70 years ago

june 24, 1948

Joe Swan, who for the past 43 years has served on Marion’s volunteer fire department and has served as fire chief for the past 30 years, moves into the newly created office of Honorary Fire Chief July 1 and Fred Knackstedt takes over the office of fire chief. Mr. Swan’s term of service dates back to days when the fire-fighting equipment consisted of hand drawn hose reel and ladder wagons.

A fondness for canaries when just a youth has grown into a $1,500 hobby for T.W. Spachek, cashier of the Pilsen State Bank. The basement of the bank is headquarters for approximately 425 canaries. Spachek’s love of the melodious birds began during his boyhood on a farm near Esbon.

Four teams raise the curtain Friday on the district semi-pro meet at the Marion ball field. Sixteen clubs are certified to see action in the tourney with prize money slated to go to three teams. Seating capacity has been upped to 2,000. The winner will enter the state meet.

Construction work is going on this week on a new business location for Merrill’s Cleaners on of South Second Street.

Fresh home cherry pie and peach cobbler were featured on the Albert Richmond table last week as Richmond picked the first cherries and peaches of the season. William Buethe had his first homegrown roasting ears, Mrs. Abe Reh started picking ripe tomatoes, and Mrs. Ben Sanders picked a 9-inch, 1¼-pound cucumber.