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Looking Backward 8.30.2012

    25 Years Ago
August 27, 1987

Ava football fans will get a season preview of the varsity and junior varsity squadsmen Friday night at the annual “soap” scrimmage, which will be held at Bear Stadium.  Returning lettermen on the football squad are Mark Burke, Eric Sallee, Justin Herrell John Beason, Norval Plumb, Tim Jenkins, Gary Moore, Scott Silvey, Brian Akridge, Reggie Johnson, Ron Wallace, and Scott Plumb.
The largest audience to date attended Friday night’s “Music on the Ava Square,” featuring “The Romance Rounders.”  Included in this group were Howard Plaster, Gary Honeycutt, Mary Honeycutt, Leah Honeycutt, Lowell Stewart, June Stewart, Nuel Thomas, Fae Thomas, Eugene Gardner, Verna Gardener, Clifford Seivert, Nuel Mackey and Lyle Ray.
Rena Melton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Melton of Ava, participated in the Miss Teen of Missouri Pageant in Columbia on July 24-25.
Kodie Johnson celebrated his third birthday two days early with his party on Sunday, Aug. 9 at his home. After Kodie opened his presents, everyone enjoyed Oscar The Grouch cake and homemade ice cream.
Marine Cpl. Scott Huffman, son of Dorsey and Doyne Huffman of Rte 1, Ava, recently reported for duty with I Marine Amphibious Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
GENTRY –– Lawrence Ray and Bennie Stillings were dinner guests of the Ray Stillings Sunday.  Norma Stillings took Mrs. Ray Stillings shopping Monday.
Its roots reach to the very begin-nings of Missouri’s conservation program, so it’s fitting that parts of the old Skaggs Ranch now are con-servation property.  The Conserva-tion Department has bought two pieces of land in Taney County totaling 4,088 acres.   What became known as the Skaggs Ranch began in 1892 when a group of St. Louis businessmen bought and organized the St. Louis Park and Agricultural Company to be a farm/ranch/ hunting and fishing club.

50 Years Ago
August 23, 1962

Relief –– at least temporary –– was granted to Ava residents and other scattered sections of the Ozarks area late Tuesday afternoon in the form of rain.  One hundred degree weather the first days of the week was badly burning grass and crops, and the farm water is getting very low.
The Flying Zacchinis, interna-tionally flying return act, will bring one of the outdoor show world’s feature serial attractions to the Douglas County Fair.  Performing on the gigantic steel aerial rigging, this troupe of serial stars will pre-sent a remarkable series of spec-tacular aerial feats, including som-ersaults in mid-air, twisters, passing leaps and other tricks of thrilling aerialism.
The principal loss to Lorel and Mary’s Duck-in Café at 10:25 Tuesday morning when the Ava Volunteer Fire Department was summoned was a fried chicken breast to Fireman Harold Hutchison.  While food was being prepared for the noon lunch, grease caught fire on the kitchen stove. The flames were quickly extinguished without damage.  However, Harold hardly had devoured the white meat and the other firemen had barely returned to their businesses when the grease caught fire a second time and the fire department again was called.  Damage was negligible.
Fifty-five teachers will be on hand for the beginning of school in the Ava R-1 district.  There are seven new faculty members, including high school Principal Edwin Upchurch; Gilbert Bisher, science; Norma Horner, world history; Ronnie Warrick, math; Wilma Klineline, citizenship; Faye Case, special education; and Lashley Garnett, elementary music.
Grand award winners were named Thursday, Aug. 16, in the fifth annual 4-H Electric Awards Program, sponsored by White River Electric Co-op.  Winning in the girl’s division was Sherry Garrison, of the Roy Boosters 4-H Club in Douglas County.  Sherry is the 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vasal Garrison, of Route 3, Ava.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Elliott of Route 5, Ava, announce the birth of a son at 6:35 p.m. August 18 at Mansfield Hospital.  The baby has been named Darin Lee.
Edd Bacorn and his son, Eddie, Jr., of San Diego, Calif., arrived in Ava Monday, Aug. 13, to join Mrs. Bacorn and daughter, Linda, who have been vacationing here since June 20 with Mrs. Bacorn’s mother, Mrs. Noel Sutherland.
Mrs. Herbert Sanders enter-tained with a birthday dinner at her home Thursday, Aug. 16, in com-pliment to members of her family who are observing birthdays in August and for other family mem-bers who will have birthday anni-versaries in September.
Lloyd Sivils, who is completing construction of a new home in the Sunrise residential addition west of Ava, sold the property last week to Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Powell, and the new owners plan to move to the property within a short time.
THE SNOOP, with Bob Bowles.  An interesting comment from Jean Barnes:  The initial first grade class which occupied the new grade school building in 1952 will be the first senior class to initiate the new high school building in 1963.

75 Years Ago
August 26, 1937

Fat Men Will Play Ladies Softball Team Wednesday Night –– Batters will be Ray Hailey and Delbert Carter and Florence “Tater” Tate and Frieda Livingston next Wednesday night when the fat men play the ladies a softball game on the diamond at the city park.  This is the second week the ladies have been playing softball.  This week the fat men organized a team under the management of S. W. “Burleigh” Grimes, a team that shows strength as well as weight. The line-ups are as follows:  Fat Men –– Delbert Carter, Ray Hailey, Charles Yeoman, Louis Brown, Fred Livingston, S.W. Grimes, Oscar Sander, Landon Gaulding, D. J.H. Coffman, J.W. Reese, C.E. Browning, Rudy Kester, Boone Norman, D.P. Wade.   Ladies –– Fern Grote, ss; Velma Wade, 1b; Frieda Livingston, c; Florence Tate, p; Ressie Brooks, sf; Charlene Stewart, 3b; Melba Livingston, 2b; Roma Cummins, cf; Wilda Livingston, lf; Trellis Dewhirst, rf; Mrs. Joe Pitts, Jeanne Gentry and Jo Victor, substitutes.
Local officers confiscated a quantity of home brew and bottles in a raid on rooms in the Charles Victor building west of the square occupied by Burton Wright and Mrs. Lilyth Mitchell.  The raid was made a week ago last Saturday and was the second time within a month officers had found home brew in the place.
A baby was born early this morning to Mr. and Mrs. Roy Dean at the family home here. The boy weighed seven and a half pounds and has been named Joseph Henry.
Cecil Davis suffered a broken arm last Thursday morning while attempting to crank a car. Mr. Davis operates a rural milk truck which transports mile to the local Carnation plant.
Assurance Dewey Short, repre-sentative of this district in Con-gress, would do all he could to help Ava get a post office building, was received here this week by J.E. Curry, secretary of the Ava Cham-ber of Commerce.
All business houses in Ava are requested to close for one hour, Friday afternoon, from 2 to 3 o’clock, during funeral services for a fellow businessman and life-long resident of Ava, W.A. Croslin.
RANDOM SHOTS – Mrs. R.G. Armstrong – I cannot help being interested in certain comments of Mrs. Carl Gray of Omaha, Nebr., wife of the president of the Union Pacific Railway and chosen by the Golden Rule Foundation as America’s mother of 1937.  Interspersed by frequent Bible quotations, she scored a lady reporter who offered her a cigarette ¬–– denouncing it as a “dirty habit” and the woman who smokes, in no uncertain terms, –– it seems that “no true mother” would do it.
Cloine and Howard Pettit returned Monday from a month’s vacation trip. The boys visited their brother, Harold Pettit and Mrs. Pettit in Leadville, Colorado, and while there Cloine assisted in the Dine and Dance club operated by Mr. and Mrs. Pettit.  Howard extended his trip to Casper, Wyo., where he visited another brother, Joe Pettit. and returned via Yellowstone National Park and other scenic places of note in the west.

100 Years Ago
August 29, 1912

A few weeks ago the President and most of the leaders in Congress declared that the Panama Canal was “all outs” and when Great Britain, Germany and some of the other countries began to ask for special privileges for their ships, all Washington assumed a defiant attitude, asserting vigorously that the fruits of the great engineering enterprise of the Isthmus belonged exclusively to American citizens, American ships, and domestic interests.
Only two more weeks until the Fair and stock show opens at Ava.  Those having products to exhibit at the Fair and Stock Show in Ava can leave them at the courthouse, in the court room where they will be cared for by the division superin-tendents.
Joel Clinkingbeard of west of town has a mineral diggings on his farm which is attracting attention of his neighbors. He is preparing to do some more prospecting, and the result will be learned later.
The K.C.O.&S. Ry. will put on an excursion between Mansfield and Ava on Saturday, September 14, 1912, for the benefit of those living along the Frisco who desire to attend the Fair and Stock Show at Ava on that day. The fare from Mansfield to Ava and return will be 50¢.
LARISSA HAPPENINGS – Miss Martha Wallace and Mr. Ward Murray were quietly married last Wednesday and are living upon Ward’s place here in this neighbor-hood.
Some weeks ago it was announced from fashion headquarters that the hobble skirts and high heel shoes had been banished, and now comes the announcement that fall and winter hats of the fair sex will be much smaller. No more hobble skirts; no more high heel shoes; no more large hats, is the slogan.
Geo. R. Curry has honored Douglas County by bringing within her borders the first nomination for Congress at the hands of any party.
Arthur Stafford has bought a stock of general merchandise and will engage in business at Arden, in the west end of this county.
About a dozen of Ava’s young folks enjoyed a hay ride in the moonlight last Monday night and they also enjoyed a watermelon feast from melons secured from John Riley of south of town. They returned about midnight singing the “Hown Daug” song and other popular airs.
L.M. Bean and Cleon Dyer have opened up a lunch room in the north side just west of the post office, and are serving the best that’s to be had, over their counter every hour in the day.

125 Years Ago
September 2, 1887

We hear it rumored that one, A. Dickerson, hailing from near Buckhart, who is president of the Wheel at that place, a society supposed to be of Arkansaw origin, has been making stump speeches and organizing this society in different parts of the county.  Of the society, we have nothing to say. It may be the most righteous society ever organized, and be encircled in golden bands, but this man, this A. Dickerson, has been making some statement we feel bound to contradict.  His spite seems to be pitched at the County Treasurer, and we are told that among other offences he charges Baker with being a dude, a Douglas County pauper, wearing a plug hat an standing collar, selling goods at enormous prices – and lastly asking the County Court to raise his salary as county treasurer.  Now why can’t Mr. Dickerson go on his way and organize his society without trying to injure anyone? Why is it necessary for him to attempt to tread to success over someone’s coffin lid?  Why does Mr. Dickerson make an ass of himself by telling to an intelligent people that which they know to be false?
An ambitious youth of Lake County, Ohio, has concocted a scheme whereby he intends to unite all the farm laborers of the country in a common federation for mutual advancement and benefit.  In other words a gigantic labor organization embracing only the farm help in the country.
A proud incident in the history of American naval conflicts is recalled by the proposed sale of the old frigate Cyane, now lying at Mare Island Navy yard San Francisco. She was at one time one of the finest ships in the English navy. On February 24, 1815, she, with a sister ship, the Levant become the prize of the American frigate Constitution, off the coast of Portugal. The Constitution was in command of Captain Charles Stewart of Philadelphia, and the capture of the two ships was an act of daring as it was successful.
Wilkins’ Wit and Wisdom – Time changes many a counterfeit bill.  …  Jurisprudence is usually at the mercy of a jury’s prudence.  …  He who tries to crack a joke oftentimes cracks his fingers. …  One of the most uncertain of all things is a sure thing – the future.  … The quality of a man’s Christianity is tested when he steps on a banana skin.  …  Food for reflection – the good dinner that you missed.
The Prohibition Amendment in Texas was defeated by nearly 100,000 votes.  Texas puts about as little prohibition in its politics as water in its whiskey.
What other American besides Buffalo Bill has taken the Princess of Wales out riding?  Alas! None.  Bill’s show ought to bring seventy-five cents at the door after this.  Chicago Ledger.
Three million pounds of feathers are used every year in America for boarding purposes.  Fellows who sleep on boarding-house pillows can’t imagine where they go.