(From the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 years Ago — Sept. 2, 1992
A special work session, closed to public comment, will be held at the Wayland Township Hall on the proposed amphitheater in Bradley. Planning Commission Chairwoman Laura Shepherd said commissioners still need more time to absorb more information.
The Wayland Township Board plans to put the matter to a vote at its Oct. 5 regular meeting, though citizen Carol Messer, in a letter to the editor, urged the mostly lame duck Township Board to delay such a vote until the new Township Board is seated in November.
Meanwhile, members of the Allegan County Fair Board indicated in a letter to the township that Agricultural Society will suffer economic harm if the amphitheater is approved.
Allegan County Resource and Recovery Director Mary Jones has announced the new recycling program is doing well across the county, with a dramatic increase in materials collected at the drop-off sites.
The Globe published a full page of “before and after” Streetscape project photos in downtown Wayland just after the completion of the work.
EMT Donna Tuinstra wrote a letter to the editor protesting the growing number of commercial establishments selling alcohol in the area.
Lawrence Lenhart wrote a letter expressing concerns about the implementation of the Channel One program in classrooms at Hopkins, insisting the service only provides marketing advertising and “slanted news” to a captive audience of students.
Martin will start the 1992 football season with a new coach, Peter Schemerhorn and hopes to get back into the playoffs again. Hopkins and coach Rex Weaver are aiming at the playoffs as well after fmaking the post-season for the first time ever in 1991. Wayland and coach Ed Lark are welcoming back quarterback Pat Kruizenga and receiver Robert Moore as key offensive weapons.
Owner Tom Lowing has announced that Hidden Valley Golf Course has added about 2,000 yards to the course to better accommodate long ball hitters.
Amy Lodenstein scored eight clutch points down the stretch to lead Hopkins to a 35-31 victory over Byron Center in the season opener.
Brian Paul and Jason Young led the Wayland cross-country team to a season-opening 23-32 triumph over Kelloggsville.
John and Rosemary Kamyszek have donated the first-ever music CDs to the Henika Library in memory of daughter Susan Kubiak, former Library Board member who died of cancer the previous at only age 34.
50 Years Ago — Aug. 30, 1967
The Three Stooges are scheduled to appear Friday night and Saturday night at the Allegan County Fair. They include originals Moe Howard and Larry Fine.
Rollo G. Mosher, in his “Observations Here and There” column, railed in against new taxes, “that are being or going to be levies against the common taxpayer… the new state income tax, gas tax, weight tax, camping tax, licenses, state parks, postage, intangible tax… what’s next?”
Mrs. Roy (Hannah) Austin, 66, died at her home in Hopkins. She had been a member of the Rebekah Lodge, VFW Auxiliary and worked for a long time at Kessler’s Undies and Woolies.
Wayland teachers and the Board of Education finally reached agreement on a new employment contract. Starting teachers with a bachelor’s degree will receive a salary of $5,800 with the highest wage fof that degree at $7,795. Those with master’s degrees will get a minimum of $8,377. The pact, the first ever negotiated in Wayland, was the result of a 47-13 vote of the teachers. However, Hopkins teachers still have not come to terms, but school will start Sept. 5 regardless.
Several mothers of preschoolers asked the Wayland school board to waive the policy of insisting all kindergarteners be 5 years old by Sept. 1.
Loren Lee Urlaub has been assigned to the Wayland post of the Michigan State Police after troopers graduation, which produced the first ever Negro state trooper, Jack L. Hall of Benton Township.
Library Board members and Mayor Phillip Reno gathered for the groundbreaking photo-op for the new addition at the Henika Library.
The Allegan County Intermediate School District Board has announced that 37 rural school districts were annexed into larger districts in the past year, including 19 in Allegan, six in Wayland and three in Hopkins.
Elja Olanen was picture on the Globe’s front page wearing a home-made Finnish dress as she is staying with the Huse Johnson family as a foreign exchange student during the 1967-68 academic year.
Barbara Cook, 15, of Dorr, won a horsemanship award at the Michigan State 4-H competition in East Lansing.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
Pvt. Elwyn Culver, a 1965 graduate of Wayland High School, is serving with an infantry outfit known as “The Dragons” in Vietnam.
Bobbie Gentry hit the No. 1 slot among the nation’s top 40 tunes with the country cross-over “Ode to Billy Joe.”
75 Years Ago — Sept. 4, 1942
Editor-Publisher Rollo G. Mosher, in the wake of a surprisingly successful Cowbell Carnival in downtown Wayland, declared, “The labor shortage is even affecting carnival companies.”
More than 1,000 chicken dinners were served at Gun Lake over the weekend at the fund-raising meal for Sts. Cyril & Methodius and St, Therese parishes. Rev. Fr. Adelbert Radowski worked the crowd to introduce himself.
St. Stanislaus Church plans a chicken dinner at the parish hall in Hilliards Sunday, Sept. 6. Cost is adults 65 cents and children 35 cents.
The Fort Custer Band from Battle Creek, with director Thomas R. Porter, was to be in town Friday night to play selections from Tchaikosky’s Nutcracker, the Col. Bogey March, the Carman and novelty tunes.
William Vreeland, 78, a lifelong resident of Leighton Township, died at his home.
The Victory Harvest Festival, set for Sept. 11-12 at the Wayland High School auditorium, with Junior Garden Club displays of vegetables, flower arrangements, and a lecture on flowers.
A new oil well is being drilled at the farm of Carl Nagurski in Dorr Township.
The annual Parish Show was a success and a list of winners was published by the Globe.
“What was though to be an uninteresting primary election is turning out to be of considerable interest between Kim Sigler of Hasting and Bud Tripp of Allegan. Mosher said, “Now is the time for every farmer to make it a special priority of business to come to the polls on Primary Day Sept. 15 to show he is still interested in good government.”
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
- Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake in “Blondie for Victory.”
- John Wayne and Binnie Barnes in “In Old California.”
- Tyrone Power and Joan Fontaine in “This Above All.”
- Joan Gabon and Ida Lupino in “Moontide.”
The Wayland Theatre has announced that coming soon with be “Eagle Squadron,” the actual video of the first Americans fighting in the war in Europe.
100 Years Ago — Aug. 31, 1917
The Wayland Grange meeting Sept. 6 will include a discussion on “Could we sell our produce better through a cooperative?”
There were 69 people in attendance at the Tanner Reunion in Hopkins, which included recitations, music and L.W. Morford’s ice cream
Sunday schools for the Dorr and Byron Center Methodist churches held a joint picnic with 90 in attendance at Green Lake.
Rev. DeJonge of Moline Christian Church has accepted a call from a Minnesota church and will be leaving soon.
A.J. Bostwick had the misfortune of falling down stairs and breaking a leg, causing Dr. E.O Hanlon to be summoned to the residence.
Andres Brog was elected president and Henry Brog vice president at the Brog Family Reunion at Gun Lake with 109 present.
“Another case of where the driver of an automobile failed to dim his lights resulted in a serious accident. Miss Ivo Sigler was thrown against a telephone pole as a passenger in a car driven by W. H. Mosher. She is recovering from her injuries at a hospital in Grand Rapids.
The Helvetia Milk Co. has raised its prices to producers by 55 cents per hundred pounds of milk. Dry weather conditions have been challenging, but rain is expected soon.
A good number of local citizens plan to attend the Barry County Fair Sept. 4-7. There will be $500 worth of fireworks and aeroplane demonstrations.