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

As it appeared in the Sept. 14, 1967 Frontiersman

29,000 total fair attendance

Total figures on attendance at the Alaska State Fair both Labor Day weekend and last weekend indicate that between 28,000 and 29,000 people passed through the gates.

The dream of year-round operation of the new fairgrounds for various events appears a little closer to reality with the scheduling of wheeled dog sled races at the grounds next Sunday.

Engineer sees delay in airport completion

Fears that the construction of improvements at the Palmer Airport may not be completed before inclement weather sets in were expressed to the city council Tuesday by the project engineer.

Colder temperatures will not allow for the "shooting" of asphalt. Not many warm days remain, the project engineer said.

High school

enrollments up

With enrollment up in some schools, down in others, total figures show an increase of four pupils over last year, Vondolee Page, assistant superintendent of Mat-Su borough schools, said this week.

Page emphasized, however, that enrollment figures change very rapidly.

The total figure for 1967-68 was 1,695; the figure for 1966-67 was 1,691.

In the TV listing section of the newspaper, you could find shows such as Hogan's Heroes, Family Affair, Gunsmoke and Mission: Impossible listed.

At the Center Theatre in Palmer, the hot movies were "Living It Up," starring Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, and "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof," starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Burl Ives.

At D&A Super Store, you could buy T-bone steaks for $1.59 a pound and beef roast for $1.29 a pound.

If you were looking for a place to stay, you could rent a two-bedroom, furnished apartment in Palmer for $165 a month or a partly-furnished two-bedroom house on Knik-Goose Bay Road for $75 a month.

A four-plex unit in Wasilla was listed for sale for only $19,000-- a number at least 10 times cheaper than today.

In the classified section, you could buy a 1957 Chevy hardtop for $600.