FRIDAY, August 30 - Youth Day
SATURDAY, Aug. 31 - Governors Day
SUNDAY, Sept. I - All States Day
MONDAY, Sept. 2 - Carnival Day
Thought of the Week:
In New York a mortgage
made 92 years ago is still in
force. They don't build houses
like that any more.
THE FRONTIERSMAN
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
COME TO THE
ALASKA STATE FAIR
AUG. 30-31. Sept. 1-2
PALMER FAIRGROUNDS
VOLUME 15, NUMBER 49
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY, AUG., 29. 1963
TWENTY FOUR PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
State Fair Readies Grounds for Weekend
SERVICES FOR RIVER VICTIM TO RE
TUESDAY, SEPT. 3, AT LDS CHURCH
Funeral services for Irvin
Alexander Bentti, 31, will be
Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 2 p.m. in
the Palmer Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints,
with burial to follow in the
LDS plot in the Palmer ceme
tery.
Pallbearers have been tent
atively named as Dennis Buz
by. Joe A. Lentz, Jr., Pat O’
Connor, Duane Goodrich,
Ralph Goodrich, and William
Buzby.
Bentti was drowned in the
Matanuska River Sunday fol
lowing a swamp buggy mishap
during a moose hunt. His body
was found about 9:30 a.m. yes- j
WILLOW CHILD
DIES OF GUNSHOT
WOUHD YESTERDAY
Tragedy struck a Willow j
family yesterday in the after-1
math of a crisis over children's |
pets- Four-year old Charles
Malcolm Fowler died instantly
of a gun-shot wound when
his 14-year old brother Robert
pulled the trigger of what ap
peared to be an unloaded rifle.
The children, whose parents
are Mr. and Mrs. Valton Lee
Fowler, were left alone briefly
when their mother gave a
neighbor a ride to her home.
In the absence of the mother,
the family dog attacked a calf
owmed by one of the children,
who got the rifle to shoot the I
dog.
Concern for the dog by oth
er children kept the boy from
firing at the pet, but he con
tinued to examine the gun,
which he said seemed to be
empty. He pulled the trigger
once in fun, and heard only the
click of the unloaded rifle,
then pulled the trigger again
with the gun pointed at his
little brother. This time the
gun fired.
The tragedy occurred about
4 p.m. yesterday afternoon.
Besides his parents, Charles
is survived by three brothers,
Dwayne, 18, Robert, 14, and
Alan. 3; and three sisters, Su
san, 12, Betsy, 9, and Cherry 8.
f Funeral arrangements are
pending at Angelus Mortuary
in Anchorage. Services will be
held in the Saturday Adventist
Church in Palmer, with Rev.
Gary Strunk officiating.
■ 1
|
Be sure to see the
FLOWER SHOW
CORSAGES FOR
FAIR DANCE
MAUD’S
FLOWERS
PI 5-4056
terday a mile downriver from
the scene of the accident by a
nearby resident who spends [
considerable time on the river,
a Mr. Vhoors. Vhoors signalled
to a search plane piloted by
Dick Benson of Palmer, who
flew back to Palmer to get
help. Cal Center, mechanic
at Woods Flying Service, took
a small plane in and landed it
on a gravel bar to bring the
body out.
The Sunday tragedy occur
red when a swamp buggy
Bentti was driving ‘drowned
out’’ in mid-channel. He slip
ped into the river in an attempt
to attach a rope to a buggy
already on shore.
Duane Goodrich, a member
of the party on shore with two
horses, took one horse and a
life jacket, and attempted to
overtake Bentti as he was
swept downstream. He appear
ed to be gaining in the chase
until his horse slipped in deep
water and rolled over, throw
ing Goodrich from the saddle.
Pat O’Connor, driver of the
other swamp buggy, took the
other horse and raced to the
road camp up the highway for
assistance. Two other occu
pants of the swamp buggy, Mr.
and Mrs. Robert Schwab, were
pulled to safety as the vehicle
overturned.
(Continued on page 8)
COUNCIL ACCEPTS
RESIGNATION OF
CITY MANAGER
Winston Gilchrist, city man
ager for the city of Palmer,
submitted a letter of resigna
tion to the Palmer city coun
cil on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Coun
cil members voted unanimous
ly to accept the resignation.
Gilchrist did not appear at the
council meeting, and no ex
planation was given in the
letter for the action.
Don Irwin of Palmer was ap
pointed by the council as act
ing city manager until a per
manent replacement for the
position can be found. A reso
lution was adopted authoriz
ing Mr. Irwin to counter sign
checks for the City of Palmer.
Gilchrist came here from
Arizona and has served as city
manager for the past year.
Sewer Project
Ralph Stefano and Paul
Stutzmann, sewer project en
gineers, appeared at the coun
cil to present completed plans
for the interceptor system and
the sewer lagoon, for which
Public Health Service match
ing funds have been granted.
This portion of the project can
now be let for bids, the engin
eers said. Bids will be called
for the remainder of the pro
ject as soon as HHFA grants
have been Verified, it was stat
ed.
(Continued on page G)
PIED PIPER PRE-SCHOOL
Announces the Services of
MARIE VAN AUKEN
ART INSTRUCTOR
Session Beginning September 9
ALASKA’S FIRST OIL REFINERY DEDICATED
A NEW SIGHT IN ALASKA are the towers
of the Standard Oil refinery at Nikiski
Beach, near Kenai. The $10 million plant
will process 20,000 barrels of crude oil
daily, will employ 28 persons, and will
operate on a 24-hour a day basis. See
story on page 17.
Anchorage Times Photo
New Bond Election
Scheduled Oct. I
Palmer Independent School
District taxpayers will approve
or reject four separate general
obligation bond propositions
for school construction on
Monday, Oct. 1, 1963. Voters of
the district will also elect one
school board member for a
five year term, to fill the ex
piring term of Don Ingalls.
The first proposition would
issue bonds in the amount of
$195,000 for construction of a
six-classroom addition to
Swanson school. The second,
in the amount of $195,000.
BOB scon TO
MANAGE GOLF CLUB
Bob Scott, owner of Scotty’s
TV, has announced that he will
also manage the new Hillsdale
County Club, a nine-hole golf
course now under construction
at Mile 2%, Wasilla Highway,
upon its completion.
His office will be located ad
jacent to the highway, where
he will also sell Admiral TV
sets and appliances, records,
and golf equipment.
Although the driving range
will be open shortly for prac
ticing, members are cautioned
that the course is in the con
struction stage and that many
months of improvement work
lie ahead, even after comple
tion of the course.
A limited number of charter
memberships in the Hillsdale
club are still available. Per
sons who would like to be
come members are asked to
call Bob Scott at PI 5-3513.
would be for the addition of
six classrooms to the Palmer
high school. The third ($380.
000) would provide funds for
construction of a new gymnasi
um addition to the high school,
and the fourth ($430,000) is for
the addition of an auditorium
to the Palmer high school.
All four propositions, which
the voters will consider sep
arately, amount to $1,200,000.
If all four are approved, addi
tional taxes in the district
would amount to between
three and four and a half mills,
a school board director said to
day.
What the change in tax
structure would be if either the
proposed Captain Cook bor
ough or separate boroughs un
der house Bill 90 become estab
lished, thus absorbing the
bonded indebtedness of the
Palmer Independent School
District, has not been deter
mined by the school board.
Names of voters in the Oct.
1 election must appear on the
last tax assessment roll of the
district. They must have regis
tered before the election, and
must be citizens of the United
States, 19 years of age or over,
residents of the state for one
year preceding the election,
and residents of the school dis
trict for 30 days preceding the
election.
Registration books will be
open at the tax office in Pal
mer until Sept. 28. The office is
open weekdays from 8:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m., and will remain open
on Saturday, Sept. 28, from
8:30 a m. to 5 p.m.
School board members point
ed out that unless new class
rooms are constructed, double
shifting will become necessary
very shortly, and that school
bus expense for the extra bus
run will have to be met by the
district. This could run as high
as $100,000 a year. Also to be
considered is the expense of
renting extra buildings for
classroom space.
GYMKHANA EVENTS
TO BE SEPT. I • 2
Both junior and senior run
offs for the champion Alaska
state gymkhana events will
take place on Sunday and Mon
day, Sept. 1 and 2, at 1 p.m. at
the rodeo arena on Bailey Hill.
Winners in the gymkhana
events will receive trophies,
and ribbons will go to the win
ners of the fun games.
“For fun” will be a tug of
war on horses, egg and spoon
race, junior flag race, hide
race, potato race, junior wild
horse race, calf dobbing, and
ribbon race.
There will also be a junior
rodeo. Children entering this
event must have written per
mission. or a signed waiver
from their parents.
The sponsors would like it
known that they are in no
way competing with horse
show events at the fair, but
are holding the annual fall
events which concede the
gymkhana season.
Gov, Mrs. Egan lo
Lead Saturday Parade
Grounds at the Alaska State
Fair. Inc. were buzzing today
with last minute preparations ■
for the four-day show which
opens tomorrow. In spite of a
gloomy five-day forecast, i
chances for good weather over '
the weekend looked brighter
today as the sun shone on ex
hibitors. grounds crews and j
concessionaires, all hurrying to |
get their booths and displays
ready for tomorrow's opening, i
Highlight of the Labor Day
wmekend event will be the
presence of Gov. William Egan
and other dignitaries on the
grounds for the grand opening
Saturday. Gov. and Mrs. Egan
will lead the Saturday parade,
j in which will also appear May
or and Mrs. Ralph Moore of
Palmer, and military represen
! tatives of the commanding offi
cers at Elmendorf and Fort
Richardson.
Friday, Aug. 30, which is
Youth Day, will begin with
! judging of exhibits from 9
a.m. to 12 noon. Grounds will
open to the public at noon.
4-H and FAA demonstra
tions and public speaking con
tests will be judged from 9
a.m. to 6 p.m.
Children's contest and games
(see story, inside page) will oc
cupy the hours between 1 p.m.
and 6 p.m.. with grandstand at
tractions between events to be
announced over the public ad
dress system.
The 4-H dress revue will be |
.judged at 1 p.m.. and will be
followed by a public showing !
at 2:30 p.m.
Grounds and exhibit build- .
ings will open at 10 a.m. on
Saturday. Governor’s Day. and
horse show events will be from j
10 to 12 noon.
The Grand Opening cere
monies will be at 12 noon, with
Gov. Egan arriving by motor
cycle escort from Chugiak.
where he will have taken part
in ground breaking ceremonies
for the new high school earlier
in the morning. The Last Fron
tier Motorcycle Club of Chu
giak will form the escorting
party, and will also appear in
the parade. Boy scouts will
raise the colors, and the Rev.
William R. Miller will give the
invocation.
The street parade will begin
at 1:30 p.m.. with units assem
bling at noon on Valley Street
between the B & B Market and
Kirk’s Sales and Service, also
on adjacent streets. There will
be floats, horsemen. drill
teams, bands, pretty girls,
clowns to be seen as the proces
sion makes its way south on
Valley Street and across the
tracks back to Central School.
The grandstand show from
2 to 4 p.m. will include dancing
groups and exhibitions by the
Antique Auto Mushers of An
chorage. Horse racing will be
from 4 to 6 p.m.
The queen's pageant begins
at 8 p.m. at Central School, to
be followed by the Coronation
Ball at the Elks hall at 10 p.m.
Sunday. All States Day. will
feature horse show events from
10 a.m. until noon, with
i grounds and exhibit buildings
opening at 10 a.m. The queen
(Continued on page 5)
Chamber Breakfast
To Welcome New
Teachers to Palmer
The Matanuska Valley
Chamber of Commerce will
welcome new teachers to Pal
mer at a breakfast on Tuesday,
Sept. 3. at 7:30 a.m. at the
Frontier Cafe, according to
Barney Fish. Chamber presi
dent.
Local merchants are asked
to act as hosts to the new tea
chers, who will be members
of the community this year and
in many cases for a number of
years.
“We urge Palmer business
people to support the chamber
affair,” Fish said. “The teach
ing staff of our local schools
are a valuable addition to our
town, and we should make
them feel welcome.”
Weather Hampers
Road Race Success
Poor weather worked against
the otherwise smoothly-run
sports car races on Palmer city
streets last Saturday and Sun
day. The Road Runners, Pal
mer car club which sponsored
the races, worked with milit
ary police, local police, and
volunteers from service clubs
to achieve maximum crowd
control. An estimated 95 per
cent of those watching the rac
es were paying spectators.
The cold, cloudy weekend,
which culminated in rain Sun
day afternoon, contributed to
poor crowd attendance, with
the total gate amounting to
only $1750. Expenses have not
been completely clarified, but
it appears that there may be a
net profit of between $800 and
$950 to be applied to the Val
ley Sand and Gravel bill, a
holdover from the May races.
A local driver, Fil Everett,
drove his TR-3 to a second
place win in his class, and sec
ond place in the small car race,
resulting in his award of over
all winner in his class. He was
sponsored by three local busi
nesses, Keith’s Body and Fen
der Shop, the Four Aces bar,
and Johnson’s Fuel Service.
Tom Brink of Anchorage
won Saturday’s Palmer Chal
lenge Cup race in the large en
gine class and Jack Johnson,
driving a 1,040-lb. Lotus Super
7 sports car won the Jess Dan
niels Memorial Cup race, an
unscheduled Sunday event.
Johnny Bostic won the Pal
mer Challenge Cup in the small
displacement class. Bob Don
ald was second in the Daniels
Memorial, and Brink was third.
They were first and second in
their class.
Doug Bixby, a former Pal
mer resident now living in An
chorage, tried his hand at
sports car racing for the first
time in the weekend race.
Future road races are expect
ed to be run on the new track
being constructed by Palmer
Raceways, Inc. south of Pal
mer in the Springer district.