35 years ago

august 13, 1980

One hundred years ago this month a group of Catholics established a colony in the southeastern corner of Marion County and named it St. Francis City. Not long after that, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Railroad renamed the town Burns because there already was a Kansas town named St. Francis. The railroad renamed the town after railroad solicitor Ross Burns.

Five Marion High School FFA members spent last week in Washington, D.C., participating in the National FFA Leadership Conference. The students were Ruth Fischer, Jim Padgett, Kim Schaffer, Brad Vannocker, and Ron Wineinger.

Sue Ehrlich, Marion, brought in a 17-inch burpless hybrid cucumber for this week’s Produce Derby. It weighed 2 pounds 3 ounces and is almost seedless. It’s her second derby entry this year.

Population figures for Marion County were submitted this week to the U.S. Census Bureau in response to its request for assistance in correcting initial census figures. Final figures of the official county population count according to Marquetta Eilerts, county clerk, include Hillsboro, 2,800; Marion, 2,066; Peabody, 1,554; Florence, 794; Goessel, 425.

So far, 54 arts and crafts exhibitors have registered for display booths in Central Park for this Saturday’s “Art in the Park.”