The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
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VOL. 45, NO. 50
PALMLlt, ALADAA. muiwi/ni. *«
1952 Matanuska Valley Fair Gross Biggest in History
CANDIDATES FOR CITY OFFICES MUST
FILE PETITIONS BETWEEN SEPT. 17-27
Four weeks from next Tuesday
the city of Palmer will have its
annual general election, but to
date no candidates for city offices
,* have definitely declared them
selves in the running by the cir- j
culation of petitions as required |
by the new city election ordin
ance.
True, the new city ordinance
must be adopted by the city elec
torate on September 23, but the
two weeks remaining before
Tuesday, October 7, will allow
very little time for filing of the
petitions as provided by the law.
The new election ordinance por
vides for the election this year of
a mayor for a one-year term, two
councilmen for three-year terms,
two councilmen for two-year
terms and two for one-year
I terms. Beginning next year. Oct
ober 1S53, residents of Palmer
will elect a mayor for a two
year term, with the office becom
ing vacant the first Tuesday in
October of each odd-numbered
year; two new city councilmen
will be elected for three-year
terms at each annual election.
Nominations by Petition
According to the ordinance.
■ nominations for elective offices
shall be by petition only. Any
qualified electors of the city of
Palmer may be nominated for
elective office (mayor or council
man) by petition of any 25 such
electors who shall be designated
as his sponsors. However, no
elector shall sign more than one
such petition for any elective of
fice that will appear on the bal
lot. In other words, electors this
year may sign individually one
petition for a mayor candidate
▼ and two petitions each for City
Council candidates declaring for
(1) a three-year term. (2) a two
year term, and (3) a one-year
term. If by error or design an
elector should sign more than one
petition for any one office to be
filled, the signature on the peti
tion filed first in the City Clerk’s
office will be valid; his signature
on any petition for the same of
fice filed subsequently will be
' disqualified by the City Clerk.
Time of Filing
The petitions must be filed
v with the* City Clerk no more than
20 days and no less than 10 days
before the date of the general
election. In terms of the October
7 election this year, petitions for
mayor and councilman candidates
must be filed in the City Clerk’s
\ office between Wednesday, Sep
tember 17, and Saturday, Septem
ber 27. Candidates who want to
guard against disqualification by
virtue of petition signatures de
clared void (either because the
sponsor has signed another peti
tion for the same office or be
cause a sponsor’s qualification,
as city elector are questioned)
A will want to have their petition:
filed as early as possible. The or
dinance provides that the Citj
Clerk will notify the candidate
and the sponsor who has filed the
petition for him as to whether oi
not the petition is in order withn
three days of its receipt. If the
petition is not in order, the Cit:
Clerk will return it to the spon
sor who filed it, and a new peti
tion may be circulated and file<
within the specified filing perioc
Form of Petitions
The form of the nominating pe
# titicn, as provided by the ordin
ance, should be substantially a
follows:
“We the undersigned 25 elec
tors of the City of Palmer, Alask;
hereby nominate and sponsc
(John* Doe) whose residence i
(block 3, lot 22 of Valley Stree
Continued on page 8
HUGE CITY COUNCIL
TURNOVER ON OCT. 7
INDICATED BY POLL
Indications are that there
will be few familiar faces in
the City Council when it meets
for the first time after the Oct
ober 7 election.
Polled this week on their in
tentions about running for re
election were five of the six
councilmen and Mayor Carl
Meier. Five declared definite
ly that they would not be can
didates in the coming city elec
tion. They were Steve Ward,
Allan Mick, Chet Sandvik,
Frank Brown, and Mayor Carl'
Meier. A1 Hagan placed him
self of the “still undecided”
list, and Lloyd Sevems could
not be reached for comment.
Provision of the new election
ordinance to be voted on Sep
tember 23 are designed to stag
ger terms so that in the future
each new Council will have a
core of experienced council
men.
PALMER SCHOOL
ENROLLMENT SOARS
TOWARD RECORD 70S
As expected, the Palmer Svhoo
enrollment hit an all-time higl
with the beginning of the 1952
1953 school year here Tuesday
By Wednesday morning 679 hac
enrolled and known late-comer;
are expected to boost the total tc
at least 700.
Commenting on the enrollmeni
yesterday, Superintendent Wil
liam T. Zahradnicek said thai
Palmer School is at least twc
. years ahead of itself on the basi:
of enrollments estimated in 1945
according to rate of increase not
ed in previous years.
Classes began Tuesday morn
*ing with grades 2 and 3 doubling
up because of the unfinished 4
room addition. Although the win
dows for the four new rooms ar
rived in time to be installed las
Friday, tile for the floors is stil
missing. Permanent seats canno
be put in the rooms until the till
is laid. High School classes sched
uled for two of the new room
are being accommodated by usinj
the school library and doublini
up on study halls.
Grade and homo room assign
Continued on page 5
Del. Bartlett Stands on 7-Year Record of Progress
At the local Democratic Club
dinner in Moose Hall Thursday
night, Delegate E. L. Bartlett’s
kickoff speech for his Third Divi
sion campaign was full of confi
[ dence for continuint development
; of Alaska at an ever-increasing
tempo. Specific Republican
| charges of Democratic adminis
' tration failure to act in the best
_ interests of Alaska were refuted
] methodically, point by point,
j Referring to changes that have
1 been wrought in Alaska since
‘ 1945, when he first was sent to
Washington as Alaska’s delegate.
- i Bartlett reminded the fifty "hard
- ] coi’e” democrats gathered togeth
3 er from Palmer, Wasilla. Jones
ville, and Anchorage that the
- large number of people who have
i, settled in Alaska during the pasi
r four or five years can’t appreciate
s the change. He said it is up tc
t, Democrats who do know the facts
to make them known to new
Alaskans so that recent develop- j
ments can be viewed in their
proper perspective.
He pointed to improvements
brought about in the fields of edu
cation and health; changes in
Alaskans’ standard of living
wrought through MEA and AHA;
development of communities
through APW; and to broadening
of the Territory’s economic base
through construction of roads,
airfields and low-cost power pro
jects—“of which Eklutna is only
the .beginning.” These improve
, ments that have transformed a
! neglected frontier into a pulsing,
modern state have been achieved
| through help of federal money,
; but this is not socialism, Bartlett
| insisted. *
“There’s been no frontier land
in the history of the world that
has developed itself out of its own
1 capital,” he reminded his audi
■ ence. “Historically and properly
' the federal government had to
make that investment, but until
only a few years ago it did noth
ing.”
President Truman, whose mes
sage to Congress outling "need
for early and affirmative action.’
was given credit for spearheading
the government’s investment ir
Alaska.
The criticism that Alaska’s fui
production was being undermind
ed by importation of furs frorr
Russia with the acquiescence o:
the government was answerec
by charges of gross misrepresen
tation of facts on the part of the
critics. Specific charges of tw<
million fox skins from Russia up
on investigation proved to be 83,
000 Persian lamb skins—a fu
that is not produced in Alaska
he said. A law by the 81st Con
gress and effective January 5 o
this year prohibits importatioi
from Russia either directly or in
directly through other countrie
of furs in competition with thos<
r taken or produced in the United
States, he added.
Further charges that Alaska
had been “sold out” by the Pacif
ic Fishing Convention recently
ratified by the Senate were also
refuted. Bartlett first reminded
his audience that Alaska fisher
men themselves had approved
the treaty as had the Alaskan
Salmon Industry; and that Repub
lican John Joser Dulles, designer
of the Japanese peace treaty, had
testified that the Pacific Fishing
Convention was in the best in
1 terests of the country. Whereas
’ before the war, international law
' gave Japanese fishermen along
■ with all others to fish within
three miles of the Alaskan coast
’ line, the new treaty sets up the
boundary of the 1 < oth meridian
E east of which Japanese fishing
1 vessels will not enter to take sal
' mon, halibut, and other cominer
5 cial fish. In spite of his oft-repeat
* Continued on page 8
on Saturday.
The Armed Forces contributed
to the success of the Fair in many
other ways. also. Bravely the 43rd
Army Band played in the rain
despite the cancellation of all
other events on Sunday. The in
teresting Army exhibit of weap
ons was the delight of small fr\
and adults alike; and the men on
duty were most obliging. G. I.
guests were in abundance despite
the fact that their paychecks were
held up until the day after the
Fair.
Nourished by Monday s sun,
new life was breathed into the
Fair on its final day. Uncramped
bv raingear the carnival spirit
burst forth at full crescendo. Fair
(Please turn to page o)__
$100 REWARD
I, A1 King will give SI00 re
ward for information leading
io arrest and conviction on
charges of past or future pil
fering. vandalism, or sabotage
of my taxis.
TINY YICKARYOUS CROWNED QUEEN
OF THE 1952 MATANUSKA VALLEY FAIR
. | Climax of many weeks of fev-'
erish competition in selling Fair
Queen tickets came with the Sat
: urday night coronation of Rose
1j Marie “Tiny” Vickaryous as
i Queen of the 1952 Matanuska
Valley Fair. Cheers from four
hundred voices were echoed and
; re-echoed as the crowning took
place shortly before midnight at
. the Coronation Ball given in Pal
• mer School Gymnasium.
Announcement of the queen
l selection was a surprise to every
t one—except the judges, who had
i guarded their secret well. Follow
■ ing the introduction of all the
5»queen candidates by Rusty Dow,
\ Tiny was led forward to be
l crowned by Fair Board President
A1 Hagen with the jeweled cap
■ | of royal plum velvet and ermine
1 and to have the matching robe
placed on her shoulders. The
pretty brown-haired, hazel-eyec
pride of Wasilla could only mur
mer “Thanks” into the micro'
phone, so overcome was she bj
the honors bestowed upon her.
As the lovely candidate:
marched gracefully through the
gymnasium to the floor of the
stage, it was easy to credit Judge
Marion P. Smith’s statement tha
the task of selecting the winnei
had been a hard one for the three
judges.
Standing poised and beau
tiful in their formal gowns, eacl
one might have been a queen
There was blonde Wanda Linse;
in her white, ballerina-lengti
gown of nylon marquisette ove
satin with golden slippers am
Alaskan gold nugget necklao
(Continued from page 5)
THREE DAYS OF RAIN FAIL TO SHRINK
VALLEY’S FAIR ATTENDANCE RECORD
I
2.59 INCHES
OF RAiN FELL ON
1952 VALLEY FAIR
Precipitation that spoiled the
1952 Matanuska Valley Fair
totalled 2.59 inches, according
to records of Max Sherrod, lo
cal recorded for the U. S.
Weather Bureau.
This total does not include
Monday night’s drizzle. It in
cludes the rain that fell from
early Friday morning through
five o’clock Monday afternoon.
Monday’s 5 p.m. measurement
of 1.12 inches included the
hard rainfall of Sunday eve
ning. Sunday’s reading show
ed .48 inch: Saturday’s, .47
inch and Friday’s, .52 inch.
Old-timers claimed it was
the wettest Labor Day week
end on record.
Weary from Fair,
Many Vailsy Petite
Miss Bank Opsn Hons*
Wearied by three days and
nights of fair-going, many Valley
people missed the open house oi
■ the Matanuska Valley Bank ir
its spacious new quarters in the
Neal Wright Building Tuesday
• night.
i They missed a friendly evening
| with the bank’s directors and theii
| wives and the employees of the
j bank. Many Anchorage people
turned out to offer congratula
tions, and a few people from the
Palmer area. Tastefully chosei
appointments of the new interio
\ were the quiet background fo
' more than a dozen gay and beau
tiful floral offerings sent by well
wishers from near and far. Tw
J of them were from officers ane
| directors of Outside banks. Seat
; tie’s National Bank of Commerc
and California’s Bank of America
All were a tribute to the Matan
uska Valley Bank directors’ fait!
| in the future of the Valley.
The bank opened for business a
its new location Tuesday mornin
without any interruption of busi
ness having been suffered by th
move.
Directors of the local financia
■ institution are: James J. Hurle]
i Robert A. Baker, John H. Clau
• son, Harry J. Hill and Asa I
r i Martin.
1 Officers are Robert A. Bake
r president; Harry J. Hill, vica
I president; Richard M. Jone
- cashier and John H. Clawsoi
j secretary.
Despite tne rainiest weeK-ena
in Fair history, attendance was
surprisingly good for a three-day
fair. Paid admissions for 6.400
persons compared favorably with
the 6.661 for the four-day fair of
1951. The gate for Labor Day,
when the sun finally burst
through the clouds and the rain
declared a 12-hour truce, was the
best for any Labor Day in the
history of the Matanuska Valley
Fair. Many of the concessionaires
did more business that day than
they had on the two previous
days put together. The parking
lot was crammed to capacity with
cars, and still more overflowed
onto the side streets or stopped
midstream in traffic through ut
i ter discouragement.
The Fair Association realized
! the biggest gross in Fair Associa
tion history—approximately $1,
i 500 over any previous year. Over
! S6 773 was taken in gate receipts:
$4-351 for the Fair Queen prize
contest; $376 from the Coronation
Ball: $4,000 for paid advertising,
mostly in the Premium Book; $1.
649 for concession space rentals
I and percentage on rides; $700
from other rentals. All of these
are gross figures, and expenses
paid and still owing will take
I the greater share of the total:
still there is hope this week that
a good-sized nest egg will be left
to make many needed repairs and
additions for the 1953 Fair.
Most cruelly hi‘ by the down
!! pour of rain were the kids. Kids
' Day on Saturday should have
! j been gay and exciting, but the
1 rain spoiled that. The many prize
i winning events planned had to
" be cancelled because of the
' i muddy field and poor attendance.
' i Even the ever-popular carnival
3 ■ rides were denied them for the
*! better part of the day.
l
t
e
1
3,
1,
Continuation of rain on Sunday
brought cancellation of other
scheduled events—the double
header between the Palmer Little
Leaguers and the Anchorage All
Stars and the tug of war. But that
day the Fair had a queen who
reigned supreme through drizzle
aryous, daughter of original Col
and high water. Rose Marie Vick
onists Mr. and Mrs. Anthony
Vickaryous, was crowned at the
Coronation Ball the previous
night. No blare of trumpets pro
claimed her majesty; far more
effective was the blare of the
loud speaker, manned by Don
Moyer and generously loaned by
the Elmendorf Armed Forces
radio station when the Fair
Board’s PA system broke down
on Saturday.