BINGO: The next Bingo Night will be October 5 with a Halloween or fun Fall Outfit contests for both youth and adults. There is no Bingo in September due to Labor Day. Bingo is sponsored by the Ridgeway Community Betterment Association (RCBA) usually on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 pm in the Community Room at City Hall except during months where the first Monday is a holiday. Fun for the whole family!
TRUNK-OR-TREAT: RCBA will host Trunk-or-Treat and Halloween costume contest on Saturday, October 24. More details will be provided later.
SCHOOL NEWS: By the time that you read this, the Ridgeway R-V school will be back in session for the 2026-27 school year. Good luck to all the students, teachers and staff for a productive and successful year!
Remember to keep an eye out for kids walking to school and remember to stop when you see a stopped bus in the roads! Help keep our kids safe!
The Ridgeway R-V is planning a Booster Club meeting soon. Keep an eye on the Owls FaceBook page for more information if you are interested in supporting Ridgeway school events and activities. An announcement will be made by September 18.
The school would like to thank all the donors who made the new Owls Nation sign possible. This is a lighted sign hung in the school with the words Owl Nation and the owl mascot in black and gold.
SOCIETY: Walter Plant will return to Morris Chapel on Sunday, August 30 with a concert at 4 pm followed by ice cream and snacks. Walter performs with five keyboards, talented singing voice, and inspiring lyrics. All are welcome to attend: the church is located five miles north of Bethany on Highway 69.
The Ridgeway United Methodist Church will welcome lay speaker Jackie Webb from Gilman City for this Sunday’s service (Aug 30), rescheduling from last week. The service begins at 9 am and everyone is welcome in Jackson Hall before and after service for treats and fellowship. The church members will hold a business meeting after the service to do the conference paperwork.
BIT OF HISTORY: From the front page of the Ridgeway Journal dated August 24, 1911:
The Ridgeway public schools were scheduled to begin classes on Monday, September 4. The school superintendent, J. R. Hale, reminded parents of the new Missouri law for compulsory attendance for children between the ages of 8 and 14: “It is now made the duty of the school authorities to report violation of this law to the prosecuting attorney”. The school then, as now, would lose state funding for children not in attendance: “Hereafter the state public money will be apportioned according to school attendance. Every day that is missed is the loss of so much public money. Your children cannot afford to be irregular in attendance and we cannot afford to lose the money.”
The editors appreciated the efforts of D. H. Hatfield, the deputy state game and fish commissioner, “to stop the illegal seining of the lakes in the vicinity. Bean Lake was the one in question.” A raid on this lake resulted in the arrest of three men who were awaiting trial. Seining, a method of fishing by dragging a net through the water to catch everything in its path. It was legal with certain restrictions during the months of July through September, but these men were caught with “one of the largest seines used in Missouri at work.”
During a storm on the previous Friday evening, a small “cyclone formed south of town on Route 1 that did considerable damage.” It tore up the peach orchard at the Freeman Baker farm. It then went from there to the Prairie Chapel church and “lifted it up and set the west end about four feet off of the foundation and tore up several of the shade trees. After that, it moved to Albert Wooderson’s meadow and destroyed several hay ricks. It blew down a silo at Henry Leazenby’s and moved his barn off its foundation before disappearing.
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 30 – Walter Plant Concert, 4 pm, Morris Chapel
*** No Bingo or Scrapbooking in September due to Labor Day
Sep 7 – Labor Day
Sep 10 – RCBA Meeting, 7 pm, Ridgeway Community Room
Sep 21 – Board of Aldermen meeting, 6 pm, Ridgeway Community Room
Oct 3 – RCBA Scrapbooking, 10 am to noon, Paula’s Sewing Corner, 408 Main St.
Oct 5 – Bingo, 6:30 pm, Ridgeway Community Room
Oct 24 – Trunk or Treat, TBA, Ridgeway City Hall
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.
