The Mail-Journal, Volume 26, Number 18, Milford, Kosciusko County, 17 June 1987 — Page 37

First Mermaid Festival opened the fishing season

In 1946 the Lions club of North Webster sponsored the first North Webster Mermaid Festival; an event which originated as an activity for opening the fishing season. uui mg uiai mob ivoufui uiv»C were three queen candidates and a parade. Townspeople reportedly lined the streets to watch the school band, queen candidates, bicycles and youngster carrying fishing poles march by. The one-day event took place entirely on the school grounds, and saw the crowning of, Peg Kammerer as “Queen of Lakes.” The coronation took place on the of a cattle truck. In 1947 the festival once again had a slow start and nearly faded away for lack of support. There were only three queen candidates along with a merry-go-round and a ferris wheel providing rides. But in 1948 the enthusiasm of continued supporter and originator John Herrmann became contagious, and the Lions tried again. This time with more success, as there were 16 queen contestants that year. The Farmers State Bank staged the first of several annual buried treasure hunts, during the 1948 festival." However, it too had its share of capricious incidents, as the first treasure had been buried with a bulldozer. After hours of labor, Jim Stieglitz of Milford was finally able to unearth the chest of silver dollars. It was noted that thereafter Homer Shoop took the task of burying the treasurer upon himself, doing it during the late hours of the night. Through the years the festival grew in popularity and by 1961 it had truly come of age, and had a record high of 62 queen candidates that year. It was also during the sixties that the governor of Indiana attended the festival for several years, and the “Queen

Library opened on March 1,1980

The North Webster community welcomed its first public library with an open house March 1,1980. Since then, the library has increased its volume of books and' business. The original library was located at the northeast corner of Washington and Blain Streets, just three blocks west of the stoplight in North Webster. It remains there today, although the conununity is hoping to move the facility to a larger location. It took two years of volunteer work and donations to get the community’s first library. The building Was donated by the North Webster Lions Club. Much of the volunteer work came from the Kiwanis and Lions clubs from North Webster. All of the work was completed on a pay-as-they-go fbrmula. Donations kept rolling in, and the library w«s completed. Besides the building, ail of the ( books were donated to the\ library. Volunteers categorized nearly 3,000 books, then received / an additional 2,000 before tfye officially opened. I Suzann&» Shock was the library’s firsLpresident. Other initial board members included Pauline Morgan, Julie Rhodes, Mary Sullivan, Vera Gillen, Gary Eastland, Richard Long, and George Switzer. Before the library could open, volunteers neatly gutted the inside of the facility. New insulation and wall panelling was added to improve the public service building. In addition, a new furnace was installed, the electrical system was rewired, and new

of Lakes” was sent to Washington, D.C., to meet the president. She was also sent to New York city to be on national television. Reporters from all over the country C2in6 to North Webster to cover the festival and its events, and recorded that there were between 75,000 and 100,000 persons present on parade day. Over Hie years the festival has seen many additions to the event list and has had; talent shows, motor boat races, tractor pulling, wrestling, tugs of war across the lagoon, fly casting, basketball free throwing, horseshoe pitching, pennies from heaven, golf, tennis and table tennis tournaments. It was also observed that the festival introduced outdoor summertime basketball tournaments to the nation. This

Boy Scout Troop chartered in 1949

Boy Scout troop #726 for boys 11-16, and Cub Scout pack #3726 for boys 8-10 in North Webster will once again be in full swing in the near future. The younger pack has been very active over the last three years after it had died down for several years, however the older boys troop is just now in the process of starting again after being nonexistent for three years. Troop #726 was chartered in March of 1949 and the first leader was Fred Blosser. The group was called the Pioneer Trail Council though that name was changed a number of years ago to Anthony Wayne Council. The group will be meeting in the North Webster . Methodist Church in a large room provided especially for them by the sponsoring church. Pack #3726 was chartered in April of 1951 with the first leader being Vaugh Hinesley. The group

windows installed. In all, the improvements made the library very attractive. remains to be attractive, and feasible to operate today. The only problem, though, is size. With the increasing number of books. North Webster is finding it difficult to keep all books on its shelves.

JE] I I Kar ■ SSI lE9h *.l t J flr -Japs \ LIBRARY— The North Webster Library needed a lot of work /before it officially opened. Pictured above is how the building appeared before any work was done. Welcome To The Big Celebration LIKENS CONSTRUCTION Sea Walls Driveways — Sidewalks BOOOQOOfIBBSBOOBBOBfIQfIBOBBODOa Phone 834-4303 - North Webster ILuuDannnnnnnnnnn-i~ ,, ‘~”

proved highly popular, and soon caught on everywhere. Another event said to have j originated during the 1949 Mer- / maid Festival was the carrying I of flares by nightime watery skiers. The skiers circled the queen contestants as they toured Webster Lake on the everpopular Dixie paddle boat. This, too, was soon copied around the world. / Over the last 42 years miny events and activities have been added and some have beftn deducted, but the excitement of. the festival has remained through it all. And this year is no different then those of the past, as the festival is once again drawing a lot of attention and ado, and shows promise of being one of the “America’s greatest small town festival’s.” I

is now sponsored by the North Webster Lions Club and meets one Thursday a month in the school cafeteria. Currently the club runs approximately 53 members, and a Tiger club for first graders only will be starting in the fall. Pack leader at this time is Dan O’Neal. The boys participate in a big fund raiser in March each year. Boys in the North Webster area interested in scouting may call 834-7171 for additional information.

Monday Is Family Night At The Mermaid Festival

If the community plans on remaining at the present site, an expansion may be needed before too long. Still, the small, cozy library provides a great need for this growing community. It gives every resident the opportunity to expand their educational skills through reading.

** / V Tuesday, June 16,1987 - the PAPER

EVENING SPECIAL! ; Meal With Salad Bar | Mon. Thru Fri. 4 P.M.-8 P.M. i Also Daily \ Noon ’ Specials H SUSS, DON & DEE’S COUNTRY KITCHEN ij Dim in Or Carry Ovt , SR 13, North Webster 834-45 H j * Open 7 Days — Mon.-Fri. 4 A.M..-8 P.M-, Sat. & Sun. 4 A.M.-2 P.M. Happy Birthday Worth Webster - - vraJiii We've Been Insuring The North Webster Area Since 1878 118 West Market WARSAW 267-8841 k • AGRICULTURAL 4 • • COMMERCIAL • ; CLEAR SPAN \ ; BUILDINGS j ► . j ; CONSTRUCTION, INC. \ • Home Office • ► Phone (219) 834-4448 < ► 1 i • R.R. 1 —Box 4 • J North Webster, IN 46555 J UAOAOAOAOAOAOAOAoi