Bygone Days: A look at the past in NE Allegan County

(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)

25 Years Ago — June 26, 1996

The Penasee Globe is being combined with the free circular The Orbit starting July 1, ending the 30-year history of the latter publication. Editor Nila Aamoth, in her Soapbox entry, acknowledged plenty of residents’ complaints about the merger, but commented, “No pain, no gain” for the company. The new Penasee Globe is expected to be delivered gratis to 19,000 homes in Kent, Barry and Allegan counties.

A father and son, Gerald and Jerry Williams, are “making hay” because of the presence across the street of agricultural and industrial plants in Dorr Township.

Three businesses in the Leighton Township Industrical Park, Ottawa Plastics, Beta Plastics and Johnson Systems, are receiving funding assistance from the State of Michigan.

The Dorr Township Board must arrange for the purchase of land on the west side of 18th Street north of the downtown for a new location of the Dorr Library. Then a millage request must go on the November general election ballot to fund the project.

Bob Senneker of Dorr scored his record 80th career victory at the American Speed Association races in Marne. He has won more than a million dollars in racing rewards over 24 years.

Hopkins Township Supervisor Kevin Cronin has announced his candidacy for Allegan County Seventh District Commissioner. The other candidate in the Republican primary is Paula Sebright.

A fire destroyed the upstairs apartment over the Root Beer Palace on March Road, Gun Lake. Damage to the business was minimal, however.

Scott Sullivan did a photo essay on the “maverick” Yankee Springs Endurance Horse Riders.

William H. Myers, died at his Wayland Township home. A World War II veteran and 37-year employee of the Brown Paper Mill, he was 89 years old.

50 Years Ago — June 23, 1971

Olive Halloran, who taught kindergarten and fourth, fifth and sixth grades at Baker Elementary and the Wayland school system, retired after 30 years of service.

Wayland City Council is studying mobile home ordinances in the wake of news a developer is planning to purchase land on the northwest part of the city to build a park. The land was rezoned from a mix of residential and industrial to simply industrial.

Trooper Robert Piziali of the Wayland post of the Michigan State Police, has received a citation for his work in helping crack a series of burglaries resulting in nine arrests and recovery of about $2,300 worth of stolen goods.

Thomas Marks, an honor student in the Wayland High School Class of 1971, has been accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy.

Jack Arbuthnot, a 1962 graduate of Wayland High School, has earned his doctorate in psychology at Cornell University and will join the faculty at Ohio University this fall.

Terry Parks, a 1966 Wayland High School graduate, was ordained as a minister at the Emmanuel Bible Church in Seattle, Wash. He also is a graduate of Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music, today known as Cornerstone University.

Wayland High School graduate Mary Hooker won a scholarship at Western Michigan University for a career orientation program and speech and hearing clinic.

Disposable glass containers may be dropped off three containers at the Harding’s Market parking lot for recycling.

Red Cross certified swimming lessons, sponsored by the Wayland Recreation Department, will be offered this summer and orientation will be held at the Wayland High School girls’ gym.

The Golden Agers Club will meet for a potluck at the American Legion Hall at 12:30 p.m. July 1.

Dan Weick, Tom Miller and Merle Coffey, members of the Hopkins FFA Judging Team, took part in the Animal Breeders Cooperative tour in East Lansing.

Wayland’s Kathy Worfel and Kathy DeBoer teamed up to win the doubles competition at the Grand Rapids Press youth tennis tournament.

The Wayland baseball team’s terrific season finally came to an end in the Class B semifinals with a 3-0 loss to eventual state champ Detroit Lutheran West. Southpaw John Poloni, who was soon to join the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system, no-hit the ‘Cats in the first six inning and the Lutheran West coach pulled him in the seventh to enable him to pitch four innings in the title game. Wayland foiled the strategy by drawing two walks and sophomore Conrad Mauchmar singled up the middle to load the bases with nobody out. Poloni had to come back into the game from first base to finish the job. Senior southpaw Joe Koperski was saddled with the loss, giving up six hits and striking out 10. The Wildcats finished with a season record of 21-5.

75 Years Ago — June 28, 1946

The Globe published a front page photo of bride Charlene Headley, who married Globe printer Robert Riedlinger, a Wayland High School graduate and World War II veteran, in Plainwell

The lake fishing season now was in full swing and enthusiast and Editor-Publisher Rollo G. Mosher gave a comprehensive report about the excellent bluegill harvests and party at his Gun Lake home. He quipped, “We had lots of everything, except sleep.”

The St. Therese chicken dinner and festival will be July 14 on the 100-acre property of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Alflen north of town, where a Plymouth-DeSoto car dealership is planned.

Longtime Bradley area farmer Fred Bastian died at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. He was 66.

Robert Merren of Wayland has reported he is serving in Peiping, China, and has been an audio and visual witness to fierce fighting between Nationalists and the communists.

The Rev. Fr. Stephen Kolenic is the new pastor of the Sts. Cyril & Methodius parish at Gun Lake and St. Joseph Church in Leighton Township. He will live in Wayland with Fr. Adelbert Radowski of the St. Therese Parish in Wayland.

The annual American Legion fish fry will be held at the former Joe’s Tavern at Gun Lake. Those attending are asked to bring along their catches, dressed and pan ready.

Max Schweikert and Everett Duryea, two veterans of World War II. Have decided to open a gas station and modern service garage across from the Hopkins Lumberyard. The site in bygone years had been a cobbler shop owned by Lewis Young.

Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:

  • Jane Darwell and Edgar Kennedy in “Captain Tugboat Annie.”
  • Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette in “Blue Montana Skies.”
  • Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Cummings in “The Bride Wore Boots.”
  • Lucille Ball, Mark Stevens and William Bendix in “The Dark Corner.”

100 Years Ago — June 24, 1921

Hopkins alumni and teachers enjoyed the school picnic at the home of Walter Bennett with about 125 in attendance. Mrs. Edna Paul was elected president of the Alumni Association.

Wayland School officials are planning to add a greenhouse with an eye toward providing the kinds of flowers that can be used for funerals.

Fay C. Wing, L.B. Mason, the Shattuck Store, Beall Brothers, L. Barnhart, Green Brothers, F.D. Travis, G.E. Tubeh, U.W. Kraft, C.A. Burger, Wayland Bakery, Charles Nelson, S.J. McCaslin, Glen Fales and Wayland State Bank all have announced they intend to close Thursday afternoons throughout July and August.

The Rev. A.G. Beard was ordained as pastor of the Wayland, Bradley and Moline Congregational churches.

Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Kenfield received a call from a long lost childhood friend in the former Miss Addie Pitts, now of Denver, Colo. The two hadn’t seen each other in more than 40 years.

Ernest Sigler attended the motorcycle races in Marshall Sunday.

The City of Otsego is considering the elimination of the city manager form of government after receiving 200 citizens’ petitions.

The Aletha Class of the Christian Church will have an ice cream social on the lawn at the home of Sib Rumery.

The only thing still needed to begin work on the concrete road between Wayland and Moline (now 10th Street) is the arrival of cement mixers.

Now showing at the Regent Theatre downtown:

  • Anita Stewart in “Old Kentucky.”
  • Douglas McLean and Doris May in “23 and a Half Hours Leave.”
  • Elaine Hammerstein in “Pleasure Seekers.”

Mrs. Jay L. Smith and children Julia and Rolin attended the “pageant of Michigan in Lansing.

Edwin S. Higbee, former principal and teacher in schools in Illinois, who came to Wayland to teach Bible classes for the Methodist Episcopal Church, died of apoplexy at his home. He was 56.

Frank Watkins, a leading Allegan County merchant and former Union solider in the Civil War, died at his home in Hopkins at age 73.

1 Comment

  1. Connie

    Thank you so much for this article. I always find them interesting but this one mentioned people that I had been wondering about so it was even more interesting to me.

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