125 Years Ago: 1901
The “Bug Hop Society Minstrels” visited Maryville to provide entertainment in the community.
Another performing group, the “Beach and Bowers” Minstrel troupe, also performed. They played at Union Hall on West Third, was a success, as their shows usually were. The show featured fine music and a street parade consisting of dogs, donkeys, and the two star performers Bobby Beach and Otis Bowers.
The people of Burlington Junction built a lodge hall, which had been in the construction process for several months. The hall cost a total of $7,000 to build.
A missionary from Africa conducted services at the local Presbyterian church. Reverend Melvin Frazer came from the west coast of Africa to tell of the accomplishments of missionaries in Africa. Members from several churches in the area came to listen to him speak.
Ovis Baker was bitten by a dog that was thought to have hydrophobia, which is a typical sign of rabies. Ovis’s father G. W. Baker saved his son from the dog attack.
Nationally known suffragist Dr. Anna Shaw gave a lecture at the Christian Church in Maryville. She spoke about feminism, and the newspaper deemed the lecture to be “One of the best that has been on the course.”
In sadder news, the Methodist Church building in Graham caught fire and was entirely destroyed. The furnace caught fire while it was warming up the building prior to church services that day.
75 Years Ago: 1951
Ten men registered with the local draft board, and 14 men who transferred from other locations went to Kansas City for their pre-induction physical examinations. Most of the transfers were men who were attending the college in Maryville.
In other military news, Private Ronald E. Duffy of Maryville completed his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, and ten enlisted men of the Headquarters Battery, 129th Field Artillery Battalion in Maryville received promotions from their commanding officer.
Seventy-five Red Cross kit bags were made under the direction of Mrs. Morris Atchison. She was the production chairman of the local chapter of the Red Cross. The completed kits were mailed to the Jefferson Barracks Veterans Hospital near St. Louis.
Because of broken electric wires between Maryville and Pickering one morning this week, students at the Pickering public school had a holiday when the lights and electricity could not be used to light and heat the building.
Five students from Nodaway County were among the 669 graduates who received degrees at the University of Missouri.
Burglars at two Maryville D-X service stations broke in and stole almost $200 in merchandise and cash. They broke a window and climbed an oil drum to get into the Wolcott and Parrett service station. The pinball machine and jukebox in the store were ransacked, and a small amount of currency was taken from the register. The burglars also forced their way into the Burntwood Inn on South Main, and stole merchandise, currency, and another jukebox and pinball machine.
50 Years Ago: 1976
Eight inches of snow fell early one morning this week and closed all Maryville and Nodaway County schools for a day. With the day off, a group of three Maryville boys turned the snow into a 21-foot-long snow tunnel. The storm also caused the declaration of the city’s emergency snow ordinance in the business district.
Lori Shell of Wilcox and Todd Neff of Graham competed in the state finals of the Elks Club Hoop Shoot Contest in Jefferson City. Both had previously won their respective district contests at Grandview.
James Tocco, a pianist of international acclaim, visited Northwest Missouri State University for a concert in the Charles Johnson Theater. He was renowned for winning the 1973 International Piano Competition of the Americas in Rio de Janeiro and the prestigious Munich International Competition. This performance was a part of his tour across the United States.
The Bearcats won in a basketball game that went into overtime. This was their first win after a month-long drought of losses. They beat the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks 102-98, with two Bearcat players combining for a total of 49 points.
A. L. “Biff” Biffle, a veteran Maryville businessman and long-time Democrat, officially filed as a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for State Representative from the 5th District, which consisted of Nodaway County and several other surrounding counties.
Clifton Holt, son of Mr. and Mrs. James W. Holt of Maryville, was presented with the Boy Scout God and Country Award. This was the highest award earned by a Boy Scout.
Forty-five graduate students at Northwest Missouri State University were granted graduate assistantships for the spring semester.
In more difficult news at the university, a fire caused by an inadequate electrical extension cord caused damage at the university farm.