Out of the past 10/11/05

25 years ago: Oct. 11, 1980

Cape Girardeau voters are leaning toward Ronald Reagan for president and heavily favor Christopher S. "Kit" Bond for governor, a Missourian poll shows; they also are giving the nod to Bill Emerson as the 10th District congressman, and appear ready to give U.S. Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton another four-year term.

Plans for a new dining hall at Camp Lewallen -- the major project of the Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council's "Capitalize on Scouting" fund drive -- were unveiled recently; site preparations and ground work have been completed for the building; the new hall should be completed in 1981.

50 years ago: Oct. 11, 1955

Members of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department continue their inspections of the city's business firms and also plan to call on the public schools to explain fire prevention methods as part of Fire Protection Week; inspected Monday were businesses along South Sprigg, Good Hope and a portion of Main Street.

With excellent weather prevailing in the wake of generous rains, the district farm scene is a busy one; work of many kinds is going on in fields, but the harvest of the cotton crop, corn and soybeans holds the center of interests.

75 years ago: Oct. 11, 1930

At a meeting last night, about 30 representative businessmen of the community decided to contract with the U.S. Navy Band for two concerts in Cape Girardeau on Nov. 2; a matinee performance will be given in the new Houck Stadium, and an evening concert will be presented in the State College auditorium.

Judge Charles B. Faris will convene federal court in Cape Girardeau Monday, with indications the sessions will continue for at least two weeks, if condemnation cases in the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway are tried.

100 years ago: Oct. 11, 1905

Little things like injunctions and cold weather can't keep the Cape Girardeau Fair down; despite the chilly weather early in the morning, a larger crowd of people tries to get into the fairgrounds than on Wednesday of last year; management believes that this will be a banner year for the exposition, despite the prohibition against selling alcohol on the fairgrounds.

The large slaughterhouse belonging to the Broadway butchers, Flentge & Mueller, which stood behind the fairgrounds on Bloomfield Road, burned yesterday afternoon.

-- Sharon K. Sanders