ABOUT THE WEEK OF SEPT. 5, 1963, summer all but fizzled out with one of the quietest Labor Day weekends resort operators had seen in several years. Cold and rainy weather early Friday apparently discouraged many from coming to the mountains for the weekend. Weather conditions improved Saturday and Sunday, but it was too late to change the plans of many.

There was no large surge of vacationers at any time during the long holiday. In fact, it was no better than an average summer weekend as far as many operators were concerned.

Highway traffic was heavy at intervals and long lines of outgoing automobiles were in evidence throughout Monday and Monday night. Many southbound ears were towing boats, not brought here for the weekend but used throughout the summer.

For many it marked the closing of their summer camps for the season. Others would remain and spend weekends in the vicinity, particularly during good weather. Many camp owners called it quits so children could enter school.

Resort proprietors were optimistic about a better-than-average fall season and many looked forward to an upswing in weekend traffic if the weather turned for the better. Most also agreed a different type of vacationer patronizes the resort in the off-season, usually older people with no children in school or retired persons waiting for the summer rush to subside so they can enjoy the quiet and peacefulness of the mountains.

Camping enthusiasts gambling on an ‘Indian summer’ would be able to pitch their tents at many of the state Conservation Department campsites in the Catskills and Adirondacks, but would have to rough it. Although caretakers went off duty at most campsites Sept. 8, nearly half of 45 state-operated public campsites would remain open until early December, according to Victor Glider, superintendent of the Bureau Forest Recreation.

Water and sanitary facilities would be turned off at the first sign of freezing weather and late season campers should come prepared, he advised. The usual service charge of $1.25 per night would be charged at all sites where a caretaker was on duty. There would be no fee at unattended sites, but campers were to notify the local forest ranger before setting up camp.

One campsite was scheduled to remain in operation beyond the normal Sept. 8 closing in Hamilton County, Forked Lake. Four others - Limekiln, 8th, Lake Durant and Golden Beach - would also remain open but without a caretaker.

At HAMILTON COUNTY, state Comptroller Arthur Levitt announced the distribution of monies for September to the 65 public welfare districts in the state. These monies represented the federal and state shares of anticipated welfare expenditures by the localities. Hamilton County received $3,000.

Following is an unofficial tabulation of the voting in the cases where there was opposition in the 1963 primary: Republican - district attorney, Edwin Galusha 773, Charles Drake 282; Hope town clerk, Fred Staley 21, Kenneth Coulombe 11; Indian Lake supervisor, Joseph King 146, John Burgess 144; Inlet superintendent of highways, Joseph Dunay 63, Ralph Murdock 60; Democrat - Hope councilman, Richard Bartholf 20, Carl Williams 10; Inlet justice of peace, George Blakeman 18, Peter Kalil 15.

INDIAN LAKE, Camp Perry, Ohio, Airman 1st Class William T. Starbuck from Indian Lake was among the selected Air Force personnel who participated in the National Rifle and Pistol Matches in August 1963. Airman Starbuck, a radar maintenance technician, was on temporary duty at Camp Perry for the month-long ‘world series’ of marksmanship.

He was permanently assigned to Bedford Air Force Station, Va. The Air Force provided essential support services for the matches in addition to entering its top marksmen in the competition, which drew thousands of U.S. military and civilian shooters.

The airman is the son of Mr. and Mrs. T.H. Starbuck of Oroville, Calif. He is a graduate of Indian Lake High School.

At INLET, cameramen, sound crews and technicians finished shooting segments of the DuPont Show of the Week in Old Forge Tuesday, Sept. 3. The climax of their one-week stay in Old Forge was an engagement party for Gunther Wallenda and Miss Sheila Monahan, portions of which were filmed for the Dupont Show.

NBC camera and sound crews were busy over the weekend as large crowds of spectators thronged the park to watch the Wallendas at work and the NBC crew in action. Towers were constructed early the week of Aug. 25 and settings arranged for the filming of the story of “The Great Wallendas.”

The show was built around the famous high wire family that concluded a two-month’s engagement here on Labor Day. They had been the main attraction at The Enchanted Forest since the first of July.

Other segments would be taped in Sarasota, Fla., and Texas. The local filming included practice sessions by the Wallendas, the breaking in of a new member of the troupe, the Wallendas relaxing, their living habits etc.

State and local police were busy the summer of 1963 investigating numerous cases of vandalism and thefts in the area. Signs had been repeatedly destroyed along Route 28 and several cars had been broken into.

A car was stolen from the Echo driveway and smashed up when it overturned near Brindisi’s corner in Thendara. That night, while the car was parked in Brussel’s parking lot, thieves dismantled and stole equipment off the car valued at a considerable amount.

The two front bucket seats were removed, the dashboard was partially stripped and the battery and parts of the engine were stolen.

Gaiety Theatre announced the following movies: “The Raven” with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff; Bob Hope and Lucille Ball in “Critic’s Choice;” and “Island of Love” with Robert Preston, Tony Randall and Georgia Moll.

At RAQUETTE LAKE, Navy Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Gerald A. Dupuis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Dupuis, Raquette Lake, was serving aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Little Rock, flagship of the Commander Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, which recently visited the Spanish port of Barcelona.

As Spain’s largest city in 1963, Barcelona had a population of 1.5 million. It is a city of narrow, winding streets in the old quarter and wide boulevards in the modern sector. Crewmen had the opportunity to see a replica of Christopher Columbus’s famous Santa Maria, go to bull fights and dine in European style in outdoor cafes.

Departing Barcelona early in September, the USS Little Rock headed for another port of call, Genoa, Italy.