The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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PALMER ALASKA, THURSDAY. AUGUST 4. 1955
PRICE TEN CENTS
VOLUME 8. NUMBER 41
Two Qualify in
1955 Queen Contest
Dona McKechnie, Valley Fair
Queen contestant, was the first
of seven contestants to qualify
in, the contest, A1 Hagen, fair
manager, announced his week.
Dona, who is being sponsored by
the Alaska Dairy, turned in her
required 250 ticket sales Satur
day of last week and will receive
her $25 bonus, plus $15 toward
her picture expenses.
Second to qualify was the
M. V. F. C. A.’s “Matanuska
Maid” contestant, Janice Barry.
Janice qualified in the Queen
race on Monday of this week and
will likewise be the recipient of
a $40 check.
All contestants will continue
their tickets sales right up until
Fair time. In addition to the
bonus they will receive 10 per
cent of all ticket sales upon com
pletion of the contest. Candi
dates for the Queen title (those
girls who qualify prior to August
8) will be judged Saturday
evening, September 3 and the
winning candidate will be crown
ed Queen of the 1955 Matanuska
Valley Fair in ceremonies to be
held at the Coronation Ball that
evening.
Hope for Rides
Amusement rides for the 1955
Matanuska Valley Fair are prac
tically assured, board members
learned at a meeting this week.
Final agreements are yet to be
negotiated, they pointed out, but
it appears now that rides will be
a part of the Fair.
George KinCaid of Browning,
Montana, has indicated to Al
fred Hagen, fair manager, that
he wants to bring his rides and
cancessions to Alaska and will
set them up at the Fair in Sep
tember. A wire of acceptance and
price quotations was immediate
ly sent to Kincaid by the fair
manager who is now awaiting a
final reply from the concession
owner.
Eliminate Dining Room
For the first time in several
years, the dining room in Build
ing No. 1 will not be in operation
this year. The decision was made
by the board of directors, fol
lowing a call for bids on the din
ing room. There was only one
hid submitted to the board. Fol
lowing a discussion it was decid
ed that inasmuch as additional
display space is at a premium this
year, it would be more feasible
to utilize the space for display
than to go through the expense
of leasing out the dining room.
Ample food concession stands
will be scattered throughout the
midway during the three-day
Fair and officials feel that with
five restaurants in town the din
ing room is not an absolute nec
essity.
Planning Parade
What will probably be the lar
gest parade in the history of Pal
mer is in the making and will
be titled a “Parade of Transpor
tation”. Letters will be mailed
this week to all local firms and
organizations urging their partic
pation in the parade. Details of
the parade will be worked out
but it is tentatively planned to
(Continued on page 8)
BIG GAME HUNTING
-Fly Out
TWO PLANES TO SERVE
YOU,
Eleven Consecutive Years
Flying Satisfied Hunters
SNOWSHOE LAKE
Mile No. 147 Glen Hiway
L. L. PENNINGTON
10 Sundays of
ILLUSTRATED LECTURES
Wasilla Community
Hall
Starting Sunday Night
July 31st — 8 p.m.
And the 9 following Sundays
Sponsored by the Reorganized
Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints
MTA STAKING CREWS
BEGIN AREA WORK
Robert Patridge, MTA man
ager, announced today that
the first of the staking crews
are in the field, beginning
work that will include the en
tire MTA area within a short
period of time. The first crew
will be working around the
Palmer area, making surveys
and setting stakes. Other areas
will soon have crews working.
The crews will consist of three
or four men.
Vallsy Youth’s
Driving License
Revoked for 6 Months
A 16-year-old Valley youth
was relieved of his driver’s li
cense this week, following the
recommendations of the City
Magistrate. James Albert Cottrill,
who was accompanied by his
mother, was brought before the
Magistrate in an effort to deter
mine desposition of his case
without a court trial. He had
been cited by City Police on a
'reckless driving incident which
occured August 2.
Following the recommendation
of the City Magistrate, the
youth’s mother agreed to revoke
her son’s driving license, for
which she had signed, for a peri
od of six months. In addition the
youth is to make daily reports
to the City Magistrate concern
ing his activities for a period of
30 days.
City Attorney John Shaw
pointed out the leniency permit
ted the youth, in as much as a
reckless driving charge carries
penalties of up to $1,000 finer up
to j0 days in jail or both.
Members of the City Council
and the City Police Department
are conducting a concerted drive
to stop speeding in the city. The
complete cooperation and assis
tance of parents has been asked
by all city officials. “Through the
help of the parents, as shown
today, we know that we will be
able to cope with the situation’’,
one police official stated. Other
violators may not be so lucky
in their penalty, he added.
City police have offered to
work with the parents—or with
the boys themselves—in any way
possible. “Some of the young
sters think we are fooling, that
we can’t do anything to them,
but this is not so”, he said. “We
don’t want to give tickets to
these youngsters but it is our
job and we, by law, may do so”,
he added.
During the hearing it was
brought out that any formal
court trial becomes a permanent
record and as such would be
against a boy attempting to enter
the Armed Services.
Day of Recollection
Planned Sunday at
St. Michael's Church
Sunday, August 7, will be ob
served as Day of Recollection at
St. Michael’s Catholic Church in
Palmer. The Rev. Edward T.
Wiatrak. S. J. of Chicago, will
say the nine o’clock Mass and
preach the sermon.
Rev., Wiatrak is a teacher at
the St. Ignatius High School in
Chicago and is making his third
summer trip to Alaska.
At. 7:30 Sunday night Rev.
Wiatrak will give a conference
for all members of the parish,
followed by the rosary.
This part of the evening pro
gram will be followed by a sec
| ond conference and Benediction.
! The public is invited to attend.
Mrs. Helen Maze, former su
pervisor of nurses at Valley
Presbyterian Hospital, has ac
cepted the position of reception
ist and bookkeeper in the office
of Valley Real Estate.
City Council
Proceedings
Following a lengthy discussion
on the dust problem within the
city, Council members decided
that at times throughout the
week, whenever the dust pre
sents a problem, the city streets
will be Watered. During this time,
work on the rock crusher will be
postponed to a later date. Coun
cil members felt that city dwell
ers and visitors would rather
have the dust controlled at this
time than have more gravel
work done on the streets. Street
improvement work will continue
when the dust problem has been
alleviated.
* * *
Members of the Police Com
mittee are exploring a possible
radio tie-in with Territorial Po
lice and the city police. Seward
and several other cities in the
' Territory have this tie-in and
have found it to be of great val
ue. Office space and a radio
transmitter are part of the re
quirements that would have to
be filled before it would be pos
sible to set up the communica
tion system between the two po
lice organizations.
* * *
Social Security application
forms hajve been received by the
City of Palmer and been referred
to the Administration and Per
sonnel committee for study be
fore the next regular City Coun
cil meeting at which time the
committee will make recommen
dations to the Council.
* * *
Don McKechnie of Palmer was
awarded the ARRC water line
excavation bid at the August 2
meeting of the City Council. Bids
were opened and read at the
meeting and his bid of 85 cents
per lineal foot was accepted by
members of the City Council. His
work will consist of digging a
(Continued on page 5)
Glen Carrington
Is Chamber Speaker
Members of the Matanuska
Valley Chamber of Commerce
were privileged to hear a speak
er during their August 3 meeting
who has had a long and active
part in Chamber of Commerce
activities in Alaska and the
Northwest. Glen Carrington of
Seattle was the guest of Stuart
Durrant, Co-Op manager, and
spoke to local Chamber members
on the important part Chambers
of Commerce play in the devel
opment of industries and areas.
In speaking to the group Car
rington told of the growth of the
Pacific Northwest Trade Asso
ciation. In the early days of the
Alaska Highway many problems
of where the route would be es
tablished were worked out
through mutual work of the
Trade Associations and Cham
ber of Commerce. During a Van
couver Board of Trade meeting
it was suggested that closer co
operation between the Board and
the Seattle Chamber of Com
merce would help in the develop
ment of the entire area. At the
time the Pacific Northwest Trade
Association was formed and at
the last meeting over 400 per
sons were present.
Carrington suggested that all
Chamber of Commerce projects
be cleared through the All Al
aska Chamber of Commerce to
get territory-wide support.
Stuart Durrant, chairman of
the Produce Week campaign, re
ported no definite word has been
received from Fairbanks, where
the idea originated. However, if
the Tanana Valley does not plan
to hold the special observation,
Durrant suggested that the local
Chamber go along with their
plans and promote the buy-at
home campaign, featuring Alas
kan grown produce during the
last week of August and through
the Matanuska Valley Fair time.
Although time is limited this
year, Durrant pointed out, I be
lieve that the campaign could be
carried over into an annual
event, enlarged each year, and
carried out Territory-wide.
FLOWER SHOW
TO BE HELD
!M PALMER CHAPEL
Members of tne Palmer Gar
den club this week extended a
cordial invitation to all residents
of the area to attend their an
nual flower show which will be
held this Sunday, August 7, at
the Palmer Chapel on Valley
Street. The show will open at
noon and continue until 7 p.m.,
with a silver tea to be served dur
ing the afternoon hours.
This year’s theme, “Matanus
ka Valley of Plenty” will be seen
carried out in the many arrange
ments which will be displayed.
Persons planning to enter ar
rangements or other type entries,
are urged to contact Maud Hos
ier at her flower shop in the
theatre building where they may
obtain copies of the rules and
regulations pertaining to exhib
its.
A special section is being plan
ned for juniors, aged 12 years or
less. Arrangements may be en
tered by the junior in several
classes, including patriotic, toy,
miniatures, circus days, familiar
song or breakfast tray for a doll,
containing a flower arrangement.
The best arrangement of any
type by a child of 12 or under
will receive special recognition.
Entries will be accepted from
1 p.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday af
ternoon at the Chapel. The pub
lic is invited to enter any or all
divisions of the show.
Father-Son
Camp Out Planned
By Cirb Scouts
Cub Scouts of Palmer will at
tend a Father-Son camp out on
August 12, it was announced this
week. Each Cub Scout must be
accompanied by his father or
have father make arrangements
with another Dad to take him on
the outing.
Food for the trip will provided
by fathers. If there are any Cubs
who need sleeping bags, they
will be provided by the Pack.
The destination of the camp
out has not yet been determined
but will be announced as soon as
a decision is made.
Pack Meeting
The regular Pack meeting of
Palmer Cub Scouts will be held
August 15, at which time the
monthly theme of “Out of Doors”
will be carried out in the pro
gram. Awards will be made at
the meeting and a pot luck din
ner will be served. Place of as
sembly will be announced as
soon as determined .
REA Official
Leaves for States
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin B. Olm
stead, who have spent the past
30 days in Palmer, leave for
the States on Friday odC this
week. Mr. Olmstead, field repre
sentative of the REA telephone
division, has completed work in
setting up the necessary account
ing system and operating pro
cedure for the new Matanuska
Telephone Association.
Before leaving for the States
Mr. Olmstead remarked how
much he and Mrs. Olmstead have
enjoyed their visit and work in
Palmer and their pleasure in
meeting and becoming acquaint
ed with several residents in ad
dition to the MTA personnel.
Anchor Point Man
Named to Loan Board
Governor B. Frank Heintzle
man has announced the appoint
ment of Vern Mutch of Anchor
Point as fifth member of the Ag
riculture Loan Board, according
to word received from the Gov
ernor by James Wilson, admin
istrator of the loan fund.
Mutch operates a farm at An
chor Point and is well known in
that area and at Homer.
Jack Dunlap, patient at 5005th
Hospitla, was reported this week
by his wife as “coming along
pretty well.” He hopes to return
home within a few days. Dun
lap was injured on July 25 by a
bull on their dairy farm.
_ _1 -- 1 -
MEA May Lend S15,000
To Power Association
SELF-DUMPING
LAKE GOES OUT
Lake George, famous self
dumping lake of the Matanus
ka Valley region, began its
annual rampage down the
Knik River sometime Wednes
day. Members of the U. S.
Geological Survey water re
sources crew reported a foot
rise in the river this morning
at 7:45.
Don McKechnie and Larry
Bixby few up over the area
last evening and noted a
sharp rise in the upper part
of the river. It is expected that
the full impact of the thou
sands of tons of water will be
noted around Knik bridge and
the lower parts of the river in
the next few days.
Little League
Players Gal
Certificate Awards
Palmer Little League All-Stars
returned home last Saturday
night with certificates which
were awarded to each member
of the team at a dinner held in
honor of all Little League All
Star teams in Thompson’s base
ment restaurant in Anchorage.
The certificates were awarded for
good sportsmanship, faithful at
tendance at games and practice
sessions.
The All Star team played in
two play-off games in Anchor
age on Friday and Saturday. On
Friday they met the Kenai All
Stars. Jackie Harris pitched the
entire game and held the Kenai
team to one run up to the final
-inning when their opponents
pushed in four runs, defeating
the Palmer boys 5-0. The same
score was the outcome of the
Saturday game when All Stars
from Ladd Air Force Base met
the local ball players. Jerry
Combs pitched the Saturday
game. Every member of the Pal
mer team showed fine sports
manship throughout the games
and really “played ball”. Alth
ough every boy gave his best,
Ingalls and Harris presented out
standing ball playing on several
occasions during the games. The
Palmer team was managed by
Andi Hoffman of Palmer.
Four local games remain to be
played this season. Tomorrow
night the Kiwanis and Moose
teams will play; Aug. 8 Jones
ville and Kosloskvs; Aug. 10 will
be the play off game with the
first half winner.
On August 17 there will be a
party for all Little Leaguers on
the diamond in the Co-Op area.
It will begin at 6 p.m. and Leag
ers are urged to bring prospec
tive players for next year’s pro
gram. Admission to the party
will be “cleaned uniforms” turn
ed in.
ASKS WITHDRAWALS OF
PUBLIC SERVICE SITES
The Territory of Alaska has
requested that four small tracts
of land adjacent to sport fishing
waters be reserved as public ser
vice sites in order that they may
be available to the public, it was
announced today by the Bureau
of Land Management. The tracts
were originally selected by the
Alaska Department of Fisheries
and are adjacent to small lakes
which the Fisheries Department
intends to stock with game fish.
The tracts will assure public ac
cess to the lakes. One tract is
located at the west end of Three
Mile Lake, a second tract is lo
cated at the west end of Blodgett
Lake, which is southwest of Pitt
man, and the remaining tracts
are located approximately 5
miles northwest of Pittman on
two unnamed lakes. The total
area of the four tracts is approxi
mately 40 acres.
Gene Benyish, former book
keeper at the Valley Presbyterian
Hospital ,has accepted a position
in the Co-Op Warehouse where
she will be doing clerical work.
The Matanuska Electric Asso
ciation has been requested to
lend, the sum of $15,000 to the
Central Alaska Power Associa
tion, it was disclosed this week.
Members of the board of direc
tors during a meeting held last
Friday voted to seek approval of
the loan from the Rural Electri
fication Administration in Wash
ington D. C. One board member
(Charles Wilson) was absent; one
other (Aaron Combs) voted,
against seeking approval of the
loan.
The local electric association is
a signatory member of CAPA
and previously loaned the Cen
tral Alaska Power Association
the sum of $25,000. This money is
being used, along with monies
loaned from other associations,
for exploratory investigation in
seeking a new power site at
Copper Lake. This first loan of
$25,000 by the Matanuska Elec
tric Association to CAPA was ap
proved by the REA.
Although no interest charge is
being made on the $25,000 loan,
or will be made on the $15,000
loan if permission is granted by
REA, a spokesman for MEA stat
ed this week that the loans will
be justified by the improvements
of Alaskan areas—if the investi
gations prove the Cooper Lake
project to be feasible.
Providing the project is found
feasible, the monies loaned to
CAPA will be returned to MEA
and other associations, by the
Rural Electrification Administra
tion, the spokesman said. If the
project does not prove feasible,
the money in all probability will
not be returned.
VALLEY SCENES
TO APPEAR IN
NATIONAL MAGAZINE
The Matanuska Valley will be
part of a featured article which
will appear in a future issue of
the National Geographical Mag
azine, according to Robert Moore,
photographer who was in Palmer
and the area on July 29.
Moore was conducted on his
tour of the Valley by Don L.
Irwin, Alaska Agriculture Ex
periment Station. All phases of
Territorial operations — mining,
fishing, agriculture — everything
in industrial development, is be
ing featured in the article.
On his Valley tour, during
which he took many pictures, he
visited a number of farms, the
Co-Op Creamery, various stores
and gathered a number of pic
tures of dairy animals and farm
scenes. How many of these will
actually be used is difficult to
say, Mr. ‘Irwin said this week.
Moore speculated that the article
would probably appear in the
Magazine’s June, 1956 issue. t
One of the first measures be
ing taken by the Matanuska
Telephone Association in their
planned rehabilitation of the
present telephone system has
been the stock piling of materials
and supplies which have been
spread out all over town. Actual
rehabilitation work will get un
der way as soon aquipment andi
supplies arrive in Palmer.
SPECIAL MEETING
SOURDOUGH CLUB
At Viola Thuma's
AUGUST 9
To Work on Fair Booth
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SPECIAL
PERMANENTS $10 - $12.50
Through Month of August
VALLEY BEAUTY SHOP
Phone 3301
FLOWER SHOW
Haeger pottery & frogs for
your flower arrangements
Maud's Flower Shop
Theatre Building
FRIDAY NIGHT
£ AUGUST5