56 Years Ago

* And So They Say: Judge at the Fair: “ I KNOW now that this is the biggest county fair in Kansas.” Lee Phelps: “Butch Ostmeyer got most of the rain he wanted before the Fair. I guess some folks just pray better than others.” Viola Paulson: “I got my fishing license and right away caught a five-pound fish.”

* Laramie Jordan, the Corn King Singin’ Marshall with his trained horse, Smokey, were set to appear at Webster’s Supermarket on September 2nd. Smokey was to perform a number of tricks with Laramie to sing and play his guitar, as well as demonstrate cowboy techniques such as bull whip artistry, roping and gun twirling. He was also going to discuss Indian and Western lore. Laramie had taught horsemanship at the U. S. Air Force Academy and managed the Colorado Springs “Garden of the Gods” Chuckwagon Ranch.

* Chas. Macy of Hill City had announced that he and Mrs. Macy had sold their interest in the Plainville Sale Barn to Mr. and Mrs. Mike Olson.

* Floyd Blauer, the local Vo Ag teacher and FFA advisor, had appeared on KAYS-TV to explain the aspects of the Northwest Kansas Farm Mechanics Show, one of the big features of the Rooks County Free Fair.

* Opportunity for a public hearing to consider the economic effect of improving US 24 through Woodston was being offered to residents of Woodston, according to Addison H. Meschke, the director of highways. The proposed 4.5 mile improvement was to begin at the Rooks/ Osborne County line and extend west through Woodston.

* Thanks to the Rooks County Record, Wayne McCaslin had found the long-lost lawn roller. The roller had been in back of the Ernest Long home ever since Halloween, but no one had known who it belonged to. So it had just stayed there until June Arnold had read about it in the paper. Halloween pranksters had evidently transported the roller from in front of the church to behind the Long house.

* The Stockton FFA Livestock Judging Team had placed first in the Osborne County Fair Livestock Judging Contest. Alton Hazen was high individual with Dennis Bedore placing third and Robert Williams placing fifth.

* Mr. Jim Reidel was the new TV man at Eckarts, coming from Hoxie where he had been for three years. He and his wife and their two grade-school age sons were living in the Denio house.

* Mary Alice Southard had begun her duties as a resident assistant at one of the K-Stare residence halls. Mary Alice, the holder of the Union Pacific Railroad Scholarship, was majoring in home economics and interior decorating.

* From The Feminine Slant By The Office Cat: If all the automobiles in Rooks County were placed bumper to bumper; they would probably all be going to the Fair.

* Looking Backward Fourteen Years Ago: On the opening day of the Fair indications were that it was to be the biggest and best in its history. A number of improvements were being made in the interior of the Maris Store. Dick Pritchard was planning a visit to his old home in Wales.

* The engagement of Jeannine Kathryn Zink to Robert August Goertz had been announced.

* Mr. and Mrs. Archie Dix and Mrs. Kay Dix had entertained guests in honor of the 25th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Don Dix.

* Showing at the Park Drive-In were the movies “Pajama Party” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” starring Debbie Reynolds and Harve Persnell.

* On sale at Webster’s Supermarket were cured smoked ham hocks for 25¢ a pound, sliced bologna for 39¢ a pound, a six teen-ounce bag of salted peanuts for 33¢, a tenpound bag of White Satin beet sugar for 89¢ with a $3.00 purchase, and two loaves of Bestyet sliced white bread for 25¢.