Community
Calendar
TODAY
ANNUAL SCHOOL Christmas
*party, auditorium, 2 p.m. Par
ents and friends invited
GIRL SCOUT Troop No. 2'/, reg
ular meeting, Church of God,
3:45 p.m.
SATURDAY. DECEMBER 23
SOURDOUGH Club’s Christmas
party at Thuma home.
CHRISTMAS DANCE for bene
fit of Matanuska hotel basket
ball team, gym, 930: p.m.
KlWANIS Club Christmas party,
Carpenters’ hall, 6 to 7 p.m.
DECEMBER 24. SUNDAY
CHRISTMAS party for all Valley
children, at Valley theatre, 2:00
p.m.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26
MOOSE LODGE, Women of the
Moose to hold social evening
following regular meetings.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28
GRANGE meeting at Grange hall,
8 p.m.
FRIDAY. DECEMBER 29
MATANUSKA MASONIC Lodge
first meeting. Carpenters’ hall,
8 p.m.
vs
Ben Hudgins Tells of 14th Century
Christmas He Spent With Arabians
b’aimer s periect winter weatn-,
er and its surrounding circle of
snow-capped mountains to add
to the charm and beauty of the
scene is the “White Christmas
that Ben Hudgins dreamed of”
back in 1943. For Mr. Hudgins,
Christmas Day dawned that year
in a blaze of shimmering heat on
burning sands with the thermom
eter rising to 140 degrees in the
shade “and no shade.” That was
at Bahrain Island, the only island
I in the Gulf of Persia that is big
j enough to be marked on a map.
j A British possession 30 miles off
| the coast of Saudi Arabia, it was
! ruled by a local sheik. Manama
1 is the name of the principal town
on the island of Bahrain which
i was the site of an oil refinery ;
! where oil was pumped from the ,
j mainland.
Mr. Hudgins was on the island
for nine months although he had
contracted for a year’s employ
ment there. But it took him one j
; month to get there by plane and |
i two months to return by boat, j
j On the trip out from his home in
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Kind and
generous
may the New
fear be for you
1951
Valley Hospital
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wamorma, ne new via .ruerio
Rico, on to Trinidad, then to
Brazil and then across to Africa
to eventually reach his destina
tion at Bahrain. Delayed by
priorities at several points along
the way, he spent several days at
Cairo. He found the famous
Egyptian city to be “fabulous,”
but recalls that he spent a great
part of his time there at the side
walk cafes where he sipped coffee
that was “as thick as mud” and
waited to be alerted for his plane
onward. On his return trip to the
states he sailed by transport from
Pt. Said to the Mediterranean
and on to the east coast of the
United States.
But Mr. Hudgins found that it
was of no avail to fret about time
in Arabia because when he land
ed at Bahrain he found that the
years had rolled back and that
he was not living in the 20th cen
tury at all but had stepped back
into the 14th. A driving license
which he still has as a souvenir
is dated November 25, 1362. “It
took a long time after I got back
to the states to get away from
the uncanny feeling that I was
living more than a hundred years
before Columbus discovered
America,” he recalls.
The Mohammedans have the
same 12-month calendar as West
ern countries but they date their
civilization from the founder of
their religion, Mohamet, as we do
from the time of Our Lord. Thus
there is 581 years difference and
“that is just about how far they
are behind us,” Mr. Hudgins says.
Sundays have no significance for
them as they observe their Sab
bath on Friday.
The heat at Bahrain is moist
and the humidity is high and
“your shoes even fill up with
water from the perspiration,” Mr.
Hudgins said. But the Arabians
who worked for him kept assur
ing him that there would be win
ter—“wait and see.” On Christ
mas Eve, with a bit of a breeze
blowing up, Mr. Hudgins thought
perhaps winter was arriving.
Some 750 men invited to a din
ner and dance at the “Swanky”
club dressed in their best “bib
and tucker,” which included their
coats. But long before the dance
was over everyone had to revert
to shirtsleeves because of the
; heat. There wasn’t much dancing
though, as all of the American
j women had been evacuated and
i there were only a few British
I women who had remained a1
! Bahrain with their husbands,
j About the first part of January
! though, the wind did blow foi
: approximately two weeks anc
i during that time everyone wort
a jacket. However, the tempera
ture started rising about the mid
die of January to again “hit tht
well-known 120 to 140 degrees.’
Mr. Hudgins recalled that his
house boy was a certain young
Arabian named Salmon. Imbuec
with the Christmas spirit despitt
the heat, he gave Salmon a paii
of brand new shoes that had kep
the young chap envious for days
! The shoes were Salmon’s prid<
! and joy. although “they nearly
killed him.” He had never had ;
' shoe on in his life and the pric<
I he paid for his grandeur was “:
Frontier Cafe, Newly Redecorated, to Open
! me r runner waie, completely
I redecorated, will open to the pub
' lie next Wednesday morning, De
cember 27, at 6 o’clock, Pete Lucy,
owner and manager, announced
this week. The cafe has ben tem
porarily closed while it was being
redecorated. New culinary spe
cialties at the cafe will include
big mass of blisters all over his
poor feet.” Salmon loved those
shoes. He would just wrap his
feet up in rags and pull the shoes
on over them to stumble around
in agony and arrogance among
his shoeless inferiors.
For the Mohammedans a cer
tain day in September is cele
brated as one of their religious
days. But what a contrast to our
happy and joyous Christmas. As
the women don't count, only the
I men participate in the cermony.
| A day of repentance, those who
| chose to repent are all chained
! together to march through the
streets. They beat each other
with chains or sticks and many
of them carry scars as long as
they live from the ordeal. The
most shameful thing that can
happen to one who is in the pen
ance march is to ‘‘pass out.” If
that dreadful calamity befalls
any of the marchers he is merely
dragged along by the others in
the chains until he can get on his
feet again. Mr. Hudgins said that
he and a companion were the
only Christians to witness the
spectacle the year that he was
there as foreigners are not per
mitted to go to town on that day
so as to avoid trouble. A con
verted Christian Indian acted as
their guide and secreted them
where they could watch without
being seen.
suuruuugii iiuu.divuo) ticdin wax.
fles and homemade pies. Mr. Lucy
also said that a merchant’s lunch
will be served daily from 11:30
a.m. to 2 p.m.
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VALLEY
THEATRE
FRI.-SAT., DEC. 22-23
Nights 7:15-9:00. Sal. Mat. 2:00
SUNDAY, DEC. 24
2 P.M.
Kiddies’
Christmas Party
Sponsored by
Palmer Merchants
Show for Adults at 4 P.M.
No Show Sunday Night
MON.-TUES.. DEC. 25-26
Shows 7:15-9:00
“The Great Lover”
| FOR A LOVELY HOLIDAY GIFT— g
S> One of our better permanents. Reduced $5.00. if accompanied by ^
» this ad and given before Feb. 21. 1951. Make appointment now! A
I KUT N KURL BEAUTY SHOP |
FRONTIER CAFE
RE-OPENING
Wednesday, December 27, 6:00 A.M.
SPECIALIZING IN:
Merchant's Lunch, served 1 1:30 to 2 P.M., $1.00
Sourdough Hot Cakes Cream Waffles
Home-Made Pies
Santa Claus Will Be
Aft Palmer Drug Dec.
ill Hr Pit Miie! Ra A *«**•■« **•.:,* J i_ n_■ « . . . wF
Children Must Be Assompanied by Parents Santa’s Last Appearance