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Echos of the Past for March 26
Old Fennimore Main Street
ONE HUNDRED TEN YEARS AGO (1910)—A pipe burst in the cellar under Lomas & Kinder’s building and it took several days to pump the water out, there being about seven feet of water in the cellar. —J. H. Gerhardt has opened a meat market in the Tormey building.
    ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO (1920)—The old-times who profess to know about these things say that the wind we have during the three days the sun is crossing the line in the spring will be the prevailing wind for the next three months. If that is so, oh joy! for it was in the south. —Wm. Zimmerman installed a grain grader in his mill. It separates wheat from oats at a rapid rate.
    NINETY YEARS AGO (1930)—A visit to the green house of the Fennimore Florists is at any time an interesting matter, but just now it is particularly so, for not only do you find beautiful flowering plants of all description, but the most magnificent lot of Easter lilies in all stages of development, that you ever feasted your eyes upon. The plants are exceptionally large and sturdy.
    EIGHTY YEARS AGO (1940)—The American Legion was given a very pleasant birthday party on the occasion of their becoming 21 years old by the Auxiliary at the Legion hall Thursday evening. The party included a triple deck birthday cake with candles and decorations made by the ladies.
    SEVENTY YEARS AGO (1950)—Roger Irish and Vonda Becker will preside as king and queen of the Fennimore High School junior prom to be held May 19. Also on the court are Leroy Wepking, Kathleen Bahl, Marshall Speaker, and Doris Wehrle. —Rossell Jones, World War II veteran who served as senior vice commander the past year, succeeds Leo Morris as commander of the Fennimore 19 Star Post No. 7499, Veterans of Foreign Wars. Other officers include Wallace (Jack) Lund, junior vice president; Emerson Lind, judge advocate; and Joe Primmer, trustee. Donald Doeringsfeld, quartermaster, Ray McCluskey, chaplain; and Dr. E. C. Howell, post surgeon, were reelected to their posts.
    SIXTY YEARS AGO (1960)—Near capacity crowds packed the Memorial Building auditorium for every session of the Fennimore Home Show Thursday and Friday last week. The climax came Friday afternoon with the appearance of the two presidential candidates, Senators Hubert Humphrey and John Kennedy. Miss Jean Roethe was crowned Home Show Queen. Miss Elaine Christopherson was a close second.
     FIFTY YEARS AGO (1970)—The Fennimore High School junior prom court includes Debbie Gilbertson, Mike Northouse, Shirley Fuerstenberg, Larry Helms, Debra Kasper, Brian Wiest, Nancy Pagel, Charles Stepanek, Rebecca Fivecoat, and Gary Kroll. —Cletus Hardy and Sam Moen have formed a partnership as co-owners of the former Tip-Top restaurant in the McKichan building on north Lincoln Avenue and plan to reopen on March 28. They purchased the business from Mr. and Mrs. Jim Stephenson. The new enterprise will be known as “The Squeegee.”
    FORTY YEARS AGO (1980)—The Fennimore High School junior prom court includes Ben Hoffland, Jennifer Davis, Rob Nelson, Christa James, Larry Rector, Jody Pease, Randy Place, Sara Brun, Rod Kauffman, and Miriam Barr.
     THIRTY YEARS AGO (1990)—Dana Strohbusch and Becky Wepking have been selected to represent Fennimore High School at the Badger Girls State at UW-Madison in June.
    TWENTY YEARS AGO (2000)—The Fennimore city council approved recommendations of the finance committee to pay off the remainder owed on the doll collection it purchased from Dorothy White of St. Donatus, Iowa. The collection has been in the city’s possession for some time. The city had been paying $400 a month with $16,688 in principle remaining. However, Jim White offered the city a deal where it could pay off the collection for a lump sum of $14,000.

    TEN YEARS AGO (2010)—More than 235 children registered for this year’s annual Easter Egg Hunt in Fennimore held Saturday, March 27 at Marsden Park. The hunt was sponsored by the Fennimore Optimist Club. —The family of Maurice and Anne Leffler, longtime Fennimore residents, donated money to Fennimore High School for the purchase of record boards for both the boys and girls basketball programs.