Out of the past: April 1

1995

Big Al's, a nightclub that offered one of the area's largest dance floors, a 12-foot video screen and occasionally a chance to wear an inflatable sumo wrestler costume, will close its doors when the last customer leaves tonight; the club's owner, Al Bisher, has been asked to vacate the building.

"Legal technicalities" kept the Colonial Cape Girardeau Foundation from meeting Friday's deadline for closing on the St. Vincent's College property, says foundation president Loretta Schneider; a former real estate agent, Schneider says the deal should be finalized within 10 days to two weeks.

1970

A twin-engine aircraft with two area residents on board catches fire on takeoff and then crashes when attempting to make an emergency landing at 10:30 a.m. at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport; the two men -- Albert L. Underwood of Cape Girardeau and Burnel Chamness of Scott City, the pilot -- are able to walk away from the blazing airplane.

Contracts were signed yesterday for the construction of a new sanctuary for St. Andrew Lutheran Church; the new edifice will be erected on its present site, near Cape Rock and Kingsway drives, atop the existing basement, which has been used for Sunday school space; general contractor is Ben Sides Construction Co.; other contractors are A.E. Birk and Son, plumbing; Likens Sheet Metal Co., heating and cooling; and Cam Electric Co.

1945

Easter Sunday. The Ministerial Alliance's annual sunrise service is held at Courthouse Park, the river flood having blocked streets leading to Cape Rock; the Rev. Raymond E. Swartz, president of the alliance, presides at the service, which begins with an instrumental prelude, "Fanfare," played by a brass quartet -- Homer Gilbert, Louis Kassel, Henry Grossheider and Charles Pendelton -- from the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band; delivering the Easter message is True Taylor, superintendent of Southeast Hospital, a former member of the State College faculty and a past commander of the Louis K. Juden Post of the American Legion.

A constant downpour of rain, particularly in the afternoon and night, makes a lake again of West Broadway near Caruthers Avenue; dozens of automobiles stall, some of them when standing in more than a foot of water.

1920

The old Schaefer property at 1227 Broadway, one of the landmarks of Cape Girardeau, is being remodeled into a store building, and a grocery will be established there in the near future; just when the building was erected isn't known, but D.M. Scivally says it was there when he came to this county back in 1855.

The packet boat Golden Eagle made the trip down to Commerce, Missouri, and back to St. Louis yesterday in place of the Bald Eagle, which is undergoing repairs; the Golden Eagle is an Illinois River boat, but hasn't been put on regular duty this season.

-- Sharon K. Sanders