Column - 2002: Open swim night featured underwater coin hunt

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

NOVEMBER 1912

Alexandria street lighting has been extended in the back of the stores for two blocks from Gregerson’s to Cowing Robards… Carnegie Corporation of New York will give a $25,000 grant to all future ex-presidents to assist them with expenses involved as they share their knowledge gained from holding public office. A similar amount will be paid to widows as long as they do not re-marry… Earl-Aiten Company, which was granted the contract for the Federal Building, filed for bankruptcy before the building was finished. They declared $250 in assets and $8,073 in liabilities… A traveling library has been installed at the telephone office. Those using the books will pay 10 cents in payment for the freight and drayage.

50 YEARS AGO

NOVEMBER 1962

Andria Theater will present The 12 Operetta Play each Wednesday through December. If this first six-night series is successful, others will follow… Beginning December 1, KCMT-TV Channel 7 has become a satellite station of Midwest Communications WCCO-TV and has been renamed KCCO-TV… Douglas County is one of nine counties involved in the legal dispute over who did win the governor’s seat. In a recount involving the 5th Ward and Alexandria Township, Elmer Andersen won 77 votes. The most recent count statewide, he leads by 140 votes over Karl Rolvaag… Alexandria will make application for a federal grant to finance part of the new fire hall-police station… Burglars chiseled through 22 inches of plaster and brick to get into the safe in the county treasurer’s office. They made off with $1,200 in cash.

25 YEARS AGO

NOVEMBER 1987

Myron Sahlberg, commercial art instructor at Alexandria Technical Institute, was pictured with one of two posters he designed for the University of Minnesota. It depicted well-known contributors to the U of M hockey program… Nora Aga was greatly surprised on her birthday when Rick Temple arrived at her door dressed in a tux with his violin tucked under his chin to deliver a “Violin-a-Gram” of her favorite songs… Blue sugar, red salt and squeezable peanut butter were presented to the public by fourth-graders at Lincoln School Inventors Fair… David Emerson, a missionary from Osakis, and his fiancée were among 20 people killed by anti-government rebels in Zimbabwe, Africa. The rebels claimed to be “Marxist-Leninist fighters” who want their country free of “Western capitalist-oriented people.”

10 YEARS AGO

NOVEMBER 2002

Concerns over safety and the lack of official parking areas may result in the closing of Rotary Beach… An open swim night on the final night of the Lakes Area Recreation Pool featured an underwater coin hunt. When Friday’s swim concluded, employees pulled the plug… St. Mary’s Catholic Church served 350 pounds of turkey to 500 guests at their annual Thanksgiving Day meal. Confirmands from Our Saviour’s and Fahlun Churches in Nelson baked pies for the event… Josie Townsdin, Jefferson High School graduate, was commissioned by a Montana Herberger’s store to paint roses. She painted roses on three large plates to decorate the customer service area… Charley McDonald, former Alexandria athlete and graduate, retired after 36 years as a football coach.

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

Tags: opinion, columns