This week in local history

50 years ago

The Bremer County Board of Supervisors hired the county’s first public health nurse, Marie Zelle, we read in the top story of the May 6, 1975, issue of the Bremer County Independent. “The Public Health Nurse serves the entire county outside the hospital walls,” the article states. “Regardless of financial status, all persons needing nursing care are eligible for services.”

The top photo in this issue shows Waverly’s big utility department boom truck flipped over after outrigger supports sank into soft ground. The $35,000 truck tipped enough that the operator, Dave Christy, could have fallen into the river if a concrete wall had not kept the truck partially upright.

A new clothing store was set to open at Willow Lawn Shopping Center, we also read in this issue. The Big “O” Discount Family Clothing Store would stock clothing for the entire family, along with home furnishings.

We also read in this issue that Meyer’s Pharmacy was sponsoring its second annual giant mushroom contest throughout May. Entrants were told to bring their largest morels into the store for weighing. The largest mushroom would earn a $25 prize. “All entries become the property of our store,” they clarify.

The top story in the May 8, 1975, issue of the Waverly Democrat was recognition of Mrs. Amanda Wehling in honor of Mother’s Day.

“It is a particularly special day because it’s likely all 12 of her children will call on her to celebrate the event,” the article reads. “The reason she can expect them is that 11 of the 12 children all live in Bremer County, and the 12th lives just over the county line near Dewar. All the children live within 16 miles of their mother’s home.”

In addition to her dozen children, Wehling had 49 grandchildren and 54 great-grandchildren.

Fifty years ago, the Waverly Theatre showed a held-over “Towering Inferno,” along with Burt Reynolds in “White Lightning” and Charles Bronson in “Mr. Majestyk.”

This week in 1975, men’s and women’s pants, including a “fine selection of plaids,” cost $8.50 at Carriage House; at Fred’s Super Valu, a half gallon of Flav-O-Rite ice cream cost 69 cents; and at the Villager Restaurant, an upcoming Mother’s Day special two-piece chicken dinner for moms would cost only 75 cents.

40 years ago

Residents and friends of Bartels Lutheran Home had released more than 300 helium balloons the previous Wednesday with names and contact information inserted inside them, we see on the front page of the May 7, 1985, issue of the Bremer County Independent.

Friday morning, “a man from Rochester, N.Y., called Bartels Home at about 9:30 to say he had found one of the balloons while he was walking along the beach at Hamlin State Park on Lake Ontario.”

“A Bartels resident received a letter the same day from a little girl in Carlisle, Ill., who had also found one of the Bartels balloons,” an article continued. “Carlisle is located about 60 miles east of St. Louis.”

Waverly native Kate Cornish was featured in this issue for her habit of “grazing” at Wartburg College’s food service, a practice popular with many students.

“Just like sheep in a pasture, Wartburg students have become ‘grazers,’” the article reads. “That’s the nationally accepted term for grabbing foods on-the-go but at the same time being more careful about what’s grabbed.”

Cornish said she hits the salad bar twice a day.

“’Students are consuming a couple bushel baskets of sprouts a week,’” said Don Juhl, director of Wartburg’s food service.

In this issue’s sports section, we see that four Go-Hawk girl runners placed fourth in the 1600-meter relay at the Drake Relays and were expected to contend at the state tournament. The runners were Trish Heine, Shawn Magnall, Linda Kimball and Janelle Jaspers, with a time of 4:01.

As reported on the front page of the May 9, 1985, issue of the Waverly Democrat, if parents approved of the change, Shell Rock Elementary School would begin a pilot program to try all-day, every-other-day kindergarten the next year instead of the half-day, year-round kindergarten program it currently had.

Waverly-Shell Rock Superintendent Wayne Sesker said that the big advantage of the all-day, every-other-day approach was a reduction in transportation costs by getting rid of the mid-day bus routes.

“’The [W-SR School] board needs to know right up front that the kindergarten teachers in the district are not convinced it’s best for kids,’” said Shell Rock Elementary Principal Nate Frazee. “He added, however, that the teachers are willing to cooperate with the pilot program.”

In a special Beef Month section in this paper, we see that “Charles Hardy of Clarksville was named District Beef Cook-Off winner in the 1985 Iowa Beef Cook-Off contest. […] Hardy is one of 20 state-wide winners who will compete for $500 and an expense paid trip to Wichita, Kansas to represent Iowa in the National Beef Cook-Off this fall.”

Hardy’s winning recipe was for stir-fry pepper steak.

Forty years ago, the Waverly Theatre was showing “Moving Violations” (“What the creators of ‘Police Academy’ did for law enforcement is nothing compared to what they’re doing to traffic school!”) and “Vision Quest,” starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino.

This week in 1985, the Mother’s Day breakfast buffet at Oberheus restaurant cost $3.95; at C & L Radio-TV, a mini RCA color TV (10 inches high and 12 inches wide) was on sale for as low as $225; and at Coast to Coast, a Chicago Cutlery paring and carving knife set was on sale for $14.99.

30 years ago

The top story of the May 9, 1995, issue of the Bremer County Independent proclaimed it Tourism Week in Bremer County. “Travel and tourism ranks as one of Bremer County’s largest industries in terms of revenue generated. Out of Eastern Iowa’s 28 counties, Bremer County ranked 10th in receipt of direct U.S. travel expenditures of 1991.”

Also on the front page is the announcement that Waverly-Shell Rock’s new high school principal would be Kevin Fiene, who currently was the secondary school principal in the Denver School District. Fiene would replace Al Dorenkamp at W-SR senior high.

In addition, the W-SR School Board approved Micky Kingery of Waverly to become part-time principal at Southeast Elementary School. She was currently a part-time principal at Clarksville Community Schools and had taught previously at St. Paul’s School in Waverly.

This issue also includes an article about six people from Denver Community School, three students and three adults, who traveled with a group from Wartburg College for a “once in a lifetime experience” in a New York City inner-city school.

The Denver travelers include Superintendent Bob Conway, Middle School Language Arts instructor Lowell Kuecker, High School Language Arts instructor Sharon Palas and students Julie Acton, Amanda Christoffersen and Peter Dovnar.

The group traveled 24 hours on a bus and was expected to do a little sightseeing before attending classes at an inner-city school, where they would see “a side of life that is totally different from the midwestern school atmosphere.” They would spend their final morning on a work project.

Les Huth, Chair of the Education Department at Wartburg College, organized the trip.

JL McHenry, a 1991 graduate of Janesville High School, continued her run on the “Jeopardy” college championships, advancing to the semifinal round, we read in this issue.

“Placing second on the quiz show during her first appearance last week, McHenry qualified for one of four wild card spots in the semifinal round,” an article states. “McHenry’s appearance in the semifinal means a guaranteed $5,000 in prizes.”

Quality Ostrich Ranch near Charles City was advertising South African Black ostriches in this issue, noting that they are “the docile one.” The ranch suggested that ostriches were “an alternative agriculture.”

“Thanks to a Denver woman, waitresses and waiters in Iowa will be recognized,” opened a front-page article in the May 11, 1995, issue of the Waverly Democrat. “Judy Short, who lobbied in 1992 to have a special day set aside for food service workers, has received the official proclamation for the 1995 Iowa Waitress/Waiter Day.”

“’I feel all waitresses and waiters should be acknowledged for one day out of the year for the job they do,’ says Short. ‘Who deals more with people of all kinds, types and sizes than waitresses and waiters? We deserve a little recognition.’”

Thirty years ago, the Tripoli Opera House was hosting Boys Night Out, which would play ‘70s and ‘80s music; The Waverly Theatre showed “The Brady Bunch Movie,” starring Shelley Long and Gary Cole, along with a held-over “Bad Boys.”

This week in 1995, the Waverly Home Bakery offered sack lunches with a sandwich, chips, drink and dessert for $2.75-$3.50; the Waverly Godfather’s had a Mother’s Day buffet at $4.19 for adults; and at Kollmann’s Bike in Waverly, a Ross Ladies All Terrain bike started at $150.