‘Years Ago’ is a compilation of newsy tidbits as published in the Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout on this week ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or sixty years ago.
TEN YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 10, 2011 – A photo taken at Mt. Zion Pub shows letters sprouting from the snow that spell, ‘Go Pack’ a testament to the fervor and fun of Packer fever… Viroqua Community Theatre searches for a director for their upcoming production of Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man” which will be performed at the historic downtown Temple Theatre in July.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 8, 2001 – Eastman’s orange village dump truck loaded with flames Wednesday afternoon as it traveled on Highway 27. Village employee Greg Mara was driving the truck when smoke started pouring up through the floorboard. Ultimately, the 1990 International truck became fully engulfed in flames. The cause of the fire remains unknown according to the report… A senior at UW-Milwaukee, Nicole Wee of Soldiers Grove set a new UWM record in the 200-meter dash in a time of 25.69 seconds. She broke her previous UWM record set last season of 25.94. She is the daughter of Al and Nancy Wee.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 7, 1991 – John Johnson, custodian at North Crawford High School for the past 21 years, was honored at the board meeting as Employee of the Month… Lew Benton, who recently moved to a farm near Wauzeka with his wife Rita Walker in September, is an Emmy Award winning film and video production specialist. Benton went to work for ABC television after serving a tour of duty in Vietnam as a special forces officer. He went on to earn a masters degree in communication at Columbia College in Chicago. During his professional career and among his numerous awards and accomplishments he received an Emmy Award for the best news feature of 1976, which aired on WLS-TV Chicago, an Emmy in 1978 while working for ABC and two more while with the NBC network in 1985 and 1986.
FORTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 12, 1981 – On Monday about mid-day, a helicopter landed on the parking lot near Turk’s IGA in Soldiers Grove. Cecil Turk greeted the crew from Channel 12, WISN-TV that flew to Grove from Milwaukee. The group toured the Solar Town Center and the old Main Street… After an almost snowless December and January, the white stuff came down with a vengeance Tuesday causing area school closings. Ray Garvey is pictured shoveling in front of Mister G’s in Gays Mills.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 4, 1971 – Clyde Gibbs, 78, a former rural mail carrier out of the old Barnum post office, died January 31 in Fullerton, California. He was born in Scott Township and grew up in that area. He married the former Maude Lathrop. They have a son, Ryland…. Albert Walker and Otto Olson worked outside in the frigid cold to repair a broken water main Tuesday in front of the library and Curley Insurance Agency in Gays Mills.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 8, 1961 – Mr. and Mrs. Bennie Walker are the new owners of the Sportsman’s Bar and Grill at Ferryville. The Walkers have farmed in Crow Hollow, in the town of Haney, where Mrs. Walker has been town clerk for several years. Mrs. and Mrs. Herbert Burkum, formerly of Madison, purchased the Walker farm and moved there recently… Three Viroqua businesses, who were burned out of their shops Friday have found new locations and are readying for business as usual. Charles Harris of Chub’s Skelgas and Kenneth Turner of Ken’s TV moved Sunday with help of local volunteers into the south one-half of the Ostrem Building directly across the street from their burned out quarters. James Jeffery of Unique Dry Cleaners is moving into the Minshall Building on North Main Street and will be back in business as soon as he has equipment.
