Sheep Hunters’
Reports Due Sept. 13
Mulley Mrnntiergnmn
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
4 1 PAGES
B L TODAY
VUL. 4, NO. 52
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY, SEPT. 6. 1951
PRICE, 10c
Local School Enrollment Soars to New Hiah
, 8,000 Fair Visiicrs
Swei! Gale Receipts
Despite Cloudy Skies
Cloudy skies, brisk breezes, an:
occasional drops of rain failed ti
deter some 8,000 guests from en
joying the 11th annual Matanusk;
Valley Fair in its three-day rui
over the Labor Day holiday wee!
end. ,
Although many were openl;
indignant about the bad weathe
break. almost everyone wa
thankful this week that Tues
day’s downpour had held off fo
one day to miss the fair crowds.
Gate receipts totalled $6,276.3;
for the three days, with Satur
day’s collections reaching $566.2;
Sunday’s $3,626.80, and Mon
day’s $2083.80.
The Fair Board, Fair Manage
Parker Lester and A1 Stein of thi
B and B Alaska Shows express
ed themselves as being very wel
satisfied, on the whole, with th<
success of the 1951 Fair. A1
though attendance and gate re
ceipts failed to match last year’
record total, the unpredictabh
weather was the logical scape
goat.
“Exhibits on the whole wen
much better this year than last,’
Clair Stock remarked. “Those ii
a few of the departments wen
weak in numbers, but the 195
entries furnished convincing evi
dence that exhibitors are thinking
more and more along the lines o
showmanship.’’
A1 Stein said the carnival con
(Continued on Page 4)
1.4 INCHES OF RAIN
FALLS HERE TUESDAY
Tuesday’s all day rain whicl
ended in a deluge late in the afte:
noon measured 1.40 inches at Ma?
Sherrod’s weather recording sta
tion. This was the most rain thi:
area has had in any 24-hour per
iod since June 21, 1949 when 1.7!
inches was recorded.
Anchorage had to go to 1915 re
cords to find a rainfall which ex
'ceeded the 1.60 inches which fel
there Tuesday.
Here in the Valley fears wer<
expressed by Richard Blue of th<
Extension Service and Lev
Hanks of SCS that heavy losse:
would be sustained in grain crop:
from the torrential downpour.
Rainfall during the month o
August, according to Sherrod, to
tailed three inches as comparec
with 1.15 inches for the compar
able period last year.
The highest temperature fo:
August 1951 wras recorded Aug
ust 12 when the mercury “soar
ed” to 74 degrees. Lowest temper
ature for the month was just fivi
^degrees above the freeze point, oi
August 24. These temperature
compared not too unfavorable fo
comparable readings in Augus
1950 when the high recording wa
80 degreees and the lowest 3
degrees. ,
■ JOYCE HARDAGE NAMED FAIR QUEEN
NEW CHIEF OF POLICE
MAKES FIRST ARREST
Chief of Police Bernie Bouwens
made his first arrest late Mon
day afternoon and lodged the of
fender against the public peace
i in the temporary “cooler” beneath
' the sidewalk fronting A1 Hagen’s
: Valley Theater.
The arrest of Ray Castern of
> Jonesville followed complaints
■ of unseemly behavior under the
• influence of liquor.
Virgil Meehan was chosen to
■ guard the prisoner while he “slept
• it off” behind a door secured with
i a hastily requisitioned logging
chain in lieu of a satisfactory
; latch.
; Later in the evening he was re
r leased in the custody of acquin
; tances from Jonesville.
> Police Chief Bouwens is on call
24 hours a day and patrols the
f streets of Palmer from 7 p. m.
■ until 4 a. m. daily.
I “If anyone needs me", he said
■ this week, “the telephone opera
tor knows where I can be reach
: ed.”
Bouwens does not go on the
- city payroll until September 15,
- so patrolling prior to that time is
; on his own. This week he was
l still working days at the Sham
3 rock Bar where he has worked
r for the past four years. He was
t certain that replacement could be
s found for him soon—possibly this
1 week—so that he can give his
full efforts to his new duties.
v^iiuiciAuig cl grueiing iout
week campaign of selling tickets
and three hours of suspense while
the judges appraised each queen
candidate’s qualifications, s i x
lovely girls from the Matanuska
Valley stood on the stage of the
Palmer School gym shortly after
midnight Sunday morning while
Fair Board president Clair Stock
slit open the sealed envelope con
taining the judges’ final decision
“Joyce Hardage”, Stock an
nounced, “is the queen of the 1951
Matanuska Fair.”
As the other candidates and
audience joined in applause, a
delicate golden crown with in
lay of white sweet peas was
placed on Queen Joyce’s head and
the white queen ribbon banner
was pinned from right shoulder
to left side of her sheer white
gown.
Each member of the Queen’s
court was identified with a prin
cess ribbon banner: blonde Ag
nes Bolokken in aqua sheer and
lace; brunette Pat Kirsch in or
chid taffeta; brown-haired Joan
McNeese in strapless black vel
vet with matching gloves; bru
nette Hazel Barnhardt in strap
less, royal blue net; and brown
haired Billie Jean Roark in strap
less aqua net.
The judges were Peter Hayes,
U. P. correspondent from Anch
orage; Major Kelly Bryan, Alas
ka Air Command public infor
mation officer; and Don Cutter,
(Continued on Page 4)
Expect Registrations to Top 690,
Underlining New High School Need
Several known, late registrants
were expected to boost Wednes
day’s total enrollment at the
Palmer School to more than 600,
according to Superintendent W.
T. Zahradnicek.
At present, three rooms are de
voted to the first grade students,
two each to second grade through
tenth, and one home room each
for the eleventh and twelfth
graders. Wednesday’s totals for
each grade were as follows: First,
60; Second, 65; Third. 60; Fourth,
60; Fifth, 52; Sixth, 44: Seventh.
43; Eighth. 60; Ninth, 44; Tenth,
52; Eleventh, 32; and Twelfth, 19.
The record enrollment which
tops last year’s opening week fig
ure by more than 50, underlines
the crying need for the proposed
new high school, the superintend
ent said. Fifteen years ago when
the present building first opened,
there were less than 275 pupils.
Although the school opens this
year with four more rooms than
it had last year, overcrowding has
necessitated a few changes. In
the school cafeteria this year,
children in the lower grades
merely pass through the line to
pick up their trays. Luncheons
are carried to the respective
rooms and eaten there. ,
In charge of the school cafeter
LAURENCE ARNDT
VICTIM OF ALASKA'S
LATEST PLANE CRASH
Lawrence F. Arndt, an original
Matanuska Valley colonist, was
killed in a plane crash that claim
ed the lives of four other persons
at Anchorage, Alaska, September
4.
The plane, a twin-engined Ces
sna, crashed shortly after take
off on a flight to Seward.
Mr. Arndt was well known in
the Valley, having maintained a
farm in Palmer until approx
mately five years ago when he
purchased a saw mill in Seward.
He had recently sold the saw
mill and returned to Palmer,
planning to again operate his
farm.
He is survivied by his mother,
Mrs. Emma Arndt who has
made her home with him, a
daughter, Mrs. Helen Ray of Chi
cago, Illinois whom he recently
visited and one grandchild.
Mr. Arndt was a member of the
St. John’s Lutheran Church ol
Palmer, the American Legion
Post and leaves a host of friends.
Funeral arrangements are pend
ing the arrival of Mrs. Ray.
* *
The Alaskan air-crash toll now
has soared to the total of 91
known persons dead or missing
during the past 46 days, marking
the most disastrous period in
Alaskan flying hisory.
ia this year is Mrs. Jack Cope.
Her assistant is Mrs. Evelyn
Sharp.
Extra 2-Miil Levy
Last night at their regular
meeting School Board members
drew up a bond resolution to
guarantee payment to Alaska
Public Works of the district’s 50
percent share of the proposed
cost. As explained in a previous
new high school’s construction
issue of the Frontiersman, the
School Board had to guarantee
that an extra two mills would be
added to the present ten mill levy
if needed to defray the amorti
zation costs of the school’s $610,
000 share. The Tobacco tax re
turned to the school district each
year can be expected to yield no
more than $28,000 yearly, and at
least $10,000 more in extra funds
would have to be raised yearly
rooms and eaten there.
School district voters will go to
the polls at the next regular el
ection October 2 to uphold the
School Board’s guarantee of the
extra two mill levy in case the
i needed amortization funds cannot
! be raised from other sources.
MRS. ALBERTA HAYES
DIES SUNDAY AT
VALLEY HOSPITAL
Mrs. Alberta Hayes, 51, long
time Valley resident died at Val
ley Hospital Sunday, September
2, following several months of ill
ness.
Mrs. Hayes was the wife of
Laurel Hayes who has operated
a sawmill on the Anchorage
Palmer Highway for many years.
She had lived in the Valley since
1,935 and was well known in the
community.
According to her husband, Mrs.
Hayes had been in poor health
for the past year, but had been
failing steadily since June when
she had to cancel plans for a trip
to the States. She entered the
hospital here August 31.
Besides her husband, Mrs.
Hayes is survived by four sons
of a previous marriage: Robert V.
and Wesley J. Sieber of Seattle,
Raymond A. Sieber of Salem,
Ore., and Roger W. Sieber who
is in the U. S. Navy. A sister,
Blanche Ritchie of Wright, Minn,
also survives.
Funeral services will be held
in Edmonds, Washington. Local
friends paid their last respects
yesterday at the Anchorage
Funeral Chapel.
John Ossw'aard of Seattle,
formerly fiscal agent for the
ARRC, was in the Valley Tuesday
looking up old acquaintances.