‘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 17, 2011 – Nearly 30 people enjoyed the inaugural breakfast at the Two Bucks Bar and Grill on Main Street in Gays Mills. Owners, Kim Kerr, Karen Easton and Mark Curnow are using the site that was the former Red Apple Inn. The new menu will feature pies, which were a staple of the popular former restaurant… The senior citizens meal site at TaZee’s Wonder Bar in Soldiers Grove held its annual Valentine’s Day King and Queen Election last Monday. This year’s winners are King Earl Cech and Queen Elinor Nelson.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 15, 2001 – Students from Seneca and Wauzeka attended a two-day troupe training in Wauzeka. A total of 26 students participated. Students were trained in social action theater, which is a form of theater used to act out sensitive issues facing teens, promoting discussion of those issues. Topics addressed included alcohol and tobacco issues, dating violence, eating disorders, harassment, homework, stress, communication, fighting and depression. Students wrote their own scenes and presented them for their peers… Leonard and Mary Lou Zabel of Eastman were honored as the 2000 recipient of the Master Seedstock Award at the Wisconsin Pork Producers Association Winter Ag Expo in Wisconsin Dells.
THIRTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 21, 1991 – The former Oppriecht & Flitsch Hardware building in Gays Mills, more recently known as the ‘What Have You’ shop, or Whiteaker’s Landing, which sold used books, T-shirts and other items was a center of activity in town and during Apple Festival in September… Nine eighth grade North Crawford students formed two teams for the FFA Quiz Bowl contest. One team consisted of Michelle Knight, Adrian White, Lisa Johnson, Brian Kopan and Steve Hady. This team won the contest and will advance to sectional competition. The other team consisted of Wes Tamling, Angie Hawkinson, Brenda Karnopp, and Krista Becwar.
FORTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 19, 1981 – Quick action by the Gays Mills Fire Department averted damage to the Randy Bell home in Gays Mills last Wednesday when sparks from ashes removed from a woodburning stove in their basement caught a nearby woodpile on fire. Besides smoke damage, the only other damage to the home was a broken basement window through which the firemen doused the blaze… The Prairie du Chien Bridge, a focal point for nationwide news since it was closed last month, was the scene of a bizarre incident Monday night. Unknown persons towed or pushed a disabled pickup truck onto the west span from the Iowa side and set it on fire. Lawmen on both sides of the river were called to the scene and a fire truck from Marquette, Iowa drove onto the west span, which has been barred even to foot traffic, since it was declared to be in danger of collapse. After the fire was extinguished it was found that tarpaper in the back of the pickup had been soaked with gasoline. The vehicle, a 1970 Ford, owned by Robert Schultz of McGregor was a total loss.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 18, 1971 – The Community Shelter Plan has been printed and will be distributed to homes as an insert in Crawford county newspapers next week. The publication contains information on nuclear fallout and protection, a listing of all fallout shelters in Crawford County capable of housing 50 or more people, guidelines on developing shelter in the home, and advice on providing protection for livestock… A Riverdale school bus carrying 16 students to a make-up day of school plunged off a narrow ice-slick road in Muscoda Township Saturday morning and barely missed rolling over a 40-foot embankment. The students, none of them injured, stayed at a nearby farm until they could be picked up by another bus.
SIXTY YEARS AGO
FEBRUARY 22, 1961 – The Gays Mills Tigers and the Seneca Indians, as expected, posted season windup victories last week to clinch equal claim to the 1960-61 Kickapoo Valley League Championship… Members of the third and fifth grades at the Gays Mills Elementary School visited the Independent office Friday. The third grade recently completed a classroom newspaper project and the fifth grade is studying newspaper production. Mrs. Harold Nicolai teaches the third and Miss Olene Munson, the fifth grade.
