Looking Back with Lora Stull
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One Hundred Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record-News, Thursday, October 6, 1920.)
The Ringgold County Fair held last week under the auspices of the Livestock and Agricultural Association was successful in every way. Wednesday was devoted to placing the exhibits and on Thursday and Friday the streets were thronged with people..a happy throng, filled with rejoicing over the splendid showing made in the agricultural displays, fancy work, products of the oven, pantry stores and all the things that go to make up a great exposition of the varied industries of Ringgold County. In every department the showing far surpassed expectations and the people rejoiced..evidence of happiness and prosperity was on every hand. Ringgold County was on exhibition and the showing was one of which every resident felt proud.
The town or city that does not have liberality enough in these latter days to provide a free camping ground for automobile tourists is going to lose out. Already publishers of automobile routing maps are indicating by a dot of red ink the places where free camping facilities are provided. It is believed that with increase in passenger fares on railways that by another summer auto touring will be greatly stimulated.
September 22 Pansy Coy and Earl Waller were united in marriage.
Seventy-Five
Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record News, Thursday, October 4, 1945.)
Service Selections: Pfc. Frank Dredge arrived in Mount Ayr September 17, to spend 30 days furlough with his wife and son, Royce, and with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A.H. Dredge. For the past year Pfc. Dredge has been with the 7th Army in Germany. At the conclusion of his furlough he will report at Jefferson Barracks, MO…From Sgt. Lyle Dulany, who is on Okinawa, comes the following letter: “Although the war is over, we still work on just the same. We are building a liberation camp for the Allied prisoners, who are liberated. So far, I’ve seen all nationalities. Also we are working on a 1,000 patient army hospital which takes 6 months to build. The prisoner of war camp will take care of 6,000 at a time. Then the other job is a large transport air base that was originally planned for big bombers. So you see we have about six months hard work ahead, but I still have hopes of some new outfit replacing us before the work is finished so that I can be home before Christmas. Saturday night and all day Sunday we had a rain storm and hurricane and I never want to see another out here in this Pacific. I thought the whole island was blowing away. It did quite a bit of damage but not many were hurt. I took my radio down and put it away and got all my clothes packed just in case our tent blew away. A building about 40’ from the tent came clear off the ground and landed up in the next company. It was on the windy side of our tent and when I heard it go, I thought it was going to hit our tent, but it missed us about 20’. The corners of our tent came up several times, but we managed to keep it tied down enough to keep it. The ships had to leave the harbors and go out to sea, but some didn’t make it and hit the coral reef. Others bobbed around like corks and into each other. Now things are about back to normal and the sun is shining. We haven’t had any mail for quite sometime and now because of the storm we won’t have any for about four more days, at least. This storm happened same time the one hit the China and Florida coast.
Births: October 2, a son, John, to Cadet and Mrs. John Davis…September 22, a son, to Mr. and Mrs. Max Fletchall…September 20, a son, to Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Hobbs…September 21, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Earl Harris.
Obituaries in this edition were: Leila Marie Cameron Jones and Elza Adelbert Laird.
Fifty Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record News, Thursday, September 17, 1970.)
Enrollment in the Mount Ayr Community school dipped below the 1,000 mark for the first time since reorganization in the 1950’s. According to figures released this week by the school administration, elementary school enrollment totals 681, 28 fewer than the last year, while high school enrollment is 315, one up from last year. The trend apparently will continue, since the kindergarten enrollment is the lowest in some years.
What’s it like to be the world’s tallest man? Shoppers will have an opportunity to learn straight from the giant’s mouth when Henry Hite, 8’2” tall visits the Mount Ayr Hy-Vee Thursday.
Marriages: July 26, Marcia Wicker and Melvis Jimmerman…June 27, Mary Beth Kobbe and Denny Morrow.
Births: Sept. 11, a son, to Mr. and Mrs. Don Thurman…Sept. 12, a daughter, to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Spencer…Sept. 4, a son, John, to Mr. and Mrs. J.B. McGilvery…Sept. 11, a son, Gregory, to Mr. and Mrs. Ed Brown…Sept. 15, a son, to Mr. and Mrs. Jay Payne.
Obituaries in this edition were: William Wade Hunter and Clare Loretta Francis Stowell.
Twenty Five Years Ago
(From the Mount Ayr Record News, Thursday, September 14, 1995.)
Great weather brought larger than normal crowds for a weekend of fun during the Ayr Days celebration in Mount Ayr. Some indications of the numbers of people attending on the beautiful fall weekend included almost 2,000 people came through the BBQ lines to be served Saturday evening. There was a large crowd for the hour-long parade Saturday afternoon and the crowd stayed around much of the day with continuous entertainment from 9:30 a.m. to late evening.
Marriages: Kay Keith and Cody Couts were united in marriage July 1.
Births: August 30, a son, Collier, to Mark and Erika Wilmes…Sept. 3, a son, James Welling, to Christina Roach and Mike Welling…Sept. 8, a daughter, Leah, to Mr. and Mrs. Gary Klejch…August 31, a son, Austin, to Mr. and Mrs. John Adams…Sept. 11, a son, Leigh, to Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Davis.
Obituaries in this edition were: Richard R. Bailey, Arden Marion Espeland, Ernest Lyle Adkisson, Robert (Bob) Dean Jones, Margaret Louise McCandless Schardein.
Ten Years Ago
( From the Mount Ayr Record News, Thursday, September 9, 2010.)
Thirty groups throughout the year and a 24 hour packing event helped the Kids Against Hunger organization exceed its 2009-2010 goal of 80,000 packaged meals. As of September 1, there had been 170,564 meals packaged with 97,416 of those meals packaged in a 24 hour marathon event, thanks to the help of Ron and Liz Schafer of Mount Ayr. They spearheaded the event and without their commitment it would have been difficult to put it all together and make it successful.
The mosquitoes this summer have hit all-time highs and have been a real deterrent to being outside. Mosquito population trends for the summer have reached four times the number from last year. “The very large mosquitoes that bite viciously are one of our “usual” species found in Iowa,” said Donald Lewis, extension entomologist. “However, this year is different in that the population seems to be larger than normal.”
Obituaries in this edition were: Pauline Culver Minnick, Genevieve Marie Lockwood Rogers, Robert Bruce (Bob) Pratt and Julia Smith.