Public
Health Nurse, for location and
time. No appointment is nec
essary.
Palmer Takes Two
Games in Junior
Basketball Tourney
The Anchorage Junior High
basketball team won the single
elimination basketball tourna
ment held in Palmer last Satur
day. Teams participating were
from Palmer, Anchorage, Fort
Richardson and Elmendorf.
The first game, Palmer and An
chorage, was won by the young
eaglfs with a score of 28-20. Mike
Davis was high man for the local
squad with eight points. The sec
ond morning game played by the
Fort Richardson and Elmendorf
teams was won by the air base
boys, 34-21.
Afternoon games saw the two
winning and two losing teams
pitted against each other. Pal
mer defeated the Fort Richard
son team by a safe margin of
points and the Anchorage five
toppled the Elmendorf boys 26
23.
The Palmer lightweights de
feated the Anchorage boys of the !
same class by 12 points, coming
out with a 37-25 ending.
Fair Association Meet
Set for March 15
A1 Brooks, president of the Ma
tanuska Valley Fair Association,
this week announced the annual
membership meeting of the asso
ciation will be held March 15,
the meeting place and time to be
announced as soon as determin
ed.
During the meeting election of
officers will be held and plans
for this years fair will be dis
cussed. Although no public profit
and loss statement has yet been
made on the 1954 Fair, it is ex
pected that this also will be re
ported at the meeting.
All members of the association
are urged to attend the meeting
and offer suggestions for a big
ger and better fair this year.
Customers at the Co-Op Ware
house will notice new floor tiling
which was installed on the floor
of the sales section of the store
this week.
WOOD EXPRESS FREIGHT
PALMER
3762
^ DAILY t
ANCHORAGE
38483
Air Freight Agent for NORMAN G« JENSEN
World Freight Forwarders
City Council
Proceedings
For the fourth week in succes
sion, the regular City Council
meeting was not held. Two mem
bers of the Council were not in
attendance and a quorum of five
is necessary to conduct business.
The next regular meeting is slat
ed for March 1 in the Clerk’s
office.
Hope to Create
Childrens’ Library
At Central School
With the moving of the main
section of the school library to
the new high school, the old li
brary at Central School has been
left seriously depleted. John Aper,
school librarian, said he hopes to
convert the old library into a
well-stocked, usable childrens’
library—but he lacks sufficient
good books.
A good childrens’ library dif
fers from an adult and even a
high school library, he pointed
out. The books must be of a dif
ferent character, and must be dis
played differently to create an
interest and curiosity in the very
young child. An attempt should
also be made, he said, to avoid
the school-type atmosphere. The
more home-like surrounding are
highly desirable, using pleasing
color arrangements and informal
furnishings.
Library facilities in the high
school will also be expanded,
Aper announced. A magazine and
newspaper collection will be set
up for reference purposes in’ad
dition to a vertical file.
If anyone having books, maps,
pictures, or collections of good
magazines such as Time, Life,
Scientific American, Saturday
Evening Post, etc., would like to
donate these items to the schools,
Aper announced they would be
greatly appreciated.
Purple Bubble Ball
To Be Held Saturday
Elks and their ladies are busy
preparing for their annual Pur
ple Bubble Ball which will be
held this Saturday at the Elks
hall. Dancing to music of an An
chorage orchestra is scheduled to
begin at 10 p.m. and will be high
lighted at midnight by the release
of hundreds of balloons.
The dance will be limited to
Elks and their ladies.
SCOTLAND HEIRS SEEK
HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
STOCK RECOVERY
Two brothers and a sister of a
man who died at Wasilla in 1948,
brought suit in District Court in
Juneau to recover their brother’s
estate which was escheated to the
Territory when he was thought to
have died without heirs, according
to a report made in the Juneau In
dependent newspaper.
The three relatives, who live
in Scotland, are seeking to re
cover $9,682.97 and five shares of
stock in the Valley Hospital As
sociation which they say was turn
ed over to the Territory by the
U. S. Commissioner at Wasilla
from the estate of Charles Stove.
Those filing the claim tc the
escheated property and the peti
tion for its return are James and
Nicol Stover, brothers, and Agnes
Smith, a sister.
The local hospital association
has not received any word on the
suit,
PROSPECTS FOR
1955 MINSTREL SHOW
“VERY BLACK"
If you hear more than the usual
stale jokes during the next few
weeks, don’t be surprised, it will
probably be the Kiwanis end men
practicing their lines. Don’t let
these “previews” keep you from
the annual Kiwanis Minstrel
Show, scheduled for March 25
and 26, Lloyd Morley, show man
ager said this week.
A completely new script, new
costumes and different scenery
are being planned. Jim Wilson
and Jim Hurley are in their usual
madcap form with ideas flowing
thick and fast. Morley is almost
ready to say, “It can’t be done!!”
Keith Stanton, trying to write the
script around, over and under the
memos of Wilson and Hurley,
looks frustrated and bewildered.
What is the plot: Is there a
theme: Will there be a show?
Committees working on staging,
costumes, dialogue and the many
other details think there will be.
They are getting ready. Materials
are on hand and costumes are
taking shape. It’s going around
that all specialty numbers, char
acter actors, end men and others
who need costumes had better
show up for fitting on Tuesday
night, March 1, about 8 p.m. at
Central School. They’ll be pinned
and jabbed into the size and shape
of costume they are to wear in
the show.
The chorus is harmonizing and
chasing high notes every Tuesday
evening in the music room of
Central School. Mrs. Lois Weldon
says, “We’ll be ready.”
Word is out that rehearsal of
speaking parts will begin on
March 1, at Central School. With
less than a month before curtain
time, regular rehearsals will be
held each Tuesday and Thursday,
according to Manager Morley.
We have learned that nearly all
members of the cast will be in
black face this year. Do you sup
pose its really going to be a min
strel show? We’ll try and find out
and let you know. It may take
until March 25 or 26, but we’ll
keep working on it.
Hospital Committees
Named for New Year
New committees for the Valley
Hospital Association were named
at a recent meeting of the board
of directors.
Serving on the personnel and
policy committee will be Priscilla
Bacon, chairman, Ann Demming,
Dr. John Burnett, and Kay Pippel.
Hugh Johnson was named
chairman of the finance commit
tee and will be assisted by Rev.
Brian Cleworth, Mrs. Pippel and
V. Louise Kellogg.
Members of the building and
grounds committee are Rev. Cle
worth, chairman, and Mrs. Harold
Dinkle and Jasper Skok.
Stewart Durrant, Co-Op general
manager; Virgil Eckert, ware
house manager, and Jack Flint
creamery manager, are spending
a few days in Fairbanks on Co
Op business. They plan to returr
Saturday morning.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Dr. E. E. Bach, optome
trist from Anchorage
will be in Palmer to do
eye examinations on
Tuesday, March 1
For an appointment see Mrs.
Maud Hosier at the Flower
Shop in the Co-Op Ree. Bldg. \
or call her at 32J11 \
Petition Asks Recall
Of Acting Mayor
FALK LAKE CLOSED
FOR FISHING
Alex McRae of the Territor
ial Department of Fisheries,
announced this week the post
ing and closure of Falk Lake
an the Butte loop road to all
fishing until early next sum
mer.
According to McRae ice fish
ing enthusiasts ar taking too
many fish which is proving
detrimental to propagation of
the comparatively new stock
of trout planted about 18
months ago.
Area Civil Defense
Program Reactivated
Reactivation of the Greater
Palmer Civil Defense program
got under way this past Saturday
when staff members of the local
organization held a meet” and
began plans for an over-all pro
gram for civil defense in the Ma
tanuska Valley.
A1 V. Hagen, recently appoint
ed director in the Greater Palmer
area, conducted the meeting and
announced the appointment of the
following staff members: Art
Stacy, deputy director, in charge
of supply, mutual aid, and trans
portation; James Hurley, assistant
director, emergency welfare and
co-ordinator; A1 Webber, assist
ant director, communications and
air raid warning; Ed Smith, as
sistant director, training. Mary
Steelman, administrative aid, per
sonnel; Virginia Gallant, adminis
trative aid, public information;
and Edna Wehking, secretary,
with administration duties.
Personnel named for Greater
Palmer CD services include Drs.
C. C. Bailey and John Burnett,
medical and health; Ray Lancas
ter, fire; and Richard Demming,
engineering and rescue. Other
service offices will be filled as
soon as possible, Hagen announc
ed, along with five persons to be
named to the advisory council.
This council will consist of one
representative each from the four
areas, plus one member-at-large.
Area directors, Ralph Moore,
Palmer; Pat Carter, Wasilla; Phil
O’Neill, Sutton; and Bill Eldridge^
Butte, were requested to work
(Continued on page 8)
■ A complaint asking the recall
of Betty Mears, acting mayor and
councilwoman of Palmer, was fil
ed in U. S. District Court in An
chorage on Wednesday of this
week. A petition, carrying the
signature of over 100 city voters,
accompanied the complaint which
was filed for the group by Bailey
E, Bell, Anchorage attorney.
According to the petition Mrs.
Mears authorized expenditures
which allegedly violate city or
dinances. It cites the fire hall
'construction in which Mrs. Mears
is charged with awarding con
tracts without competitive bid
ding and without approval by the
council.
Mrs. Mears said today, "Noth
ing wrong has been done by the
Council. An acting mayor can not
do anything without Council ap
proval and nothing has been done
without the approval of the
Council, in an open Council meet
ing, held in regular session and
done by motion and unanimous
approval of the Coucil. All busi
ness transacted by the City of
Palmer is a matter of public rec
ord and is available to anyone
to read in the office of the City
Clerk.
"When we began the construc
tion of the fire hall we were pay
ing $200 rent a month to house
the trucks. We were seeking a
means of housing the fire equip
ment without paying such a high
rate. With the installation of the
city water system and the com
pletion of the fire hall we have
been reclassified by the Fire
Underwriters and are now in
Class 6 which means more than
$30,000 savings to the people in
the city.”
Another count which the peti
tion cited was the purchase of a
steam boiler for $l',250 which was
alledged purchased without com
petitive bidding.
• District Court Judge J. L. Mc
Carrey will determine whether
or not a recall election shall be
ordered.
PURPLE BUBBLE BALL
SAT., FEB. 26
CORSAGES BY MAUD
• DESIGNED FOR "H-E-R"
Telegraph Delivery Service
MATANUSKA VALLEY
GARDENS
Phone 32J11 Palmer
Palmer Kitchen Band
and Floor Show
AT
The Palmer Bar
FRIDAY-• FEBRUARY 25 - ID P.M.
A GOOD TIME FOR ALL
PALMER
ELKS LODGE
PURPLE
ELKS AND THEIR LADIES ONLY
ELKS HOME ADMISSION $2.50—FORMAL OPTIONAL