Bit of History - October 23, 2024

On November 4 and 5, 1938, the Ridgeway School held a school carnival and fair. This school fair was very similar to the county fairs: students entered exhibits for agricultural products such as corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and other row crops as well as fruits, vegetables, and eggs. Ernest Flucke oversaw the agricultural exhibits as the vocational agriculture instructor.

Home economics students also submitted entries for cakes, candies, canned fruit and vegetables and butter as well as rugs, quilts and fancy work. Mrs. Stanley Gex was the home economics teacher and was responsible for these exhibits.

There was a lot of entertainment available to fair attendees: bingo, music, minstrels, games and side shows as well as concessions. On Friday evening, attendees enjoyed a program of music, plays and singing and “various other amusing and entertaining features”. The main program on Saturday was an “amateur contest” in which any school or community could participate. Prizes were given out for first, second and third place to winners who had been selected by the audience. (Ridgeway Journal, Oct 27, 1938)

The fair was considered a success despite the unfavorable weather that occurred those two days. The crowd was small on Friday, but a good-sized crowd arrived Saturday evening to enjoy the program and see the exhibits. Delores Hendren won first prize of $1 in the amateur contest with her solo “Says My Heart”. There were 22 agricultural exhibitors and $13 was paid out in prizes. Proceeds from the carnival went to the athletic fund to buy equipment and help pay travel expenses for the teams. (Ridgeway Journal, Nov 3, 1938).

Bit of History - October 16, 2024

On Nov 3, 1938, the Ridgeway Journal reported that Halloween that year was a quiet for pranks but a great night for parties.   Pranksters placed a gate across Main Street, but other than a few mailboxes on the gravel road east of town being torn down or broken off and a few hard-to-locate milk cows the next morning, pranks were minimal.  Masquerade parties were in swing all over town and beyond, however.

The first five grades of the Ridgeway school got enjoy their class parties after recess that Monday.  The young Rendezvous Club held their Halloween party at their club rooms on Monday evening with a treasure hunt that took them to various parts of town, after which they played games and had refreshments, then enjoyed dancing.  The sixth-grade students had their party on the Saturday evening before Halloween at the school and snacked on apples and popcorn balls.  

The T. S. E. Club held a party on Friday evening in the school auditorium.  Cleo Stockwell won a box of chocolates for the best costume and the group played games and had cider for refreshments.

Parties were not only for the children; adults also got in on the fun.  The W. T. L Club members held a masquerade party and covered luncheon at city hall for their families.  Mrs. Nelse Haun and Mrs.Will Mathis won as “best masked”.  Dr. Lake Brewer’s Sunday School class held a party at the home of W. E. Moore and they enjoyed “pumpkin pie with whipped cream, coffee, cocoa and apples”.  There were several private parties as well.  

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Bit of History - October 9, 2024

Here are a few things that happened in Ridgeway in October 1962:

Floyd Tuggle was elected Chairman of the Harrison County Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Committee.  He had previously held the position of Vice-President.  The committee was “responsible for the administration of the Department of Agriculture programs on the county level”, including Feed Grain, Wheat Allotment and Stabilization, ACP, Wood subsidy, Price Support, Conservation Reserve and Facility Load programs.  (Bethany Republican-Clipper, Oct 3, 1962)

The Ridgeway FFA encouraged farmers to “cooperate in the FFA Safe Corn Harvest Program”, a statewide program sponsored by the Missouri FFA which provided signs, posters and other reminders about the special dangers of mechanical corn harvesters to “help prevent tragic injuries”.  The program was also supported by Ridgeway firms Shepard Equipment Company, Polley Bros. Feed and Seed, Farmers Produce and Oil Company, Tripp Insurance and Milligan Insurance. (Bethany Republican-Clipper, Oct 3, 1962)

The Ridgeway 4-H club worked on a wildlife conservation and erosion control project on a watershed lake on the Okla Fitzpatrick and Jim Polley farms.  They planted trees, grasses and rose fences to provide better erosion control as well as food and cover for wildlife.  

Two Ridgeway 4-H members were recognized for their Junior Leadership projects.  Shirley Rucker took Health as her project which called for every 4-H member to be tested for diabetes, a breakfast survey, health picnic in the Ridgeway Park and a visit to the club from Dr. Nibbe who talked about Care of the Skin.  Gary Tomes was in his 4th year of Junior Leadership and selected Safety as his project which included having each member check their home for fire and safety hazards as well as writing articles and setting up displays in store windows.  His project won the fire safety contest sponsored by the Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company in which he placed first in county, state and national contests. (Bethany Republican-Clipper, Oct 31, 1962)

Bit of History - October 2, 2024

From the Ridgeway Journal dated October 3, 1940:  The Ridgeway Methodist Church welcomed a new pastor, Rev. H. E. Marshall, who came from the Hundley M. E. Church in St. Joseph.  He succeeded Rev W. R. Woodward who had been pastor of the Ridgeway church for three years.  The Ridgeway Christian Church had a successful Sunday School Rally and Homecoming Day with over 200 people registered.  Rev. Noel T. Adams arranged the program of songs in the morning, a basket dinner for lunch and a “dramatization of the devotional by the members of the primaries, intermediate, junior and young people’s departments of the Sunday School”. The dramatization was closed with a rendition of “Rock of Ages” by Mrs. Clayton Pontius.

The town was saddened by the loss of a young man, Guy Kenneth Prather, age 28, who was killed when the car in which he was riding struck a “bridge banister” and was totaled.  Two other young men were injured but survived.  The accident occurred on this side of Witt Hill.  

The Ridgeway Owls football team travelled to play Stanberry, winning 18 – 13.  They were to play King City the next week and that game was to be dedicated to the memory of Knute Rockne, the late great coach at Notre Dame. 

The area was having a warm dry spell that allowed for maturing of corn and soybeans but delayed the sowing of winter wheat.  The paper reported that the drought was hurting pastures and some were badly burned by the lack of moisture.  Gardens were nearly gone except tomatoes “which will not last much longer”.