25 years ago: Aug. 12, 1998

The 100th birthday of the library is still being celebrated. The next occasion, planned for mid-September is an ice cream social, period costume parade, and old-time car show.

The Board of County Commissioners along with various department heads are scrambling to meet the August 25 deadline for the 1999 budget. The board must make around $1.8 million in budgets of departments funded through property taxes. Not every department will feel the cut of the budgetary knife. Some county agencies are exempt from the tax lid, including the county infirmary, risk management, juvenile programs, and employee benefits.

Advertisement – Photocopies as low as 10 cents. The Mirror

Brewers’ Country Mart insert advertises top sirloin steaks for $1.98 and 2 pounds of Bar S sliced bacon for $3.

50 years ago: Aug. 9, 1973

It seems difficult to believe that summer is about over, and school is about to start and football season is near, and most of us are another year older. New car showings are coming up and dogs and cats will soon be without ticks. Well, that is the way things go.

There are some newcomers to the junior high staff. Mrs. Vickie Hughes from Nortonville, Kansas where she taught Home Economics. Mr. Bob Hensley has just finished his leave of absence from teaching while completing his master’s degree. Mr. Phillip Jeannin comes to us after a successful year of teaching at Herrington, Kansas.

The lake at the Leavenworth County State Park is now nearing fifty years old and is the first of the artificial lakes in this part of Kansas with a mere 150 acres of water. Fish stories abound here. Some of our best fishermen were Verne (Doc) Barber, Dr. L. C. Cox (a former dentist), and Ern Bowman who caught 10 catfish weighing 150 lbs. on a cane pole and chicken blood.

Perhaps one of the most famous fish stories was about Alton Grems when Big Stranger had one of its overflows and left pools of water in cornfields. Alton had a bunch of kids to feed so he took a pitchfork and went to spear some fish left over from the high water. He was doing real well when he looked around and saw a fish and game warden watching him. The warden brought Alton to Justice Perry Walters’ court in Tonganoxie. Justice Walters looked in his law book and read that spear fishing was illegal in Kansas streams, lakes and rivers. Justice Walters ruled the case be dismissed against Alton because this corn field where he was spearing fish was neither a stream, lake, or river. This story was in the Associated Press and it went all over the US and maybe all over the world. John White, postmaster, read that story in New Guinea Gold, a service paper in World War II.

75 years ago: Aug. 5, 1948

A 58-year marriage celebration for Mr. and Mrs. R.W. Freeman was held this last week. Their six living children presented them with an air conditioner! Sounds like the greatest gift of all, especially in this hot Kansas heat.

The Pettengill girls, Mary and Ruth, visited with Miss Gladys Sparks this week. And Miss Colene Slawson returned home Friday after attending a nine-week course at Emporia State Teachers’ College. 

Voting for your favorite presidential candidate can be done just by buying a sack of Pullet Atoms. The sacks at Trosper Feed Store are different, but the feed is the same. Truman’s sack features a chicken riding a braying donkey. Dewey’s sack features a trumpeting elephant with a full-on rooster atop its head. 

J.C. Laming has the ’49 Ford with the features you want in their showroom now. With picture window visibility, hydra coil front springs, more head room, and the choice of a V-8 or 6, this “dream car” is a beauty.

Aunt Het says, “Sue won’t use a towel a second time to dry her hands, but she was raised to make one bath towel do for Saturday night and take turns breakin’ it in!” 

IGA has peanut butter on sale for $.31 a jar. Choose Chu-Wee or Homo. Get a nice loaf of bread at Yonally’s Bakery and make a tasty sandwich.

The annual Tonganoxie night at Blues Stadium in K.C. is on August 19. Tickets for the bus are $1 and tickets for the game are $1 for adults, $.40 for kids. Support the Blues as they take on the Indianapolis team.

100 years ago: Aug. 2, 1923

One hundred acres of space has been reserved for the five-town picnic to mark the opening of the hard surfaced road at Tonganoxie, September 20. A committee consisting of William Heynen, mayor of Tonganoxie and general chairman of the picnic; B.A.C., Williams, Foster Laming and Fred Angell visited Topeka yesterday and conferred with the Chamber of Commerce for further arrangements of the program. Sen. Arthur Capper met with the committee and assured the members of his aid in prevailing upon Henry C. Wallace, secretary of agriculture, to accept the invitation to make the principal speech.

Invitations also will be given the governors of both Kansas and Missouri, the members of the highway commission of each state and the mayors of the five participating towns – Topeka, Tonganoxie, Lawrence, Leavenworth and Kansas City, Kan. Each town also will be asked to bring two bands and the ten bands will be used in connection with each event that the committee may have on the program.

The 100-acre tract obtained for the celebration is about half grove and half a wide open stretch, suitable for events that may require room. From the Topeka Capital, Friday July 27.

125 years ago: Aug. 11, 1898

Robt. Saunders of Lawrence has organized a mandolin class of ten in Tonganoxie.

Have you seen Cronemeyer’s new premium dishes? Save the coupons and get a China set free.

Mort Duncanson has rented the blacksmith shop on West Fourth Street and will make an anvil ring at that place for the next year.

In the tearing down of the elevator of J.H. Dreisbachand Co., another old landmark has disappeared. Part of the old building has stood since the early days of Tonganoxie; Henry Metz having built it.

The fifteenth term of the Tonganoxie Academy opens Monday, September 12.