Out of the past 10/4/11

25 years ago: Oct. 4, 1986

With the Mississippi River on the rise, levee district workers close the Themis Street floodgate in the afternoon; the river is expected to crest at 45 feet on Thursday, 13 feet above flood stage.

The Jackson Retail Merchants Association sponsors the annual Harvest Festival, held around the courthouse in Jackson; crafts, homemade bread, honey and many concessions are on hand for the big crowd.

50 years ago: Oct. 4, 1961

Cape Girardeau voters yesterday authorized the sale of $1,650,000 in school district bonds to finance construction of new school facilities, provide remodeling of an old building and to acquire sites for new buildings.

Lacking a two-thirds majority necessary for passage, voters in the Jackson School District yesterday rejected bonds in the amount of $675,000 for construction of a building south of Jackson for pupils in fifth, sixth and seventh grades.

75 years ago: Oct. 4, 1936

Members of Christ Evangelical Church celebrate their annual mission festival; in the morning, the Rev. L.C. Minsterman, pastor of the Reformed Church of Tamms, Ill., speaks; the principal speaker at the evening service is the Rev. Vincent W. Bucher of Shannondale Community House in Shannon County.

Professor True Taylor of State College speaks in the morning at the regular service at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church in the absence of the pastor, the Rev. William H. Hackman; the latter is in St. Joseph, Mo., attending the annual meeting of the Missouri Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

100 years ago: Oct. 4, 1911

Word has been received that the night Western Union Telegraph office in Cape Girardeau will be abolished because of a lack of business.

Because of the large number of boys playing hookey these days, the school board has appointed Janitor Child of the Broadway School as truant officer to round them up.

-- Sharon K. Sanders