Years
March 5, 1975
— ROARING RIVER RECORDS FALL IN 1975 TROUT SEASON OPENER A new record in tag sales, an equally large crowd of spectators and plenty of lunker Rainbow Trout combined for a banner opening of Roaring River State Park Saturday. Predicted good weather and the weekend start also were contributors to the bang-up traditional March 1 event here. At the opening gun at 7:30 a.m., there were 2,081 anglers along the stream. beating the 1969 previous record of an even 2,000. Before the day had ended, 2,349 tags were sold according to Concessionaire Jim Rogers. number of anglers, between the darkness of early morning and opening gun, consumed over 80 gallons of coffee, served to them at stream-side by the Cassville Chamber of Commerce. Another record that went by the wayside was the C of C awarding of lunker buttons to anglers landing over a three pound trout. Bill Ward, secretary, said 43 of the buttons were handed out during the day. A record spectator number was evident as bumper-to-bumper traffic went into the park in pre-dawn hours. Traffic was confined to a snail’s pace throughout the morning hours in the fishing area of Roaring River. The record number of fishermen was further backed by the number of across-stream conversations which followed the tangling of lines from the opening gun fired by Lieutenant Governor William Phelps, through the first two hours of fishing. Also on hand for the opening were state officials Secretary of State James Kirkpatrick and Senator William Cason, president protem of the Missouri Senate. The C of C coffee program, was conducted by a host of members with Johnny Reid, Wayne Tomblin, Jim Patterson and Lige Frost in charge. Servers prowled the banks two hours before opening to make early arrivals more comfortable at their favorite spot. Equally popular with the opening morning crowd were early hours of the park restaurant, started this year by concessionaire Orville Smith. In addition to award winning strings of fish, top lunker awards went to: Jerry Williams, Rowland Park, Kansas nine pounds five ounces; Bob Bethurem, Springfield, nine pounds three ounces; Don Neely, Monett, nine pounds one ounce; Randy Mitchell, Joplin, eight pounds 11 ounces; Randy Scott, Wichita, Kansas, eight pounds seven ounces and Tyler Hale, Billings, seven pounds four ounces. —KEELING RETIRES.
“Where is Mr. Keeling?” “We need Mr. Keeling.” This familiar echo has vibrated the halls of the Cassville R-4 School for years. John Keeling, who has been custodial supervisor for 12 years entered retirement as of March 1. He started work for the school district at Butterfield. When the combined units joined the Cassville district, Keeling came to Cassville as supervisor of buildings and grounds. During these years he has been responsible for general cleanliness and condition of the total plant system. Reporting to work each morning at 6 a.m., Keeling started all heating systems and made a general check on building conditions before any other person arrived on the scene. Many times he has caught a problem and worked it out before anyone even knew the problem existed. He has opened doors and run errands for practically every child and adult around the school for several years. Keeling says, “It is hard to quit, but the job is such that a younger person needs to contend with it.” He will continue to be available for part-time service. So now when school people hear the familiar ring, “Where’s Mr. Keeling?”, John will be resting under his shade tree.
— EXETER CANNING FACTORY BEING DEMOLISHED An Exeter landmark, the old canning factory is being torn down by the property owner, Gene Schlichtman of Cassville. The factory was once operated by Rush Canning Co. in the heavy tomato canning days in Barry County. Being unused at the railroad siding for a number of years, the demolition of the structure will mark an improvement in Exeter.
40 years ago
March 6, 1985
— COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT LOWEST IN AREA Barry County continues to hold the lowest unemployment rate in southwest Missouri according to the latest statistics released by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The Barry County rate of 6.8 was compared to Newton 7.2, Lawrence 7.7, McDonald 10.1 and Stone 22.2. The state rate for January was 7.9, which bettered the January 1984 rate by 1.5 percentage points.
— MILK PRODUCTION DOWN A milk production decrease in 15 of 17 counties of southwest Missouri was reported last week by the federal Market Administration in St. Louis. Diversion programs resulted in the drop in all but Barry and Ozark counties. Ozark was four percent higher and Barry county less than one percent higher. In the state, 3,487 dairy farmers marketed 179.5 billion 1 pounds last December, compared to 196.7 billion pounds from 3,556 farms in 1983.
30 years ago
Feb. 22, 1995
— STREAM STOCKED, FIRES READY FOR PARK OPENING The rainbow trout are in the stream. River bank fire barrels are loaded with wood. Chamber of Commerce coffee vats have been scrubbed. All these important ingredients are in place for the 67th opening of Roaring River State Park March 1 for the 1995 season. Although this year’s opening falls on Wednesday, park officials are going full blast in preparation for the annual migration to the park for fisherpersons and spectators alike. Official opening of fishing at 6:30 p.m. will carry a different flavor this year as long-time Chamber of Commerce official and former motel operator on Highway 112, R. G. Fisher will fire the opening gun, according to park superintendent Pete Landstad. The selection of a veteran park opening participant breaks about a 25 year tenure of a state official being on hand. Former secretary of state James Kirkpatrick started the procedure in the early 1960s, continuing his annual sojourn here for 20 years. His successor continued the process two years, with no one from the state capitol expressing an interest in the event this year. Park officials will begin after the weekend making a full stocking of the stream, according to Jerry Dean, hatchery director for the Missouri Conservation Commission. He said the approximately 9,000 pounds of trout that will be dumped in the stream will be “mean and hungry under ideal stream conditions.” Dean said the main object of the opening, trout fishing, will have a challenge for some anglers as there are plenty of tackle busting lunkers in the stream from the catch and release program this winter which will be augmented by another 175 in the 3.5 to five pound range. “There are some really big ones in the stream now,” he observed. An hour and one-half before the starting gun, Cassville C of C members will be streamside brewing coffee that will be distributed up and down the stream to anglers who stake-out their favorite spot long before daylight. Phil Hutchens is the master brewer, to be assisted by Jon White and Lonnie McCullough, Jr., and a host of members bearing their thermos equipment’s of various sizes. Landstad’s crews will also take the first of the week prior to opening to complete installation of fire barrels throughout the stream length as warmers for anglers and spectators alike. The viewers, often outnumbering the fishermen during opening, will drive through the park from the early morning hours and throughout the day, with park ranger Jim Hopkins in charge of traffic control. Park concessionaire Jack Nickols said motel and cabin facilities in the park have been full for several weeks. He said staffers have begun making referrals to the Shell Knob and Eagle Rock areas at Table Rock Lake resorts. Officials note the 1995 season opener will begin the rush toward possible new records for the park, especially after the 122,778 level of trout tag sales last season produced a new high for numbers. The last Wednesday opening of the park, in 1989, produced 2,019 anglers at streamside before the day was finished. Standing record opening was in 1981 when 3,504 anglers fished. On a weekend in 1992 when a Sunday start produced 3,358 for opening day was about typical for a weekend. Weather conditions will play a large part in angler numbers at the stream. Past openings have been during blizzards, following crippling snow storms, in temperatures that froze line in fly rod guides or that found participants standing out in downpours. Still the trout enthusiasts came and will come this year regardless of the weather. Cassville’s sesquicentennial committee plans a banner at the park lodge reminding openers of the community’s observing the 150th anniversary of the county seat during this year. Chamber of Commerce involvement will include weighing and eventually awarding three trophies to the man, woman and youth catching the largest fish in each division between opening and noon according to Sonja Chasteen, managing secretary. In addition to the opening of trout season, March l in the Barry County Ozarks signals an early start of spring for this neck of the woods. The three-weeks-early spring attitude most usually hits the area at the same time crowds first flock to Roaring River valley for the annual arrival of fishermen and women at the stream’s 2.5 miles of baffles. Cassville schools will dismiss in a traditional recognition of the park’s beginning another year.
— HARPER CHOOSES PATROL RETIREMENT A native of this area, who has completed 32 years in the Missouri Highway Patrol, has chosen retirement for his future. Corporal Bobbie Harper’s career with the patrol ended the first of the month according to Captain M. B. Pace, commanding officer of Troop D in Springfield. Harper, a graduate of the Wheaton schools, began his career with the patrol January 15, 1963, initially as a commercial vehicle enforcement inspector. His entire career has been in the Newton and McDonald county areas, serving as assistant zone commander. Corporal Harper was shot at his home in rural McDonald county in September last year by an assailant that has not been apprehended. He was apparently shot through a kitchen window by a high powered rifle at some distance. He is a son of Mrs. Coy Harper of the Exeter community. The family has long been involved in dairy herd operations.
—$3 MILLION IN LOTTERY SALES IN COUNTY A reported $3,036,222 has been generated in Barry County during 1994 in the Missouri lottery sales, according to a regional report published recently. The report also listed large winners in the state lottery, including Mr. and Mrs. Jim Elliott, of Cassville, who won $3,251,730 in 1989.
