1986: Gas prices drop to 83.9 cents a gallon

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

March 1911

The live performances of novelty musicians Birch and Birch accompanied by the “The Wrestling Bears” film attracted 1,000 viewers in the first three appearances at the Crystal Theater… The city of Alexandria reported a treasury balance of $1,409.03 at the end of the year… Herman Polly loaded two carloads of his emigrant effects and shipped off to Lugasee, Saskatchewan, Canada… George Bonney, former superintendent of the dining and sleeping car service on the Great Northern has made a $10,000 deal with Mr. Prescott for the furniture and lease of the Grand Hotel… John Heibel and Charles Danneck made quite a haul this winter with their gasoline sawing outfit on Lake Mary.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1961

The Alexandria City Council authorized the Board of Public Works to engage an engineering firm to design the necessary equipment needed to switch the generator plant from fuel oil to natural gas. Northern Natural Gas predicts a September hook-up to the new system… Delbert Rubink, Garfield creamery butter maker, took fifth place honors in the state efficiency sweepstakes with a score of 99.799… A limited offer of a $1 subscription price for the Park Region Echo has attracted nearly 200 new customers so far… Ben Hur, winner of 11 Oscars, opened this week at the State Theater. Adult tickets are $1.25 for matinee, $1.50 evenings and 75 cents for children… Bernice Zacher of Evansville has earned her wings as a stewardess for American Airlines and is assigned to duty out of Metropolitan Airport in Detroit.

25 YEARS AGO

March 1986

Bill Collins was out bright and early dropping off festive cupcakes in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, as he has done for 15 years. This year, he ordered 1,200 cakes to give to Irish wannabes throughout the city… Roxanne and Clinton Mikkelson of rural Evansville were pictured with daughters, Heather, 4, Hope, 2, and newly-arrived Harmony, their third child born on St. Patrick’s Day… Gasoline prices are lower than they have been for many years after plummeting to 83.9 cents a gallon. The price drop is attributed to a price war that started a month ago when the same gallon cost $1.20… “Rapsallians,” the 1984 International Quartet champions, will be featured at the 15th annual Vikingland Sportsman Barbershop Show.

10 YEARS AGO

March 2001

Plans for reconstruction of Highway 27 East have been postponed until the historical value of the old stone bridge beneath it has been determined… Plans to pave the remaining 18 miles of the Central Lakes Trail between Garfield and Osakis have been put on hold, awaiting support from Osakis Township… Miriam Thornquist, Mary Lou Thunselle, Joy Algaard and Marcia Bremer, a newly-formed quartet of local women, will make their debut as “That Girl Group” prior to all performances of the JHS production “You’re a Good Boy, Charlie Brown”… Lowry firemen helped contain an afternoon blaze that claimed the lives of five calves at the Scot Smedstad farm, south of Lake Mary… Minnewaska forward Allen Hooper led his team to a berth in the state tournament, their first trip since 1992.

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

Tags: opinion, column