Thought of the Week:
Modern philosophy, "Gel
away first with the moslesl."
The Frontiersman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
i: t y o
CHILDREN'S DANCE
FESTIVAL
PALMER ELKS HALL
JULY 12 7:30 P.M.
CANCER CRUSADE BENEFIT
VOLUME 15, NUMBER 42
PALMER, ALASKA, THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1963
TEN PAGES
PRICE 15 CENTS
three more young women enter
ALASKA STATE FAIR QUEEN CONTEST
Three more young women,
MUSan ^ Ray Moffitt. Caralee
Mona Kammermeyer, and Les
lie June Whitt, have entered
the 1963 Alaska State Fair,
Inc. queen contest, committee
members announced this week.
First entry in the contest,
which is open to all eligible
young women in the state of
Alaska, was Carol Wilson,
sponsored by MTA.
Susan, whose parents are
Mr. and Mrs. Owen Moffitt of
Palmer, is a 1962 graduate of
Palmer high school and is 19
years old. Born in Anchorage
Anchorage Men
Get Bank Posts
Two Anchorage men were
elected to the board of direc
tors of the Matanuska Valley
Bank at a meeting of the stock
holders held in Palmer on July
9. it has been disclosed by Rob
ert A. Baker, president of the
bank. The two new members
are Robert A. Sheffield, vice
president and manager of the
Anchorage branch since its
opening in 1960, and James D.
Medema, president of Alaska
Sales and Service.
Sheffield has been active in
Alaska banking since 1951.
Prior to that time, he was with
the Bishop National Bank of
Honolulu, Hawaii. He is past
president of the Anchorage
chapter of the American In
stitute of Banking. He and his
wife, Pat. live at 3305 Turna
gain Blvd., North. They have
two sons and one daughter at
home, Robert, 11, Kim, 8. and
Suzanne, 9; also a married
daughter. Mrs. Jean Othic. and
a granddaughter.
Medema has been affiliated
with Alaska Sales and Service
since 1948 and is also president
of Kirk's Sales and Service in
Palmer. His election to- the
board occurred on his 41st
birthday. He and his wife,
Millie, live at 2307 St. Elias.
They have a son. Max, 9, and
a daughter. Donna, 8.
The two new members in
crease the board to 11 men.
Other members are Robert A.
Baker. Keith M. Lesh, Richard
M. Jones, William D. Renfro,
Asa L. Martin, M. D„ Albert
C Swalling, Ken C. Britt, Wal
ter Teeland, and James J. Hur
ley.
I or> Dec. 10, 1943, she has lived
in Alaska all her life. Her
mother was one of the original
colonists.
Five feet, five inches tall.
Susan has brown hair, blue
eyes, and a fair complexion
She weighs 125 pounds and her
vital statistics are 35-24-35.
She will utilize one of her
hobbies, roller skating, in the
; talent portion of the contest,
Her plans for the future in
clude further development ol
this skill.
Susan's high school activities
included band, chorus, pep
club. Future Homemakers ol
America, and the junior class
play.
This young woman’s many
nterests include water skiing
bowling, dancing, and jazz
music. “And I like people,” she
says. She is an active partici
pant in the Valley Theatre
Guild.
Miss Moffitt’s sponsors are
Kirk's Sales and Service anc
Walt Briggs Fuel.
C a r a 1 e e Kammermeyer
born Jan. 25 1946, in Grand
Rapids, Minnesota, is a Palmer
high school senior and wil
graduate in 1964. She is the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lee
(Continued on page 10)
DRAG RACES TO
BE HERE SUNDAY
Drag races will be run on £
portion of the Matanuska Roac
south of Palmer on Sunday
July 14. members of the Roac
Runners, Palmer drag racinp
club, announced this week. The
races, which will be sponsorec
by the Alaska Timing Associa
tion, will begin at 11 a.m. anc
continue to 5 p.m.
Permission has been grantee
by the state highway depart
ment to close off a section o:
the Matanuska Road at the
Hay Drier Road intersectior
; for the races, and a by-pas:
route for traffic has been se
up for the racing hours.
Admission to the races wil
I be $1 per person, with a SI
entry fee to be charged to par
ticipants. Refreshments will be
available.
Parking and spectator space
i has been arranged. Spectator:
are asked to abide by the regu
1 lations and to cooperate witl
I race officials.
Additional $80,000 Is
Approved for Local Sewers
CIVIC GROUPS
URGE CLEANUP
OF CITY AREA
A move to clean up Palmer’s
ragged edges was initiated this
week by a number of civic
organizations, including the
Palmer city council, the explor
er scouts, boy scouts, camp
fire girls, Palmer Lions club,
and Kiwanis.
Mayor Ralph Moore, point
ing out that numerous persons
will visit Palmer within the
next few weeks, proclaimed
“Clean Up Palmer Week."
starting Thursday, July 11, and
continuing through Tuesday.
July 16.
The civic groups will work
together to clean up the streets,
pick up refuse, mow lawns,
trim grass, and wash windows
of business places.
Particular trouble spots
which need attention were
pointed out, including vacant
lots which collect trash and
v, hich are overgrown with
weeds; yards enclosed by fen
ces, with weeds and grass
growing along the outside; and
refuse and weed growth in
alleys. Property owners were
reminded that, according to
city ordinance, they are re
sponsible for the condition of
the alley to the center line.
Property owners on Valley
. and Matanuska Streets were
invited to ask for the assist
: ance of city equipment in mow
ing their vacant lots. City
trucks will pick up trash on
Tuesday. July 16. Household
i ers and businessmen are asked
to place their refuse in con
. tainers.
The Road Runners have vol
unteered to paint the city
curbs, and the city council has
agreed to purchase the paint
for the project.
Will (over Half of
Trunk, Lagoon Cost
Palmer's new sewer system got an additional boost this
week when city manager Winston Gilchrist was informed by
a wire from U. S. Sen. Ernest Gruening of a new accelerated
public works grant of $80,000, roughly 20 per cent of the
cost of trunk sewers and sewer lagoons. The wire was read
at the July 9 meeting of the'
r'cumei v^ny ^uuiit'ii.
This is the second giant to
I the city of Palmer which has
1 been approved by the depart
ment of health, education, and
welfare for the projected sew
er system. The first, in the
amount of $120,000 or thirty
per cent of the cost of trunks
and lagoons, was approved last
December. The two grants
amount to 50 per cent of the
cost of this portion of the sew
er project.
Sports Car Race
A delegation from Valley
Sand and Gravel appeared at
the July 9 meeting of the coun
cil. to ask assistance in collect
ing a bill in the amount of
SI.224 for materials, which
the Alaska Sports Car Club
claims is the responsibility of
the Matanuska Valley Cham
ber of Commerce.
A motion was approved to
inform the Alaska Sports Car
. Club that the Palmer city
council can come to no agree
ment on permitting the pro
posed August races on Palmer
streets until the club shows a
, financial statement from t h e
first race and until assurance
is given by the club that the
Valley Sand and Gravel bill
i will be paid from proceeds of
! the next race. It was further
moved that the club agree to
control of all funds by a local
committee and that the races
be regulated by a local com
mittee.
Park Committee Report
Couneilmen Long and Frank
reported that several tables in
the park are broken, that there
appears to he an inadequate
supply of firewood, and that
the one water faucet on the
grounds is hidden by a pile
of brush.
Suggestions from the council
included the immediate con
struction of sanitary facilities
for the park. It was stated that
as many as seven campers in
a day have used the park fa
cilities. and that a health haz
ard will be created if this is
not done. It was agreed to run
(Continued on page 10)
REA Men Accept
Tour Invitation
REA officials who will meet
with local electric powrer agen
cies in Anchorage on Tuesday,
July 16. have consented to
come to the Matanuska Valley
for a tour of the area, accord
ing to a wire to the Matanuska
Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The wire stated that the
group's schedule of meetings is
not yet firm, but they will be
able to visit the Valley on
either July IT or 18.
Four PiEA representatives
from Washington. D. C. will
attend the Anchorage area
meetings. They are Richard H.
Wood. REA assistant adminis
trator: Louis Gorrin, director,
rural electric division, office of
the general counsel; Gerald F.
Diddle, director, western area
electric; and James Goodwin,
chief. procurement branch,
power supply division.
Weather Forecast
Rood for Weekend
Brome Harvesting
With generally fair weather
predicted through Sunday,
July 14, Matanuska Valley
farmers should have a good
chance to get their remaining
ororne and timothy stands har
vested, according to Paul
Pownall, agriculture statistic
an with the U. S. Department
rf Agriculture.
About half the hay crop in
he Valley has been cut. but
Aith showery weather on
July 1 and again over the
aast weekend, by yesterday
very little had dried enough
:o baie, the statistician report
ed.
Much of the brome and timo
:hy is short and thin, resoli
ng in low yield on the first
cutting. Pownall said. Also,
where the stand is thin, weeds
nave filled in. causing below
average quality in many fields.
Earliest potatoes in the Val
ley are beginning to bush out,
it was reported, with some po
tatoes the size of a walnut to
be found. A few farmers plan
to begin hilling by the end of
the week. Head lettuce will not
be ready to cut for another
week. Limited quantities of
cabbage, leaf lettuce, turnips
and mustard greens, w'hite tur
nips, green onions, and radish
es will be available at the road
side stands near Palmer this
coming weekend. Pownall -aid.
Sutton Plant Will Be Built,
O'Neill Tells Anchorage Group
The Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce was startled at its
Monday noon luncheon at the
Anchorage Westward Hotel
when Phil O'Neill, president of
MEA said. ‘‘It is not a question
of whether the Sutton mine
mouth power plant will be
built. It is merely a question of
by whom it will be built and
how soon.”
O'Neill stated that exhaus
tive efforts are being made and
will be made to have the Sut
ton Electrical Center built co
operatively with the REA.
"But if that does not work out.
private financing is available.
This private financing can be
available in sixty days time,"
O'Neill stated.
The Monday noon program
of the Anchorage Chamber
was devoted to "What’s Going
on in the Matanuska Valley':1"
Four person conducted the dis
cussion. Laura Barnes told of
the growing interest in the Ma
tanuska Valley Historical So
ciety Museum, the Independ
ence Ski area and lodge, $100.
000 in new home construction
in Palmer, and a private drag
strip to be built near the Kn;k
River Bridge.
Dale Tubbs, area forester,
state division of lands, stated
that Outside industry is in
^reas.ngly interested in 'he
hardwood forests of the Su
sitna basin.
“An inventory is now being
made of the marketable stands
of birch. With proper forestry
management the yield of Qual
ity birch per acre can be
greatly increased," Tubbs stat
ed.
He said that the Alaska
Hardwood Company would
market between 3 and 5 mil
lion board feet per year as a
starter. “White birch is much
in demand for furniture and
cabinetry. Our spruce forests
should be utilized for fibre
(Continued on page 10)
Sutton Electrical Center
■■>■ >?•. ^ ?<$$$:■''M
■
Painting Unveiled
ARTIST AL SPENSER OF LOS ANGELES, noted for
his realistic portraits of industrial plants, painted
this picture of the Sutton Electrical Center as it
will look when completed with 22 million watts
of power installed. It will be the most up to date
and efficient mine mouth power plant for its size
in the United states. Costing $7,200,000, it can
be in operation in less than two years after letting
of contracts.
The Sutton Electrical Center can be the foun
dation for a Matanuska Industrial Complex that
can include a cement plant, lumber manufactur
ing, coal tar derivatives, and agricultural process
ing. The center can be a catalyst for the Matan
uska and Susitna basins.
RAINBOW LAKE LOUNGE
BETWEEN WASILLA AND BIG LAKE JUNCTION
LIVE MUSIC - SATURDAY, JULY 13
By Moffitt & His Boys-Starts IG P.M.