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Echos of the Past for Nov. 14
Old Fennimore Main Street
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO (1919)—Warren R. Decker has resigned his position as superintendent of the city water and light plant; also as city clerk, to take a place as assistant in the First National Bank. Decker has been clerk for the past three years and superintendent of the power plant for five years. —Duster’s Cafe will soon have a nice room on the north side for dancing. John is putting in a new floor and painting the interior. He has put his electric piano in so that whenever you want to dance just feed the piano and you can be well entertained.
    NINETY YEARS AGO (1929)—An American Legion band is being organized, composed largely of Legion players, and is functioning under the leadership of O. E. Tennant. About 20 recruits, mostly old players, have joined. —Dr. and Mrs. A. H. Truitt attended the state chiropractor’s convention at Green Bay.
    EIGHTY YEARS AGO (1939)—Don Maso and Farris Kienzler announce the opening of the Rainbo Rink on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Skating each Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evening, and on Sunday afternoons and evenings. —The city council took an important step toward establishing a diesel electric power plant by hiring George H. Lieser of Portage as consulting engineer at $200 per month for a period of 15 months. The city intends to make plans for installation of the power plant in the near future.
    SEVENTY YEARS AGO (1949)—Amateur entertainers from Grant, Crawford, and Iowa Counties have been flocking to the Blue Heaven in Prairie du Chien on Wednesdays to participate in a weekly amateur hour. Last week, Wilson Boebel of Fennimore was one of the crowd’s favorites with his renditions on the accordion. Winners each week are held over to the finals at the end of the month. A grand winner is selected and wins $40.
    SIXTY YEARS AGO (1959)—Three youth from the Fennimore area were among the nine Grant County 4-H members who won the Wisconsin 4-H Key award this year: John Cottingham, Fennimore, Dairyland Boosters; Shyla Novinskie, Stitzer Go-Getters; and Danny Riley, Mt. Ida, Merry Mixers. —Dr. Clyde Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Johnson, received recognition as a result of a special composition he created in connection with the annual convention of the Iowa Music Teachers’ Association. Dr. Johnson, a member of the Parsons department of music at the college, where he is head of instrumental music and conducts the band, is recognized as an outstanding composer in the field of woodwind.
     FIFTY YEARS AGO (1969)—The United Methodist Church of Fennimore will observe its 125th anniversary with a special service on Sunday, Nov. 2. Guest preacher will be the Rev. Willard W. Schulz, superintendent of the South Central District of the Wisconsin Conference. —Dr. Charles Shields delivered his 1,000th infant Oct. 18 at the Boscobel Memorial Hospital when Mrs. James Whitish gave birth to her third son. Michael John weighed 8 pounds, one-half ounce. He joins two brothers, Mark and Bobby. In commemoration of this noteworthy event, Dr. Shields presented Michael with a $25 savings bond.
    FORTY YEARS AGO (1979)—Terry Arndt, former Fennimore High School FFA member, has received the National FFA’s highest award, the American Farmer Degree.
     THIRTY YEARS AGO (1989)—The Fennimore Junior Women’s Club held a finger printing clinic on Nov. 7 at the elementary school. All fifth graders were fingerprinted as part of the program intended to provide identifying information in the event the child would come up missing. Fingerprints are given to the families of the children for safe keeping.
    TWENTY YEARS AGO (1999)—Father George Horath’s old Lincoln Town car has been painted half in Green Bay Packer colors and half in Chicago Bears colors by St. Mary’s parish member Bill Doan, who owns Bill Body’s Shop in Fennimore. Father Horath is an ardent Bears fan.

    TEN YEARS AGO (2009)—A new youth pastor has joined Bethany Alliance Church. Luke Hess has gone from simply lending a hand toward youth programs for about four years to know manning the show under the wing of senior pastor Doug Inghram.