Happy Labor Day, the spirit of Chaffee and a hometown spotlight

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Carolyn Strong.

Happy birthday to Kevin Goetz, Barbara Cook, Velma Williams, Chelsea Halter, Marjorie Bishop, Alice Welker, Mary Ann Phillips, Nicole Lynn, Mark Pobst, Judy Cook, Amanda Mirly, Nancy Cutright, Alex Davie, Peggy Lee, Jack Dragoni, Judy Finley, Jamie Holder, Dustin Craig, Ely Kerber, Mildred Moudy, Doris White, Lacey Rister, Misty Hibdon, Stephen Schrum, Greg Glastetter, Robert Payne and Lindsay Cook.

Happy anniversary to Rodger and Shellie Seyer, Mike and Carla Lee, Kevin and Cindy Teegarden, Bill and Mary Jo Pfefferkorn and Lefty and Ida Seyer.

Last blast of summer

Happy Labor Day. We hope everyone has a fun-filled holiday weekend for this last blast of summer!

The pool at Harmon Field is closed for the season, but Mary Ann (Duncan) Kagle says her daughter, Karla, always takes her kids there when they visit each summer from Wisconsin. This year it was Karla, her husband, David, and their six sons, along with Mary Ann's husband, Carl. They were looking at the pictures on display of the workers responsible for the construction of the pool, when Carl spotted a picture of his dad. He knew his dad had worked on the pool, but had never seen a picture of him doing so, and this made the pool all that more special.

Hobbs Grocery Store

Last week's mention of Hobbs Grocery Store evoked memories for several readers. One said she remembers the Bunny Bread truck (they're still around!) and how much she liked eating bread balls she made from the soft centers. Another reader said she often had Mrs. Hobbs make her a bologna sandwich for lunch when she was in grade school. She says many times she got a Sugar Daddy sucker before school, kept it on her desk during school and finished it on the way home. She adds that on one visit, her mother and Mrs. Hobbs were talking about the Korean War that had just started.

Spirit of Chaffee

With so much discussion these days about who is ahead in the polls, one thing we can all agree on is that the political mismanagement of our country has hurt small towns and businesses. Mom-and-pop stores we grew up with are almost nonexistent from the heavy hands of big government.

Buildings and businesses have come and gone, but one thing that hasn't changed, and that makes Chaffee maintain the small-town ambiance we enjoy, is the people. We have neighbors helping neighbors, businesses helping customers and everyone lending a hand or just doing something nice to brighten someone's day. These are the people who make Chaffee special -- people who never left their hometown, those who returned years later and stayed, and new residents. We will periodically highlight a Chaffee resident who is making a difference.

Steve Loucks

What better person to launch our new feature than our mayor? The son of Jack and Jenny Loucks, Steve and his striking wife, Janet Kaye (Boyts), of 42 years, have two grown children: son John (Vickie) Loucks and daughter Jill (Joe) Carilli.

Following graduation from Chaffee High School, Steve and three of his buddies skipped the senior trip so they could go to work for the Frisco Railroad. He enlisted for active duty in the Navy in 1969 and served on the USS Canberra during the Vietnam War until 1970. He returned to Frisco and retired from the railroad in 2008, at which time Steve began his role in public service. He was elected to the city council in 2008 for Ward 3 and became acting mayor in 2010, when Mayor Rhetta Mohorc died. He was elected mayor the following election and continues to serve our city.

Steve's hard work and dedication to making Chaffee a better place to live is evidenced through such projects such as the most complex and expensive water and sewer replacement in the city's history. We thank Steve for his service to our country and his continued commitment as our mayor -- a job well done, indeed.

Special words

Remember to tell those special people in your life that you love them -- those three words mean so very much.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who miss their loved ones, our homebound, those in hospitals and nursing homes and those undergoing cancer treatments.

Email your news and comments to darbuck2@airmail.net or leave a message at (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.

And then ...

We thank Jae Hopkins of San Diego for today's "Then there was."

Then there was the sign at the optometry office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place!"