Forum Flashbacks: March 17-23

FORUM FILE PHOTO
25 YEARS AGO: Happy St. Patrick’s Day – As participants in the 10th Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade line up, W.R. O’Riley (center) attempts to keep the little piggy from squealing, by sticking his finger in the pig’s mouth. The parade’s grand marshal, Mike Girratono, holds the piggy.

5 years ago

As they have for nearly three decades, hundreds of green-clad revelers lined a street in downtown Maryville on Thursday to drink, greet friends and neighbors, and cheer on participants in this year’s World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Bearcat head football coach Adam Dorrel and his staff, who led the 2015 squad to a fifth national championship, served as grand marshals. Also holding a place of honor was Maryville businessman Mark Allen, one of the founders of the annual celebration 29 years ago.

A total of about 500 people lined both sides of Market Street on the south side of the square for the yards-long procession, which, as tradition dictates, began precisely at 5:17 p.m.

For the second year in a row the event was hosted by Burny’s Upper Deck, a bar on the corner of Third and Market, which Allen said had become the parade’s “permanent home” following a 27-year run at The Palms on North Buchanan Street.

15 years ago

Many students at Maryville High School have siblings who are members of the local National Guard unit that was recently deployed to Afghanistan.

So when they were asked to coordinate a community service project, they quickly came up with idea of “Support our Troops.”

Janet Jelavich, an English teacher at the high school, said she’s been working on community service projects for about 10 years now, and she tries to get her students involved in reaching out to those around them. …

So the students have been working to come up with ways that they can show their strong support for the troops overseas. They’ve been writing letters and organizing fundraisers. They’ve had a penny drive, and they’ve created a giant banner for people to sign that will be sent to the troops. And Wednesday night they sponsored an intramural basketball tournament to help raise money for their cause.

25 years ago

A student production by Northwest Missouri State University’s chapter of Radio-Television News Directors Association concerning the upcoming Maryville R-II School District’s $9.485 million campaign will be aired at 7 p.m. each evening, March 24 to 27, on Maryville Cable Vision’s Channel 8.

Involved in answering questions concerning the bond issue vote were District School Board President Rego Jones, District Superintendent Dr. Gary Bell and co-chairs of the Maryville Citizens for Education Mark Watkins and Jim Blackford.

School district patrons are urged to watch the production in order to understand the scope of the planned school improvements and the cost of the bond proposal.

The school district at that election is asking patrons to approve a $9.485 million bond issue to replace the inadequate and nearly 90-year-old Washington Middle School with a new structure to be built southeast of the High School.

100 years ago

GRAHAM PEOPLE BOOST SCHOOLS

The Parents-Teachers Association of Graham which was organized in January with a membership of one hundred and twenty-five persons, will hold its next meeting on Tuesday evening, March 28. A very interesting program has been prepared for the occasion. …

“We have already made a small beginning in accomplishing things for the community,” says (secretary) Mrs. (Ralph) Scott. “The playgrounds were lacking in equipment, so the first donations were some see-saws and swings. These were given by some of the members and the school board. Five loyal members of the board donated their time and labor to the making of the see-saws. The people of the community are heartily in approval of the banding together for the good of the school and its patrons. New members are being added to the association all the time.”

The 100-year flashback is courtesy of the Missouri Digital Newspaper Project from the State Historical Society of Missouri, viewable at shsmo.org/collections/newspapers/mdnp. The original article ran in the March 22, 1922, edition of The Maryville Tribune, a predecessor of The Maryville Forum.