The Way We Were

December 20, 1917:

A sale of doll clothes and candy will be held at the city hall Friday (tomorrow) afternoon for the benefit of the Red Cross. Tea and chocolate with the proper accompaniments will be served from 3 to 5 for the sum of 15 cents. And it is hoped that as many of the people of Wrangell as possible will patronize the affair. The idea for this sale originated in the fertile brain some children playing together one day last summer. The regular games had failed to interest and the suggestion “let’s have a sale and give the money to the Red Cross” was made and instantly approved by the rest. Gathering up such articles as were available on short notice, a stand was arranged immediately outside of the home of one of the children and a few things sold. The idea grew, and it was decided to hold a regular sale at some later time.

December 18, 1942:

Elks and the American Legion sponsor the visit of Santa Claus to youngsters of the community Wednesday afternoon at 3 o’clock with the closing of school for the holiday. Santa’s visit will be at the Coliseum theater and manager Fred Cunningham, who is assisting Mr. Claus, is arranging for a special picture program to fit in with the annual pilgrimage of the jolly old fellow from the North Pole. Supt. George Fabricius, cooperating with Santa’s annual visit, is arranging the school schedule so that classes and school programs will be over in time for all youngsters to keep that 3 o’clock Wednesday date at the Coliseum.

December 15, 1967:

There’s only one thing that will be in short supply at tomorrow’s grand opening of the Totem Bar. That’s a chair. Or rather a whole bunch of them. The chairs, for the tables in the dance area, were held up when a train was derailed in Canada, blocking the road. The truck was forced to return to Vancouver, where the chairs were loaded on a train and sent north again. “And they’re supposed to be here by 10 p.m.” Fred Angerman said. The grand installation will be of a 66-seat bar and dance area that can accommodate 100 persons. The exterior of the building was remodeled.

December 17, 1992:

Residents of the Long Term Care Facility at Wrangell General Hospital pieced together a hot air balloon from colored tissue paper. Each of the residents decorated one panel with their name and festive designs. There were almost as many colors as there were names on the balloon, and the many Halloween designs indicated the amount of time spent on the project. Activities coordinator Cinda Stough said she got the idea from a similar project conducted in her daughter’s physics class. A makeshift propane heater was used to inflate the balloon. Due to a lack of wind on launch day last Thursday, the balloon made two short trips straight up and down, before landing on the hospital roof. It later blew off and was returned to Stough who said it would fly again in the future.

 

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