Dear Hearts & Gentle
People:
Notes are beginning to arrive, inquiring if
I have ceased my TLC efforts. No, indeedy, but I believe some of you did
not receive #124. If you did not, please let me know and I will be happy
to send it. Or perhaps our valiant Webmaster has had time to update the
site. There you can find photos and archives of past
issues. There are some interesting photos that will accompany this
125th effort. (Click here to see them.)
Update on our Municipal Auditorium: the
referendum will be on the June 8 ballot. If that passes, it will allow the
Auditorium Commission to continue pursuing the project. This vote is
simply to gather public opinion and is non-binding. It would be
financed by a very small increase in property taxes - a few dollars a
month per household. If improved the Auditorium could become
self-sustaining by income generated from rentals. I asked for memories of
the building in the last issue and did receive some interesting
recollections.
Shirley Briggle '53 Miller
wrote:
I've read some about the drive to
restore (save) the Auditorium in the Lexington News. It occurs to me
that at least some of us oldsters would be interested in this endeavor and
might contribute to a fund to make sure the renovation is a
success.
After all, we have fond memories of
Youth Center (Teen Town) there every Thursday night, piano recitals, a tap
and ballet dance school there at least one summer, rummage sales in the
basement, plays performed on the stage, country and western bands (so they
tell me).
And there were wedding
receptions, such as that of Norman and Sophie Kehrees Vialle, after Sophie
was pushed in a Greek-style, flower adorned cart all the way from
their wedding ceremony at the Episcopalian Church.
The Auditorium can continue to be an
asset to Lexington for coming generations if we all pitch in. You
could print the names in TLC without divulging the amount of the
contribution. And our fund might reduce the amount needed enough to
show the Lexington voters that we still care, and are doing our
part.
What will happen if the community
votes it down?
If the Auditorium property reverts to the
County from the City, the building will be torn down. An expanded jail
and/or parking lot will be put in its place. Please understand that this
is basically an either/or situation. The Auditorium will
not continue to stand in place for future attention, as many people
think. Something will be done. I hasten to say no firm
plans are in place, other than that. The new county jail houses
federal prisoners, on a temporary basis, and some of the
folks that come to visit are not the type we want to attract to Lexington.
If the Auditorium could again house plays, concerts, dances, school
events, antique shows, flower shows, etc. etc. it would bring people to
town who would also shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants, patronize
our gas stations, and even stay overnight in our B&Bs. Obviously this
enhanced income and tax revenue would benefit all of our
citizens.
Donna Lutz '58 Dye spoke
up: We are so fortunate to have you as our
"Family" connection and we are family!
I think our age range must span at least 30 years (Editor: more like 50 years!)
and we all have stories to
tell. Some of us not so much but they look for every
letter that comes!
I read the issue today and it really
touched my heart.All the reminiscences of Mittieville where I learned to
dance! It was so much fun!! I was there every Sat!! There were a few tears running as
I read them all. And Steve Leek, who has such nice things to
say as he rolls through
Lexington, thank you.
We have lost so much in Lexington
recently and yet we look to the future as always! We look forward to
the new hospital and I've noticed some clean-ups in town--mostly paint that
brightens the stores. They have been doing something with
the cannon from Old Ironsides
at Central College Park. I just noticed it yesterday as I drove
by. Don't know what, but I'm thinking Boy Scouts may be
cleaning it up.
The
Boy Scouts were responsible for
preparing the bed for a new concrete base for the Old Ironsides cannon. It
was part of an Eagle Scout project, I believe. The Parks & Recreation
department is building a new base for the cannon and installing some
identification for tourists (and locals!) to read and enjoy the history of
the ship and its relationship to Lexington. The cannon was presented
to our American Legion Post in 1925, and it was placed in the
Park at that time.
ALSO, folks, much renovation of the park
plantings have taken place. As I write, the Knockout Roses are in full
bloom. We took photos for your enjoyment, and promise to post one of the
cannon when the refurbishment is complete. See our
website. From Bobbi Ingle '49 Rice:
I
think it would be nice if historic Lexington, MO had a "Your Kind of Town"
story included on the Smithsonian website and who better than you, our TLC
scribe, to write it. Glad you are able to resume activities and hope
that you can find time to do this.
Bobbi lives in Ridgecrest, CA -
and her town was mentioned in the May issue of Smithsonian
Magazine.
Pat Larkin Horton taught
me something:
I enjoy your informative postings about our
home town. Please keep up the great work. The main reason for my response is that I have a
question--I travel back and forth eastward on I-70 quite frequently. In
the last couple of years, I am completely confused about the fact that the
highway information signs on I-70 don't have signs before Exit 41
(Lexington) but do before Exit 49 (Higginsville) telling everyone that it
is the exit to take to get to Wentworth Military Academy and Historic
Battle of Lexington site. Can someone tell me why we are left out or
detoured to that route? I find it disturbing to be re-routed through
Higginsville. I know Route O is very winding and hilly, but that is the
real route to Lexington and as my children used to say, "quite an
adventure."
My guess is that Hwy 13 is a state highway,
and Route O is a county road. That's strictly a guess. Anyone
know?
I recently went to Lexington with my son,
who was born and lived there until he was eight or nine. He
and I took some time to look around and see some of the sights. I was very
surprised to hear him talk about our old home, and his memories of
Lexington (very fond ones indeed). He still remembered many of the names
of places in town. Made me feel good that we had stayed in town after
I married and started our family
there. Now he goes to Lexington to go "Geocaching" and takes his children
there too. He never forgets to go by the "old home place" and where
Grandma lived, too. It's great to know that my children have fond memories
of "home" too.
I had never heard of Geocaching, so my continuing
education was furthered. Pat
explained: Geocaching is a form of entertainment. Using
either a hand-held or vehicle mounted GPS (directional tracker) the
person/s go online to a website and find where Geocaching 'treasures' are
hidden. Using the map co-ordinates of the site, a 'treasure' hunt is
performed. No, there isn't a really valuable treasure. When the
participant/s find the Geocache, they log in on a sheet of paper and see
what is there. Returning home, they go online again and mark that they
have found the treasure. There are many sites that also point out
landmarks that we pass all the time and never notice from the
car.
It is a fun way for a family to spend time
together and is great for teaching your children to be very
observant. My son and his children love to do it and the children
are getting so sharp at it that they many times find it before their
father, especially his eight-year old son. While we were in Lexington on the day I mentioned
previously, we tried a couple of sites. One was at the Anderson House, and
it was quite funny when my son stood around for a long while waiting for
'Mom' to find the spot. Ha-ha!!
We also went out on Highway 224 to where the
old bridge to Richmond had been. Needless to say, I hadn't been there
since it was destroyed and it was a little sad to me. Oh well, progress I
guess. Hope this becomes a new
activity to do when you have free time. My son and his friends enjoy it
because they have time to spend with their children, besides being outside
and not in front of the computer all the time.
Always glad to hear
from Bette Phipps '59 Thomas:
Enjoyed this TLC highly. I remember being at
Mittieville a few times (as a child) with my folks and always thought
it was a terrific place. Too bad no one's been able to restore it to
its former glory as the hub of dining and socializing (bet the
drinking was pretty good too!).
I'm so very sorry to learn of the passing of Joanne
Coates; we were friends in high school. As I remember from our days
at LHS, Joanne was always cheerful and full of jokes. I was
disappointed that she and her husband didn't show up at our recent
Class of 1959's 50th Reunion but was told that she was having some health
problems. I give my deepest sympathy to her family and
friends. Glad to know you're doing well with the new
body parts and that tax season is over. I've been thinking I
hadn't seen a TLC in a while and then--zap!--here comes a brand-new TLC.
Goody! Re body parts, I've received a new one my own self.
After five days in the hospital with mucho testing,
the doctors told me that I needed a pacemaker.
Keep up the good work, Susan, of keeping all
of us (including us exiles) in touch with all things
Lexingtonian.
A short note from Jan Ryder,
now known as Carole McCoy:
Really enjoyed the Central College Cookbook
and seeing all the names that sound so familiar. Know you have been
busy but always appreciate what you do for us.
Rev. Keith Hall, now retired,
is former pastor of our Presbyterian Church:
I became acquainted with Lexington in
1989. I was introduced to legends (i.e. Cope family), myths, famous
and infamous, characters, places, bridge groups, history buffs,
Wentworth, and then I was exposed to Lexington by Edgar Allen Slusher,
Bill Aull, Susan , I’ve always thought that
there should be a movie about Lexington, or at least a document.
I had the privilege of seeing I quite enjoy the “scribe's” work, even though I’m an outsider. I do know some of the history, enough to pick up on some of the reminiscing. Keith - I can tell you there are over 500 people who do comprehend the uniqueness that is Lexington. Thanks so much for writing. Tom '55 Mallot wrote for the first time: Susan, I just finished reading the TLC #124 and wanted to thank you for this wonderful newsletter. You and Ken have mentioned the letter several times, and I just never got around to reading it. I have always been glad to say that I was born and raised in Lexington. Another new reader, Don Ambruster, sent a comment. Jack Gueguen has many memories.! Susan, Kudos x 100.Your works is excellent, just the ‘type' of
communication that will help nurture a
stronger Sense of
Community, a Sense of Community Purpose, thus an ascending Quality of
Life. Thanks for the effort.
Jack Gueguen has many
memories!
Sorry to hear about the Auditorium,
but I can see that as old buildings like that age, they become more
expensive to maintain. My current recollection is that when the
Notre Dame band came to town (spring ’56?), the concert was held in the
WMA gym. I’ll try to reconstruct, but what souvenirs I had of that
event are with all the others in the band archive/museum. We had
played the previous night in
My most memorable events at the Auditorium are of activities on the lower level—Teen Town. The most fun I had there, I think, were the square dances. (I wasn’t good at any other kind of dancing.) Virtually all of the stage performances in my high school years (that I can recall) occurred in the dear old LHS auditorium. Others were in the WMA gym. Sorry I can’t provide much about the downtown Auditorium. Looking forward to the next TLC. I suppose you all have had a splendid April, as we have. The flowering trees were their usual splendor, and foliage is unusually leafy this year. As ever, and with a greeting for old friends, Jack. Webmaster Bob '58 Ball sent a comment on the
Auditorium:
Thoroughly enjoyed #124. I don't
have any memories of the Auditorium that would be of use in preserving it,
I fear. But I can't imagine the Lexington of my childhood and youth
without it. I remember the Explorer's Club had its meetings there (I
was bored to tears, of course, but my parents went so I went, too).
And there were concerts that took place there. The Fall
Festival Queen Pageants were there. Boy Scout Troop 318 met in the
basement, as did some Army unit (National Guard or Army Reserves?).
I think it would be a real shame to lose it and its associations.
And literally almost impossible to replace it. I hope it can be
saved. In the summer of 1955 I was singing in
the Singing Chorus at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City. This was my
second season at Starlight and I was having the time of my
life. I turned 24 that summer and was about to start my
teaching career at Braymer High School in Braymer, MO teaching social
studies in all four grades. Thought you'd like to see these old
pictures I found today. Aren't Memories of the old
Post Office. I must have gone there once or twice a week to mail
things—to pen pals (one was a girl in England) and relatives—or writing
away for additions to stamp and map collections. As soon as you
entered the door, its unique “smell” became evident. No building
I’ve ever been in had that “old Post Office smell” (probably the
combination of mustiness and the equipment and inks used by the
employees). Who was that faithful person in the postwar years?
There must be a list somewhere of Mr.
Seaton? My humble suggestion is for the present owner to simply take it as a tax write-off and GIVE it to the historical society for expansion. It would make a perfect museum. I always wondered why a post office needed such a “vast” even majestic structure—as it seemed to me in early teens. It was always so clean and well-kept. It radiated a sense of permanence and stability. Does it still have its unique tiny-tile floor? As for the Barber Shop, that’s where I got my first haircut (age 3 or 4?) and every subsequent one whenever in Lexington. It was said that as a little boy I enjoyed identifying every make and model automobile that passed outside while I was in the chair. Interesting, in that I’ve never owned a car, and was never much of a driver. (In Driver Education class with Mr. Grechus, I nearly killed everyone at least on one occasion—by drowning in the river, down by Myrick station.) On Sat. nights, I often joined other kids sitting in front of the big plate-glass window (on the inside) listening to conversations and “watching haircuts” while the rest of the family window-shopped. We seldom had any money to buy things uptown on Sat. evenings. Most mortifying experience in Jinx’s: the time I realized I hadn’t brought any money with me as I sat in the chair “having my ears lowered.” Local historian Roger Slusher sends a special invitation: |