•Annual senior play of
PHS in Gymnasium at
8 o'clock on April 29.
Malley Jrontiergnmn
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
Wasilla Grange social
at Community Hall,
beginning at 7 o'clock
on April 29.
VOL. THREE—NO. 32
PALMER. ALASKA. FRIDAY, APRIL 21. 1950
PRICE 10c
Airport Construction Gets Go-Ahead Sianal Here
Accountant Solves
High Rent Problem
A bookkeeper’s office on wheels
—that’s the newest business ven
ture in Palmer. The man,that
keeps the wheels wheeling, and
the books kept, is D. T. “Mac” Mc
Mahon.
Mr. McMahon specializes in
keeping the accounts of small
businesses which do not require
the full-time services of an ac
countant. He simply brings his
mobile office to the doorstep of
his temporary employer, rolls up
his sleeves and gets to work.
The office equipment of the
Palmer Bookkeeping Service, the
McMahon firm name, is mounted
on the bed of a pickup truck,
which -lias been remodelled to
shelter a working desk and cab
inets for the office machines need
ed in the business.
The one drawback to the office
on wheels is the difficulty of com
munication. Mr. McMahon hasn’t
solved the problem of telephone
connections yet, but he does pick
up his mail several times daily.
He can be reached through Gen
eral Delivery at the Palmer post
i office. Or a pickup truck with a
wallboard-enclosed bed, parked
in front of any one of several Pal
mer businesses, is usually a good
indication that McMahon’s wrestl
ing with figures at some not-too
distant spot.
Bank Has Installed
Safe Deposit Boxes
Safe deposit boxes are now in
stalled in the Matanuska Valley
Bank, Jack Maze announced this
week. Boxes, which number 68,
come in three sizes, he said. Val
ley residents interested in obtain
ing a box should sign up soon, it
was emphasized, since the num
ber available is limited.
P.-T. A. MOVIE SET
FOR NEXT TUESDAY
A P-TA-sponsored .movie, “The
Last Days of Pompeii,” will be
presented at the Valley Theatre
at 8 o’clock next Tuesday evening,
it was announced this week by
Charles Dillon, committee chair
man. Profits from the sale of
movie tickets, which cost a dollar
for adults, will be used to finance
projects for the various youth or
ganizations sponsored by the local
chapter of the P-TA.
Children of Palmer School will
attend an afternoon matinee at 2
o’clock.
An advance sale of movie tick
ets is now under way. The tickets
are being handled by the Seven
ty-Eighty-Niners, teen-age youth
organization sponsored by the
P-TA. Three prizes have been of
fered to the three top ticket-sell
ers, Mr. Dillon said.
I Club members also will take
charge of ticket-selling and usher
ing duties on the night of the
movie. Posters advertising the
movie were completed at school
art classes.
Or. Moore Unable to Me
j Here for Commencement
i Dr. Terris Moore, president of
| the University of Alaska, has
written that he will be unable to
accept the invitation of Palmer
: High School to make the com
mencement address here on May
| 17. He has suggested Dr. Lynn O.
i Hollist, head of the University’s
department of agriculture, as sub
! stitute.
' Dr. Hollist has been invited to
make the address, but his accept
I ance had not yet been received at
press-time.
All Seniors Work To Produce
Shivery Mystery On April 29
A pirate’s buried treasure on a
lonely island, haunted by owls,
bats, ghosts and the setting for
many a “boogersome” happening,
is the locale around which “De
t'mon in the Dark,” senior class
play, builds its story.
The play is to be presented in
the Gymnasium at 8 o’clock on
the evening of April 29. Reserved
seat tickets will go on sale next
Tuesday, and general admission
tickets will be on sale at the door
on play night.
Almost the entire senior class
will have a hand in the produc
tion of the play, either on the
stage or in behind-the-scenes ac
tivities.
Members of the play cast in
n elude:
Helen Mae Stenvall, Betty
Blunk, Henry Anderson, Barbara
; Hecker, Marilyn Harris, Larry
| Stock, Paul Barnhardt, Roberta
Hemmer, Kathleen Patten, Bobby
Call and Ronald Bouwens.
Aside from acting responsibili
ties, these seniors are handling
the following chores:
Helen Havemeister, tickets; Ra
j raona Davis, between-acts -enter
! tainment; Dolores Bouwens,
Charles Collins, prompters; Ed
ward Gaylord, Roger Woods,
lighting; Barbara Hecker, Larry
Stock, Helen Mae Stenvall, stage
r properties;
Marilyn Harris, Roberta Hem
mer, Kathleen Patten, Henry An
derson, stage setting; Janet Sher
! rod, ushers.
Typhoid Immunizations
To Be Given Next Week
There will be special lyphoid
immunizalion clinics at the
Health Cenler next week, it was
announced today by Miss Mar
jorie Myren, public health nurse.
On Wednesday. April 26.
there will be a special clinic for
adults wishing the typhoid im
munization. Clinic hours will
be from 7 to 9 p.m. in the
Health Center.
Pre-school children may get
their shots at the regular immu
nization clinic, to be held on
Tuesday of next week. Hours
are from 2 to 4 p.m. at the
Health Center.
School children are receiving
their first shots of the typhoid
series at school this week. Only
those children who have writ
ten permission from parents are
I being given the immunization.
BUDGET WOES
STILL PERPLEX
FAIR BOARD
Fair board members turned up
at Monday’s meeting with their
whittling knives, and went to
work on the recently completed
budget for the 1950 event. They
tentatively pared here and
trimmed there, in an effort to get
expenses down to the point where
they’ll be certain there will be no
deficit this season.
Aside from budget considera
tions, promotion plans occupied
most of the time of board mem
bers Clair Stock, Tom Lepak, Ilah
Senske, Merle Anderson and A1
Hagen.
Juan Miller, musician, attended
the meeting to present plans for
a community band, which he
hopes to have ready for fair-time
performance. Mr. Miller said he
expected this organization to be
able to present daily concerts on
the fair grounds, march in forma
tion at promotion parades, and to
make up a smaller unit which can
be used to attract crowds to spe
j eial events along the mid-way.
The board listened to Mr. Mil
ler’s plans and promised to let
him know later how they might
fit into the four-day fair program.
Mr. Hagen reported that of the
several vaudeville acts queried
about fair bookings, all would be
unavailable for the Valley’s fair.
Board members still are nego
tiating with the manager of the
donkey baseball concession and it
is believed that a contract can be
drawn up that will be mutually
agreeable. The board decided to
offer this concession the first $600
taken at the gate of the games,
and then to split the remaining
take at the gate, on an even fifty
fifty basis.
Mrs. C. F. Mielke was appoint
ed to the superintendent’s vacancy
i in the dressmaking department.
PHS SPRING CONCERT
TO BE TOMORROW
Parents and friends of students
of Palmer High School are re
minded that tomorrow evening is
j the date of the annual spring con
cert, presented by the school’s
music department.
Concert time is at 8 o’clock in
the Gymnasium. Tickets, which
cost a dollar for adults and 50
cents for students, will be on sale
at the door.
Music teacher and bandleader
Pul Bushong will present 124 stu
dents in a full evening’s program
of music. His planned program
includes band numbers, mixed
chorus songs, vocal and instru
mental solos and a group of num
bers presented by the A Capella
choir.
; The evening’s profits will go to
! ward the band’s uniform fund,
j Mr. Bushong said.
{Poppy Poster Winners
{Announced ot Assembly
Winners of the American Le
gion Auxiliary's poppy poster
contest were announced this
week by Mrs. Dana Niemann,
poppy chairman. Student ar
tists whose posters were judged
best are:
Carol Berry (Class I). Adelard
Beylund (Class II). Marilyn
Harris (Class III).
Students will be given their
prize awards at a special assem
bly. to be held this afternoon
at Palmer School.
IMPROVEMENTS TO BE
FINISHED IN 70 OATS
COMMISSIONER SAYS
| Culminating almost 10 years of
I continuous effort by community
: leaders to establish a first - rate
I airport in the Valley, paper’s were
signed in Anchorage yesterday
calling for improvements and ex
tensions to the existing runways
at the Palmer port. The contracts
completed recently between Tony
Schwamm, territorial commission
1 er of aviation, and the Palmer
j Construction Co., formally awards
the bid for improvement work to
the Palmer company.
Work will start immediately at
the airport, Mr. Schwamm said,
j Improvements planned include
j clearing and levelling of approach
: areas, extension of the north
south runway to a length of 3,750
i feet and extension of the easi
! west runway to a length of 4.900
feet.
The longer strip will equal
the length of Juneau's runway,
when completed, and will allow
DC-4s to land in Palmer, the
commissioner said.
The Palmer work is scheduled
to be completed in 70 days. How
ever it may not be possible to
push the job straight through 70
work days, Mr. Schwamm ex
plained. After clearing operations,
it may be necessary to wait for
! the ground to thaw more com
picteiy beiore beginning construc
tion on the runway proper.
"One thing, sure, you'll have
(Continued on Editorial Page)
Palmer Precinct Voters Will Cast
Ballots At Rec Hall Next Tuesday
I HURRAY—WE GOT 'EM
i At long last, they're here.
| Nine copies strong, the petition
! for the incorporation of Palmer
j has been received from the law
yer. It is now ready for circula
tion for signatures.
The petition will be available
at several local business estab
lishments, as well as circulated
from door to door. Anyone
overlooked in the door to door
canvass may sign a petition at
Variety Vogues, the Valley
Frontiersman, Matanuska Val
ley Bank, Palmer Drug Store or
Valley Grocery.
Each petition is accompanied
by a map of the area which it is
proposed to include in the in
corporated city.
Signers need not be property
owners nor electors. They must,
however, be bona fide residents
of the area to be incorporated.
Both husband and wife may
sign the petition, if they desire.
A list of 100 names is required
i for presentation to Third Dis
trict Court.
Vpllev residents, living within
the Palmer precinct, will vote in.
the former library at the Rec Hall
next Tuesday, at the territorial
primary election. Polls will be
open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Palmer precinct is bounded
1 bv the Talkeetna mountains on /
the north, by the Chugach moun
tains and Lake George on the
east, by Knik river on the south,
and by the Seward Meridian on
the west.
Tuesday’s ballot will carry the
names of two candidates for dele
gate to Congress, one candidate
for treasurer of Alaska, four can
didates for territorial commis
sioner of labor, four candidates
for seats in the territorial senate
. and 22 candidates for seats in the
house of representatives.
| Names of four Valley residents
appear on the ballot. Keinie
Snider, Republican, seeks a seat
in the senate, and M. D. Snod
grass. Republican, Jack Maze,
Democrat, and Betty Mears, Dem
ocrat, all are candidates for a
| house of representatives vacancy.