Out of the past 8/18/09

25 years ago: Aug. 18, 1984

Construction of eight new lanes in the West Park Bowling Center has been completed, and they are now in use; the addition provides 32 lanes in the facility on Silver Springs Road.

Fifty years in the specialty meat business will be observed later this month by Esicar's Old Hickory Smokehouse; E.A. Esicar began the business Aug. 27, 1934, at 411 Broadway.

50 years ago: Aug. 18, 1959

A new practical arts building, which will house the music department at State College, is slowly rising from the densely wooded "Home of the Birds" area on the campus; much of the Home of the Birds area is giving way to building expansion.

Cape Girardeau officers play cowboy, as they are called out at 1:50 in the morning to round up eight cows roaming the pavement at the intersection of highways 61 and 74; it is believed the animals wandered off the Lefarth farm nearby.

75 years ago: Aug. 18, 1934

The interior of a building at 111 N. Main St., owned by Charles Barranco, is being remodeled and redecorated for C.C. Sanofsky, who came here from Cairo, Ill., recently; he will open a women's apparel store there about Aug. 25.

The Illmo-Fornfelt Big Bucks will oppose Bill Sullivan's Capahas tomorrow, and will get a swat at the Caps' new pitching rookie, Dixie Walker, who has whiffed 51 batters in the past five games; the Bucks will have either Lynn James, formerly of the Nebraska State League, or the diminutive Paul Bray, State College athlete, on the mound.

100 years ago: Aug. 18, 1909

The Plansifter mills have a big consignment of flour ready for shipment to J.H. Everett & Son of Atlanta, Ga.; there will be 1,000 barrels in this shipment, and they have standing orders for all the flour they can ship.

The entire program for the visit of President William H. Taft to Cape Girardeau Oct. 26 has been approved; Taft will arrive here at 6 a.m.; he'll then drive to the Normal School for speeches; he will depart around 7 a.m.

-- Sharon K. Sanders