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Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club

Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club

Auteur(s): Michael R Dougherty
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 Great memories of the Anchorage, Alaska you love

www.anchoragememoriesclub.comMichael R Dougherty Monde Sciences sociales
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  • Anchorage Band Memories

    Anchorage Band Memories
    Nov 16 2025
    Pictured above are the Heartbeats. Left to right are John (Raphael), Eddie, and Raul, the Apostol brothers. In the front is Emerson Crivello.A big thank you to Anchorage DJ Ron Moore, the Coke Show, the Heartbeats, and their hit song “Anne” for the fun audio introduction to this edition of the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club.Note: You can hear the entire song “Anne” at the end of the article voiceover above.Who were your favorite Anchorage bands?Did you play in an Anchorage band?Anchorage, Alaska, was blessed with a lot of musical talent, both teens and adults. And the music they gave us is dear to our hearts.The teen bands played at teen nightclubs and dances, while the Anchorage club scene had its own bands and entertainers.So how does an Anchorage teen band come together? There are many ways, but here’s how the Heartbeats began, as told by John Apostol.“On February 9, 1964, after watching the Beatles’ debut appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. We were so inspired and motivated by the Fab Four's music that night and couldn’t seem to stop talking about them.My brother Eddie, half joking, said to Paul (Raul) and me, “Let’s create a band for our enjoyment,” but at that time, none of us knew how to play any musical instruments. That summer, my brother Eddie worked and saved all his hard-earned money and bought us the musical instruments we needed from the Sears catalog. He bought me my first electric guitar, an amp, and a guitar chord book. He bought Paul a drum set, and he bought an electric bass guitar and amp for himself, and then he asked us to learn how to play the instruments he gave us. And that’s how we got started.”BONUSYou can enjoy the whole story of the Heartbeats.Take a look at In John’s Own Words: The Pulsating Heartbeats and enjoy.But our story begins long before the HeartbeatsPictured above are the KFQD Serenaders. Photo courtesy of Gary Smith. In the 1930s, the KFQD Serenaders band was formed by Gene Smith, who is the dad of Gary Smith. Gary is a contributor to Anchorage Memories. KFQD radio was the first radio station in Anchorage and Alaska, and KFQD featured local music talent.The Five PagesPictured above in 1963 are the Five Pages. Photo courtesy of Gary Smith.In the 1960s, The Five Pages were performing all over town. They included Don Huhndorf on guitar, Gary Smith on guitar, Cradoc (Dick) Bagshaw bass, Bob Smith (Brother) on sax, and Ceasar Romero on drums. The singer was Fred Bibbler.Yes, You Can Share This EditionAnd when you do, your friends and family will send you on a one-week, all-expenses-paid stay at the most expensive hotel in the world… well, it could happen.Thanks for reading and listening to the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club! This post is public, so feel free to share it.The First Band to Play at the Royal PadPictured above is Blain’s paint store in Spenard.The second story of Blain’s paint store in Spenard was home to the teen nightclub known as the Royal Pad.Anchorage radio DJ Ron Moore was known as the “Royal Coachman,” and still is, by the way. For that reason, his teen nightclub (pictured above) was called the Royal Pad, and his car was the Royal Coach. The first band to perform at Ron Moore’s Royal Pad was a group called The Von Essex's, which included Jackie Goodman on piano, Gary Smith on guitar, Fred Johnston on bass, and Darryl Smaw on vocals.Plenty of Teen BandsDo you remember the Arsons? They were a popular Anchorage teen band in the 1960s.In the photo above is the Blue Chip Stock.The Blue Chip Stock was a popular Anchorage teen band in the 60s.Skip Conte, the keyboard player for Blue Chip Stock and the Heartbeats, went on to co-write the hit song “Ride Captain Ride.” The Outlaws were a 1960s Anchorage teen band. If memory serves, Gary Sloan (pictured above) was the lead singer.BONUSDean Forbes played guitar for Mother’s Apple Pie and Baseball Band. Dean was interviewed by Anchorage Memories some years ago.Take a look at Dean Forbes and Mother’s Apple Pie and Baseball Band and enjoy.The Heikes Family band was based in Eagle River. They also played the Alaska State Fair.BONUSAuthor Sandy Heikes tells the story of her family's band.Take a look at The Heikes Family Band and remember.The Anchorage Music SceneBecause of limited space, we were barely able to scratch the surface here.Remember Burgundy Rose, G. Morgan S. and the Jets, Fantastic Zoot, and Albatros? And we remember the Chandels, the Gatormen, the Johnson Brothers, the Nomads, the Prophets, and the Quarrymen just to name a few.How about the house band at the Pines called The Pacesetters, and another was Family Tradition?And “Johnny Collinsworth and the Country Capers Music Variety Show”Some time ago we wrote about the Anchorage music scene on Anchorage Memories.com. And since then, many band members have sent us comments about the local teen bands and the many nightclub bands. It’s a great read.BONUSYou’ll love these memories.Take a look at The...
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    8 min
  • Anchorage Radio Memories

    Anchorage Radio Memories
    Nov 2 2025
    Pictured above is Lester Peter Aloysius Snow (Gene Miner) in the KBYR radio studio.Do you remember those wonderful days when you listened to your favorite Anchorage, Alaska, radio personalities?Sometimes you listened at home. Maybe you were tuned in with your car radio. And who can forget that nifty invention called the portable transistor radio? You could take those with you just about anywhere.An anonymous reader remembers:“Sitting here with my coffee in hand, I started thinking about a long time ago.I used to wait in my bedroom until “The Scotty Ferguson Show” would come on the radio on KFQD.The music was so good, and I really got a kick out of his commercials. There was the soft drink team, whose jingle I can still sing, and there was “Gerald McBoing Boing”.I remember when his show ended, Gardner Ted Armstrong would follow. I listened to Ruben Gaines all the time; he had a way of making you feel things were good.It was a wonderful time to grow up in Alaska.”First in Anchorage and AlaskaPictured above is KFQD radio when it was located on 4th Avenue in 1924.Did You Know?When KFQD radio went on the air on May 24, 1924, it wasn’t just a first for Anchorage. They were also the first radio station in Alaska.Note:The station’s call letters. K-F-Q-D, don’t mean anything; they were assigned randomly. The Second Radio Station in AnchorageIn the photo above is the KENI radio building. The building sits on a bluff with the rear of the building overlooking Westchester Lagoon. The building is now a private residence. 24 years after KFQD began broadcasting, “Cap” Lathrop, the owner of the 4th Avenue Theatre, also built the second radio station in Anchorage, Alaska. KENI radio, which began broadcasting on May 2, 1948, from inside the 4th Avenue Theatre building. Later moving into its own building. KENI Radio and the Coke ShowIn the photo above is Ron Moore, the Royal Coachman.Did you listen to the Coke Show, hosted by Ron Moore on KENI radio? You could call in, request a song, and dedicate it to your friends.Photo courtesy of Ty Pierce.The Coke Show originated from the small radio booth you see above on the roof of the Bun Drive-In. And remember, when the cars in the parking lot would beep their horns, Ron called them “Honker Bonkers.”BONUSYou can hear the Coke Show again and Ron Moore’s Royal Coachman theme.Take a look at Anchorage Coke Show Memories and enjoy.Yes, You Can Share This EditionAnd when you do, your friends and family will be so happy that they will send you on an all-expenses-paid Alaska cruise every summer for 5 years straight… well, it could happen.Thanks for reading and listening to the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club! This post is public, so feel free to share it.Mukluk TelegraphRemember how you could connect with Alaskans who were in remote areas? The radio station would broadcast your messages.GrandmaRobbie had a comment:“We also used the Mukluk Telegraph to contact friends who homesteaded at Sunshine near Talkeetna.”The KENI radio program, Mukluk Telegraph, was a great service for Alaska audiences.Mary of Anchorage Memories recalls that her family used Mukluk Telegraph to communicate with other family members at their commercial fishing site at Point Possession, across Cook Inlet from Anchorage.“Everyone used Mukluk Telegraph to communicate with family while we were going back and forth to our commercial fishing site during the summer. People in places like Tyonek, Chickaloon and Point Possession all relied on Mukluk Telegraph.”Because that type of radio program was such a well-received community service, other Anchorage radio stations had their own versions. North Winds on KHARJim remembers:“In 1959-1961 my father was assigned to Fort Richardson.Around dinner time there was a regular radio program, probably out of Anchorage, that preceded or followed announcements from people on the grid to homesteaders beyond routine contact.“For Bob & Sue on Triple Creek: Arrived safely, baby boy 7 lbs 6, mom doing fine. Home on the 13th.”The program that followed, something like Tales of the Tundra, Jack London-like Sourdough stories read by a man over a background of the song,Claire d’Lune or other mood music.Note:The show that followed North Winds was hosted by Rubin Gaines, a favorite Anchorage radio personality.When you listened to his radio program, you heard Ruben, a fellow named “Six-Toed Mordecai,” Mrs. Malone, Chilkoot Charlie, and a few others. Each one had a strong voice and distinct personality—and Ruben Gaines had created every one of them in his very creative mind—and brought them to life with his incredible vocal talent. As you listened to Ruben’s show, you couldn’t help but be amazed at how he seamlessly weaved his characters in and out of conversations. And speaking of conversations, his radio program “Conversations Unlimited” was heard in the afternoons on KHAR, Monday through Friday, to the absolute delight of Anchorage ...
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    7 min
  • Anchorage Mountain View Memories

    Anchorage Mountain View Memories
    Oct 19 2025
    photo above courtesy Patricia Brown. 1940s temporary housing in Mountain View.In the 1940s, Anchorage, Alaska, was growing, and some homesteaders headed out of town to stake their claim to some land.Norman Lange was just such a homesteader. Lange headed about 3 miles northeast from Anchorage to a spot that had a perfect view of the Chugach Mountains. Lange ended up subdividing his land and naming it, appropriately, “Mountain View.”Other early homesteaders in Mountain View now have a neighborhood street named after them. Those include a Norwegian immigrant named Nels Kleven. For some reason, his street name was misspelled “Klevin.” Robert Bragaw was a territorial legislator and photographer, and Harry Bliss was a contractor. Both have Mountain View streets named after them. But more about Bragaw Street shortly.In the 1940s, construction workers and others were coming to Anchorage to build Elmendorf Air Force Base. But there was a big problem. Anchorage didn’t have enough housing to accommodate them.As a partial solution, small temporary housing structures were put up in Mountain View (pictured above).And speaking of Bragaw Street, you probably didn’t know that from 1942 until 1951, a man named John Vanover ran a 20-acre pig farm in the area.Pictured above is Brewster’s on Mountain View Drive.In 1949, Charles H. Brewster and his wife, Betty, opened the Mountain View Washaroo Laundry. But the Brewsters were ready for more, so they started selling clothing in their spare time from their log cabin home located in the Muldoon area of Anchorage.Then in 1959, the two opened the first Brewster’s Clothing Store in a small log cabin at North Bragaw and Mountain View Drive. They later expanded and became an Anchorage fixture.Yes, You Can Share this editionAnd when you do, your friends and family will send you a year’s supply of your favorite bakery item. Yummy… well, it could happen.Thanks for reading and listening to the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club! This post is public, so feel free to share it.In the picture above is Mountain View Elementary, first opened in 1956.Mike of the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club attended Mountain View Elementary School, and one summer, he was a pitcher for the Indians Little League team that practiced on the Mountain View Elementary School baseball field.A&W Root BeerIn 1957, the first drive-in, A&W Root Beer, opened in Anchorage. It was located in Mountain View.The location was also home to Timbo and Princess, the A&W lions.BONUSTake a look at A&W Drive-In Memories and enjoy.In the photo above, taken by Ward Wells, is Mountain View Drive on July 2, 1958.Notice the large building in the background? That’s Caribou’s Department Store.The picture above is the original Clark Junior High School.First opened in 1959, Clark Junior High School was the first junior high in Anchorage. Located on Bragaw Street, the school was named after Orah Dee Clark.Clark was the very first schoolteacher and principal hired in 1915 in the new town of Anchorage, Alaska. After Clark Junior High opened, Clark herself often visited the school, and students were able to speak with her between classes and after school.Mountain View Community CenterIn the 1960s, Mike of the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club attended weekly square dancing get-togethers in the Mountain View Community Center. Mr. and Mrs. Topolski ran the dances.During each weekly dance, they took a short break from square dancing and played some rock and roll for the kids to dance to. Mike of the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club even got his first announcing gig one week when he was asked to play the rock and roll records and introduce each song. “I remember playing “Harbor Lights” by the Platters. After I introduced the song and started the record, I looked down from the stage, and there were 3 or 4 girls looking up at me, all wide-eyed and smiling. Wow, my first fan club.”Then one week, a well-known KENI radio DJ named Bob Fleming was the special guest at the dance. We had a great time at that community center.In the photo above is the Anchorage teen band, the Heartbeats.All but one of the Heartbeats band members were the Apostol brothers, and their family lived in Mountain View. Both Mary and Mike of the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club were friends of the Heartbeats.In 1966, the “Pulsating Heartbeats” released the hit record “Anne.” On the flip side of the record was “Talkin’ Bout You.”BONUSGet the story behind the Heartbeats band and hear their song, “Anne.”Take a look at In John’s Own Words and enjoy.Remember Park Lanes Bowling?Beginning in 1976, Mountain View enjoyed bowling at this Anchorage favorite.And for a short while, KTVA channel 11 broadcast the weekly TV show, “Bowling for Dollars,” hosted by Chuck Talsky and shot on location at Park Lanes. As a side note, Mike of the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club was one of the camera operators on the show and also edited the program for ...
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    6 min
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