Researched by Michael J. Caylor Jr
10-5-77
The Merrill Foto News has announced they will develop their own distribution system in the wake of recent postal rate hikes. Publisher Jim O’Day stated that recent changes in operations and the postal rate increases make it impossible to continue distributing the paper to its rural readers by mail. The Foto News has used the postal service for its rural delivery since 1969 as it reaches 10,000 homes in its distribution area with a total circulation of 13,900. Now rural delivery carriers will be recruited and a series of green tubes and poles will be installed by your rural mail box in order for your paper to be delivered. The system should be in operation by the end of November.
Drew’s Super Market on Merrill’s East Side is celebrating 30 years in the grocery business with a two week celebration. Customers can register for five door prizes with the top prize being a Magnavox stereo and first prize being a Cobra 40 channel CB radio. Shoppers who spend more than $5 can take home a free loaf of bread with coupon. In the four page ad found in the center of the paper bargains include: a gallon of 2% milk, $1.13, five loaves of bread for $1, an 8 pack of Pepsi bottles is $1.07 and a 12 pack of Old Style is $4.99, 50 pounds of potatoes is only $1.99 and 50 pounds of medium onions is $3.99. From the frozen section all TV Dinners are $1.09 apiece and pot pies from Banquet are three for .87. The meat department has pork roast for .89 a pound, ground beef at .63 per pound, and ground chuck for .85. One pound of bacon is $1.25, and if you buy a one pound Hillshire ring bologna you get one pound of Flanagan sauerkraut for free!
The Merrill Blue Jay football team won handily over the visiting Shawano Indians on Saturday to the thrill of the homecoming crowd. The Jays dominated all aspects of the four quarters putting up 294 yards of offense in their 34-0 win. The visitors were actually held to under 100 yards until a late drive in the fourth quarter put their total at 144 for the game. The Jays started their scoring spree with a pass from quarterback Erik Finanger to Pat Woller for a 33 yard TD. In the second period Finanger scored on a one yard dive. In the third quarter Dave Pyan scored on a drive that was dominated by Finanger’s running talent. In the last quarter John Wais scored from six yards out and Mitch Wickman picked off an Indian aerial and sprinted 25 yards for the final score of the day. The Jays take their 5-1 overall record to Wisconsin Rapids where they will play guest at the Red Raiders’ homecoming. Rapids’ 2-2 record should not deceive you, they had to forfeit two games due to WIAA rules violations and they just spoiled powerful Marshfield’s homecoming 21-6 last weekend.
10-7-87
In briefs: The Merrill Police Department is seeking your help in solving a rash of broken windows on the west side of town. At around 8 p.m. the first report of a broken window was received and in the next few hours a total of 32 more such reports were taken. Dale Klug has taken over ownership of Country Gold. He is pictured receiving the keys for the jewelry store from Donna Winkelman. The store is located five miles north of Merrill next to Bill’s House of Guns. Want to get away this December? Check out the ad for Viking Travel on the Entertainment page, Orlando with flight and hotel for seven days and including a rental car can be had for just $319 per person based on double occupancy. The Merrill Fire Department continues to work on a stubborn fire at the Woodchip Corp on South State Street. The department has been called back to the plant several times in the last week for the fire which keeps rekindling in a large pile of wood chips. Fire Lt. Dan Deml suspects the blaze was caused by spontaneous combustion.
Bill Martens of Lake Street knows a thing or two about bees and in a full page story in the features section he tells about his 50 years of beekeeping. Martens has a total of 325 hives and each holds an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 bees. Although Marten has been stung over 1,000 times, he truly enjoys his hobby which he has been doing since he was about 17. In the story Marten explains the life of a queen and her workers in the colony as they go through the process of life. During the course of one year a healthy hive of Martens will produce about 500 pounds of honey for him and a surplus of 150 to 175 of excess honey which is consumed by the bees. Each January the hive starts regenerating as the group winters together using each other’s heat to survive the winter. Marten noted that anyone who is interested in bee keeping will never get old. (Bill was an old neighbor and lived to 95, perhaps he had something here)
The D.C. Everest Evergreens rolled into Saturday with a 4-0 record as the 2-2 Blue Jays celebrated homecoming. The Jays hoped their strong defense would make this a true game for the local crowd and it did, at least for the first quarter. After that Everest went to work and ran up 28 points in the second quarter on its way to a 42-0 win with the five Blue Jay fumbles not helping the local boys. On a happier note, Leah Kramer was celebrated as the Queen of Homecoming. The daughter of Robert and Kathy Colclasure was part of the homecoming court which included Brenda Lenz and Sarah Lahti along with junior Chris Bletsoe and sophomore Stacy Smith.
10-8-97
It appears the stop signs at West Main Street and State Street will not be going away anytime soon. A petition was filed with the city to remove the four way stop at the intersection, but that was rejected by the common council by a vote of 5-3 this past week. The group also tabled a measure to fund stop and go lights at that intersection.
A letter to the editor alleges and the Sirens section confirms area youth did not have the true homecoming spirit this past week. Numerous acts of vandalism were reported throughout the city mostly involving egg throwing at vehicles. On the gridiron the boys did not do much better, losing to Wausau East by the score of 14-13; missing a two point conversion in the third quarter was the deciding factor in the game. Coach Duane Gray now has a 0-6 record as Merrill hosts 4-2 Marshfield Friday.
Staff at the Merrill Junior High School are already getting ready for the big move, despite the fact no one will be moving until next summer. If you drove by the Junior High in the last week you cannot help but anticipate the moving as the oversized walls have been put in place for the future field house and the roof is about to go on the new academic wing. What we all know as the East Gym of the current high school is being converted into a cafeteria for students and staff as the current kitchen begins its remodel this month. Classrooms are also starting to form around the East Gym and guidance counselors expect to be in their new offices by January. In other school news, Sister Delores was one of 1,500 teachers chosen nationwide to be honored for their devotion to children. Sister Delores brings her 42 years of classroom experience to students at St. Francis. She has taught at schools across the country in her years of teaching after joining the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. (For those math students Sister Delores will tell you she has taught for 42 years but started when she was three making her 45 at the time of this printing.)