Out of the past 4/24/09

25 years ago: April 24, 1984

The state convention of the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri Inc. opens at the Ramada Inn in the afternoon; about 650 garden club members from across the state are expected to attend the three-day meeting.

The annual spring floodwater yo-yo is pushing the Mississippi River and others in the area up and down; however, it appears that flooding this spring will be far less severe than in years past; the river stage at Cape Girardeau this morning is at 36.4 feet.

50 years ago: April 24, 1959

A detailed drawing of a diamond interchange at Wedekind Park to coordinate traffic on U.S. 61 and the new Interstate 55 has been completed by the District 10 State Highway Department office at Sikeston, Mo.; Wedekind Park will remain as a roadside picnic area.

A group seeking the improvement of the Smelterville suburb announces that a building at 1800 S. Sprigg St. has been obtained which can be converted into a community center.

75 years ago: April 24, 1934

Kicking off the circus season in Cape Girardeau, large crowds attended performances yesterday afternoon and night given at Fairground Park by the Russell Bros. Circus; fair weather brought out an overflow crowd for the night program with 3,200 persons crowding into the 3,000-capacity tent.

Cape Girardeau city officials are considering whether the purchase of a new fire truck is advisable at this time; Commissioner Paul R. Brooks, who has charge of the fire department, believes a new, light truck equipped with a booster tank for use on small residential fires in the outlying areas is needed.

100 years ago: April 24, 1909

A committee composed of H.P. Peironnet, William Hirsch, John Vandeven and H.A. Nussbaum has been appointed by the Commercial Club to accompany members of the Cape Giardeau City Council committee to St. Louis next Wednesday to investigate the different methods of street paving.

Garrett Glenn, who went out to Montana a few weeks ago to "rough it" for the summer, got home yesterday afternoon; he had no trouble at all "roughing it," but the fun of such a procedure soon died out.

-- Sharon K. Sanders