rt At Two o'Clock Ceremonies Sat. Sept. 2
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HICS
r AT PALMER
-\ STRIPS
. 4,900
. 3,750
150
. 120
37
75,000
20,000
75
6,000
2,000
3,000
/VW7T7T7V Art
were those of Mr. and Mrs. Wal
ter Huntley, followed by the
names of Mr. and Mrs. L. C.
Stock.
New subscribers have swelled
the membership rolls of the Pal
mer Airport Association in later
years, the last name on the list
being that of Betty Mears, who
bought her interest in Palmer’s
airport in August of 1946. Nearly
$5,000 has been raised through
stock sales, since the first certi
ficate was issued on May 17, 1945.
Using subscribed funds, and
added money made available la
ter through the office of terri
torial highway engineer Leonard
Smith, and later Frank Metcalf,
work on the long-awaited airport
began.
Runway Ready In 1946
By 1946, a 2,610-foot north
south runway was ready for use.
The east-west runway, planned
to fce 4,400 feet long, was still
under construction, but was
scheduled for completion in the
fall of 1947. Fuds ran out again
before the runway was com
pleted. Colony Day proceeds in
1948 helped to pay for still more
land needed at the airport, but
still the money was not enough
to buy a finished airport for Pal
mer. Federal matching funds, ex
pected to help finance the air
port work, were tied up and un
available to the community.
The project dragged until last
year, when Clair Stock and Clay
ton Esslinger, making a trip to
Washington, D. C., to press Pal
mer’s case for the Alaska Native
Service Hospital, also laid the
groundwork for renewed airport
work. From that meeting, came
CAA and governmental approval
of even more extensive plans for
the Palmer Airport.
Early this year, the territorial
commissioner of aviation, Tony
Scj&wamm called for bids on the
sextension and improvement of
Palmer’s two runways. The Pal
mer Construction Company was
low bidder among seven, asking
$121,227.70 for the job.
Bid Award in April
On April 20, Mr. Schwamm an
nounced in Anchorage that a con
i tract, assuring Palmer an airport
of DC-3 size, in 70 working days
this summer, had been signed.
Both of the present runways at
the Matanuska Valley Airport, J
Rocket-Launching Bazooka Headlines Display
Of Army Equipment Shown on Fairgrounds
The new super-bazooka, a rock
et-launching gun, is only one o
! the many new Army weapons oi
! display at the Matanuska Valle?
i Fair this year. The Fair will b<
; the first public appearance ir
j Alaska for the bazooka, it was re
I ported by Lt. David W. Affleck
! officer in charge of the troop:
! quartered here with the Armj
display. The gun has been fai
too busy knocking out Red tank
in Korea to make many public ap
; pearances.
There are 10 different types o:
infantry weapons and two anti
aircraft guns on display in tht
Armys exhibit located at the easl
boundary of the Fairgrounds. Tht
display also includes a recoil-less
rifle that will be new to Alaskans
Other units of the Army’s dis
play include machine guns and
mortars. The anti-aircraft guns
will be of 40 and multiple 50 mil
limeter caliber.
Highlight of the Army’s dis
play will be a twice-daily demon
stration flight of a ground-con
trolled pilotless plane. This plane
a sturdy five-footer, will be
when finished, will allow DC-3s
to land, the commissioner said.
Thus, when the Matanuska Val
ley Airport is dedicated in cere
monies at the junction of the run
ways at two o’clock tomorrow,
there will be much greater cause
for celebration than the success
ful completion of a summer’s
work. The Matanuska Valley Air
port has required almost 10 years
of unceasing effort from its back
ers, and has squeezed from them
dollar after dollar for its mainte
nance. But members of the Pal
mer Airport Association who at
tend tomorrow’s ceremony won’t
remember the hard work and the
constant worry over money,
though. As they stand at the junc
tion of two landing strips tomor
row, they’ll be remembering a
map-maker’s dream of 10 years
back, and they’ll be silently and
deeply gratified that there still
are those who have the courage
to dream.
• ! launched with a catapult and will
L be directed in flight with radio
1 controls operated by an officer
on the ground.
The anti - aircraft guns will
1 track the plane through the air
during these daily demonstra
’ tions. The plane demonstrations
’ are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 3
p.m. on Saturday through Mon
day, weather permitting. The
plane will not be launched if
weather conditions are not right
. for the flight.
In addition to the combat
, equipment, the Army display at
the Fairgrounds includes a field
kitchen, equipped with regular
field ranges and supplied with
field rations. The kitchen on dis
play here could serve 200 men,
under field conditions, Lieutenant
* Affleck said. Troop quarters also
are set up on the Fairgrounds to
house the 55 men who accompa
nied the display to Palmer.
Enlisted men will be on duty
beside each piece of equipment
on display, in order to explain
its operation to Fair visitors.
Les Green Is Valley's
First Commercial Pilot
Leslie Green, local pilot who
makes his home beside the
north-south runway of the Pal
mer Airport, was the first com
mercial flyer to base planes on
the local port. Mr. Green came
to Palmer shortly after the first
runway, was finished in 1946,
and has been engaged in com
mercial flying here since that
time.
Mr. Green is a flight instruc
tor as well as pilot.
Palmer Students to Have
Half Day Session On Tuesday
Students at Palmer School will
enjoy a half - day session next
Tuesday morning, the first day of
the new fall term, Superintendent
William T. Zahradnicek said
buses would return the rural resi
dents to their homes at noon.
Wednesday will be a day-long
■session.
PREMIUM LIST ADDITIONS
The following information was omitted from the 1950 edition
of the Fair’s premium list. It is reprinted in the column below,
since the Fair board plans to publish no program supplement this
year.
DIVISION O
BOOTH EXHIBITS OF HOMEMAKERS' CLUBS
Score Card
Power to arouse interest . 20
Practical value of material exhibited . 20
Emphasis upon one central idea . 10
Artistic value . 20
Color combination
Balance of arrangement
Suited to space and size of booth
Well-made posters
Quality and suitability of exhibit material. 10
Clear explanation of practice exhibited . 10
Booth always ready for inspection . 10
TOTAL .100
Prizes
1st 2nd 3rd
Best booth exhibit.$15.00 $10.00 $5.00
4-H CLUB TEAM DEMONSTRATIONS
Saturday
(At 4-H Club Quonset)
Baking and Clothing, 1-3 P.M.
Monday
(At Poultry Building)
Poultry, 1-2:30 P.M.
Prizes
Best demonstration
$3.00 $ 2.00
$1.00
New We Dredge Up Siiii More Dirt
Matanuska River gravel is Ihe basis of the 20.000 yards of stabil
ized gravel spread on the surfaces of the two runways at the
Palmer Airport. Contractors built a road down to the riverbed,
at the west end of the longer runway, and installed a dragline
at their source of supply, only a few minutes' haul from airport
operations.—(Photo by Palmer Studios).
Then Spill II Over Airport Soil
A truck-load of river gravel spills onto the surface of the north
south runway at Palmer Airport. It will be graded and mixed
with the powdery soil beneath, and worked to a hard, smooth
surface, solid enough to stand up under the wheels of a loaded
DC-3 freighter.—(Photo by Palmer Studios).
Last We Mix and Mix and Presto! An Airport
A grader inches along on Palmer Airport, busy at the endless
finishing job of smoothing and stirring the gravelled surface
to a proper airport appearance. Pioneer Peak is peering from
behind a cloud cover in the background, to watch the day-by
day emergence of an airfield.—(Photo by Palmer Studios).