Days Gone By (Aug. 9, 2012)

• Pat Hunter

Pat Hunter

Talk about it

10 YEARS AGO, AUG. 8, 2002

After rumors of a Wal-Mart store going in on Hwy 35 just north of the city, a 180-day moratorium on large retail development was proposed to give city staff a chance to investigate the effect on the city’s roads, traffic, utilities, environment and economy.

St. Croix County’s annual Farm-City Day was to be held at the Huppert Brothers Inc. farm about two miles from River Falls. Jason and Lori (Huppert) Kjos were the latest in the family to be running the over-100 year old farm.

A “baby boom” a few years ago inspired Faith Evangelical Church members to begin a pre-school program for three-to-five-year-olds this fall.

A.J. Halverson offered three more acres, including a beaver pond, to the two he donated to the town of River Falls a few years ago to be used as parkland.

20 YEARS AGO, AUG. 6, 1992

In business news. Doug Darrell of Milwaukee was named manager of the Super 8 Motel on North Main; Ty Covill, owner of Business Logic, was taking on a project installing a computer network for the hospital here; Wayne Svoboda was lamenting the roadwork costing him at least $2,000 a day but looking forward to renovating work on his station this month, and First National Bank of River Falls received permission to open a branch in Prescott.

Nineteen-year-old Chris Stacy shot a two-day total of 158 to win the Minnesota Physically Limited Golfer’s Association State Championship.

30 YEARS AGO

AUG. 12, 1982

A two-year freeze on all annexations to the city was passed by the City Council after past problems of overloading city facilities and services. During this time a comprehensive growth plan was to be developed.

Higgins Travel Service awarded Beth Dusek, Wayne Beebe and Todd Jenkins free trips to Las Vegas.

Canning goods were now on sale with Ball 1-qt. wide mouth jars available for $5.22; wide-mouth lids were 97 cents/box; Kordite pint freezer bags were 60 cents for 40; and pint freezer boxes were $1.30/15.

Top readers in the summer reading program at the Municipal Library included first-graders Anton Sorenson and Christina Neuhaus; Travis Johnson and Chad Halverson for second-graders; Michelle Thomas and Amy McDonald for third-graders; and Lisa Howard and Sara Johnson for the fourth graders.

40 YEARS AGO, AUG. 10, 1972

River Falls baseball team coached by John Orgeman, took the St. Croix Valley League championship. Players included Lynn Wagner, Dave Kremer, Buddy O’Connell, Mark Stafford, Doug Branigan, Randy Bergsrud, Brad Groom, Jim Karras, Richard Fox, John Berggren, Jerry Croes, Dave Horness, Terry Linehan, Jeff Paulson, Joe Jensen, Gerard Rohl and Greg Brown. Rick Fox led the hitters with a .730 mark.

Grocery specials included 5 cans of pineapple for $1; seedless grapes 33 cents/lb.; ground beef 69 cents/lb.; and charcoal was 59 cents for a 10 lb. bag.

60 YEARS AGO, AUG. 7, 1962

Poker-playing chickens from General Mills in Minneapolis were a big draw for Lindquist Hatchery last week.

“Butch” Boles, son of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas L. Boles of Cascade Ave., nearly lost the sight of his right eye while playing “Indian” with neighborhood children. A rubber tip had fallen off the arrow as it went under the boy’s eyeglasses and into his eye socket.

70 YEARS AGO, AUG. 6, 1942

Bringing home even more forcibly than ever the fact of being in a war was the creation of a Red Cross work center in this city. Mrs. R.W. Freeman was appointed director of the operation which will keep 35 to 50 women busy for three work periods each week making surgical dressings for the armed forces.

Canning supplies were available in local stores with prices ranging from one dozen pint Ball Mason jars for 65 cents; caps for the jars 22 cents a dozen, and red rubber rings were 5 cents/dozen.

H&K Variety Store advertised “Brush on your stockings with Miner’s Liquid Leg Make-up. Comes in golden mist or rose with 4 to 6 applications from a 10-cent bottle.”

80 YEAS AGO, AUG. 11, 1932

The crew laying sewer mains on Walnut Street have been experiencing no little difficulty, what with a cave-in burying John Moelter who experienced a badly wrenched back, and then running into a bed of loose, fine sand between Second and Third streets which necessitated building a solid wall down 22 feet.

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