REMEMBER WHEN?
50 Years Ago from the files of The Fayette County Record
April 25-28, 1972
The Fayette County Fair Association announced it would make a concerted effort to book out-oftown, professional acts for every day of the 1972 four-day exposition. Directors discussed initial phases of an overall five-year improvement program to include a new entrance to the fairgrounds, new ticket booths and new thoroughfares. The board also approved construction of a roof over the bandstand that had been erected the previous year. It also voted to increase the price of gate admission to $1 per day or $2.50 for a season ticket for adults and 60¢ a day a day or $1 for youngsters.
Although not a drought-breaker, Friday morning’s rain across the area was described as very helpful by Fayette County Extension Agent Clinton R. Bippert. Fayetteville and Waldeck each measured an inch, while an inch and a half fell in the Hostyn-O’Quinn community. Marble-sized hail was reported in and around Hostyn for a few minutes, shredding corn leaves and other foliage. However, several farmers in the area agreed that the benefits of the rain far exceeded any damage caused by the small hail. The rain was the first major precipitation since Jan. 29. In the ensuing 82 days, it had officially rained only 1.78 inches in La Grange.
Sacred Heart Catholic parish’s long-awaited groundbreaking ceremonies were to be held for the new church home and rectory on Sunday, April 30 at 11 a.m. Construction was scheduled to start on Monday. Hank Paine of La Grange was named president of the senior class at Texas A&M University.
La Grange city officials and members of the La Grange Industrial Foundation were on hand when the first boat came off the assembly line at the new Invader Corp. plant. Gentry Akers, the owner and president of the company, told attendees that he expected to employ 40 workers and produce five boats daily.
Funeral services were held for: Mrs. Amanda Wubbenhorst, 75, of Oldenburg; George F. Kossa, 52, of Ammannsville; Mrs. Nola Woody, 65, of La Grange; and Mrs. Frances Janacek, 81, of Weimar.
La Grange volunteer firemen were called to West Point on Saturday afternoon to extinguish burning ties along the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. A passing train apparently spewed sparks or oil, igniting ties for a distance of about a quarter of a mile.
Three students from La Grange, who were attending Blinn College, appeared in the 1972 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. They were: Gary Ray Bayer, Connie Janda and Daniel Jurk. Blinn had a total of 19 students in the new book.
The new Carmine Lions Club, jointly sponsored by the La Grange Evening Lions and Burton Lions, was to receive its charter at a banquet at the Round Top-Carmine High School cafeteria on Saturday, April 19 at 8 p.m.
Twenty-six teachers from school districts in Fayette, Gonzales and Lavaca counties were to be awarded Master of Education degrees from Prairie View A&M. They were members of a pilot program started at Flatonia during the summer of 1970 in conjunction with the Cycle V Teacher Corps Program. Since that time, the Fla tonia project had grown into the School Without Walls program with graduate centers in Flatonia, Schulenburg and Yoakum and undergraduate centers in Smithville, Moulton and Cuero. Out of the 176 students enrolled, 105 were public school teachers.
Results of the University of Houston member-guest golf tournament staged at the Frisch Auf! Valley Country Club course included: low ball team – Doug Ballinger, George Hajovsky and Frankie Joe Cernosek, 53; low University of Houston player, Jim McLeod, 63; low member scratch – Howard Hagemann, 73; and low member with handicap – Butch Blume, 64.
The Barons were playing at Swiss Alp on Saturday, April 29. Admission was $1.50.
Raining out 11 base knocks all over the field, including an insidethe-park homerun by Steve Kovar, La Grange’s Leopards rebounded from their defeat by Brenham with a vengeance against Hearne. Paul Hoelscher’s Leps, backed by Billy Miller’s three-hit hurling stint, shellacked the Eagles by a lopsided 15-1 score. In the third inning, Lonnie Lehmann got on via a short’s muff and Buddy Grobe promptly tripled for one. David Zatopek also got a life when the hot corner guardian erred again and Grobe scored. Nine Leopards crossed the disk in a hectic fourth. Singles by Jim Quinn, Kovar, Lehmann, Miller and Marcus Cook, plus a bases-loaded twobagger by Zatopek aided and abetted the rally.
Leo Wick received the Honorary Chapter Farmer award at the La Grange FFA Parent-Son banquet.
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