Out of the past: Nov. 29

1993

A Santa and sleigh shooting into the sky, firefighters and a ladder truck garlanded with more than 60 strands of lights, and an array of mechanical elves were the stars of the first annual Christmas Parade of Lights last night; 57 entries started down Broadway just after dusk, Santa Claus having flowing in a helicopter from downtown to the parade starting point at Capaha Park.

Saturday was a great opening day for operators of goose-hunting clubs throughout the quota zone of Southern Illinois -- Alexander, Union, Jackson and Williamson counties; the weather was right, with near-freezing temperatures and overcast skies, and the geese numbered more than 25,000 in the zone.

1968

At a special meeting of the Cape Girardeau City Council in the morning, Mayor A. Robert Pierce Jr., announces his plans to resign from the council before the day is over; the mayor was elected state representative from Cape Girardeau in the November general election.

Construction of 30 houses in Illmo to be used by the Public Housing Authority is expected to begin within the next six months; all phases of the project, from the purchase of land to the rental of completed property were discussed at a recent meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, of members of the Illmo Public Housing Authority and officials of the Office of Economic and Urban Renewal; attending the meeting from Illmo were O.W. Hartner, Theon Schlosser Jr., Jerry Amrhein, Dr. B.F. Holly and W.H. Roth.

1943

The centennial celebration for St. Vincent's College, which began Thanksgiving Day, concludes with a solemn requiem Mass at the college chapel, the final service honoring the memory of the deceased members of the faculty, alumni and benefactors of the college; the Rev. Martin V. Moore, C.M., president of the college, is the celebrant.

Jackson Mayor C.H. Sander receives a letter from the State Health Department informing him that Jackson is facing a serious sanitary problem; department representatives inspected the sewers of Jackson and found the sewer system unsatisfactory.

1918

The large Wulfers building on the corner of Broadway and Pacific Street, known as West End Hall, is destroyed by fire at 3:30 a.m., the total loss estimated at $20,000; housed in the building were the Wulfers meat market and Clifton's Confectionery, both of which were destroyed in the conflagration, not a thing being saved from either place.

The influenza epidemic has again taken a new hold on Cape Girardeau, there being 21 new cases reported to the city clerk up to 2 p.m.; not all the doctors had reported up to that time, so the number is expected to go up.

-- Sharon K. Sanders