Peek at the Past: A look back in Mat-Su's history

As it appeared in the Jan. 18, 1961 edition of the Frontiersman:

Alaska State Fair designation sought for Matanuska Valley

Directors of the Alaska State Fair Inc. will ask this session of the Legislature to designate this area as the site of the official Alaska State Fair. At the present time, there is no designated site for a state fair.

To this end, Rep. Jalmar Kerttula will offer a bill in the House during the session, which opens in Juneau next week.

Members of the local fair board are urging complete areawide support for the proposal.

Borough reports

Mrs. Lucy Mick made a report to the Chamber of Commerce on recent meetings regarding the proposed formation of boroughs in this section of Alaska. The meetings were held in Anchorage.

Mrs. Mick said that many studies have been made by committees appointed for specific phases of the program and that four major proposals have resulted.

In 1962, you could get a 5-pound bag of sugar for 69 cents, 4 pounds of margarine for 99 cents and three pears or three peaches for a dollar at D&A Grocery.

At the Independence Ski Area, the road was reported in very good condition, which is good considering the special $1 oven-fried chicken, salad and toast meal offered to skiers.

In the classified sections, you could find a 1946 Jeep with a snow plow for $500 and a top-of-the-line 1961 Falcon, with all the extras, for $2,050.

If you were looking to rent, there was a two-bedroom home available for $75 a month -- $125 if you wanted it furnished. The legals were filled with notices of people recording their homesteads around the Valley.