Part 53, page 263

Transcript

The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.

FD-350 (Rev. 7-16-63)

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Town Seeks D.B. Cooper For Fest

By DIANE CARMAN Journal Staff Writer

ARIEL, Wash. — The fun-loving people of Ariel request the honor of the presence of Dan Cooper, alias D.B. Cooper, at a celebration in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of his birth as the town legend.

If the people of Ariel could, they would send just such an invitation to Dan Cooper, the legendary hijacker who got away.

Cooper, as everyone in this neck of the woods remembers, was the guy who hijacked a Northwest Airlines flight between Portland and Seattle on Nov. 25, 1971, parachuting to the forest near here with $200,000 in $20 bills. This year Germaine Tricola, owner of the Ariel Store near Merwin Lake, is organizing "Cooper's Caper Party" on Nov. 27 to celebrate the event that made Ariel what it is today — a little town with a big mystery.

Mrs. Tricola said she expects most of the 200 to 300 families who live in the community to attend the gathering, which will continue throughout the day.

"It's pretty quiet around here this time of year and most of ue are just looking for an excuse to have a party," she said.

"Somebody suggested we celebrate 'Cooper's Caper,' and I'm just nutty enough to do it," she said.

Mrs. Tricola said about half the people in the area still believe Cooper is still alive, and "most of them try to think he could have made it."

When asked if she expected guests at the party to impersonate Cooper, Mrs. Tricola said, "Of course, that's what makes a party a party."

She is cooking up gallons of buffalo stew to serve the guests at the party. She explained that there is no particular significance to buffalo stew in connection with Cooper. But, "It gets pretty cold up here and we could probably use something warm and good in this weather."

Chances are slim that Cooper will attend his anniversary party, but that doesn't mean he won't be welcome, said Mrs. Tricola.

"We'd love to have him drop in, even if he comes incognito," she said.

"Anyway, I think we'll have a good time," she explained. "It doesn't take much to amuse us up here."

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(Indicate newspaper, c[ity] a[nd] [state]) [illegible] . L P[age] - 3M

Date: 11-16-76 Edition: Author: Donald J. Sterling Editor: (JR) Title:

Character: or Classification: Submitting Office:

[Being] Investigated

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DB Cooper-22604