Maianutka Valiay
Fair. Sepl. L 2. 3
Eulley Mrontiergumu
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PAGES
TQBAY
VOL. 4. No. 51
PALMER. ALASKA. THURSDAY. AUGUST 30. 1851
PRICE. 10c
Annual Matanuska Valley Fair Opens Saturday
Dewey Impressed By
Valley Dairy Farms
The weather fouled up most of
the plans for Gov. Thomas Dew
ey s visit to Palmer Monday, au
tomatically cancelling the sched
uled Chamber of Commerce
luncheon and substituting a stay
of the whole party at the Mata
nuska Hotel Monday night.
After a morning of overcast
* skies and low ceilings which ob
scured entirely the surrounding
mountains, the sun burst forth
Monday afternoon mocking wel
come just before the Army Air
Force plane arrived from Nenana
at the Palmer Airport.
Governor Ernest Gruening
stepped off the plane first, fol
lowed by Governor Dewey, im
maculate in a gray-striped double
breasted suit and well polished
shoes. The New York governor
4urned on his famous smile and
described himself as glad that
they’d finally made it. He was
surprised to see the crowd await
ing him at the airport.
“Sorry we couldn’t get here
earlier”, he said, “but we heard
you were souped in down here.
We came as soon as we could.”
Then he asked about accomoda
tions for the night. Jack Maze as
sured him that accommodations
could be had at the hotel for the
whole party.
Eagerly Dewey met the assemb
led dignitaries many of whom
were presented by Gov. Gruen
ing; Walter Huntley, Jim Hurley,
Jack Maze, Don Irwin, Clair
* Stock, Dr. Lee McKinley, and a
host of others who had been wait
ing at the airport for nearly three
hours.
Graciously, he posed with Gov.
Gruening for photographs.
Gene Gyuriak and Fred and
Sara Machetanz snapped away
with profession! efficiency, but
Dewey waited while the ama
teurs got all the pictures they
wanted also.
Interested in Dairy Farms
Announcing that he was parti
> eularly interested in seeing some
of the Valley’s dairy farms, he
added in explanation, “Dairying
(Continued 0:1 Page 4)
r
1
Bernie Bouwens
New Police Chief
<c
Announcement by Council
man Lloyd Severns this morn
ing was the appointment of
Bernie Bouwens as chief of
police of the city of Palmer.
Bouwens will assume his
duties immediately on a 24
hour basis, seven days a week.
Severns and Frank Brown,
of the Council’s police and
safety committee, reached an
agreement with Bouwens after
his application for the job had
been discussed briefly at the
Council meeting last night.
t
Who Will be Queen of the Fair ? ? ?
TOP row, left to right: Agnes Bolokken, Joyce Hardage and Joan McNeese. Bottom row, left to
right: Hazel Barnhardt, Patricia Kirsch and Billie Jean Roark. Photos by Gyuriak
In spite of a later-than-usual
start this year, six Valley girls re
gistered and qualified as candi
dates for the honor of being
crowned Queen of the Matanuska
Valley Fair.
The six girls pictured on this
page have all worked hard. Rainy
weather and in most cases, no
sponsor, has made the ticket sell
ing a bigger task than in past
years. Previous to this year, spon
sors were required of each candi
date. However, board members
felt it would induce more girls to
enter the contest if sponsors were
not required this year. Until the
final count is made, it will not be
known how many tickets have
been sold, but it appears as
though as many will be sold as
in previous years.
The contestants have distribu
ted ticket books throughout the
Anchorage-Palmer a re a s and
some in Seward.
The total number of tickets
sold by each individual girl will
be a large determining factor in
the final choice for Queen. Ad
ditional requirements will fol
low those of last year. Judges
will be undisclosed, and not
known to the contestants or pub
lic before the coronation.
The coronation dance will be
held Saturday night. All queen
contestants have been asked to
be present by nine o’clock. Danc
ing will start at 9:30, with fined
judging and the coronation sched
uled for midnight. Dress for the
Queen candidate will be formal.
All tickets must be turned in
to Parker Lester, fair manager by
5 p. m. Saturday afternoon. In
addition to the $25 given each
girl as she qualified, she will re
ceive 10% of all her ticket sales.
The choice of a $200 wardrobe or
$200 in cash will go to the lucky
girl selected to reign over the
Fair.
WHO WILL BE QUEEN?
Agnes Bolokken
Miss Bolokken was the first
Valley girl to register as a queen
contestant and has qualified by
selling the required amount of
tickets. She works at Brown’s
cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred
Shop and makes her home with
Bratton. Miss Bolokken was
schooled in her native country,
Norway, where she attended the
Gubransdalen schools of trade.
Coming to America in 1950 she
spent two days in New York city,
one month at Seward and has
made her home in Palmer since
December 1950. She is 19 years
old, blond and has blue eyes.
Billie Jean Roark
The second Palmer girl to re
gister was Billie Jean Roark, 16
and a student at Palmer High
(Continued on Page 15)
Fair Program on Page 12
Hopes High for Fair
Weather in 3-Day Run .
Prediction of clear skies and
sunshine beginning tomorrow af
ternoon and lasting at least
through Labor Day may be wish
ful thinking on the part of Fair
Board president Clair Stock, but
he is certain today that this first
stretch of fair weather will bring
everyone flocking to the eleventh
annual Matanuska Valley Fair to
make it the biggest ever.
Parker Lester announced todav
that the Fair Grounds is ready
for exhibitors and visitors alike.
Housecleaning, repairing, remod
eling and refurbishing of grounds
have been completed. The B and
B Alaska Shows, merry-go-round,
ferris wheel and other carnival
attractions are ready to go.
By tomorrow night exhibitors
will have brought in the hund
reds of Fair premium entries,
ready for inspection by the judges
early Saturday morning.
Special exhibits are being read
ied by the Matanuska Valley
Health Council, the Alaska Certi
fied Seed Growers, the Valley
Sportsmen, The Extension Ser
vice, the Experiment Station, the
Soil Conservation Service, ths
Valley Breeders’ Assn, the
MVFCA creamery, and the Fire
Guard Station.
Livestock judging will begin at
10 a. m. Saturday as the Fair
opens its gates to the public.
Sports Events
The Fair sports program starts
with a half mile bicycle race, open
to boys and girls. E. W. “Shorty”
Moellendorf, local barber, is in
charge of all the sports events
in the fair. Two Anchorage teams
will play the opening game in the
Little Leaguer’s Tournament. Sat
urday afternoon at 1:30. Palmer’s
Little Leaguers will play at noon
Sunday with Bert Verrall, James
and Jerry Fogg, Russell and Jer
ry McKechnie, Everett Johnson
Michael Leek, Ira Curtis, Mark
Sandvik, Bobby Winegarner,
(Continued on Page 4)
Sales Tax
Starts Saturday
“All businesses and all per
sons offering services within
the meaning of Palmer City
Ordinance 10 are reminded
that they must start collecting
the Palmer City Ordinanc e
the 2% tax on sales and ser
vices on Saturday, Sept. 1,”
City Clerk Bill Head announc
ed today.
Rentals within Palmer are
also subject to the tax. Forms
and copies of the ordinance
will be distributed through the
mail this week. In the mean
time, a copy is located in the
Post Office as a matter of pub
lic information. Recent issues
of the Frontiersman carried
the entire ordinance.