(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago — Aug. 24, 1994
Local residents have been complaining to City Hall about dust, flying stones and bumpy rides on North Main Street in the wake of chip and seal application from Maple Street to the city limits. City Manager Harmon “Pete” Stull explained the application is a temporary solution that will get the city through the period before better times and funding arrive.
Max Kessler has been hired as principal at Brandon Elementary in Martin, succeeding Tom Koops, who is leaving to take a similar job at Spring Lake. Koops was the coach in 1988 when Martin was Class D state champion in wrestling.
Three Hopkins couples, Al and Karen Dangremond, Elaine and Thom Scott, and Deb and Chuck Strang, combined efforts on a letter to the editor further explaining citizens’ frustrations with lack of police coverage in the village.
Michael Honeycutt of Otsego and Winifred Proctor of Kalamazoo were killed in a traffic crash on Chief Noonday Road in Yankee Springs Township. Police said Honeycutt, who was wearing a seat belt, drove the car into a tree alongside the road. A child in the back seat was hospitalized.
The Martin Board of Education has a vacancy because member Don Knight has accepted the post of athletic director at Otsego High School.
Zack Moushegian will begin his 19th season as head girls’ basketball coach at Wayland and he welcomes promising returnees Jill Chrisman, Jessica McEwen and Angie Farmer.
New Hopkins girls’ hoops coach Tracy Hazen Iciek is looking forward to the Vikings’ first-ever season in the O-K Silver Conference. Karen Schwartz is the top returning starter.
Veteran Martin coach Robert VanDenBerg welcomes a trio of veterans, Michelle Mazei, Tracey Smith and Kristin Fraaza, coming off a 16-7 season.
Kimberly Leep was the winner of the Miss Wayland Dahlia festival pageant and was crowned by her older sister, Christie.
John DeVries is beginning his first year as Moline Christian Elementary Principal.Though a native of Allegan County, he comes from out east, specifically upstate New York and Rhode Island.
Most comments were positive about the extended school year program June 9-21 at Hopkins schools.
The Gun Lake band Frau Brau is getting a lot of notice lately in gigs in which they open for well-known performers. Members include Tom Northrup, Terry Keenan, Jason VanVuren and Mike Stone.
Rena B. Hunsberger, who lived for many years on East Superior Street with husband, Russell, died at age 92 at Sandy Creek Nursing Center. She had been a longtime member of the United Methodist Church and Allegan County Republican Party.
50 Years Ago — Aug. 20, 1969
Lynn Freeman was chosen Miss Wayland and will compete next month in the Allegan County Harvest Queen competition at the fair. Barbara Fisher was first runner-up.
The pageant took place at the “girls’ gym” on a Saturday night, forcing the Wayland square dance club to move to Steeby Elementary for the evening.
Entertaining for the pageant were Gary Doublestein on vocals and guitar, Patty Krup on piano and singers Sharon and Ann Bender, Alyce Hanson, Mark Cuper, Wendy Flowers, Ed Bergeron, Mike Chrisman, Neil Ellinger and Bob Marks.
Wayland schools will open for the 1969-70 academic year on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
Mrs. George Singer, longtime activist with the Congregational Church, Garden Club, Ladies Library Club and Elenbaas Guild, died. She was 76.
The City Council will have a public hearing on plans to amend the local ordinance that set boundaries for the village many years ago.
Mrs. Gene Weber will be acting city manager now that Blaine Bacon has left. His replacement will be chosen soon.
Three suspected cases of arson are being investigating by Michigan State Police at the Wayland post. In all three incidents, an isolated storage unit was burned in the Gun Lake area.
In the “Turned Up Here and There” column, high praise was offered to the Richard L. “Ty” Finkbeiner family for the size of their tomatoes and cabbages in their garden.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre: Elvis Presley in “Charro!”
Cay Velderman, 15, of Middleville, was the winner of the girls’ singles competition in the annual Wayland Globe tennis tournament. Allen Kupres won the boys’ singles division and he and Rex Andringa won doubles. Other winners were Jim Hendrixson, Rick Frank, Mike Comrie, Hendrixson and Robert Ayers in doubles.
New coach head coach Eugene Knobloch says he is excited about prospects for this seaaon, as Wayland’s offensive line, led by Dan Hall and Tim Timmerman, has an average of 6-2 and 195 pounds.
Barry Brower, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ford Brower of Wayland, is serving as a communications specialist outside of Saigon, interviewing soldiers.
75 Years Ago — Aug. 25, 1944
Fred Burleson, who has been in the broom and junk business at Maple and North Main for a long time, will close up shop on Sept. 1. Editor-Publisher Rollo G. Mosher said this will be a blow to the war effort for waste paper.
The 44th annual Edgell reunion was held Aug. 19 at the Hopkins Grange Hall with 61 present. Willis Parmalee was elected president.
Ray Conlon will be the featured speaker at 12:30 p.m. Sunday for the Allegan County Legion and Auxiliary potluck at the Wayland High School cafeteria.
Elias H. Cole, owner of the local bakery downtown, died of a heart attack at his business. He had two sons serving in the war effort overseas.
Reta Plank, 61, of Wayland, died in Petoskey while traveling to a theater production. She had been a member of the Ant-Can’t and Garden Clubs.
Janey Kay Schwartz, 5, of Hopkins died at Crispe Hospital in Plainwell after she was struck in the driveway at her home by an L.L. Buck Produce truck. Her brother, Cpl. Max Schwartz, was able to attend her funeral while on emergency furlough.
Lt. Rex Allen was home on leave to visit his wife, the former Marie Ehle, and said he met up with Major Bud Malmstone, a decorated pilot in the Pacific Theatre.
Three boys from the Hilliards parish at St. Stanislaus Church have been recognized as having received the Purple Heart — Sgt. Edmund Kaminski, Sgt. Edward Marklevitz and Pvt. Harry Rybicki.
Robert Cozzens, son of the owners of the downtown market, reported he collapsed while on duty because of an attack of appendicitis. He said a quick response by Navy medical personnel was appreciated.
After getting no word for a month, Mr. and Mrs. George Laker finally learned that son Mitch was stationed in Guam after a harrowing experience in Guadacanal.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
- Ann Miller, Jan Garber and Louis Armstrong and his orchestra in “Jam Session.”
- Tom Neal, Ann Savage and J. Carrol Naish in “Two-Man Submarine.”
- Robert Walker, Donna Reed and Keenan Wynn in “See here, Private Hargrove.”
- Ray Milland, Gail Russell and Ruth Hussey in “The Uninvited.”
100 years Ago — Aug. 22, 1919
The third annual reunion of the Wayland High School Class of 1916 was held at the home of Miss Berdine Gardner. Harvey Wait, who had just been discharged from the service, was one of the 16 who attended. Next year’s reunion will be at the home of Myrtle Chamberlain.
The ninth annual Brog reunion will held Aug. 27 at Streeter’s Resort, Gun Lake. There will be reasings, recitations, songs, a dialogue. President is Andrew Brog.
The body of Dr. Hall Bellinger, missing for more than 24 hours going out on a house call, was found under an overturned car about six miles northwest of Plainwell.
About 1,000 people were reported to have attended the Allegan County Farm Bureau picnic at Green Lake. E. C. Lilly from the Michigan State Fair was guest speaker.
The villages of Otsego, Allegan and Plainwell are without gas because of a strike by the workers for the Allegan County Gas Company.
The farmers Picnic at Streeter’s Resort, Gun Lake, promises to eb a rip-roaring affair. Included will be dancing and food and a baseball game between Hilliards and the Gun Lake Indians. But Prof. Zeldo has indicated he “will make a 100-foot shot on roller skates fastened to his head. The Middleville band will provide the appropriate music.
Mrs. H.T. Stringham, one of the pioneer residents of the village, died at her home on West Superior Street.
Forty teachers of the county wrote for second- and third-grade certificates in the high school room last week.
An Allegan man identified as Johnson built a makeshift dam across an inlet at Gun Lake in Orangeville Township, but it was soon after demolished by dynamite. Local residents objected to the dam, saying it caused a massive slowdown of water flow on the Gun River and fish were dying as a result.
The Wayland school budget was $9,756.21, with a fund balance of $733.88.
The Wayland Methodist Episcopal Sunday School classes had their annual picnic at Barlow Lake YMCA grounds.
Mrs. Mabel Riedlinger has left for VanWert, Ohio, to be with her husband, who has just been released from military service. She had been staying for the past year with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Z.S. Shafer.