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1952 in Minonk: softball and trains

Submitted by Jari Lynn Oncken - June 26, 2017

Feb. 21: A state highway department representative has been working to sign up farm owners for the rebuilding of Route 51 between Minonk and Rutland.

March 20: Three Minonk ministers are participating in the 15-minute Devotion Hour program of radio station WLPO at La Salle during the Lenten season. They are Rev. Paul Buchmueller of St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church, Rev E. V. Young of the Methodist Church and Rev. James Breckenridge of the Presbyterian Church.

March 27: Orville Carls announced this week that he has sold his interest in the business of the Minonk Tractor and Implement Co., Inc. on the north edge of Minonk to Lynn Rippel of El Paso and Jack Sauder.

April 10: Minonk is to receive a goodly sum for waterworks improvement by the provisions of the will of the late M. H. Pfaffle.

Coach Jack Pierce, director of the summer recreation program is looking for those interested in forming a softball league.

St. Paul's church will dedicate the chancel, altar, reredos, pulpit, lectern, and pews next Sunday.

May 1: Art Zivney, proprietor of the Minonk Dairy Products Co, is celebrating his 18th anniversary today after he received and processed his first milk here in Minonk on May 1, 1934.

Minonk-Dana High commencement exercises will be held in the gym on Thursday evening, May 29. The class of 1952 has 39 graduates.

A six team senior softball league will be organized here for the summer night play. According to the plans of Jack Pierce, recreation director for Minonk, a four team junior league will also participate.

There will be a gala cooking school demonstration next Tuesday night at 7:30 in the Minonk-Dana High School gymnasium. Herman G. Vissering of Vissering Mercantile Co. is the sponsor of the demonstration.

May 22: The Chicago Butchers Grocery and Meat Market celebrated its 15th anniversary this week. Proprietor Mrs. Harriet Luedtke and husband Ernest established the store at the southwest corner of 5th and Chestnut Streets in the location that had been occupied by Meierhofer Bros. clothing store.

Minonk looked like a real railroad city again last Friday and Saturday when ten Gulf, Mobile and Ohio trains went through on the Illinois Central tracks. There were nine passenger trains and 119 car freight. These trains were switched onto the Illinois Central at Normal and then back on their own branch at Wenona to Dwight, where they struck the main line again.

May 29: Commencement exercises for the Minonk-Dana High School and graduation for the Dana and Minonk eighth grade classes will be held tonight at the high school gym. The commencement speaker will be the Rev. Paul Bolman whose address is entitled, "The Man Inside."