(Taken from the archives at the Then & Now Historical Library in downtown Dorr)
25 Years Ago — Aug. 16, 1999
More fast food has joined in Wayland’s commercial park. Taco Bell is the latest tenant to open up shop in the area near the strip mall on West Superior.
Local police put together another “pot burn” of this year’s fall crop of marijuana. A field with an estimated 2,500 mature marijuana plants was lit on fire in the Otsego area by officers with the West Michigan Enforcement team.
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley was accorded the honor of the Globe publishing his column “Back to School time is not just for kids any more” in honor of the annual start of school period.
Area auctioneer Tinus VanderWoude sustained injuries in a traffic crash near the Anchor Used Auto Parts business on Division Street north of Wayland.
The Hopkins community will have a dedication ceremony for its new high school facility Sunday, Sept. 26.
Moline Christian has adopted a starting time schedule the same as Wayland Union to aid with bus schedules from Pine Street. Student enrollment was reported to be 209, up slightly from the previous year.
Among the new administrators for the Wayland schools this fall are Sue Wakefield, assistant principal at the high school; Greg Capiello, assistant principal and athletic director at the middle school, and Tom Cutler, assistant principal at the high school.
Wayland High School has added criminal justice to its curriculum. Brian Ballone will be the teacher.
Forty-seven classic cars were brought to the Laurels of Sandy Creek nursing facility, including a 1926 Ford Model T.
New Wayland High School head football coach Tim Gibson is welcoming Wildcat hopefuls, including returning top rusher Matt Longstreet
Veteran head coach Rex Weaver is starting the season with a team that went all the way to the state finals at the Pontiac Silverdome, with record-setting fullback Kevin Glupker leading the returning lettermen.
Martin also has a new head coach in John Kubiak, who guided the junior varsity Clippers to a 7-2 record the previous fall.
The Wayland Chiropractic Center is welcoming new doctor Eric Russell to the practice at the Wayland Professional Building.
Lifelong Hopkins Township farmer Edgar Puschel died at the Lutheran Home in Grand Rapids. He was 85.
50 Years Ago — Aug. 13, 1974
Allegan County Commissioner Louis TerAvest was the beneficiary of a recount of the primary election in which he originally was reported to have lost by two votes. A 10-vote error was discovered in Monterey Township and he was returned to office.
An open house for the new Wayland High School facility has been scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 25. Regular classes at the new building will commence Tuesday, Aug. 27.
Members of the Knights of Columbus held a mortgage burning July 27 in Hilliards and held their annual Ladies Night at the same time.
Lenore Burchardt will represent Wayland at the annual Harvest Queen contest next month at the Allegan Fair. She will demonstrate her talents as an organist and accordionist.
Editor-Publisher Irvin P. Helmey wrote an editorial about the resignation of President Richard Nixon and declared, “We think President (Gerald) Ford will be a great president. We thought highly of him during his interrogation by Congress prior to his becoming vice president… perhaps a new hero has arrived.”
Letter writer Gloria Jean Gleeman opined, meanwhile, “It was a nightmare and it terrifies me to think of someday being in a situation where all the jurors think I am guilty before they hear any actual evidence.”
Kris Lapham won a special award at the Christian Athletic Camp in Edwardsburg for most improved time of nine minutes in the three-mile run, whittling it down to 20:05.
The City of Wayland published notice of its federal revenue sharing payment in the amount of $18,459.
Rick Morse was approved by the Wayland Board of Education to be the new varsity baseball coach, Rick Tokarchick is assistant varsity track coach and Pat Sowle for girls’ varsity basketball.
The Wayland Township Board has scheduled a “Cemetery Day” Aug. 21 to clean up Hill Cemetery.
Students Dave Lapham and Sherri Johnson and director Bette Fickler were featured on WKZO-TV for their presentation of an ecological program “Earth Take Notice.”
Fall semester classes for Wayland Adult Education are expected to be offered starting Sept. 9 at Dorr and Moline Elementary schools.
Paper Lace had the No. 1 song in the land this week with “The Night Chicago Died.”
75 Years Ago — Aug. 19, 1949
Voters in the Village of Wayland turned down a proposal for a $325,000 bond to build a sanitary sewer system. The tally was 325 to 104.
Two new polio cases were reported in Allegan County, bringing the total to four in the last several weeks. The two girls, ages 9 and 11, from Overisel Township, now are receiving treatment at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids.
Wayland Union Schools have announced the first day of classes for the 1949-50 academic year will be Wednesday, Sept. 7.
The Globe’s front page carried the news of the deaths of William Bergman, 90, C.O. Decker, 75, Omer French, 50, and Maria Newman. Also noted were the Knobloch, Bennett, Tuttle, Noteboon-Weber and Hoffmaster family reunions.
The American Legion continues to stay atop the standings for the summer softball recreation league with a 5-1 record.
The Globe’s rural correspondent from Hilliards declared “This indeed will be a summer to remember. Not within memory have local growing conditions been more favorable — not even a potato bug to speak of to worry the farmer!”
Van’s Gas & Electric is offering television reception services to local homes by appointment to show residents what a television program will look like before they purchase a TV.
The Corning School House is is receiving some new interior decorating “which was sadly needed.”
In Bradley, “There have been quite a few changes in phone numbers here, which makes it very confusing to call in.” All were four-digit numbers, such as 5744 for William Barrett.
The Wayland Garden Club had its annual picnic at Gun lake with Dora Weaver as hostess. They declared the Flicker the Bird of the Month and the Tree of the Month was the Horse Chestnut.
Now showing at the Wayland Theatre:
- Gene Autry and Barbara Britton in “Loaded Pistols.”
- Gloria Henry and Stehen Dünne in “Law of the Barbary Coast.”
- Marguerite Chapman, Robert Paige, Natalie Wood and Walter Brennan in “The Green Promise.”
- Edward G. Robinson and Susan Hayward in “House of Strangers.”
100 Years Ago — Aug. 15, 1924
The eighth annual reunion of the Wayland High School Class of 1916 was a potluck supper at the home of Mrs. W. W. Hooker at Gun Lake, with 12 present.
The Allegan County Fair Board plans to offer entertainment, featuring John Robinson’s military elephants, fireworks, and the Bohumir Kryl Bohemian Band. Entertainment will be provided evenings for the first time in the fair’s long history.
The Soldiers and Sailors of Allegan County reunion will be Sept. 16 with a picnic in Saugatuck.
A three-cornered real estate deal took place when C.E. Ball purchased the grocery store of C.A. Burger, who has taken over the Benedict General Store at Bowens Mills. Mr. Benedict will move to Wayland to occupy the house formerly owned by C.E. Ball.
Now showing at the Regent Theatre downtown: Shirley Mason in “South Sea Love.” Also, a comedy “Applesauce.” A drama Wednesday, “Other Men’s Daughters.”
The Globe predicted about the 1924 presidential election that “A full vote will elect Calvin Coolidge and (Vice President) Charles Dawes and a Republican Congress.” Rollo G. Mosher predicted Independent Progressive Robert M. Lafollette would carry only his home state of Wisconsin.
The Wayland Grange planned to be host for a debate, “Resolved: That it is cheaper to buy bread than to make it.”
A Grange rally will be held at the Allegan County Park Aug. 28. Congressman Ketcham and E.E. Salisbury will be speakers.
The 13th annual reunion of the Hopkins Holiness Camp is scheduled from Aug. 21 to 31 with a large number of visiting clergy to speak.
The Wayland Village Council’s meeting to open bids for installing concrete on the Superior Street paving project had to be postponed because of a lack of a quorum.