Chaffee finds multiple ways to mark town's centennial

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- This summer, residents of Chaffee will celebrate a milestone in the history of their community. Founded in 1905, this is the year the town of about 3,000 will celebrate their history with a slate of centennial events.

H.B. Rice, who is helping organize the centennial events, said the reasons for celebrating life in Chaffee are simple, much like the small community itself.

"It's a great place to go," Rice said. "Chaffee is peaceful and quiet."

Chaffee was formed by two major forces, he said: the railroad and farming. The town was started because of the railroad, when the Chaffee Real Estate Co. of St. Louis bought the land and laid out a town to provide service to the Frisco Railroad, which set up a depot on the land.

It's unclear where the real estate company got its name, but the town got its name from the company. The railroad would later leave the town when Burlington-Northern bought Frisco and demolished the depot.

But Chaffee continued to exist, becoming primarily an agricultural community and a quiet place to live for people working in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Rice said.

The events scheduled to celebrate the community's centennial include:

* Crowning of the centennial queen May 7 at 7 p.m. at Circle Park.

* Old-Fashioned Days, sponsored by the Chaffee Historical Society, May 21. This event will celebrate the town's history starting at 9 a.m. in Chaffee's downtown. Carriage rides will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a parade will be held at 1 p.m.

* The Tywappity Trails 5-K run and walk at 8 a.m. June 4 at Tywappity Lake just outside Chaffee.

* A golf scramble at the Bootheel Golf Course in Sikeston June 10.

* Historical Days June 17 and 18, with a barbecue cook-off at Frisco Park, a tractor parade and show downtown and lawn mower races.

* A historical pageant on July 23 at 7 p.m. at the Chaffee High School Activity Center. The pageant will feature vignettes from the town's history, music and a fashion show.

* German Days Aug. 12 and 13 with a carnival and fireworks.

* The Chaffee Homecoming Game Sept. 30 with the homecoming queen coronation.

* An alumni banquet Oct. 1 at the American Legion Hall.

* On Jan. 1, burial of a centennial time capsule at the base of the new centennial flag pole at Chaffee High School.

Numerous items to commemorate the centennial will also be available for sale during the celebrations.

For more information, call Rice at (573) 887-3555.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182