Clark County Press, Neillsville,

December 20, 2006, Page 12

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Compiled and contributed by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

Clark County News

December 1926

 

December 4th is not a national holiday like July 4th, and yet all the people of Neillsville and vicinity ought to be looking forward with great expectation to that day.  It is the day of the annual bazaar of the Ladies Aid of the Reformed Church.  This bazaar will be somewhat on the order of the great Turkish bazaars at Constantinople and Damascus.  It will include a grad display of almost everything a busy housewife may want, as well as a great variety of such articles as a fastidious Christmas shopper will be glad to inspect and purchase. For values offered the prices will be very low.  The proceeds of the bazaar will be used for improvements on the church property.  The bazaar will be at the church parlors and Sunday school room of the Reformed Church, open to the public at 10:30 a.m., Saturday Dec. 4th.  The date has been changed so as not to conflict with the Presbyterian bazaar.

•••••••••

The Grand Avenue neighbors have the real friendship spirit.  Almost every month, they are surprising some one in their group.  Sunday evening, laden with baskets of food, they dropped in on Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Thayer.  After eating a hearty supper, the card game of 500 was enjoyed.  Mrs. P. Johnson and H. Svirnoff won high score and Mrs. A. Unger and Chas. Poole had low score.  A jolly time was had by all.

•••••••••

Do you know of some family that needs help?  Can you think of a boy or a girl whom old “Santa” may neglect to visit on Christmas Eve?  If you do, please send this information to Frank Bartell, proprietor of the Sweet Shop, or to Charles Rawson, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church.

 

Mr. Bartell and Mr. Rawson, with the aid of Mrs. Fred Weeks, Mrs. Frank Hewett and Mrs. Walter Rush, are preparing a list of those who can be made happier during the Christmas season.  Mr. Bartell will supply the needy with a delightful box of good things to eat and Mr. Rawson is collecting articles of clothing.  If you have any surplus wearing apparel, bring it to the Sweet Shop.

 

With the help of the Community Club, and kindred organizations, every family in the community should experience the joy that belongs properly to the Yuletide season.

 

Will you help?

•••••••••

The Merchants Hotel will serve roast goose for dinner on Christmas Day, from 12 o’clock until 2 p.m.  Place your order early.

•••••••••

Four hunters, living near Taylor in Jackson County, got stalled on the Pleasant Ridge road Friday night on their way home from near Tripoli.  Their car had broken down.  They had with them, four large bucks and a big black bear, which they had killed.  Casper Marty brought them to town Saturday morning, and they went home on the train, sending their game by express.

•••••••••

Howard A. Morey and his cousin, Mrs. E. N. Quinn, both of Madison, went up near Birchwood deer hunting, going by airplane.  Mrs. Quinn shot a deer; on their return they were forced to make a landing due to bad weather conditions, near Wrightsville, in Jackson County.

 

The lady took the train at Merrillan, for home; Mr. Morey remained several days before he could make a take-off with his machine, after finally getting it started.  Mr. Flood, at whose farmhouse he staid; received a letter from him stating that he made the trip into Madison, 145 miles in one hour and 18 minutes.  Mr. Morey is an instructor in aviation for an airplane company in which he has an interest.

 

Mrs. Quinn is the only woman hunter, at Madison, to get a deer this year.  Their adventurous landing was reported in the Banner Journal, of Black River Falls.

•••••••••

Teddy Illbeck was out hunting in the woods west of the Harry Comstock farm a few days ago, and was never more surprised in his life to see a Ford coupe, practically hid away in the brush.  It was a new car with license attached.  He made arrangements to bring it to town and when officials got to investigating it, they found that it belonged to the coach of the Marshfield High School and was stolen from him over a month ago, at Galesville.  There are several conjectures as to how it came here.  Some think that possibly the car was taken by Erdman Olson when he made his get away from Galesville, at that time, driving it to Merrillan so as to get a night train out of town.  There are several clues that the officials are following up on.

 

The car was driven on the highway, just opposite the old Gould farm, and through the field; then carefully hidden in the brush.  Where it was placed, there was no snow under the car.  The radiator was frozen, but there was plenty of gas in the car and otherwise was in good condition, as it started right off.

 

However, Teddy’s “finding wasn’t keepins,” and presently the car is being kept in a Merrillan garage, waiting for further developments.

 

December 1956

 

Federal inspectors are at work in the dairy plants of Clark County.  It is understood that they are devoting considerable attention to cheese plants.

 

The talk in the industry is that this inspection is related to the support program and to Uncle Sam’s purchases.  He has found himself in the position of a large purchaser and in some cases a long holder.  He is out of luck unless he gets cheese, which holds quality and ages well. This evidently means that he is becoming still more choosey about the source of the cheese, which he buys.

 

This inspection is another step in the troubles of the smaller operators, some of whom are in old buildings and using the older sort of equipment.  The less fortunate of these are gradually disappearing.

 

Eighteen years ago, when the Harveys first came to Clark County, there were 90 dairy plants in the county.  Today, according to the best count available, there are 58 dairy plants.  Two dairy plants have dropped out in the past year.  These were the Breezy Hill factory, near Thorp and the Eidsvold factory.   The latter plant was operated by George Thill, now deceased.  This property was appraised at the time of the Thill divorce action.  A value then placed upon it was $18,000.  The estate is understood to have been having difficulties to dispose of it with value rumored to be even as low as $2,000. The Breezy Hill operation has been closed down, and Ervin Schilling, who last operated it, is now the manager of the Marathon – Clark Cooperative Dairy, at Abbotsford.

•••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bertz, of Loyal, are the proud parents of a 7 ½ pound son, Anthony Robert, born November 30, at the Memorial Hospital.  Mrs. Bertz and son were dismissed Tuesday afternoon, from the hospital and are staying a few days with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Claude Ayers.  Mrs. Bertz is the former Joan Ayers.  Little Kathleen Bertz has been staying with her grandparents while her mother was in the hospital.

•••••••••

Mary Flanagan is chairman of the Holiday Ball, which will be given by the Hospital Auxiliary in the high school auditorium, December 29.

 

The organization is as follows: tickets, Ann Hoesly and Hilda Kurth; publicity, Mrs. Max Feuerstein; posters, Girl Scouts; decorations, Ruth Ebert, Dorothy Madison, Sue Crothers and Hazel Hubing.

 

Tickets are available from any auxiliary member.

•••••••••

The children and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kitzhaber, of Greenwood, gathered at their home, Sunday to remind them of their 45th wedding anniversary, which occurred November 28.  The honored couple received many gifts and a purse.  Those present were Mr. and Mrs. Mike Klapatauskas and family and Bonnie Verhagen of Willard; Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Brey and family of Neillsville; Miss Patricia Davis of Granton; Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Cornwell and family of Marshfield; Mr. and Mrs. Ray (Bus) Kitzhaber and daughter of Mosinee; Mr. and Mrs. Greg Rogillo and Mr. and Mrs. James Suda and son.

•••••••••

The Boy Scouts of Neillsville and the Willard 4-H club will conduct the public sale of spruce Christmas trees at the Hickman swamp and the Big Soldier swamp, respectively, Sunday.

 

This announcement was made this week, by the county’s forestry and zoning committee, which has adopted this method of providing trees as a replacement of the public cuttings carried out in past years.  The committee found that the public cutting resulted in too great a waste.

 

The scouts and 4-H members will cut the trees Saturday, haul them to the roadside and have them available for purchase there all day Sunday.

 

The Hickman swamp is located 14 miles west of Neillsville on Highway 10; the Big Soldier swamp is 3 ½ miles west and south of Tioga on County Trunk I.

 

In their Christmas tree project, the Neillsville Cub Scouts stand to earn approximately $50 when they sell the last of their 84 Norway pine Christmas trees.  Wednesday morning, they had approximately 25 trees left to sell.  They began selling last Friday.

 

The trees are “thinnings” from the county plantations.  They are the last of the Norway pines available from this source, this year.

•••••••••

The Neillsville Rotary club will have anew meeting rooms beginning January 7.  They will be over Becker’s Café, where the organization held its meetings immediately following organization in the early 1940s.

 

The reason for the move is that the dining room of the hotel will not be available after the first of the year.  The public dining room has been closed since July 1, and the area now will be remodeled to provide additional space for the Neillsville Clinic.

 

Rotarians also have decided to dispense with their annual Christmas party for members and Rotary-Anns because of the conflict of other extensive pre-Christmas activities.

 

While no definite decision will be formerly announced until a letter is received from the district governor, Scuttlebutt has it that the Neillsville club leads the challenging Greenwood Rotary club in their two-month attendance contest. The contest ends with the last meeting this month.

•••••••••

Five Clark County young men were inducted into the army December 5 through selective service, and two others have gone into active duty from the reserves, the local selective service reported this week.

 

The five inducted at Minneapolis are: Junior H. Gosse, Curtiss; Wayne J. Jackson, Greenwood; William M. Kovatch, Owen, and Stanley J. Pogodizniski (Pogodzinski?) and Frances J. Szczech, both of Thorp.

 

Reservists entering active duty were: James W. Howard, Granton and Harvey D. Spangler, Loyal.

 

Clark County’s selective service quota for January is five men for induction and seven for pre-induction physical examinations.

•••••••••

Fifty-five was the number of folks assembled Saturday evening at the Odd Fellow’s Hall in Neillsville for the annual homecoming and visitation night.  Flag presentation and roll call was presided over by the I.O.O.F. noble grand, Charles Poole.

 

The program consisted of musical numbers and speeches.  Words of welcome wee (were) expressed by Herman Olson.  Two solos were sung by Miss Marilyn Hewett, whose accompanist was Miss Mary Ylvisaker.  Miss Jean Williams and Mrs. Edward Todd sang two duets accompanied at the piano by Mrs. Elmer Keller.

 

Several young folks entertained with accordion music.  They were little Miss Joan Subke of the Town of Levis, Miss Loretta Lewis and Miss Ann Marie Sternitzky, both of the Town of Lynn, and Arlene and Arthur Petke, brother and sister of Withee.

 

Miss Daphne Beeckler gave humorous readings, “Cremation of Sam Mac Gee” and “St. Peter at the Gate.”  The Rev. Virgil Holmes of the First Methodist Church brought a Christmas message using “Faith, Hope and Charity,” some of the principles on which the teachings of the two lodges are based, as a basis of his remarks.  He pointed out that these were gifts from God to man on the first Christmas.

 

A group of Rebekahs served a bounteous lunch.  Guests were present from Alma Center, Augusta, Tomah and Withee.  This was a joint meeting of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs.  The program committee consisted of B. H. Peterson, Fred Subke and Robert Frantz.  Mr. Subke acted as master of ceremonies.

•••••••••

The largest and most important gift, which Santa Claus brought to Neillsville, this year, was $7,650, good money of the United States.  This gift went to Memorial Hospital.  In making delivery there, Santa Claus had a little trouble, for the hospital has no fireplace.  But Santa Claus was cooperating with the Ford Foundation, which has made millions available for beneficent purposes all over the country.  In the original announcement, as made by the Ford Foundation, Memorial Hospital was not named, but this oversight was soon corrected, and a total of $15,300 was announced as ear-marked for the local institution.  The remaining half, it is now announced, will be delivered on or about March 15, 1957.

 

The use of the money is broadly directed by the terms of the grant.  It must be used to extend the service to the community, and it cannot be used as a payment upon debt.  One purpose definitely decided upon by the directors is to purchase canvas awnings for the south and west windows.  Those awnings will be available for use in the next summer season.

•••••••••

Christmas Message from the Kiwanis Club:

 

Christmas is a Holy Day as well as a glorious holiday.  For nearly 2,000 years it has been celebrated as the birth of the One whose teachings have influenced man in building up the civilization we have today.  They have established principles of life by which we try to love and have given hope and faith to mankind.  Reverence is therefore due to the birth date of this Great Teacher.  We should keep in mind that Christmas Day is a Holy Day as well as a holiday.

 

The illuminated front windows of the Marsh Department Store on Hewett Street, Neillsville, during the early 1900s, was an invitation to Christmas holiday shoppers when they viewed the attractive displays of merchandise.  (Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts’ collection)

 

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