With improvements to an office on the northeast corner of the Sturtridge building, Community National Bank is set to open their doors for full service on May 19. According to bank vice president Bill Altman, the location off 4th Street and Delaware will be the “permanent temporary location.”

Future plans still include a full-service bank to be located somewhere off U.S. Highway 24-40, though the bank off Delaware will offer every service a normal bank does except for drive-through teller service. Rapid construction was the result of local craftsmen pooling their talent together to come up with a bank design that is modern, convenient, and pleasing to the eye.

The graduating class of 1997 was featured in this week’s newspaper.

Tonganoxie Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9271 has recently picked a set of new officers. Three-year post commander Harold Denholm will hand over the reins to Bob Klinkenberg, a post adjutant since 1988. Klinkenberg’s term will begin on June 8 and will be effective until next year’s elections. He is a retired heavy equipment operator who used to work in Kansas City and now lives on a farm north of Tonganoxie.

50 years ago: May 11, 1972

St. Raphael’s Episcopal Missionary will sponsor the Iris Tours at the Miller Iris Garden. The garden is located on Highway 16, 5 1/2 miles northwest of Tonganoxie.

Michael R. Seymour was graduated from the Standard Oil Division of American Oil Company Dealer Development Clinic in Overland Park and will operate the Standard Station at 101 West Fourth Street.

There will be an all-day baby-sitting service May 16 at the Tonganoxie Methodist Church. The first child is $.50 for all day, other children in the same family are $.15 for all day. We’ll give your child lots of tender loving care.

All you have to do is bring your child and a sack lunch.

Lisa Stevens, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Phil Stevens, was initiated into Delta Zeta sorority at Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia. Lisa, who was president of her pledge class, was voted the outstanding pledge.

Mr. and Mrs. Will Musil, former owners of the Tonganoxie Bakery and well known to many friends here, are celebrating their Fiftieth Anniversary on May 29 at their home in Manhattan.

USD 464 Recreation Commission met and announced that the light poles for the new ball field had been set and wiring would soon be completed. It was also decided that the new ball field would be named Lindel Field for Bill Lindel.

The Kansas BB Gun Shoot-Off competition held at the Tonganoxie Junior High was an outstanding success. Thirty teams from across the state were represented.  The top honors were carried away by the Norton “A” Team.

75 years ago: May 8, 1947

The Tonganoxie Rural High School Alumni Association held their 1947 banquet at the high school Monday, May 5th. Approximately 230 persons enjoyed the affair, the dinner being served by the W.S.C.S.

Radio station WREN will start transferring its main studios to Topeka this week.

Permission to change from Lawrence to Topeka was granted by the Federal Communications Commission in Washington.

Mrs. Nora Glogau, age 80, who operated the Garret House, the only hotel in McLouth, died Tuesday. She was called “Aunt Nora” and “the saint of the town.”

Graduation activities are around the corner. In this year’s high school class is Fred, the last Duncanson to graduate. For 25 years there have been Duncansons in school or graduating at Tonganoxie.

Stranger Valley Echoes – The Bystander has a logical mind. He carried a rabbit’s left hind foot in his pocket for years for luck.

One day he got to thinking. After all, the rabbit’s foot didn’t save the rabbit.

100 years ago: May 11, 1922

At the special meeting of the Commercial Club last Thursday evening, the consensus of opinion seemed to be that Tonganoxie should have a park, not only large enough for the accommodation of the automobile tourists but large enough to have a playground, athletic field, and a picnic ground.

The committee Wm. Heynen, Odin N. Halsted, and B.A.C. Williams, to which was added H.J. Greene and Prof. John N. Broadlick, were instructed to get prices on all available sites and submit a report at the next meeting of the Club, Friday, May 12th.

All parties having property that would be a good place for the above purpose submit your best price to the committee before Friday evening if possible.

A motion was passed requesting the businessmen to buy fly traps and keep them in good shape on their premises this summer so as to eliminate the fly pest as much as possible.

The wireless demonstration was good although the only program picked up was from an Edison sent out by a radio company of Kansas City.

An obituary was printed for GW Holder, age 79 years, four months, and 1 day. Nr, Holder had lived here ever since the Civil War.

125 years ago: May 13, 1897

The city council let the contract for street lighting this year to E.J. Thistlewaite for $11.40 per month. There were six or seven bids submitted and the next highest was $12. The award of this bid also carries with it the distinguished honor of being the chief of the fire department of Tonganoxie and custodian of city property, including occasional trips toward Heaven when the city windmill needs greasing.

Preliminary steps are being taken for building a new schoolhouse in this school district, and the project is meeting with the generous endorsement of most of the citizens. SJ McNaughton is circulating a petition for a special school meeting to vote bonds for the construction of a new house. The petition requires the signatures of one third of the qualified voters of the school district, and there is not the slightest doubt of procuring the necessary number of signatures.

Under the state law our school district cannot vote bonds to exceed $5,800, as it is not legal to vote bonds in excess of six per cent of the assessed valuation of the property within the district.

Most of the citizens are in favor of building a better schoolhouse than can be built for the $5800, but enough material may be saved from the old school building to aid in getting a better schoolhouse than the $5,800 would ordinarily secure.

The present schoolhouse built in 1870 has long been considered in a dangerous condition, and the rooms are very inconveniently arranged. Not only a larger building is felt to be a necessity, but a more modern one is desired by the district. The past school year the school was overcrowded, and in the primary department pupils could only attend half a day.

So far, no opposition to the project has been developed, but it would be an unusual thing if a schoolhouse would be built by unanimous consent.