Out of the past 2/27/04

10 years ago: Feb. 27, 1992

Concordia College Concert Band of St. Paul, Minn., is in concert at Trinity Lutheran Church in evening; band is on its spring break tour and is traveling to Memphis, Tenn., with many concerts and services on way to and from Memphis.

Mass, in remembrance of Holy Family Catholic Church on South Sprigg Street, is held at Old St. Vincent's Church; founding pastor, the Rev. Willis F. Darling, 87, serves at celebrant; Holy Family was started in 1940 to serve black Catholics in Cape Girardeau.

25 years ago: Feb. 27, 1979

Arduous task of digging out from under two feet of snow continues, as Cape Girardeau and area struggles toward return to some degree of normalcy; National Guardsmen, city street workers and scores of individuals are working streets and highways, attempting to scoop passable traffic lanes through drifts up to 10 feet of snow.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Three people are hurt, one critically, in explosion at Country Village Inn, restaurant at Interstate 55-Highway 51 interchange; assistant manager of restaurant, Gary Gariepy, 22, of Perryville, is in critical condition at St. Louis hospital; explosion is apparently caused by propane gas leak somewhere in building.

50 years ago: Feb. 27, 1954

BENTON, Mo. -- Pride of home ownership has come to more than 500 Southeast Missouri families, under private-enterprise project nearing completion; Harris Rodgers of Benton, business manager for Delmo Housing Corp., is busy delivering last of 549 deeds to home owners in East Prairie, Wyatt, Morehouse, Gray Ridge, Lilbourn, Wardell and Kennett.

Resolution providing for election of two school directors and placing 25-cent levy for incidental purposes on ballot at April 6 school election was adopted by school board Friday; levy won't mean additional tax; sum was voted four years ago and has been collected since that time; board is asking for its renewal for another four-year period.

75 years ago: Feb. 27, 1929

A 280-acre farm on Green's Ferry Road, seven miles northwest of Cape Girardeau, was sold at auction by Sheriff Nat M. Snider Tuesday to John and Alvia Cotner for $4,525; tract was known as Virgil Prince farm because more than 50 years ago it was acquired by Prince and farmed by him and his descendants many years; Prince, former slave, bought land in 1872 for $100.

State highways throughout Southeast Missouri are clear of water, with exception of a few instances, according to office of State Highway Department at Sikeston; 30 inches of water covered Highway 60 east of Poplar Bluff Monday night, but it has resided; highways in district are in bad shape, mainly from freezing and thawing and not from floods.

-- Sharon K. Sanders