April 03, 2025
Local NewsState & National

Throwback Thursday - April 3, 2025

By Mandy McDowell
The 2003-04 Creston High School Peppers dance team, featured in Thursday's "Jam the Gym Night" to celebrate TWIRP BIRP 2004, includes, front row from left: Erin O'Kane, Amanda Miller, Britni Spargur and Dawn Wolfe. Second row: Rikki Kissell, Tisha Hammond, Kristina McFee, Desiree Steffen and Calli Crigger. Back row: Amy Duree, Cayla Taylor, Laura Snider and Jodi Fastenow. Sponsors are Michele Thatcher and Lisa Quam.

The 2003-04 Creston High School Peppers dance team, featured in Thursday's "Jam the Gym Night" to celebrate TWIRP BIRP 2004, includes, front row from left: Erin O'Kane, Amanda Miller, Britni Spargur and Dawn Wolfe. Second row: Rikki Kissell, Tisha Hammond, Kristina McFee, Desiree Steffen and Calli Crigger. Back row: Amy Duree, Cayla Taylor, Laura Snider and Jodi Fastenow. Sponsors are Michele Thatcher and Lisa Quam. (CNA 2004 archived photo )

Today is Thursday, April 3, the 93rd day of the year. There are 272 days remaining in 2025. Below is a collection of news items found in the Creston News Advertiser for this week in history.

101 years ago (1924)

March was one of the most disagreeable months in the history of Union County, according to many residents of this community, and their statements are proved by the daily weather report kept here by an official observer. The record for March shows that only four of the 31 days were clear.

Found in the classified section: Dogs must be chained up at once. All strays will be shot at sight. - A.C. Louden chief of police

Gene Hastings, well known resident of Creston for the past 15 years, has purchased the stock and fixtures of the Witt Cigar Store and will conduct a general tobacco business at the the Witt location, beginning Saturday forenoon. The store is at 115 W. Adams St.

A beautifully decorated water fountain in McKinley Park, to be constructed near the auditorium, will be presented to the city and the park commission by Creston council No. 549, United Commercial Travelers, it was been announced. Presentation of the fountain is expected to take place on the opening day of the Spring Festival and Retail Merchants’ Style Show.

An automobile collision on the corner of Maple and Montgomery streets at 8 o’clock this morning probably caused at least 50 clerks and merchants to be from one to five minutes late to work and as many cafers and retired residents to consider that it was actually worthwhile to have come down so early.

61 years ago (1964)

The Jerusalem church, northeast of Creston, will observe the 40th anniversary of the dedication of its present building on Sunday, April 12. Rev. Duane Cunningham, who was pastor of the church in 1951 and 1952, will bring the message at the afternoon program.

Sales of United States savings bond in February totaled $68,893 and put the county 20% of the way to its 1964 quota. At the end of February, 1964 bond sales in Union county totaled $135,849, Thomas L. Dougherty, county bond chairman, said today.

Creston Panthers captured a dual track victory over Winterset here Tuesday as they won four of five relays to gain an 83-59 decision. Paul Bullock took the pole vault at 11 feet, winning on the fewest misses as he and Winterset’s Scott Osborn failed at 11-6. Winterset took all three places in the shot and broad jump and Creston swept the high jump.

The Creston Police Department will be host to peace officers of southwest Iowa at the annual police school which will be held next Tuesday. The school, sponsored by the Iowa Association of Chiefs of Police and Peace Officers, will be held at the army reserve training center on Highway 34.

The first meeting of the seventh grade Girl Scout troop was held Tuesday above the Iowa State Savings Bank. Mrs. Willard W. Walters, troop leader, called the meeting to order. Seventeen girls were present.

21 years ago (2004)

Portions of Creston will be painted orange this year - highway construction orange that is. The Iowa Department of Transportation is expected to begin redesigning sections of Sumner Avenue and West Taylor Street April 19. Depending on weather, construction is expected to last through mid-September.

Thanks to Steve and Kathy Francis, there is now access to the Claypool Cemetery in rural Union County. The cemetery, located in Jones Township, was overgrown with brush, grave stones were overturned and cattle ran through it freely. The cemetery was surrounded by a fence, but former owners of the surrounding land and township trustees had mostly ignored it for more than a half century.

In his first high school track meet, Creston freshman Scott Vicker accomplished something no Panther had done in almost a decade. According to co-coach Pat Schlapia, Vicker’s victory in the 3,200-meter run Friday is the first medal a Creston boy has earned since Nathanial Rice in 1994. “Nathanial won quite a few races for us,” Schlapia said, “but Scott’s is the first medal - not just the first win, but the first medal - that we’ve gotten in a long time.

Creston wrestlers were 2-1 in the 27th annual North-South All-Star meet Saturday. Boone Hayes and Chris Downing won decisions, while Panther state champion Daniel Scarberry was pinned in the second period.

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