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The David Keener family stands in front of the tent
camper in which they spent seven nights on the trip from
Alaska Family Ends Long Camping
Trip With Family Visit In Perry
BY MAXINE THOMPSON
After spending seven days
driving and seven nights
camping in a tent on the
way from Fairbanks, Alaska
to Perry, Georgia, the David
Keener family arrived just
in time to experience 100-
plus degree heat.
Relaxing at the home of
Mrs. Keener’s parents, Mr.
and Mrs. George H. Malone
at 1105 Jewel Drive, their
comment was, “this heat is
killing us?” They have lived
in Alaska since 1957 when
Mr. Keener was stationed
there while he was in serv
ice. He had been in Alaska
since 1952, and when his fam
ily arrived and adjusted so
well he went into civil serv
ice and they just stayed
there.
The four Keener children,
Becky 13, Carol 7, Billy 5,
and Linda 2, find that there
is never a dull moment in
the modern city of Fair
banks. Just about anything
that is available in Georgia
is available there, and more.
They have two TV stations
plus educational TV, movies,
and three radio stations in
cluding a Christian radio
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station. They ski and skate,
play hockey, and swim. Be
cause there is so much water
around, swimming is taught
as a part of the regular
curriculum at the junior
high and high schools there.
Smaller children can take
lessons in summer. Kinder
garten is part of the school
system.
Chosen an All-American
City in 1968, Fairbanks is a
young people’s place, with
few old people. The Keeners
explained that this is be
cause of the settlement pat
tern of servicemen, skilled
civil service and other civi
lian workers, and the fact
that old people don’t usually
migrate toward a cold cli
mate to retire.
It is also an expensive
place to live. A loaf of bread
is 55 cents, a half gallon of
milk costs $1.09. To rent a
three-bedroom house, the
cost is S3OO or more per
month, plus utilities. Trailer
spaces alone run $125 per
month plus utilities, which
run very high. A normal win
ter light bill will run from
$40 —$50, whhile in summer
it may drop to $10 —$20.
Fairbanks, Alaska, to Parry. L. to r. ara David Kaanar,
Becky, and Mrs. Keener; front, Linda, Billy and Carol.
The temperature has drop
ped to 40 below zero twice
since the Keeners have had
children in school, but they
have never missed a day due
to cold or snow. They ride
a bus now (they actually live
in College, a small town at
the edge of Fairbanks) but
used to walk through the
snow and it didn’t bother
them at all.
Mr. and Mrs. Keener, like
the rest of the residents,
hunt and fish to store away
a winter supply of food. The
family still talks about the
big buffalo Mrs. Keener bag
ged one year, and moose is
a common source of meat.
They also grow vegetables
during the approximately 55
day growing season. During
the months of June and July
when there is no darkness
and the sun shines 24 hours
a day, some vegetables grow
to fantastic size, like the 42
pound prize cabbage some
one exhibited one year. To
matoes, broccoli, potatoes,
peas, and corn also flourish.
May and August have days
and nights similar to those
here.
On June 21 the Midnight
Sun baseball classic is play
ed each year, beginning at
10:30 p. m. The Gold-Fanners
play semi-pro or college
teams and have even gone
international, defeating a
team from Japan. Tom Seav
er of the New York Mets
was a former player for the
Gold-Panners.
There are many other
sports events and festivals
that the Keeners enjoy
watching each year. Golden
Days, a whole week at the
last of July, is devoted to
old costumes and a celebra
tion of the initial gold strike
made by Felix Pedro in 1867.
Within a year of that date,
Fairbanks was incorporated
with a population of 1,000,
387 homes, a newspaper,
laundry, and a large number
of saloons. P ’I of the old log
cabins that were left were
moved a few r years ago to
an area called Alaskaland
for a permanent display ex
cept the Chamber of Com
merce, a log building with
a sod roof that has to be
mowed regularly.
There is the Equinox Mar
athon, a 26 mile running
race, a 50 mile raft race
down the Tannana River;
championship sled dog races;
snowmobile races; and the
Yukon 800 Marathon river
boat race, which winds over
a grueling course over three
rivers, the Yukon, Tannana
and Chena and takes about
20 hours to complete.
Eskimos carve and sell
ivory and iade; thev have
Eskimos carve and sell
ivory and jade; they have
their Eskimo Olympics where
some of their activities in
clude tossing a man on a
warlus hide blanket and do
ing a high-kick of a rolled
up sealskin from standing
flat-footed.
The Keeners find that
churches of any denomina
tion or sect you can name
are represented, as well as
all civic organizations. When
Mrs. Malone visited them
she was pleasantly surprised
to find an Eastern Star chap
ter, of which she is a mem
ber. They have a concert
series, and their violinist,
Paul Rosenthal, will be in
competition in Moscow this
year.
David Keener, who works
at Ft. Wainright, an Army
base, enjoys taking several
days off just to hunt and
fish for pleasure. Outsiders
are always amazed at the
beauty of the land in sum
mer, with wild flowers
blooming in profusion along
the coutryside, and he likes
to show gorgeous color pic
tures of his home area.
When the Centennial Ex
position was held in Fair
banks in 1967, the population
was listed as 19,898 with 67,-
096 in the trading area of
227,000 square ‘miles. False
rumors circulated recently
by a magazine article has
caused an influx of workers
expecting to make $9 per
hour working on a pipe line
which has not been started
or even granted permission
to start as yet, and a critical
unemployment situation ex
ists, for this reason alone.
Because of the fabulous
growth and modernization of
Fairbanks each year, the
Fairbanks Daily News Miner,
a thoroughly modern news
paper, puts out an annual
progress edition. When the
Keeners start back home,
their folks won’t be laboring
under the delusion that
they’re going to the Alaskan
wilds. They know that our
49th state is right up front
with the best of them.
Tell us who is your can
didate. Write us a letter.
IRVA’S
BEAUTY SHOP
Styles
PH: 987-2516 Perry, Ga,
100 Marshallville Road
Area Medical Society
Opposes Rock Festival
In Letter To Editor
Dear Editor:
Despite all attempts by
various persons, groups and
parties to prevent sueh, it
appears that the planned
“Rock Festival” will be held
at the Middle Georgia Race
way over the July 4th week
end. It has been estimated
that approximately 100,000
persons might be expected to
participate or be in the im
mediate area at that time.
News media reports have
stated that the promoters of
this event can assure paying
patrons adequate food, hous
ing and personal facilities in
cluding necessary emergency
medical care.
Foremost, we would like
to stress the importance of
strict law enforcement as re
gards personal conduct and
the use of drugs and alco
hol. In particular, we want
to caution parents and teen
agers of the dangers and pos
sible permanent damage as
sociated with the use of
drugs.
It is the desire of the
Peachbelt Medical Society to
inform the promoters, par
ticipants, and responsible
persons who might be pres
ent for such an event ol this
magnitude that there arc
certain basic health stand
ards that have to be estab
lished and maintained, if we
can reasonably assure or pre
vent a catastrophic outbreak
of contagion, not to mention
the undesirables that arc
sure to be present.
In accordance with the a
fore-mentioned principles,
the Peachbelt Medical So
ciety recommends to you
that the following elemen
tary and precautionary mea
sures be instituted for the
preservation of the health of
participants and attendees of
the July 4th weekend Rock-
Festival.
(1) That all attendees be
required to present a certi
ficate of health that indi
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cates they are free of com*
municable diseases,
(2) That each attendee pre
sent proof of immunization
against Typhoid, Tetanus and
Diptheria,
(3) That each attendee pre
sent evidence of freedom
from Tuberculosis,
(4) That a source of po
table water free from possi
ble contamination with mul
tiple availability stations be
provided.
(5) That camping areas be
well drained,
(6) That the accumulation
of trash, discarded food and
other forms of rubbish not
be allowed to accumulate on
the grounds,
(7) That adequate portable
toilets be available to serv
ice the crowd and barring
this that slit trenches be
used to dispose of human ex
creta on a daily basis,
(8) That one doctor and
two nurses tor each 1,000
people be provided, on duty
and ready to care for atten
dees—anything less will be
construed as negligence,
(9) That ambulance service
be provided on the grounds.
One ambulance per each 5,-
000 people,
(10) That persons suspect
ed or found to be supplying
illicit drugs of any type to
attendees be excluded from
the grounds and handed over
to law enforcement authori
ties,
Peachbelt Medical Society
Members do have an interest
in the “Rock Festival”. We
suspect we will be on the
front line for care when the
Medical troubles start. We
urge you, the promoters, and
profitiers of the festival to
provide the above. To do
anything less, we believe you
will be both morally and le
gally derelict.
Sincerely,
F. M. LINDSEY, M. D.
President of the Peach
belt Medical Society
The Home Journal, Perry, Ga., Thursday, June 25, WO
Cheek Family Holds Reunion
Staff Sgl. and Mrs. Ralph
Cheek and children, stationed
in Goose Bay, Labrador, have
been visiting the E. H. Cheek
and J. D. Cheek families for
two weeks. They are being
transferred to Wurtsmith Air
Base in Michigan.
Sgl. First Class and Mrs.
Sanders Cheek and children,
stationed in Elgin, Okla., have
also been here for two weeks.
First Class Sgl. Cheek just re
turned from a year’s tour in
Vietnam.
A Cheek Reunion was held in
Perry, Those attending were:
S/Sgt. and Mrs. Ralph Cheek,
Walter, Shawna, Danny, Char
les, Vince, Darrien, Gara, Quin
ton, Kevin, Lome and Farin.
Sgt. First Class and Mrs. San
ders Cheek, Edward and Mary.
y & Insurance j:
FOR RENT—2 bedroom I 1
house at 624 Lawson «|
Drive, S9O month. Ji
FOR SALE—2 bedroom *1
house on 2Vz acres of Ji
land, fenced and cross- i 1
fenced near Pabst Brew- •[
ery. Priced to sell. ’
soodroe, JrJ
Try, Ga. 987-1980 I;
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cheek, Pam
and Art, Blakely, Ga., Col. and
Mrs. John Cheek and Mike,
Perry; Mr. and Mrs. Earl
Cheek, Sr. and Mary Frances,
Perry; Mr. and Mrs. Earl
Cheek Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.,
and Mr. and Mrs. Tony Hin
nant and Shannon, Warner Rob
ins; Mr. and Mrs. Hoke Smith,
Danville; Mr. and Mrs. Fred
Maynard and Julie, Augusta;
Mr. and Mrs. Buck Carter, Mi
ami, Fla.; Mr. and Mrs. Hollis
Scarborough, Cochran; Mr. and
Mrs. Dave Powers, Jan and
Gail, Cochran; Mr. Thomas
Guplon, Savannah; Mis Lois
Cheek, Cochran; Dr. and Mrs.
A. F. Williams, Savannah; Mr.
and Mrs. Bernard Baker and
sons, Savannah; Mr. and Mrs.
Rhae Richardson, Macon.