The Independent-News, Volume 105, Number 5, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 12 July 1979 — Page 4

JULY 12, 1979 - THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS

| EDITORIALS

A LOT OF WORK INVOLVED Both of our local communities. Walkerton and North Liberty, for many years have enjoyed with those from the surrounding areas, a nice and efficient Fourth of July celebration. Over the years the formats have changed only so slightly, but what the two towns have been offereing has been well accepted by those attending the respective programs. A few years ago some trouble interfered with Walkerton's program when trouble at Place Park preceding the Fourth found the Drago Shows, the amusement company that had served Walkerton for many years, pulling out prior to the big day itself. In another year, the supposed appearance by another amusement group never materialized and last second alterations had to be made. Also, for many year the sensational hot air balloon ascension and parachute drop was one real big drawing crowd to the Walkerton celebration but the Prof. Claude Schafer crew lost their equipment in a fire and this was also terminated. However, the show still goes on. For years it was the joint effort of the Walkerton American Legion Post 189, the Walkerton Chamber of Commerce and the Walkerton Lions Club that planned and directed this program. In recent years the Walkerton Jaycees has also been a big help, but in recent years help is very hard to find and even the forming of a committee to overseee the celebration is a very difficult task. North Liberty, on the other hand, never centered around a midway type program, but for quite a few years now has featured a parade. This is followed by events in the park and enough entertainment to keep people around until the evening’s fireworks display. This has recently been handled by the Fire Department, and for any one group to take on such an undertaking requires a lot of time and work from a few. Both committees has found the price of fireworks skyrocketing. A few years ago one was talking in the S6OO - S7OO rarge. Today it it more than double that with both towns spending way over that amount. It takes a lot of money to put on a program, the costs of operating the parade in North Liberty, the contests and activities that follow, the all day kids activities in Walkerton plus outside entertainment such as the skydivers, etc., all take a lot of money. Walkerton does share some in the revenue of their midway, but not enough to pay the bill. In North Liberty it has been more on the donation type from business people plus an extra event or two to help pay the way. Both towns are faced with a serious situation. Somewhere along the line, some money and help is going to have to come their way again instead of leaving it all to a few people. It isn't just a day of fun for all ... it is a period of work and planning and sacrifice by those responsible for putting a celebration together. However, when offerings and pleas for money have to be taken up to supplement the cost of the programs, it is time that more help is given in advance and planning can be geared to what is available, not trying to recoup the losses that have occured. It would be too bad if these towns lost their very entertaining celebrations on the birthday of our country, celebrations that have come to mean so much to so many over the years. WHEN—(TAKEN FROM THE FILES OF THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS)

1974 Election of officers for the PU School Board were held at their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 2, with Joseph Bottorff elected president; Earl L. Smith, vicepresident; Marvin Bouse, secretary; Lynn Stull, assistant secretary and Mrs. Cedric Shank was reappointed treasurer. William Ochs was presented as the new member from Lincoln Township who was recently appointed for a four year term. The board of School Trustees of the Oregon-Davis School Corporation is please to announce the appointment of Jerry Seese to the assistant principalship of the OregonDavis Schools, replacing John Slusher, who has recently accepted the principalship in the corporation. Red Skelton, famed TV comedian, will present a program for the Scottish Rite Masons at the Notre Dame Athletic and Convocation Center on Saturday evening, July 27. 1969 The Lions Club sponsored football scoreboard fund has passed the SI,OOO mark and moving towards the goal of $2,500 here in Walkerton. Many of the Walkerton Retail Merchants will have their annual Sidewalk Days Sale this Friday and Saturday, July 11 and 12. At the market round steak was selling for 99 cents a pound; rump roast at $1.09 a pound; boiling beef at 59 cents a pound; sirloin tip steaks at $1.19 a pound; bacon at 69 cents a pound; smoked sausage at 79 cents a pound; franks at 69 cents a pound; a dozen sugar

cookies at 39 cents; hot dog buns, four packages for 79 cents; Gold Medal flour, five pounds for 39 cents; Wesson Oil at 69 cents for a 38 ounce bottle; orange juice at 29 cents for a 12 ounce can; cantaloupe at three for SI.OO and radishes, bell peppers or green onions, three for 29 cents. 1964 The Hartsough Manufacturing Co. has announced plans for a new building to house their business. The new building will be in the Walkerton Industrial Park at the south end facing Underwood Road. The Walkerton Little League players will be guests of the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, July 25, to see the game between the Sox and the Minnesota Twins. The boys and girls 4-H Clubs of Lincoln Township will stage a street dance at the site of the old band stand Thursday night from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in appreciation to the community for their cooperation to assist in raising money for their award fund. “The Mustangs” will furnish the music for an evening of free entertainment. On Sunday, July 26, at Koontz Lake, the famous Geo. W. Cole Circus will hold a performance at 2:00 p.m., under canvas, with acrobats, aerial acts, wire acts, juggling, lovely girls, funny clowns, beautiful horses and performing animals. At the market round steak was selling for 69 cents a pound; chuck steaks at 59 cents a pound; swiss steak at 69 cents a pound; lamb chops at 89 cents a pound; beef stew meat at 65 cents a pound; boiled ham at 88 cents a pound; pork steak at 49 cents a pound; rib

steaks at 69 cents a pound; pork roast at 45 cents a pound; potatoes at 69 cents for a ten pound bag and carrots at two packages for 19 . cents. 1959 Work began this past week in installing the dials in the dial phones in the community preparatory to the official change over sometime in October. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on July 9th for a $500,000 addition to the facilities of Wells Aluminum Corp., North Liberty. The building will double the company’s floor space and triple its productive capacity. Road 4, east of North Liberty, was closed this week to permit the starting of the resurfacing of the road from Pine Road east to Road 31. Bids were opened on this work some weeks ago. 1954 George L. Matz, 30, Democrat, who lives north of Walkerton on Rt. 23, was appointed to the Walker-ton-Lincoln Township Board of Education for a two-year term by the trustees at their meeting. Mr. Matz replaces Mr. George Seitz who has served for two terms and did not want to be re-appointed. Van’s Drive Inn, located just east of Walkerton, on U. S. 6, will have its Grand Opening Saturday, July 3, according to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel R. Van Arsdale, Route 1, Walkerton, operators of the new business venture. The continued operation of the Kingsbury Ordnance shell loading plant, though at reduced rates, now appears to be fairly certain according to information relased by Lt. Col. Vincent P. Murphy, the commanding officer. 1944 T. R. Cline has contracted to paint all 200 units on the West York housing project, his contract specifying that he furnish all materials and labor. There were six other bidders on the job. R. W. Wolfram, manager of the Walkerton Lumber and Coal Co., has purchased a half interest in The Builders Store, South Bend, the transaction having been completed last week. Five more dormitories will be opened in Walkerton within the next few weeks to care for the influx of single men and women workers at the Kingsbury Ordnance Plant. There are a total of 110 men and 90 women able to be housed in the units. Contracts have been let to the J. C. O’Connor & Sons Company of • Ft. Wayne by the State Highway Commission tc widen U. S. Highway 6 from state route 2 near Westville to U. S. Highway no. 31, nine miles east of Walkerton. Work has been started on ends of the job, which will add two feet of concrete on each side of the present 20 foot slab. This doesnt include widening in Walkerton. The work was let in two separate contracts from Ind. 2 to U. S. 35 excepting 2.7 miles for $115,818.47 and from U. S. 31, $151,420.55. The photographer who came her last year to take pictures of small children, will be back again soon to take more pictures. In the first five months of 1944 the Office of Price Administration gasoline black market sent 28 car owners to jail, convicted 159 car owners of buying gasoline with Enforcement Program against the counterfeit or stolen coupons or without coupons, took away rations from 775 car owners, suspended gasoline selling rights of 1,538 filling stations and put 156 filling stations out of business and gave jail sentences to 236 counterfeiters, peddlers and gasoline dealers. 1929 More mail is swamping the White House than at any other time in history. In one month nearly 50,000 separate pieces were received. Os course, Mr. Hoover sees very little of this great volume of mail. Invitations have been issued for a bold bad pirate treasure hunt to

be sponsored by the ladies of the Philathea Sunday School class of the Methodist Church. The event promises to be all that the name may indicate. Ladies are to dress up as pirates for the hunt on Thursday at 2:30 and meet at the “church of cobblestone.” Walkerton is to have a new meat market and grocery, according to an announcement made this week by the new proprietor, Ed Baker. W. Ray McDaniel, cashier, at the State Bank of Walkerton, was elected a director of the bank at the annual stockholders meeting on Wednesday. Other members of the board who were re-elected are Edward Grider, W. W. Place, W. A. Endley, S. D. Dipert, H. F. Goppert and B. I. Holser. VOICE OF THE PEOPLE How many of you people in North Liberty know who puts in all the work for your 4th of July? In case you don’t it’s your local Volunteer Fire Department, and whoever they can get to take the job to put together our parade. Trying to get someone to handle the parade is a job. If it hadn’t been for Bill Doan this year, you would not of had a parade. A special thanks to Bill for a job well done. He did a super job for only having a month’s time to put it all together. Thank you Bill! Where does the money come from to buy trophies, pay the bands, etc., and buy the fireworks? This is where it comes from. Letters are sent to all the merchants in our town asking for donations to help pay these expenses. Out of 104 letters sent only 31 of our merchants responded. So right away you can see financial trouble. The firemen also sponsor a benefit which netted them S4OO profit. But, the fireworks alone cost them $1.400. After the benefit and donations they were S7OO short of covering the expenses. Now after all their work and time, they had to go and get a loan at the bank. Did your realize that on the 4th of July part of the department starts working before 8:00 a.m. and they might get home by midnight. They seldom get to spend all day at the family picnics and their friends parties. They give up all the fun things you all do and they get very little thanks for all their work. Think about what your 4th of July would be like if you had no parade or fireworks? Ask yourself if there is someway you can help. Because, if something doesn’t happen soon there will be nothing happening in North Liberty next year. Your fire department worked hard to make this 4th of July for you and put themselves in debt because not everyone supported them. So, Mr. Merchant, orgainzations and citizens, they need your donations now, not next year. Don’t let them down, they wouldn’t let you down if you ever needed them. I only wrote this letter to enlighten some of you people in the community who never stop to think how the 4th of July celebration comes about. How much time, effort, not to mention the risk they take for you to make your holiday one to remember. Thank you firemen, you did a great job even though you went broke doing it. A Fireman’s Widow on the 4th of July PROJECT S.A.F.E. OFF TO FAST START The State Allowance for Energy (Project S.A.F.E.) is off to a fast start, according to Jean Merritt, executive director of the Indiana Office of Community Services Administration, the state agency which administers the program. More than 9,500 applications were received from June 18, the opening date for taking applications, and June 28. The average

number of applications received is 1,100 each working day. Project S.A.F.E. will provide up to S2OO in fuel and utility bill relief for Hoosiers who are 65 years of age and older, as well as for those who are blind or disabled and who receive Supplemental Security In come. Hoosiers who are 65 or older must meet income guidelines when they make application at their electric utilities. For a single per son, the income of the past yeai cannot exceed $3,140. It's $4.160 for a household of two people. As applications are processed individual letters are mailed to each household notifying people of their elegibility or inegligibility. jfH UR TM Walkerton United Methodist Church 1000 Georgia Street Rev. Robert Gearheart, Pastor THURSDAY, JULY 12 7:00 p.m., Agape Prayer Group SUNDAY, JULY 15 9:15 a.m., Sunday School for all ages. 10:30 a.m.. Celebration of Wor ship. TUESDAY, JULY 17 1:00 p.m., Naomi Circle, hostess will be Dorothy Knowlton. SUNDAY, JULY 22 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., All-Sunda\ School swim party at the home of Dr. and Mrs. G. R. Hershberger First Presbyterian Church 512 Georgia Street David K. Barnett, Pastor THURSDAY, JULY 12 6:30 p.m.. Softball practice at Church. SUNDAY, JULY 15 9:30 a.m.. Church Service. 10:30 a.m., Sunday School. MONDAY, JULY 16 7:30 p.m.. Weight Watchers meet in Fellowship Hall. THURSDAY, JULY 19 6:30 p.m., Softball practice at Church. “Whosoever will, may come. Grace Lutheran Church 106 West Harrison Street North Liberty, Indiana Koontz Lake Missionary Church Lloyd George, Pastor Robert Varga, Sunday School Superintendent GRANT EXTENDED TO STUDY SOLAR DESIGN In keeping with Indiana’s ag gressive posture on investigating the alternatives of solar energy. Lieutenant Governor Robert D. On has announced that an Indiana firm, Gordon Clark and Associates has been awarded a $22,000 grant for the design and construction of a passive solar home. The grant, one of only four in a 12-state region in the midwest, was awarded by the Mid-American Solar Energy Complex (MASEC) following a cooperative effort of Hoosier businessmen and the solar office of Indiana Department of Commerce Energy Group. “Presentation of this grant to a Hoosier company reaffirms Indiana's committment to investigate energy alternatives and benefits they offer as we enter the 80’s” Orr said. “Indiana has supported solar research from the beginning and a continue effort on the part of the private and governmental sec tors will insure a better tomorrow for everyone.” The four grants are being award ed in conjunction with MASECS overall passive solar commercial! zation program which entails a three fold program objective Grant recipients will produce pas sive solar house designs, construct and sell the house and keep photo graphic and written documentation on key phases of the construction process for use in educational pro grams throughout the Mid-Ameri can region.