Back in the Day – April 25, 2018

10 YEARS AGO
April 29, 2008
Travis Surma and Kaela Kroenung were crowned prom king and queen. Other candidates were John Wienke and Jessica Troike, Matt Bailey and Jessica Lee, Clayton Meyer and Jordan Fogerson, and Anders Bjoerndalen and Alyssa Gordon. After royalty was crowned, dinner and dancing were held at Tuscany Restaurant.

A Bloom Above and Beyond celebrated their one year in business anniversary. An open house was held with cake served by Miss Tuscola Michelle Ogden, Junior Miss Kayce Patton, and Little Miss Julia Kerkhoff.

Lyondell employees and their families donated their time to improve Ervin Park’s north end playground. A fresh coat of paint was applied to all the playground equipment.

20 YEARS AGO
April 28, 1998
East Prairie sixth graders went on a field trip to Walnut Point State Park. The students enjoyed a park tour and learned about nature and conservation.

Tim Mooney Ford was nearing 10 years in business. A sale was planned to celebrate the business’s milestone.

State Farm had an open house to announce their new location at 204 E Southline Road. Attending the ribbon cutting ceremonies were Sally Dickerson, Teresa Davis, Mayor Dan Kleiss, John Davis, and the State Farm “Good Neighbear.”

North Ward Elementary School hosted Family Fun Night for children and parents. Festivities included face painting, a cakewalk, and many carnival games with prizes.

Warrior baseball won three games in the Little Okaw Valley Conference. Meanwhile in track, the Warrior boys’ track placed first in a triangular meet over Cumberland and Casey-Westfield, and Tuscola girls placed second. East Prairie seventh and eighth grade girls placed second in the Charleston Little Trojan meet.

30 YEARS AGO
April 26, 1988
Quantum’s board of directors approved a $600 million expansion for its USI Division. This positioned the division in capacity, modernization, and technology to meet the market demand for low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and polypropylene resins.

The Bill Huber Auction team conducted its first Auction at Das Huber House. The flea market and auction house was managed by Paul Fulkerson.

Warrior boys won a 20-team track meet with Brian Hatfield setting two new meet records. In triple jump, Brian jumped 40 feet 4 inches. His other record was in high jump with a height of 5 feet 11 1/2 inches. Warrior girls placed fifth in the meet. Tuscola baseball defeated Atwood-Hammond twice in five-inning contests. This raised their overall record to 5-6 and their Little Okaw record to 2-2.

40 YEARS AGO
April 27, 1978
Charles Bozarth explained the ins and outs of raising honeybees. He explained the benefits and uses of honey as well as the impact the honeybee has on the environment.

Lyle L. Myers, manager of Trucker’s Home, paid his employees in all $2 bills. He explained the reason for doing so was to show the impact a small business has on its community.

The annual Girl Scout Mother-Daughter Banquet had more than 200 people in attendance. First Class Girl Scouts honored at the banquet were Susan Jacob, Keri Smalling, Dana Stenger, Lori Lanksy, Cathy Nickel, and Cindy Baggerly.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Department honored former Sheriff Gene Miller at a retirement dinner. Miller had the longest service as Sheriff of Douglas County.

The seventh grade track team took first place in their Invitational by a point and a half over Unity. Unity took first pace in the eighth grade event.

50 YEARS AGO
April 25, 1968
City Council raised wages by $5 per week across the board for city employees. The vote to increase wages was unanimous.

Willis Winn was elected president of the Tuscola school board. Merle Rahn was elected vice president, and Alfred Kleiss was re-elected secretary.

Bill Sargeant accepted the position as principal at East Prairie Elementary. He was formerly employed by a junior high school in Momence.

Boy Scouts from Troops 95 and 59 cleaned the ditches on North Line Road east of Tuscola. In four hours, 27 Scouts picked up two large wagons full of debris. It was estimated that approximately 2,000 beer cans were hauled to the city dump.

Warriors placed second in the Little Trojan track and field meet at Charleston. The Warriors also trailed behind Charleston in a dual meet by four points.