Forum Flashbacks: Oct. 6-12
FORUM FILE PHOTO
15 YEARS AGO: Locks of Love – Jessi Mires, 5, a Kindergartner from Maryville, had more than 10 inches of her hair cut last Thursday for Locks of Love. After her parents, John and Megan Mires, explained to her what cancer is and how it affects people, Jessi decided she wanted to do something to help out children who have the disease. She talked about Locks of Love with her mother, and decided that was how she could do her part to help out. She grew her hair out with the intention of donating it to Locks of Love, and she even paid for the haircut herself. Her hair was cut by Annette Swaney of Salon Advantage.
5 years ago
Almost a year to the day after five Nodaway County Lions Clubs announced plans for construction of a “Freedom Rock” flag plaza in Franklin Park honoring veterans, law enforcement officers and first responders, the task essentially is complete.
A crew from Holtman Masonry on Wednesday cemented more than 30 rectangular pieces of black stone into place across the top of a three-sided “serenity wall.”
The capstones bear the names of businesses, institutions and individuals who made major financial or in-kind contributions to the flag plaza project, which carried a total cost of around $30,000, all of it from donations, including the purchase of dozens of engraved pavers by veterans’ family members.
As for the wall itself, it was funded with a bequest left to the Maryville’s Host Lions Club by the late Orval Heywood, a longtime Lion and U.S. Army Air Corps World War II veteran who died early this year at age 96.
15 years ago
For most people, getting a haircut isn’t something that requires much thought.
But people across the country are getting their hair cut, not to make a fashion statement or to try a new style, but to help out a child who is suffering from long-term medical hair loss.
That’s the idea behind the charity Locks of Love, a group that takes donated human hair, and creates high quality hair prosthetics for children. …
Nate Rice, assistant manager of Movie Magic in Maryville, recently had his hair cut for Locks of Love — in a big way.
“I donated about 13 inches of hair,” Rice said. “When they cut my hair, they put it in a ponytail and chopped it off.”
Rice said he had let his hair grow out for several years, and just when he was thinking about getting it cut, a friend told him about the Locks of Love program.
“And I thought, that’s a good idea — to help a little child who has the misfortune of having cancer,” Rice said. “So I waited another year to let my hair grow out longer.”
25 years ago
It was a dog’s life for many Nodaway County residents Sunday as canines, their owners and onlookers gathered at the Nodaway County Community Building for the New Nodaway Humane Society’s Annual Doggie Derby.
Over 30 dogs were accompanied by their owners for what Chanda Clary Funston, who co-chaired the derby with Brenda Ryan, said was a successful fund raiser for the group, something they could use. …
“We had dogs ranging from a four pound yorky to a young great dane that was probably 120 pounds,” Funston said.
Despite that wide range of animals, Funston said there were no skirmishes.
“In all the years we’ve done this, we’ve never had a fight,” she said. “I guess it just goes to show you that dogs get along better than people.”
100 years ago
SCHOOL DAY CROWD
BROKE ALL RECORDS
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Conservative Estimate Is That At Least 15,000 People Attend Nodaway County’s First Annual School Day – Everyone Having a Great Time
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SEVENTY-SEVEN FLOATS IN PARADE
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With a crowd estimated at 15,000 Nodaway County people, Maryville this afternoon is celebrating what is generally conceded as being the biggest and most important event in her history. Since the crowd began arriving early this morning the members of the entertainment committee have been busily at work distributing candy, chewing gum and other coveted sweets to the visiting children, the stores have been distributing all kinds of noise-making contraptions — and every one has been just as happy as can be.
The parade, in which were seventy-seven floats representing that number of rural schools in this county, formed at the Franklin school and marched through the business section of the town, headed by the Nodaway County band, the soldiers of the Civil War and the soldiers of the World War. The parade was one hour in passing a given point, and the great crowd of spectators was kept busy exclaiming with delight and wonder as each float passed in the line.
The floats represented the agricultural richness of Nodaway County, the progress in educational work, the “First Thanksgiving” and other items of historical interest. It all represented a world of work and a wonderful lot of intelligent planning.
More school children than the streets of Maryville have ever held at one time were here for the street pageant and school children’s parade. …
Many family parties picnicked on the courthouse lawn and at the Franklin school and there were a number of picnics in which the patrons and pupils of the districts joined. Entertainment was furnished for the youngsters and the sound of whistles and horns throughout the day indicated that they were doing their share toward making a gala occasion of the school day events.
The band concert by the combined bands of Nodaway County furnished the entertainment for the morning, after which dinner was served to all of them at the First Methodist Church.
A special committee of business men named for that purpose, were busy all day seeing that the city’s juvenile visitors were furnished with free popcorn, chewing gum and confectionary. Even the smaller fry, not yet ready for the school room, but johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to pop corn and chewing gum, were seen milling around through the crowds, one chubby hand full of pop corn and at the same time chewing vigorously on a wad of gum. It wouldn’t take a mind reader to know that each was having the time of his life as an honored guest on the county’s first annual school day.
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 Oct. 11, 1922, edition of The Maryville Tribune, a predecessor of The Maryville Forum.
