THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
Telephone: Main 125 $1.50 PER MONTH
P.O. Box 618 v $16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943 at the
postoffice at Nome. Alaska, under Act of March 3. 1879
Subscribers not receiving tneir papers by 5:30 p.m. call
Main 125 for special delivery. After 5:30 call Black 102
SHINING THROUGH
Chr'K.mewS
✓
The Christmas Trees of Nome
By Harold Salisbury
There are lands where the pine and hemlock shine,
There are lands where the fir trees grow
Where the sun's bright beams light the evergreens
And dews kiss the mistletoe.
There are lands where the breeze stirs the cedar trees
But up by the Bering Sea
Where the wild winds roam o’er the wastes of Nome
Never grows there a Christmas Tree !
There grows no tree for Christmas,- you see,
But the Yuletide Cheer,- undenied,
Swirls in on the breast of the blizzard’s crest
With the spirit of joy beside,
While the streets are alight with gleaming white
And the ice shows its greenery,
The sunset sheds bright shimmering reds
Making Christmas-time harmony,
Not a Christmas Tree by the icy sea
But our Christmas joy abounds
As the tempests race from the Arctic wastes
Bringing Santa Claus on his rounds,
All Nome is aglow with lights on the snow
And carols that ring their refrain
While the Northern Lights in the cold, clear night
Tell the Shepherd’s Story again !
But some trees in Nome find a joyful home,
For there blossoms Gallantry
And the Arch of Night is set with lights
That sparkle in pageantry
Where Christmas-time is a spell in rhyme
And living is poetry
And the ministry of her pleasantries
Is a holiday symmetry !
And though none are grown on the land near Nome
The genuine Christmas cheer
Grows true and free on each family tree
Every day of the live-long year*
And no evergreen ’round the town is seen
But the wreaths of friendliness
Every heart adorn with love that’s warm
And a fellowship that’s blest!
Pioneers At Sitka
To Enjoy Truly
Festive Christmas
The sparkle of Christmas lights,
the glitter of tinsel, garlands of
Alaska cedar, fruit cake baking
in the kitchen, gayly wrapped
packages—these are the first in
dications of the Merry Christmas
that is being planned for the Pio
neers living in the Home at Sitka.
The interior painting work is
just about completed, and the cor
ridors of the Home are now a
bright, sunshine yellow. The
rooms are painted in an assort
ment of cheerful pastel colors,
and on each bed there is a crisp,
bright bedspread. The members
of the staff and the Pioneers have
“decked the halls” with tradition
al Christmas ornaments and cedar,
and the Home presents a cheerful
and truly festive appearance.
Gift packages from friends and
organizations are stacked in the
office for distribution on Christ
mas Eve, and the Christmas
“poke” is growing rapidly. Among
the many gifts already received
by the Pioneers is one which the
present residents and Pioneers for
years to come will truly enjoy.
Igloo No. 4 of the Pioneers of
Alaska in Fairbanks presented
the Home with a sound-movie
projector. A large roll-up screen
has been purchased from a fund
established by the Veterans of
Foreign Wars for the purpose of
buying a gift for the Pioneers.
This fine equipment will make it
possible for the staff to add one
more worthwhile feature to our
recreational program—a movie
every Thursday night.
Numerous activities are being
planned for the holiday season,
including religious programs by
the various church groups, Christ
mas music by Vienna Rhodes and
her accordian group, and carols
to be sung by the Sitka High
School Chorus of 60 voices.
Christmas dinner will include
turkey with oyster dressing, cran
berry sauce, candied sweet pota
toes, sliced tomatoes and lettuce,
peas, pickels, olives, hot holls
and butter, coffee and mince pie.
The tables will be gayly decor
ated with candles and greens, and
at each man’s plate there will be
a cup of dates, nuts and candies.
To the many folks throughout
the territory who have made all
of this possible, the Pioneers join
with the superintendent and mem
bers of his staff in saying a sin
cere “thank you” and in wishing
to all a very happy holiday season.
Winter Storms Lash
Western Europe,
35 Dead or Missing
LONDON, VPi—Furious winter
storms lashed western Europe to
day lor the fourth day, bringing
death and anguish in the midst of
planning for .iovous Christmas fes
tivities. At least 35 persons were |
dead or missing in the incessant
wind, sleet and snow which ex
tended from Denmark to northern
Italy, from Scotland to far inland
in Germany and France.
Telephone poles, trees, masonry
and even some buildings crumpled
before the onslaught of the hurri
cari force winds. Scores of ships
were in distress along the British,
Belgian, Dutch and North German
coasts. But there was hope that
most of them would come safely
through the battering.
The British army deferred the
Christmas leave of about 3,000
soldiers and placed them on duty
along Britain’s low-lying east
coast to guard against any breaks
in sea defenses.
19 Alaska Schools
Now Participating
In Lunch Program
JUNEAU — Nineteen schools
throughout' Alaska, three more
than last year, are now partici
pating in the national school
lunch program, the office of Ter
ritorial Commissioner of Educa
tion announced last week.
In the 1953-54 school year, the
16 schools served 362,739 meals
at a total cost of $137,284.49 to
an average o{ 2,300 students a
day.
A year earlier, the 1952-53
school year, an average of 1703
students were served 262,917
meals in 13 schools at a total cost
of $94,872.98.
While any school may partici
pate in this national program,
under which the federal govern
ment pays 2.9 cents per meal and
the bulk of the cost is borne by
the local school, it has been main
ly the private and parochial
schools which have taken advan
tage of the school lunch program,
the Commissioner’s office said.
The program was instituted in
Alaska in the 1947-48 school year
In addition to meals prepared
from supplies purchased jointly
by the local authorities and the
federal government, the Depart
ment of Agriculture furnishes sur
plus commodities without charge.
Nearly half of the schools serv
ing lunches in Alaska under this
program exact no charge from the
students. The others charge from
25 to 50 cents a meal, the average
being about 35 cents.
The contract which each parti
cipating school is required to
enter with the federal government
provides that the meals served
must meet minimum nutritional
requirements and that “lunches
shall be offered to all children at
tending each school named . . .
and shall be served without cost
or at reduced cost to all school
children who arc unable to pay
the full cost of the lunch.”
Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Rasmussen,
formerly teachers on King Island,
are teaching at Tununak, Alaska,
this year and send greetings to
all their friends.
*
Astronomy Notes
By OLAF HALVERSON
In the Christmas song “It Came
Upon the Midnight Clear,” we
have a line which reads: “When
with the ever circling years comes
'round the age of gold.”
This statement expresses a
parallel situation with reference
to the planets. Many years have
passed and many more will come
and go before we have again such
a glorious display of four bright
planets. Each of these seem to be
vying with the others to herald
in the Christmas season.
Venus, for example, came to its
greatest brilliance on Dec. 21, only
four days before Christmas Day.
Notice how brightly the planet
shines in the southeastern sky
several hours before sunrise.
Venus is also close to its great
est distance from the sun and it
can never exceed 45 degrees. That
is another startling coincidence
with the Christmas season.
Saturn, our second largest plan
et, has been in the same area and
has augmented the celestial lights.
Additional Contributors
To Christmas Tree Fund
The following are additional
contributors to the Community
Christmas Tree Program.
SI.00 — Margaret McDonald,
Rev. L. Hudgins, Opal Peterson,
Sam Parkinson, Russell Hermann,
Floyd Hill, Bruce Whitner, Fred
Frey, Dirk Hoogland, John LeRoy,
George Kemper.
$2.00—Fashionette Shop, Miss
Miller, Bob Baldwin, Mr. Ullrich,
Mr. Silverberg, Capt. Meads, Mr.
and Mrs. Fred Bockman.
$2.50—Miss Brown, Norvin W.
Lewis.
$3.00 — Rev. R. Amundsen,
Clement Lean.
$£.00 — Howard Green, Mike
Kelly, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Oliver,
Mr. and Mrs. R. Havens, Carl
Glavinovich Ben Mozee, George
Bayer, Mr. J. Tripp, W. L. Angell,
Mrs. Emma Cameron, Robert
Heath, Mr. and Mrs. Don Lyle,
Eli Mulch.
$10.00 — Bronson Water, Fred
Cavota, Board of Trade, The Polar.
$20.00—George Kulick.
$25.00—M & M Bank.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles O'Leary
send greetings to their Nome
friends from Muskwa Village at
Moose Pass < 23 miles north of
Seward and 103 miles south of
Anchorage!..
They say they enjoy their new
home but will always miss Nome
and their many friends here.
Lt. Col. Harold I. Williams.
USAF, former commander of
Nome Field extends greetings to
his Nome friends through The
Nugget. He is now living in River
side, Calif.
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