1956 FAIR DAYS
HONORED PIONEERS
In 1956. the three days of the
fair were dedicated to indivi
duals who have made unlimit
ed contributions of themselves
and their time to the promo
tion and development of the
Matanuska Valley.
Saturday was named M. D.
Snodgrass Day; Sunday, Don
L. Irwin Day; and Monday,
Pioneer Day.
The Snodgrass Building, the
Fair Association’s first perma
nent exposition building, was
dedicated to Mr Snodgrass,
known as “M. D.” to many of
his friends, on the opening day
of the 1956 fair.
FOUR TIMES MORE PEOPLE CAME
TO FAIR IN 1961 TNAN IN 1951
Every year since 1936 dur
ing the Labor Day week-end.
Palmer suddenly ballons from
its normal size and for three
or four days, not only the fair
grounds, but the cafes, stores,
hotels, and amusement facil
ities bulge with visitors. The
size of the crowds visiting the
fair has increased almost four
fold in the last 10 years. In
1951 the fair staff estimated
the number of visitors at 8.000
and in 1961 the approximation
had leaped to 30,000 people.
Weather seems to cause a
variation from year to year,
but a comprehensive review
shows the steady climb in fair
visitors. In 1952 the crowd was
estimated at 6.400, and by 1954
the estimate was 15,000, an am
azing attendance record. The
fair board anounced a total of
13,741 visitors in 1958, climb
ing again to 15,000 in 1960.
After the record high in 1961,
25,000 people viewed fair ex
hibits last year.
Valley residents particularly
interested in fair activities are
already speculating. What do
you think? Will 1963 produce j
the largest crowds yet?
Most people are willing to
patch up a quarrel if they are
allowed to pick the patch.
First Fair Was on School Grounds;
Highway Bridge Opened Same Day
Come to the fair! Step right
up and get your ticket. Single
admission, day or night, only
75c. Children eight to 15 only
25c—one quarter of a dollar.
Children under eight—free.
How can you lose? Step right
up ... .
It’s Sept. 4, 1936, and we’re
at the first annual fair of the
Matanuska Valley Fair As
sociation. The fair is taking
Friday -
AUGUST 30
Saturday
AUGUST 31
-Sunday
SEPTEMBER I
■ Monday
SEPTEMBER 2
PALMER, ALASKA
You'll have a FUNder
ful time at the FAIRI
So much to see ... so
much to do ... so much
to enjoy . . . it's the high
spot of the year for
the whole family! This
year, bigger and bet
ter, more exciting, more
fun than ever. Don't
miss it!
3
• Horse Racing
• Displays
* Horse Shows
* Exhibits
“PIONEER PRODUCERS OF ALASKA’S FINEST COAL
SUTTON, ALASKA
AL 0-2020
place on the Central play
grounds and the portion of the
block east of the playground.
Inside Central, in the gymnasi
um, there are programs featur
ing music and vaudeville num
bers. The baby shows, queen
contest, and jitney dancing
are held there, too.
Today’s been a busy day.
Were you at the official open
ing of the Anchorage-Matan
uska highway? It was held out;
at the Knik River Bridge at!
10 o’clock this morning. Yes, \
the fair board members were
there, and at the grand open
ing at 11 a.m. No, the opening;
was in the auditorium.
What? Well, let’s see, M. D. ;
Snodgrass is president of the
board, Joe T. Flakne is vice
president, Ruth E. DeArmond
is secretary-treasurer, Luther
Weeda is treasurer, and Ross
Sheely, a director, has been
working hard along with them.
Its quite a show they’ve put
| together. Have you seen the
exhibits yet? Come on, I’ll give
you a tour. We have a vege
| table, a livestock, a poultry,
i and an individual farm and
i garden display. Yes, these are
j especially interesting. They
! show what we’ve been accom
1 plishing here in the colony.
Over here the women have
: been working hard. They've set
up culinary, home canning,
handicraft and needlework,
and floral exhibits. These de
i partments, mines and minerals,
i furs, and Indian crafts displays,
; are outstanding. One other
thing you shouldn’t miss is the
baby shows tomorrow and
Monday afternoons.
Say, why don’t you join our
team for the ball game at 2
WINNER OF STATE FAIR RAFFLE
WILL GET RAVEN APACHE CAMPER
Someone will win a Raven [
Apache camper at the annual
Alaska State Fair raffle draw
ing which is traditionally held
on Labor Day, the last day of
the fair.
The camper sleeps four per
sons comfortably, has plenty
of storage room for the fam
ily, yet is so light even Mom
can lift it. The Raven is built
for travel everywhere, and has
a special high speed undercar
riage.
The living area of the camp
er when erected is 11 feet, 7
inches wide, 6 feet, 3 inches
deep, and 7 feet high at its
peak. The pearl gray colored
tent which fastens securely to
the trailer body has a self
supported bow system. Equip
ped with two panoramic win
dow's of heavy duty nylon
screen, and No. 7 heavy duty
zipper the tent is made of
mildupelle treated tent twill
(10 ounce ceiling and 8.4 ounce
side wall).
THREE WON TRIPS
IN 1949 FAIR
Three Alaskans won free
trips for their participation in
i the 1949 Matanuska Valley
Fair festivities.
Miss Lavon Roetman was i
chosen Miss Alaska Statehood j
i and received as her prize a trip I
to Hollywood. She was the:
guest of Crosby Enterprises.1
and visited both the Paramount
and Walt Disney studios. As a j
special gift, the Anchorage and
Valley merchants gave Miss
Roetman a wardrobe, jewelry,
and luggage for her trip.
Miles Brandon, a young Es
kimo tenor, won the talent con
j test which was held that year,
j He visited and toured New
York under the guidance of
opera star Marita Farrell. As
a reminder that Alaska is not
as frozen as many people im
agine, Brandon, after a fran
, tic search in Anchorage shops,
| went to New York parka-less.
' His opinion was, “It’s ridicu
lous to think of an Eskimo in
New York City without a par
ka.”
The third prize-winner, for
the best farm and garden dis
play, was Max Sherrod, who
went to Chicago — after the
harvesting was finished.
FAIR WILL OFFER
VARIETY OF FOODS
Hungry? Got a yen for pizza,
homemade chili, or maybe
soft ice-cream? These dishes
are just a few of those that will
be available to the 1963 fair
visitors.
The traditional carnival foods
—hot dogs, hamburgers, pronto
pups, soft drinks, and sno
cones will again be on sale.
Barbecues, tacos, fried pies,
and fudge from a famous West
Coast candy maker, all vended
by various local organizations,
will tempt passers-by.
For an early morning break
fast or an after dinner snack
a tasty choice could be home
made doughnuts matched with
hot coffee.
So even though the dining
hall has been converted to
youth organizations displays,
no one will go hungry at the
fair this year.
'MORE THAN ALASKA
Montana, averaging 550
mlies in length and 275 miles
in width, has 7403 miles of pav
ed highways.
The Apache Raven’s road
height is 41 inches, its net
weight is 425 pounds, it has
35 cubic feet of storage space,
it has over 29 square feet of
floor space (four feet between
the beds), and its recommend
ed carrying weight is a maxi
mum of 300 pounds. The two
44 inch 74 inch permanently
made-up beds are made even
more comfortable by the op
tional polyfoam mattresses in
cluded in the prize by the fair
board.
The natural finished alum
inum trailer body, which is 87
inches long and 57 inches wide,
has a steel x-frame. Down be
low there is a solid steel axle,
high-speed timken tapered rol
ler bearings, two 4-leaf
! springs, 4.80/4.00 by 8-inch 4
ply tube-type tires (hi-speed),
and demountable 4-lug wheels.
Other features of the trailer
body and chassis are a remov
able steel tongue, a quick coup
ling hitch, a ridge rear door
(double panel), 4 quick adjust
a-level legs, auxiliary safety
chains, directional signals,
stop and tail lights, and a %
inch plywood bottom complete
ly wood life treated. All steel
parts are epoxy coated.
A 13-ounce vivatex treated
army duck travel cover with
lap fold seam tops off this
year’s grand prize—The Ap
ache Raven Camper.
o'clock this afternoon? Good'
See you at the game—what?
Yes, there are picture shows
at the theatre every night of
the fair. They start at 7:15—
and then at 9:30 everyone can
come over to the auditorium
for the special fair entertain
ments.
We’ve got a busy week-end
ahead, don’t we? Well, see you
this afternoon.
1953 QUEEN WAS
BETTY BLUNCK
No doubt many of the Val
ley long time residents will, as
they visit the fair grounds and
go to the 1963 fair activities,
think back to earlier fairs. At
the coronation ball, they will
remember other balls and oth
er queens. Let’s take a visit
back to 1953, Saturday night,
and see what the still popular
queen contest was like ten
years ago.
The Central school gymnasi
um where the ball is being
held is packed to over flow
ing. There's hardly dancing
room. Nine girls were sponsor
ed for the contest this year,
and Betty L. Blunck has been
chosen queen. That’s Betty
over there in the purple velvet
robe trimmed with white er
mine. As queen, Betty will at
tend several parties in her hon
or, and her prize is $200 plus
$80 for ticket sales. Each girl
had to sell 250 fair tickets to
qualify.
The method by which the
queen is selected is interesting.
There are three catagories, tic
ket sales, judge’s selection, and
candidates selection. Betty
became queen because she
amassed the highest joint score.
She was second in ticket sales,
but first in popularity with the
girls and the judges.
Coming back to 1963, Betty
is now Mrs. Robert Stapleton
of Ashland. Kentucky. Her
husband works as a chemist,
and Betty, though not working
at present, is a registered
nurse. The Stapletons have
three children: Mary, four;
Kathy, three; and Mark, one.
Betty’s sponsor was the Mat
anuska Valley Co-op, now Ma
tanuska Maid, Inc.
INTO PACIFIC
Wyoming sends its waters
into the Pacific, the Gulf of
California and the Gulf of
Mexico.
1963 ALASKA STATE FAIR MANAGER
LOWELL "CURLY" SUTTON
He’s got a lot of “fish to
fry”, might be one way to say
that Lowell “Curly” Sutton,
manager of the ft63 Alaska
State Fair, Inc. is the busiest
man around the fair grounds
these days, and has been since
he was appointed by the fair
board early in the spring.
Curly’s problems and projects
range from the construction of
a new midway to lining up en
tertainment for the grandstand
programs.
Besides his job as manager of
the 1963 fair, Mr. Sutton is the
owner and operator of Curly’s
T.V. and Palmer Skateland.
He and his wife Barbara, and
two sons, Michael, 14, and Lo
well junior, 6V4, who make
their home on Springer Road,
have lived in the Valley four
years.
The Sutton family came to
Alaska from Louisville, Ken
tucky, where Curly owned and
operated a T.V. repair shop
and was manager of the ser
vice department for an appli
ance center.