Column - 1999: Haugen served as band fest grand marshal

Talk about it

The following is a collection of stories and other items that were included in Alexandria newspapers over the years.

100 YEARS AGO

July 1909

Seven acres of land are required to provide the space needed to construct a grandstand to seat 10,000 spectators for the Cole Brothers Circus on July 15. The two-day circus entourage consists of three trains of double-length cars carrying 500 horses, and it employs 700 people… McLaughlin’s Breakfast Blend coffee, available at Gregorson’s for only 20 cents a pound, is considered the best on the market… John Brown has opened a harness shop on Main Street in Carlos… The Board of Public Works voted to apply a minimum rate of not less that 35 cents per month (excluding meter rent) to all customers. Water for sprinkling will be restricted to the hours of 6 to 9 a.m. and from 5 to 9 p.m. daily.

50 YEARS AGO

July 1959

Brown’s Geneva Beach Hotel has received national recognition in the 1959 Duncan Hines Vacation Guide. It is the only resort in the Alexandria area among 1,700 vacation places in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda to be so honored… County Health Officer Dr. G. Clifford has temporarily closed Lake L’Homme Dieu to all swimming due to the number of cases of “summer itch”… Twenty major stores in Alexandria have begun to issue “Home Town” trading stamps with every purchase. It is their way of sharing their profits with their customers. Other stores have been offering Gold Bond stamps… Peter’s Sunset Beach in Glenwood is now serving a smorgasbord each Sunday consisting of prime rib, broiled chicken, gulf shrimp, pastries and homemade bread at the cost of $2 for adults and $1.25 for children.

25 YEARS AGO

July 1984

Jim Klobuchar led 220 bikers “Riding to the Runestones” to Alexandria for a two-hour rest stop on his 10th annual “Jaunt with Jim.” After a Runestone museum visit, they cycled to Ashby for an overnight stay… Jodi Krafka and Mike Lehman won medalist honors in District 22 Junior Golf in Long Prairie… Lois Lindberg wrote about the 1933 unsuccessful Miltona Bank robbery and the successful one of the “Cream Can Gang” that occurred in 1938. The gang members were never apprehended... To dramatize a name change to Washington Federal Savings, George and Martha Washington will appear “in person” at United Federal next week. They will give out chocolate covered cherries, cut a cake and plant a cherry tree.

10 YEARS AGO

July 1999

Tom Haugen, the 1999 grand marshal of Vikingland Band Festival, said that the highlight in his 40-year career as band director was taking the Jefferson High School Marching Band to the Fiesta Bowl in 1994 and to the Tournament of Roses in 1998… After 23 years of helping the community provide safe and affordable housing, Bonnie Haaven is retiring from Alexandria Housing and Redevelopment Authority’s Board of Directors… Tammy Roth was runner-up in the Region III Dairy Princess competition held on June 12… KIKV-FM, one of four stations in the Omni Broadcasting Company, was awarded the “Partnership Award” from the National Broadcasting Association Education Foundation for its promotion to prevent child abuse… The Echo Press has published a 100-year Douglas County history book of pictures entitled “Footprints, A Step Back in Time.”

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Marge Van Gorp of Alexandria is a regular contributing columnist to the Echo Press Opinion page.

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