American Legion
April Fools' Dance,
‘ School Gym, 9:30 p.m,
March 31
valley Mantiss-man
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
n PAGES
IL TODAY
VOL. 4. NUMBER 28
PALMER. ALASKA. FRIDAY, MARCH 23. 1951
PRICE 10c
CHURCHES OBSERVE EASTER, DAWN TO DARK
POLITICS SEETH IN COUNCIL RACE;
SEVEN FILE; FREE-FOR-ALL LOOMS
Hot discussions in Palmer this
week are boiling over the ques
tion of who will file for city
council.
Seven members are to be elect
ed. To date, seven have filed.
Filings close March 31, and the
field is wide open. Petitions and
affidavits of candidacy may be
obtained from U. S. Commission
er Dorothy Saxton.
It’s a time-taking, highly re
sponsible, non-partisan job, open
to fire from all sides—and no pay.
General feeling, openly and
heatedly discussed on the street
and wherever folks meet is who
can best fill the job . . . that the
guys who make the grade should
be free of pressure; established
and respected in the community;
> without sectional or other preju
dices; with sound and construc
tive business experience; and hav
ing a practical conception of Pal
mer’s need today and a keen fore
sight of the problems of tomor
row.
The seven candidates who h; «
filed to this date are businessmen,
property owners, and active lead
ers in Palmer’s development.
They are:
John L. Sullivan, manager of
the Matanuska Hotel and other
business properties.
* A. V. Hagen, owne? of the Val
ley Theatre block and manager
and owner of the Valley Theatre.
Sieve Ward, owner of the Ward
Bldg., and partner in the Frontier
Bar.
Bernard R. Bouwens, manager
of the Shamrock Lounge and
property owner.
A1 J. DeJulio, manager of the
Matanuska Press and the Valley
Frontiersman.
Robert "Bob" Peterson, man
ager of the Palmer Bar and Com
mander of the local Post of the
American Legion.
Ray Adams, photographer and
minister.
Mrs. Betty Mears and several
others have said definitely tney
will file, and more are on the un
certain seat.
Rumors are sizzling as to who
may or may not get into the free
for-all, what their platform may
be, how far promises can or will
be carried out, and what their
backing is.
Among names frequently men
tioned as likely candidates are
Carl Meier, Frank Brown, Dr.
Allan Mick, George Small, Bill
Curtis, Oliver Onkka, D. T. Mc
Mahon, Jack Tost, Clayton Ess
linger and Lew Hanks.
Hanks, who has been strongly
urged to file, said that as a fed
eral employe he is prohibited by
the Hatch Act from any political
activity. His supporters tried to
insist that he get a further ruling
on the grounds tfie city council is
a non-partisan position.
Candidates who have filed say
the way they feel about an un
limited number of candidates is
. . . the more the racier. ...
Forms for filing are available
at the U. S. Commissioner’s office.
Marian Badcon, New
Editor Of Frontiersman
New editor of the Valley Fron
tiersman is Mrs. Marian Badcon
who arrived Wednesday from
Seattle.
Marian is a long-time news
paper, radio and magazine writer.
Born in Montana, a graduate of
the first school of journalism,
University of Montana, she says
Palmer’s snow and mountains
“look like home.”
From Montana she moved to
Seattle where she served as by
line reporter and was then pro
moted to assistant city editor on
the Post-Intelligencer and Times.
She has covered such nationally
known stories as the Weyerhaeu
ser kidnapping, the Bremerton
mass murders, the Brown-Sco
ville mystery; was the only wom
an reporter on one of the presi
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The church is the Lord’s house where He enters into the com
mon fellowship of His people. Through their supplication and
devotion the presence of the Lord is made real and personal. Let
His word give you comfort and peace at church this Easter
24 LOCAL SINGERS
IN KIWANIS CHORUS
There was “music in the air”
Monday night at the Co-Op club
room with a blending of voices
in such old and well-loved tunes
as “Moonlight Bay.” It was the
mixed choir rehearsing for the
second annual Palmer Kiwanis
Club minstrel show to be present
ed here April 20 and 21.
There are 24 members of the
choir which includes seven sopra
nos, five altos, seven tenors and
five basses. Sopranos are: Beat
rice Huntley, Delores Foster, Vio
let Sherman, Marne Hanks, Betty
Kreutz, Dorothy Laughlin and
Esther Brock. Altos: Harriet Bell,
Gladys Foort, Margie Huntley, Lu
Sandvik, and Mrs. G. Krise. Ten
ors: Juan Miller, Lowell Krise,
Martin Sherman, Duane Huntley,
Tommy Roberts, Art Stacey and
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Kiwanis Egg Hunt
Set for 12:30
Regardless of Snow
Looks like the youngsters will
have to come out in shoe pacs
and warm togs for that big Pal
mer Kiwanis Easter egg hunt this
year.
But regardless of snow, the
eggs will be hidden (maybe not
too deeply) and the big fun party
will start at 12:30 sharp Sunday,
in the area bounded by the school,
the Dormitory and the Co-Op
buildings.
The Easter egg hunt is open to
all boys and girls between 2 and
10 years of age. To give them all
a fair break, children through 5
will do their searching in the area
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Public Invited To
Share Music
And Services
Ushered in with sunrise serv
ices, Easter Sunday will be tri
umphantly and reverently ob
served in all the churches in this
community.
And from the churches to those
who are unaffiliated or traveling
or in the Armed Forces there is a
special invitation to join in the
re-dedication services and masses
and to hear the traditional Easter
music.
The sunrise services, sponsored
by the Matanuska Valley Minis
terial Association, will be held at
6:30—daybreak — in the United
Protestant Church. At the 11
o’clock service the Easter cantata,
“The Thom-Crowned King”, will
be sung by the church choir un
der the direction of Art Stacey,
and there will be the dedication
of children. (Parents desiring this
ceremony should contact the Rev.
V. I. Alfsen). In the evening the
church choir will go to the Wasil
la Community Church to present
their cantata at 3 o’clock.
In St. Michael’s Church, the
beautiful Easter Mass will be said
at 10 a.m., with music by the
choir, and the doors of the church
are open to all who wish to come.
At 11 o’clock services in the
Church of God the Sunday School
will present “The Magic Touch”.
There will be infant dedication,
followed by the Easter story in
song by the choir. Mrs. Pearl
Moyer, soloist, will sing “Open
the Gates of the Temple.”
St. John’s Lutheran Church will
hold Sunday School at 2 p.m.,
Easter services at 3.
In Sutton, Easter services will
be held at 2:30 in the Sutton
Community Church with every
one invited.
Girl Seoul Official
To Visit Palmer
Mrs. C. T. Manning of Anchor
age, president of the Girl Scout
Council, is expected in Palmer
March 26.
Develop New Industries NowXofC Urged By ARR
Suggestions for the development
of small new industries in or near
Palmer, which will take up or
partly compensate any “slack”
which may come when military
and construction activities taper
off, were made by Col. J. P. John
son, general manager of The Alas
ka Railroad.
Col. Johnson was a guest speak
er at this week’s meeting of the
Palmer Chamber of Commerce in
the Co-op recreation hall. And
he brought as a gift to the Cham
* ber for its cooperation and ac
* tivity an impressive podium with
a bronze inscription plate.
“Palmer and this area have ex
panded and will expand much
more . . . and The Alaska Rail
road wants to expand with you,”
he said.
Among possible new industries
which would mean more business
and which could be supplied for
most of the materials from local
assets, he suggested:
A soil pipe foundry. The cost
of shipping to Alaska is as high
as the cost of the product itself.
A coal blast furnace, using
available local coal. Enough scrap
iron could be supplied by the
railroad to support such a plant.
An oxygen container plant;
wider use of birch wood; peat
moss and similar products, mak
ing use of natural assets. He in
vited practical suggestions on
which he promised all the help
The Alaska Railroad can give.
Development Reported
Col. Johnson outlined the ex
tensive rehabilitation and con
struction program being carried
on by the railroad and of the at
tempts made to keep rates down.
But he warned that the railroad
must meet its costs and that to
keep rates in line there must be
proportionately more volume.
“The railroad belongs to you
taxpayers and we hope you will
support it,” he urged.
“Under present policies The
Alaska Railroad is rapidly achiev
ing the full stature of a modern,
efficient carrier, acting wholly in
the public behalf and in the in
terests of Alaska in particular. It
is the economic backbone of the
railbelt and has been largely re
sponsible for the establishment
and development of major centers
of population in the heart of the
Territory. The interests of the
Territory and the railroad are in
separable,” he said.
‘‘Railroad management is fully
aware of its obligations to the
Territory’s people ... It is the
aim of the management, by in
troducing modem equipment, fa
cilities and methods with conse
quent lowered costs and rates, to
provide the Territory with a rail
road capable of meeting the grow
ing needs of peace-time commu
nities and one upon which they
can depend in national defense.’’
Evacuation Help Praised
Maj. General Cunningham of
Ft. Richardson invited the mem
bers to visit that vast devel
opment, commenting: “It’s far
bigger than you can see from the
highway.”
He was lavish in his praise for
the help and cooperation by Pal
mer leaders in setting up evacu
ation plans.
“We hope we won’t have to
make Palmer an evacuation cen
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