TLC #110: August 24, 2008
Dear Hearts & Gentle People:
You keep asking what has become of me or, more
accurately, what has become of TLC. The answer: summer. And the Olympics. I'm
addicted to both.
Summer just began about a week ago, and now the
Lexington kids are back in school! You know what they say: Life, like toilet
paper, goes faster as you get closer to the end. (Well, that sounded
cheerful, didn't it?)
We've had an unusual summer weather-wise. First
we had a lot of rain and cool days early on. It was wonderful for the crops, and
we have had a bumper season for peaches and others. Then we had some normal
heat, but after the first week in August, it has been cool. I mean
cool, in the 70s and 80s for high. Honest. Don't spread that around.
Everyone will want to move here.
What's new in Lexington? Best overall news: the
bond issue to improve and maintain our city streets passed by a good margin. But
it passed over two weeks ago, and South Street still has potholes. (Just
kidding, guys.) A group of local citizens worked hard to get the issue on the
ballot and to make the public aware of it, and Lexington voters came
through.
We have a couple of new restaurants, we have a
lot of renovation going on, we have 42 flower pots on the corners of Main,
Franklin and South that look just terrific and add a lot to the
town.
Thursday 9/11, Patriots Day, the American Legion
is sponsoring a walk from Main & 13th to the Veterans Memorial at Main &
10th. I believe I'll take my bad hip and march along. Hope to see a lot of you
locals then.
This seems to be a good time to let you know
(get out your calendars!) that on Oct. 11 the Krazy
Kats will perform at the Municipal Auditorium. Dig out your saddle
shoes, white bucks, poodle skirts, crinolines, jeans, or even your LHS beanies
and be there.
For those who don't know - and for those who do
- visit www.krazykats.net (Be
sure to put .net instead of .com)
The Kats are originally from Moberly and began
performing in high school in 1957. By the late 50s and early 60s they were
playing at the Auditorium nearly every Saturday night. Much of their continuing
popularity began here. They reunited for their 40th (and 50th!)
anniversaries, and have been performing regularly since then. "Still rockin'
after all these years," and we plan to join them that night.
It's old-time rock-n-roll just like you remember
it, and this will be a terrific and nostalgic night. Youngsters (under 60) will
enjoy it too. Tickets are just $10 ($12 at the door) and only 300 will be sold.
The Kats often have sell-outs in KC, so be forewarned. Tickets will go on
sale in September, and more information will be sent out before then.
The evening is a benefit for "Live! in
Lexington," our concert series, which begins Oct. 6 (see www.liveinlexington.org). In addition
to presenting 4 or 5 internationally acclaimed acts each season, "Live!"
also funds performances at area schools. So, it's a good cause and lively fun.
So ends the commercial.
That same night is the Class of 1958 Reunion, so
all you '58 people come on over to the auditorium when you finish your
festivities down the street.
I'm sad to report two recent deaths: we
lost Paul Fenner LHS '57 and Lee Roy Ashinhurst LHS '58 within the last
month.
Our social history Tall Tales & Short
Stories of Lexington continues to be well-received. We had a lot
of fun the other night discussing the history of the telephone system in Lex. A
former telephone operator, Christy Magnusen Butler, filled us in on the
behind-the-scenes activities.
We all shared some fun memories. I'll use my own
just as an example. Most of you will identify with this, but you city folks may
not believe it.
Operator: Number
please?
Me: 220, please.
Operator: Oh, honey, your Daddy's
not at the paper now. He's over at the courthouse. You call him later,
okay?
Me: Okay.
And now to the mail:
Wally '55 Hulver visited with Lee
Dresser, lead member of Krazy Kats fame, and I hope to have photo of that
on our website. I asked Wally what he gleaned for TLC:
Went by to see Lee Dresser at his
autographing signing at the library this week. Frank Wansing and I visited
with him at length about his time in Lexington. Lots of stories were told
----but I can't repeat them.
(Lee has a book out - Was There A Band Here
Tonight? - and it mentions Lexington and locals and events that happened
here.)
When I persisted, Wally said this:
One story we talked about was when
the Kats got back together in 1980 after about a 20 year lay off.
Freddie (the drummer) didn't have any drums, so our son, Greg took his
set down to the auditorium for him to use and he liked them so well he bought a
set almost like them.
At a recent Tall Tales gathering, we discussed
Block 42. Jim O'Malley couldn't be there, but remembers the
following:
I guess it would be easy to focus on
several characters from that era for a few laughs, but I'd rather take somewhat
of a global approach when talking about the Block.
Actually there were two Block 42s!
The Block 42 of the day was a busy business scene, especially on the north
side of the street. It was anchored by Entine's Dept. Store, Marsh Drug
Store, Gillen's Hardware Store, Malo's Bar, Joe Bookasta's Cafe, the Pool Hall,
and the most interesting of all, the Palace of Sweets Bus
Depot.
The reason the POS Bus Station was
so special was that, before the Interstate Highways were built, there were
several Greyhound busses daily to Chicago and St. Louis, using Highway 24 for
Chicago and, connecting with Highway 65 at Waverly, to St. Louis and on
eastward. On their returns the busses would pick up passengers for KC and
westward. There was also service from the Missouri Pacific Bus Co. that took
daily commuters to KC. The Palace of Sweets had a restaurant to feed the
travelers and they had the only pay toilet in town.
A good idea from Sharon Shurmantine
'65 McGuiness:
I think the story of Bobby Price
would make a wonderful movie. After all these years, he is remembered so
fondly and has become such a Lexington legend. With all your contacts in
your TLC letters, is there anyone with a connection to a screenwriter or
director? I can visualize a movie starting with you and your friends
gathering to discuss your newsletter and the good old days in Lexington.
The conversation turns to Bobby Price, and then a flashback to his life.
The town of Lexington is a great backdrop to a movie. I think a movie that
would capture the connection that all of us have for Lexington, the closeness of
the community and a little boy/young man who has never been forgotten would be a
wonderful movie.
Okay, all your screen writers, get
busy!
Here is another Dr Brasher story, this
time from Nola Redden '58 Banister:
Hi to you Susan and all the other TLC readers. First of all, I want
to say that I am looking forward to seeing many of you at our 50th reunion.
The way time flies it will be here before we know it.
Now I want to share a memory about Dr. Brasher. When
I was 7 my parents had my tonsils removed by some other doctor (can’t remember
his name). Anyway, a week later I began hemorrhaging. We lived on a dirt road, a
huge thunderstorm and heavy rain was approaching which made our road impassable.
Dad was gone in our only vehicle to help a neighbor get his hay bailed. Mom
called and told them to send Dad home and to leave the car at the end of our
road. She took me in a horse-drawn wagon to meet Dad. Good old Dr. Brasher met
us at his office and finally got the bleeding stopped. He said I needed to stay
in town just in case I needed more care. Well Mom and I stayed in the Palace
Hotel, a Saturday night as I remember. Not a very restful night.
Anyway, I survived and continued to see Dr. Brasher
for many more years. He even tended to me for the birth of both my daughters.
What a great person he was!
Tom '57 Campbell missed me and TLC:
Hope everything is going well
with you !!! I just wanted to let you know that I have not received the
TLC newsletter for July or
August. I sure enjoy reading
them and keeping up on the news from the old hometown. You do publish it
every month, don't you ??
I hope I haven't been deleted
from the e-mail list !!!!
Of course not, Tomcat.
Here's the story. I do try to write a TLC every month.
Sometime I have no news in particular to pass along. Sometimes I have so much
news or mail that I should do it more frequently. So, just hang in there and be
patient. You may always contact me (and I wish you would!) if you think your
email address has been dropped from the list. I am trying a new system, blind
copies, so please check with your friends who receive this newsletter, to make
sure nothing went awry.
Hoping for success with that for
me and lots of mail from you. And don't forget to check our web pages at our excellent web pages.
Your devoted scribe,
Susan
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