30 years ago

JULY 3, 1996

Marion County Record joins the rapidly growing pool of newspapers available on the Internet. At the age of 127, the Ol’ Thing has ventured into cyberspace, which is a far cry from the shirttail of handset type and a sheet-fed press of 1869.

Veterinarian Jessica Laurin told Marion Kiwanis Club members Monday that the opening date for Animal Health Center of Marion County is set for Aug. 1. The center will be in the former Soil Conservation Service building on S. Coble St.

An 1880s vintage baseball game exhibition will be a highlight of this year’s ever-popular annual observance of the patriotic holiday in Peabody.

Nowak Construction was low bidder for an extensive improvement project to begin this summer in Marion.

The project is to improve and increase sewer capacity on the east side of Marion, with a new line going south, then west, to the sewer lagoons.

Ken Riffel, manager of Marion Pizza Hut, distributed free pizza to farmers bringing wheat to Marion’s co-op elevator. He is shown handing a slice to J.B. Miesse.

Staff writer Rowena Plett writes about Jim Hein, a native of Durham, who restores Ford Thunderbirds to their original quality and beauty. His workshop is in downtown Durham and is known as Hein’s Classic Cars.

The law office of Morse, Batt, Brookens, and Collett announces the retirement of Roger H. Morse.

An entire page of this issue is devoted to the historic home and park of the William H. Billings family, who arrived here in 1869. The article contains numerous photos and information about the town’s settlement.

A group of combines and harvest trucks turned out Thursday to help cut wheat fields owned by Willard Hett of rural Marion.

Hett’s wife, Alvina, died the previous week, so his neighbors took an afternoon off from their own harvest to help out.