Ridgeway News -- July 29, 2026

BINGO: The August Bingo night will be Monday, August 3 at 6:30 pm! The theme this month is “Hometown Picnic” and RCBA will serve hamburgers, hotdogs and desserts including homemade ice cream. There are always three winners per game and lots of great prizes for all ages. Free-will donations are accepted for cards and snacks and dessert donations are appreciated.

There will be no Bingo in September due to the Labor Day holiday.

E-WASTE RECYCLING: If you have a pile of old electronics, bring them to the old Hall on Saturday, August 8 between 9am and noon during the E-Waste Recycling Day sponsored by RCBA, Ridgeway Technical Services and Virgil T’s. Many items can be recycled for no additional charge; some things like old cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs and printers or copiers will be charged a fee. For a complete list, see RCBA’s Facebook page or email ridgewaycba@gmail.com for a flyer. You may also find the flyer on the RCBA website at ridgewaycba.blogspot.com and click on the flyer on the right.

SCHOOL NEWS: The supply list is out! Check the Ridgeway school website for the list or scroll through the Ridgeway Owls Facebook Page to get the complete list.

SOCIETY: Our condolences to the family and friends of Wanda Findley who passed away last week.

CLOSING: If you know of any events or plans around town that you would like to see shared with others, please send me the details by Sunday evening! Thank you for reading!

Upcoming Events

Aug 3 – Bingo, 6:30 pm, Ridgeway Community Room

Aug 8 – Electronics Recycling event, 9 am – noon, Old Ridgeway Hall.

Aug 10 – RCBA meeting, 7 pm, Ridgeway Community Room

Aug 17 – Board of Aldermen meeting, 6 pm, Ridgeway Community Room

Ridgeway News Updates

To send in an item for the Ridgeway News or subscribe to the email list, send an email to RidgewayCBA@gmail.com. Emailed copies are sent out Friday mornings at 6 am.

You can find every Bit of History item as well as flyers for upcoming events on the RCBA website: ridgewaycba.blogspot.com

For the most current updates, follow RCBA on Facebook! Find it by searching for @RidgewayCBA.

Bit of History - July 29, 2026

BIT OF HISTORY: From the Local Mention column of the July 27, 1893 edition of the Ridgeway Journal:

The editor, C. M. Jaqua, complained that “Very little is going on in the news line. The farmers are too busy in the harvest fields.”

The Christian Church bell was “out of place and those desiring to attend services there have to go by time instead of by the bell.”

The school teachers were expected to arrive in Ridgeway within a week. “They will be met at the depot by the committee and shown to suitable boarding places.”

Mrs. C. M. Jaqua, who wrote the Women’s Department column, had sage advice on the care and use of flat irons and how to economize during food preparation to get as much as you can out of the food. Among her suggestions: Remove as little skin as possible when peeling vegetables (“Taking a thick cut often carries away the best part, as is the case with potatoes”). “Apples are often costly”, so carefully pare and core them and cook the clean cores and skins to make jelly or “with sugar, make a fine syrup for layer cake and to use with warm bread.” The peelings could also be used to make vinegar. “Children should be taught to break only the bread they will eat.” She had lots of ideas for using “boiled meat” as well and wrote that “all meat broths, except from pickled meats, should be made into food.” It’s quite interesting reading.

There was a long article about the success of the W. C. T. U. picnic in the City Park which started with a parade and continued with a “literary program”, an address by Rev. Burrows of Cainsville and a speech by temperance orator Prof. Gantz: “He makes as good a temperance talk as we ever heard and when he comes to Ridgeway is always assured of a large audience.”

(The front page of Ridgeway’s earliest editions of the Journal was typically only ads and national stories. To get to the good, local gossip, you had to go to the Local Mentions page for Ridgeway. It is also where you would find the timetable for the C. B. & Q. trains.)

Ridgeway News -- July 22, 2026

E-WASTE RECYCLING: If you have a pile of old electronics, bring them to the old Hall on Saturday, August 8 between 9am and noon during the E-Waste Recycling Day sponsored by RCBA, Ridgeway Technical Services and Virgil T’s.  Many items can be recycled for no additional charge; some things like old cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs and printers or copiers will be charged a fee.  For a complete list, see RCBA’s Facebook page or email ridgewaycba@gmail.com for a flyer.

BINGO:  The August Bingo night will be Monday, August 3 at 6:30 pm!  The theme this month is “Hometown Picnic” and RCBA will serve hamburgers, hotdogs and desserts including homemade ice cream.  There are always three winners per game and lots of great prizes for all ages.  Free-will donations are accepted for cards and snacks and dessert donations are appreciated.

There will be no Bingo in September due to the Labor Day holiday.

SOCIETY:  The sewing group will meet on July 27 from 1 pm to 4 pm at the Ridgeway Baptist Church. All are invited to join the work and fun! You do not need a sewing machine or experience, only a willing heart and hands. They are planning more patriotic quilts.  

CLOSING:  If you know of any events or plans around town that you would like to see shared with others, please send me the details by Sunday evening! Thank you for reading!

Upcoming Events

Jul 27 – Community Sewing Group, 1 pm – 4 pm, Ridgeway Baptist Church

Aug 3 – Bingo, 6:30 pm, Ridgeway Community Room

Aug 8 – Electronics Recycling event, 9 am – noon, Old Ridgeway Hall.

Aug 10 – RCBA meeting, 7 pm, Ridgeway Community Room

Aug 17 – Board of Aldermen meeting, 6 pm, Ridgeway Community Room

Ridgeway News Updates

To send in an item for the Ridgeway News or subscribe to the email list, send an email to RidgewayCBA@gmail.com. Emailed copies are sent out Friday mornings at 6 am.

You can find every Bit of History item as well as flyers for upcoming events on the RCBA website: ridgewaycba.blogspot.com

For the most current updates, follow RCBA on Facebook! Find it by searching for @RidgewayCBA.

Bit of History -- July 22, 2026

Some glimpses into life in a small, rural town on the front page of the Ridgeway Journal dated July 23, 1931:

The NW Missouri Fox Hunters Association was having trouble deciding on a date for their annual hunt.  Traditionally, the hunt was held two weeks before the State Fair in Bethany and “the expense is always an item”.  “The business men of this city, the fox hunters as well as the town have always helped, but others feel the task is too great to undertake under present conditions.”

The oat crop was expected to be a good one that year.  Frank Harrison reported that he got better than 50 bushel to the acre on his twenty acres of oats.  Dean Leazenby reported the loss of a 200 lb hog as the result of “rifle shot, presumably by some of the small boys about town.” The Ridgeway ball team played New Hampton’s team in an eleven inning game, but lost the battle.  They were a newly organized team and practiced on a diamond on the Dean Grinstead farm.  

The public well located under the city bandstand was condemned again and the handle removed “for safety’s sake”.  The well had just been cleaned and declared pure a few months earlier and “we are at a loss to know just why and how the water could become unfit in such a short time.”  

The editors had a snarky comment regarding the weeds in town:  “We are mightily afraid a big robbery is going to take place in Ridgeway before frost comes to mow down the many big weed patches on the vacant lots, streets and alleys.  We will not mention all of them for it might give some bandit a tip as so where to hide.”

Bit of History -- July 15, 2026

In the July 21, 1927 edition of the Ridgeway Journal, an entire page was devoted to printing the details of the proposal to sell the Ridgeway Light Plant to Missouri Power & Light for the “sum of $30,000”. “This means securing 24-hour service to patrons and this property to become taxable, and cost of light service not in excess of present rates.” There were several ordinances for residents to consider and a notice of a special election to be held on August 9.

The light plant, built in 1914 and operated by the city, made a small profit each month, but not enough to replace equipment as needed. The sale meant that residents would enjoy 24-hour service at the same rates they currently paid. The sale also meant that the city could pay off two loans totaling $19,000. The old Light Plant provided power to the city water pump and the street lights at no charge, but if the sale was approved by Ridgeway voters, “and these two services will run from ninety to over hundred a month under the new order of things if the plant is voted sold.”

The editors reminded voters to “read the ordinances carefully and play the cards anyway you choose when it comes time to vote. The proposition has two sides and it will soon be up to the voter which side he wants to win.”

The sale of the electric light plant was approved by Ridgeway voters 187 to 37. It still needed to be approved by the Public Service Commission before it could take effect. Mr. P. B Schuss, “one of the transmission company’s men” told the Journal that “the citizens of Ridgeway had done even more of a favor than they realized by voting the sale of the plant and that he was sure that would not have a future regret.” (Ridgeway Journal, August 11, 1927, p 1)

Bit of History -- July 1, 2026

Per the Ridgeway: Then and Now centennial book, Joe M. Peasley opened the first blacksmith shop in Ridgeway about 1880. First known as Peasley and Heizer, they built wagons, buggies and carriages and did general blacksmithing and horseshoeing. They also built school wagons in later years . From 1890 to 1892, he partnered with J. B. “Jack” Mirgon. When their partnership broke up, he renamed the business as Peasley & Co and later as Peasley Manufacturing. His shop was a large two story building. “The lower part was the blacksmith shop and the upper part, which had a ramp, housed the wagon, buggy and repair shop”. It was located long Cedar Street, on the west side of the alley behind City Hall. Joe Peasley remained in business until the 1920s.

One of Peasley’s wagons is still in existence. It was owned by the family of Dale Pontius for many years and was sold to Roger Bayless in 2016. It can be pulled by horses or a vehicle. The wagon is wooden, painted green and has Peasley written on the side. Look to see if Roger brings it to the Fourth of July parade this Saturday!

Bit of History -- June 24, 2026

 The Ridgeway City Park has always been a vital part of the community events. In 1929, S. C. Spence and J. P. Stanley were in charge of the task of “securing of the concessions” for the park spaces. As of June 27, the park was nearly full of vendors for that year’s Fourth of July celebrations, which helped to fund the festivities. “These concession rights usually pay for about a third of the expenses of the celebration, but this year, they are exceeding all previous records.” The offerings included “everything from a general stand to a popcorn right, including a ‘juice spot”, the latter meaning of course a place to buy the lemonade of reddish hue”. The writer added “Concessions make a big celebration and if that phrase is true this year, the celebration is to be an extra big one”.

The last line is just as true for this year as it was in 1929: “Come and bring all your neighbors.” (Ridgeway Journal, June 27, 1929.)

Bit of History -- June 17. 2026

While we have some pretty heavy storms lately, another “fierce wind storm” hit Harrison County on June 16. 1973 caused a lot of damage all over the county. “The storm destroyed barns, damaged homes and uprooted trees in an area extending from the New Hampton vicinity to Cainsville.”

“The worst damage seemed to be concentrated in the Ridgeway area.” Mark and Barbara Reeder’s new mobile home, set in place only two days before the storm in its new location in the north part of Ridgeway near the railroad tracks “was overturned twice by the wind and was shredded apart.” Barbara was inside the home when the storm came up. She “landed across the railroad tracks where she was able to escape from the debris of the trailer.” She suffered cuts to her right hand and knee and was taken to Noll Memorial hospital for treatment. Later she was found to have additional injuries and was taken to the Missouri Methodist hospital in St. Joseph.

In addition to the Reeder home, Mrs Clayton Polley, the Ridgeway correspondent at the time, reported that “the railroad depot was demolished and the porches of the Alma Craig and Ethyl Lobba homes were severely damaged.” (Bethany Republican-Clipper, June 20. 1973, p 1)

Bit of History -- June 10, 2026

On July 4, 1882, “some miscreants obstructed the railroad” between Bethany and Ridgeway. They covered the track with wood, poles and brush and it was assumed they intended to cause an accident. “The scoundrels who did it evidently intended to wreck the excursion train down at night”. They had forgotten about the two five o'clock trains which saw the obstruction “in time to prevent accident and removed” everything from the tracks before continuing onward.

The criminals piled more brush on the track again after those trains left, hoping the next train wouldn’t see It and hit it. “The excursion train down that night contained at least 500 people from Bethany, and points west, and had an accident occurred the loss of life would have been terrible. The excursion train men were notified to run very slowly and keep a sharp lookout and did so, not running faster than ten miles per hour at any time coming down.” There was no accident and all the passengers must have arrived home safely. The scoundrels must have gotten away with their evil deed as there was no follow-up article. The editor did feel that “No punishment is too severe for such wretches.” (Bethany Republican, July 6, 1882)

Bit of History -- June 3, 2026

In 1900, the Ridgeway board of education awarded the contract to build the new school to Wm. Peatman of Centerville, Iowa. The total amount of the contract was $7045. A second contract was given to a St. Joseph firm to provide the “steam heating outfit for $1, 100” bringing the total cost of construction of $8,145, the equivalent of $322,910.46 today. The Journal was “not able to give a complete description of the proposed building, etc” as the contracts had only been approved the day before.

The local residents appreciated the hard work of the board: “It is the general opinion that so far the directors have done a good job and virtually secured an $10,000 building for a trifle more than $8,000.” The editor added “Now a good man should be secured to see that the work is done right and according to the plans and specifications. Then Ridgeway will have a school building second to none in any town her size in this part of Missouri.” (Ridgeway Journal, June 28, 1900)