Spring Concerts
Scheduled by
Choral Society
Firial preparations are being
made for the annual spring con
cert tour of the Kenai Peninsula
Choral Society. This group, un
der the direction of Thane Curry
of Ninilchik, and accompanied by
Mrs. Curry, now boasts a mem
bership of 35.
Many new faces will be seen
and voices heard as the choir
journeys to Ninilchik Saturday,
May 11, 8 p.m. for a concert at
the Methodist Church.
The following Tuesday night,
May 14, the choir will present a
concert to the citizens of Soldotna
and surrounding area. This con
cert will be held at the Soldotna
Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
The choir will appear at the
Kenai High School auditorium,
Friday evening, May 17, 8 p.m.
The final concert of the season
will be held at Seward, First Me
thodist church, 8 p.m., Saturday,
May 18. This will be the choir’s
first trip into the Seward area
and all members eagerly await
this trip.
In addition to new faces, the
choir will feature a wide variety
of music, which it is hoped will
satisfy all patrons, whatever their
tastes. Choral works from Bach,
Beethoven, Ralph Williams, Clar
ence Dickinson, and many other
well known composers will be fea
tured.
The choir will perform Peter
Wilhousky’s “Battle Hymn of the
Republic”, and an arrangement of
“Oklahoma Medley”, by Richard
Rodgers. Special solos by Mrs.
Barbara Banta of Ninilchik, and
Mrs. Dorothy Jackson will be
familiar tunes from light operas.
Mrs. Banta and Mrs. Jackson will
also sing a duet.
Alaska’s per capita personal in
come average of $2,610 in 1962 re
flected a 3 per cent drop from the
Alaska average of $2,692 in 1961.
Reasons for Move to Incorporate
Given by Kenai Borough Proponents
some of the reasons for want
ing a separate “Kenai Borough”
as given by the group circulating
the petitions are as follows:
“1. For many years, the main
borough function will be the re
sponsibility of schools. We feel
local government means just that
and that a local school board can
function more harmoniously than
one which takes in monstrous ter
ritories and schools from such
varied locales that they have few
problems in common. In the Kenai
Borough, there will be one area
wide high school; thus, our elect
ed school board will be directly
concerned with it. A school board
that would have to cover from
Hope, to Seward, to Seldovia, and
a single superintendent, who
would have to administer these
schools, w'ould be greatly hamp
ered by distance and different
problems.
“2. We are concerned with ex
pense and taxes. We feel an as
sembly from an area such as the
proposed Kenai Borough could
meet more simply, more econom
ically (such as a city council). If
we went to a Peninsula-wide bor
ough, it would be a miniature
Juneau. It would mean people
having to stay away from home
to attend the sessions, perhaps
assembly jobs going only to those
people who could afford to be
away from home for days or
weeks at at time. We want local
government and representation
from all walks of life.
“3. We feel an economic and
cultural affinity on the west side
of the mountains, facing Cook In
let, that does not include Seward.
For almost 200 years, Kenai, Ka
silof, and other points along the
Inlet have received their liveli
hood and their cultural heritage
from Cook Inlet. It remains so
today: nearly all our economic
factors face the Inlet — the dock,
refinery, pipeline, and shipping
of oil at Nikiski, and the beach
North Kenai Man Named
To Conservation Board
Ray Williams of North Kenai
(Holt Road) has accepted an ap
pointment as alternate supervis
or on the Kenai-Kasilof Soil Con
servation Subdistrict board of su
pervisors. This action, taken at
the regular monthly subdistrict
Crowther Accepts
A.R.R.C. Position
George S. Crowther, presently
employed as loan examiner with
the Alaska Division of Agricul
ture, is resigning, effective May
1, to accept an appointment as
manager of the Alaska Rural Re
habilitation Corporation on May
20 in Palmer. The previous man
ager resigned recently to become
manager of the Alaska Hardwood
Co. at Wasrlla.
Crowther has been with the Di
vision of Agriculture since 1951
(it w'as the Department of Agri
culture under Territorial status)
when he was appointed as an ag
ricultural inspector. He has been
loan examiner since 1958 and was
also acting director during the in
terim of James Wilson’s resigna
tion and the appointment of Sig
mund H. Restad.
Crowther was well known by
farmers throughout the state, in
cluding those on the Kenai Penin
sula.
The cost per prisoner day
^he Nome (Alaska) State Jail
$8.50.
i
meeting April 4, establishes North
Kenai representation on the sub
district board.
Ray is invited to participate in
all subdistrict activities. He will
also assume direct responsiblity
for scheduling and managing sub
district rental machinery in use in
the North Kenai community.
Other business at the meeting
included consideration and ap
proval of a subdistrict statement
supporting present moose man
agement programs — machinery
insurance needs — subdistrict
management problems — and ap
proval of subdistrict membership
applications from John Hall (Sol
dotna) and Roger Crosby (North
Kenai). The second issue of the
Kenai-Kasilof newsletter was
printed for distribution April 15.
William B. Oliver, State Conser
vationist, discussed U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture programs
which may be useful on the Kenai
Peninsula. Oliver reported that
Orville Freeman, Secretary of
Agriculture, may accept an invita
tion to confer in Alaska with sub
district supervisors and other ag
ricultural leaders. This invitation
to Secretary Freeman has been
extended by the three peninsula
subdistricts.
Supervisors and alternates pre
sent at the meeting were: I. J.
Charlton, Sterling; Homer Swires,
Kenai; Ed Meyer, Kenai; Dick
Hills, Soldotna; Kack Bradford,
Sterling, and Ray Williams North
Kenai. Tom Denman, Kalifonsky
Beach, was unable to attend.
Ed Meyer’s Ridgeway Feed Co.
KENAI SPUR ROAD
Complete Line of
Feeds and Hay
BOX 21 PHONE
SOLDOTNA 283-7665
and drift fishermen from Clam
Guleh to Boulder Point to the fish
canneries, located mainly at Ke
nai. Soldotna and Sterling are our
gateways to the drilling indus
tries connected with the oil in
dustry.
“4. We feel that Kenai should
logically be the borough seat. It
is the only first class city in the
pronosed area and, as such, has
already been shouldering taxes:
sales taxes and property taxes—
which shows more than anything
else that people are willing to
share and undertake burdens. Hit
ting the pocketbook separates the
talkers from the doers. We are
supporting our schools. Kenai has
the only jail on the Kenai Penin
sula built to specifications. We
have a Deputy Magistrate’s of
fice with all the recordings, etc.
We cannot help but feel that,
eventually, all records will be
consolidated into the records at
the borough seat (as a county seat
other places). This is one reason
for choosing the present Kenai
Recording Precinct. Leaving the
recording boundaries alone will
prevent years and many dollars’
worth of troubles if they ever get
scrambled. Kenai is also central
ly located, not only by highway
but also by water. We can see our
neighbor community-points: Ka
silof, Cohoe, the inset at Clam
Gulch — clear to the Ninilchik
point. Cook Inlet, the Kenai Riv
er and Kenai are the center of
the summer’s activity. Ship and
boat travel is once again becom
ing primarily important — as it
always has been to the fishermen.
In 1962 there were 1,041 vessels
licensed to fish in Cook Inlet and
a considerable number of these
are in Kenai at one time or ano
ther during the season. Kenai as
a borough seat would not require
the building of a ‘borough build
ing’ for years and years. We have
all we would need for a long time.
“5. We do not feel we are be
ing ‘provincial’ in wanting a
‘small borough.’ The proposed Ke
nai Borough is roughly 2,500
square miles — larger than some
states. The borough line is not a
national line — we feel we can
cooperate with our sister com
munities whether they are in our
borough, or another. We are not
seceding from Alaska: we can
think ‘just as big’ in a Kenai Bor
ough as in a borough many times
that size (From that line of rea
soning, why not think ‘real big’
and just have all Alaska one
borough ?) We feel boroughs were
meant to provide local govern
ment and control. We feel the Ke
nai Borough wdll do just that.”
The Kenai Office
OF THE
Alaska State Bank
Is now open From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
on FRIDAY EVENINGS
Regular Hours 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
KENAI
PHONE 283-7545
CHEECHAKO NEWS ONLY $5.00 A YEAR—SUBSCRIBE NOW
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GAS • OIL • FUEL OIL • PROPANE
SPACES AVAILABLE IN
OUR TRAILER COURT
BOB. RAY and SHORTY NORDGULLEN
RIDGEWAY PHONE 262-4459
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• •
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
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