Part 54, page 99

Transcript

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

FD-350 (REV. 10-19-77)

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200 (Maybe D.B.) Jumpin' At Cooper Caper Party

ARIEL, Wash. — (AP) — The little town of Ariel was jumping Saturday as more than 200 people showed up for buffalo stew, beer and conversa- tion in memory of sky- jacker Dan Cooper.

The second annual Cooper Caper celebration commemorates the near- legendary skyjacker who collected $200,000 in $20 bills and parachuted from a hijacked airliner flying over the dense forests of southwestern Washington near here.

In jumping from the plane the night before Thanksgiving six years ago, Cooper either es- caped with a duffle bag full of money — or he died in the rugged for- ests.

In either event, he captured the imagination of a great many Ameri- cans.

Cooper, who hasn't been heard from since his famous caper, was invited to share the fes- tivities at the Ariel Store and Tavern, where Ger- maine Tricola sponsors the festival.

Mrs. Tricola said she didn't know whether Cooper came to the party. But plenty of others showed up.

"It's really jumping here," Mrs. Tricola said. "We've had a couple of hundred people come by during the day" to sam- ple the stew.

The stew is a major drawing card. It contains 35 pounds of buffalo meat and a large pile of potatoes, carrots and on- ions. The stew sells for a dollar a bowl and refills are free.

Asked what happens at a Cooper Caper cele- bration, Mrs. Tricola said, "Well, we have some buf- falo stew and we have a couple of beers and we visit with all our friends. Then we have some more buffalo stew and a little more conversation."

A parachute club from Portland, about 60 miles south of Ariel, was sup- posed to parachute into the community. The jumps were canceled because of inclement weather.

The celebration is staged by Mrs. Tricola, who owns the store and tavern, who is assisted by such people as Dave But- terfield, a parttime resi- dent who serves as pub- licity chairman.

Besides remembering Cooper's skyjacking feat, the celebration is de- signed to bring a touch of prosperity to the settle- ment of about 250 people.

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(Indicate page, name of newspaper, city and state.)

p.A3 Seattle Post- Intelligencer Seattle, Wa.

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Date: 11/27/77 Edition: Final

Title:

Character: or 164-81 Classification: Submitting Office: Seattle 164-81-7730

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COPY SENT TO BUREAU

SEARCHED ______ INDEXED ______ SERIALIZED / FILED / DEC 6 1977 FBI—SEATTLE FBI/DOJ/N

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b6 b7C

DB Cooper-23025·

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SWS 2