The Tonganoxie City Fire Department quickly doused an electrical fire which started at Haislip’s Laundromat, 622 East 4th Street, Tonganoxie. The fire started at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 5, after Kay Long, new Tonganoxie resident, placed a load of damp laundry into one of the upper dryers set into the east wall of the facility. “I thought, oh my god, I just moved here, they’re going to ship me out of town, I burned down the only laundry in town.” Actually, the damage was limited to the area above the dryer and the laundromat was allowed to open back up after the electrical system supplying the dryer was disconnected.

Tonganoxie’s freshman football team will see the first female player in school history, according to Junior High Principal Marvin Pine. After some question of school statutes, Angie Folsom will be allowed to suit up in pads and go full contact for the Warriors. Folsom declined a request for a formal interview, saying her only desire was to have a chance to begin playing football with the team.

Construction on the VFW Park is wrapping up, while planning is underway for the appearance of the Moving Vietnam Wall, scheduled to visit the Reusch-VFW Memorial Park on Oct. 16-23. Larry Meadows, Bo Himpel, Harold Putthoff, Harold Denholm, Earl Parsons, and Charlie Conrad were busy at work on the park Saturday, Sept. 7. These six, along with Glen Martin and Bob Klinkenberg, have given an inordinate amount of their free time to build the park from nothing.

Photo on page three showed Kansas City Chiefs football star Marcus Allen and George T. Athan, president of Marcus Allen Ford. Allen and Athan held a grand opening at their new Tonganoxie dealership on the evening of Sept. 9.

50 years ago: Sept. 2, 1971

A new dual blinker light was installed at the west junction of Highway 24 and 16 to help prevent more accidents at this intersection.

The GOP Buck Night by the Young Republicans was a door-to-door event scheduled in Tonganoxie this week to get young people to vote. [Ed. Note: Recent Kansas Law changes may have felony charges with this activity today!]   

The quote of the day in the Mirror, “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and love mercy, and to walk humbly…” Micah 6:8.

At the local IGA a half gallon of ice cream was 58 cents, four cantaloupes were $1, and beef brisket was 89 cents/lb.

The Lansing Second Annual Penitentiary Arts and Crafts sale was held over three days this week as announced by the Warden.

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Oakson’s front page photo in the Mirror shows them turning over the key to the new owner John Cass Lenahan of Oakson’s Hardware.

A front-page photo showed the area of the old high school getting paved.

75 years ago: Sept. 5, 1946

The new 24 ft. wave slide for the Chief Tonga pool, ordered some time ago, has arrived. It was ordered by Rev. W. Tillinghast, who has had charge of the pool’s operation the past two summers. Mr. Tillinghast acknowledges a $25 contribution by Mayor A.P. Laughlin to help defray the cost of the slide.

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hansen will celebrate 50 years of married life with an open house at their home near Stanwood, from 2-5 o’clock Sunday, Sept. 15. The couple have lived on the same farm since 1896.

John Steuart Curry, Winchester boy who became a great artist, died at Madison, Wisconsin, last week. The Curry farm is at Hickory Point, southwest of Winchester, where the highway turns west to Dunavant. [Ed. Note: the farmhouse was moved to Old Jefferson Town in Oskaloosa, where it is still on display.

100 years ago: Sept. 8, 1921

The Fred F. Eberhardt Paving Co., who have a sub-contract on a part of the Fort to Fort road between Reno and Tonganoxie, began laying the cement slab in earnest this week.

In watching the workmen, we were pleased to note Mr. Eberhardt is using home men as much as possible. Mr. E.D. Fink, the foreman of the job, and Mr. Curry, the foreman of stacks, are hustlers, and fine young fellows, who have moved their families here.

The gang with the cement laying outfit working south of Nine Mile Creek are making good headway. There are several “ifs” entering into the possibilities of the road being finished in to Tonganoxie from the county line before winter sets in.

Have you ever considered the amount of work the county commissioners and Engineer have had to get this road as far along as it is? Through condemnation proceedings, buying of right of way, letting contracts, overseeing the work, selection grades of materials, and a hundred other things, and everybody satisfied, as near as possible.

125 years ago: Sept. 10, 1896

Charlie Colwell, while moving his blacksmith shop yesterday, from Third Street, where it has stood since 1869, to Fifth Street near the U.P. tracks, had the building collapse.

Dr. W.B. Coe, who is a graduate of the Rush Medical College of Chicago, has located in Tonganoxie and will have his office in his residence at Fifth and Delaware.

A.W. Thistlewaite and Asa Balliet were taking in the Oskaloosa Fair last week. Arthur rather astonished the natives up there by his bicycle tricks and one of the papers there calls him the “champion trick rider of the state.”

The Pleasant Prairie school house will be sold at public auction soon. Watch out for ad.

Eli Wing is progressing finely with the work on Mr. Taber’s house. The lumber bill for this house was $243, bought at McLouth. This is $100 cheaper than the same could be bought at Leavenworth.