Thursday’s Record Express
May 2, 1996

• Nine Lives - It was a “purrfect” Sunday afternoon on April 28.

Patches, the three-legged studio cat at Randolph Academy of the Arts, had been missing for a week following the fire that gutted Deborah Randolph’s pottery barn on Front Street.

The fire was caused when outdoor security lights dried the barn’s wood and ignited the building.

Steven Lees, a friend of Randolph who was helping clean up debris from the blaze, found Patches trapped under the floor of the barn on Sunday. Other than being hungry, she survived the fire uninjured.

20 Years Ago

Thursday’s Record Express
May 8, 1986

• Bed and Breakfasts - Knowing that Lititz is attracting more and more tourists, two potential bed and breakfast owners sought approval for their ventures from the Lititz Zoning Hearing Board Monday night.

The board granted Randy Long, 12 W. Newport Road, permission to open a bed and breakfast at 330 S. Broad St.

The hearing on the second bed and breakfast, to be located at 62 E. Main St., was continued until next month at the request of Calvin Wentzel, the realtor representing the potential buyer Barry A. Herr.

30 Years Ago

Thursday’s Record Express
May 6, 1976

• Lititz Float - Workers and participants who helped capture the 1976 trophy for best historical display in the Lancaster County Loyalty Parade last Saturday discovered first hand why the decorated mobile units are referred to as floats.

Another hour of parading in the day-long downpour, and the moving displays would have lived up to their names by floating down the streets of Lancaster.

The Lititz float had been judged a winner for its depiction of the borough’s three main historical contributions to the area: Linden Hall, pretzel making and the well-known trombone choir of the Moravian Church.

• Mid the Turmoil - Elmer Bomberger attracts passers-by with his turkey call. He stands at a partly-opened front door and gives out a realistic turkey gobble. People look around to see if there is a turkey nearby.

Probably by this time the fountain at the Square will be spritzing. The cover that was over it all winter has been removed.

Everywhere you look you can see the beautiful colors of Spring &tstr; the pink and white dogwoods, the azaleas and tulips of varied colors all add up to a symphony of Spring colors. Too bad the magnolia flowers were nipped by that cold spell some weeks ago.

40 Years Ago

Thursday’s Record Express
May 5, 1966

• School Budget - A tentative budget of $2,078,175 was approved by the Warwick Union School District Tuesday night, and will come up for final adoption June 7 at 7 p.m.
Although the budget is $167,360 greater than last year, it is based on the same tax rate, 56 mills.

• Horse Show - More than 60 horses and ponies competed in the Ninth Annual Warwick Township Lions Club Horse Show held on Forney’s Polo Field Sunday.

Although most entries were from nearby areas, and despite the heavy rains, there were several from as far away as Pottstown and Oxford.

• Betsy Ross - From Mid the Turmoil &tstr; A young girl named Betsy Ross was riding a horse named “Flagpole at the Warwick Lions Club Horse Show Sunday. Odd coincidence of names, we thought. Incidentally, the horse won the hunter championship.

50 Years Ago

Thursday’s Record Express
May 3, 1956

• Queen of ‘56 - The contest for the selection of a Bi-Centennial Queen, to be chosen from Warwick Union district and to be crowned during the coming pageant this June, was announced this week by William Scatchard, chairman of the contest committee. Any young lady between the ages of 16 and 30 is eligible. She may be either single or married.

• Final Commencements - Two local high schools which will become one with the opening of the Warwick Union High School Building in September will hold the final commencement exercises in their histories this month.

At Lititz High School, diplomas will be granted to a total of 58 students on May 24. On the previous evening, a total of 30 students will receive diplomas at the Rothsville High School.

Lorna Long and Ray Huber are the speakers at Rothsville.

Marcia Wagaman and Virginia Gearhart will speak for Lititz.

• Pranksters - Teen-age and juvenile infractions of the law again are on the rise. During the past week, borough police launched investigations into two instances.

First, a group of small boys, aged eleven and twelve, tore off the boards from the side of the coal storage sheds at the Long & Bomberger plant near the railroad.

According to Eugene Long, the boys dismantled a part of the shed in order to gain access to the nests of a large number of pigeons which have roosted there for many years. The boys then captured squabs, which they proceeded to kill, dress and offer for sale.

In the second instance, a group of somewhat older boys exploded a large number of fire-crackers in the center of town on several occasions.

• Long Career - Next Tuesday, C. S. Zartman, whose career is the longest in number of years of any local businessman, will mark his forty-third anniversary of business at the same location!

For on May 8, 1913, Clayt, as he is known to everyone, opened a grocery store to which soon was added a complete line of dry goods. Household goods, gifts and toys followed as the years passed.

The store, which at first was both store and home, was altered, modernized and enlarged over the years, with the result that Zartman’s now occupies two complete floors - and Clayt still is in charge, reporting for work daily.

60 Years Ago

Thursday’s Record Express
May 2, 1946

• War Memorial - Final decision on the matter of establishing a war memorial for Lititz will be decided at a town meeting to be called within the next three or four weeks, according to action taken by the local memorial committee at a meeting in the Recreation Center Sunday afternoon.

At the meeting it was revealed that the proposed construction of a public swimming pool is leading suggestions made to date within several local clubs and organizations favoring this idea. At the meeting, however, an additional suggestion was made when one member recommended the building of a field house at the athletic field as a memorial.

• Mid the Turmoil - As scarce as automobile tires are, several cast-offs were pulled out of the stream running through the park yesterday afternoon when workmen completed the job of cleaning done annually. The haul also included a grand assortment of tin cans, parts of broken furniture, etc.

70 Years Ago

Thursday Morning’s Record
May 7, 1936

• Trinity Church - Dreams of a lifetime of members of Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church will come true on Sunday when the new church building is formally opened for public worship.

Not only does the new edifice add another handsome church building to the list of those in Lititz, but it fills a long-felt and pressing need for more room for the congregation.

Architecturally beautiful, yet very practical, is the church auditorium. Apparently small, it seats 500 people and several hundred more when the chapel is opened into it.

• May Day - Two hundred and fifty boys and girls of the Lititz public Schools will participate in the May Day celebration to be held Saturday in the Lititz Springs Park.

The pageant, “Awake Tis Spring,” is based on the Greek myth of Ceres and Persephone.

Two May poles will be wound this year instead of the conventional one. The bleachers used on the athletic field will be used by spectators.

80 Years Ago

Thursday Morning’s Record
May 6, 1926

• Concisely Told - A strawberry festival will be held in the basement of the Lutheran church on Saturday, June 19, by the Dorcas Circle of Kings Daughters.

The medicine show, under a tent in the north-eastern part of town, started this week and is drawing good-sized crowds. A medicine show, once common here, is somewhat of a novelty.

Complaint is made of an auto running through the alleys around 1 o’clock at night, weekly, for some months, awakening people in a certain part of town. It is believed that the occupants of the machine deliver “bootleg.”

Ideal Chocolate Company products will be displayed at the annual convention of the National Confectioners Association, to be held at Chicago May 24th to May 29th. Thomas Waddell and G. G. Bitzer will be in charge of the Ideal booth.

• Wandering Lititz - In a state of bewilderment, and aged man was found sitting on a porch on Front St., Lititz, late last Wednesday night by Policeman Kreider. He was placed in the lockup over night and the policeman gave him something to eat in the morning.

His mind seemed to be clear and he explained that he was Samuel Shaeffer of Lebanon. He evidently had walked to Lititz, as he was seen on foot several miles from Lititz on Thursday. He had five dollars in his pocket and Policeman Kreider bought his ticket and put him on the train with the instructions that the railroad conductor should look after him.

90 Years Ago

Thursday Morning’s Record
May 4, 1916

• Car Advertisements - The “490” Chevrolet is the lowest-priced auto yet produced at $440 for a roadster or touring car.

The “Monroe Roadster,” a peachy little car at $495.

The “Royal Mail,” prince of roadsters, is $720.

The “Baby Grand” has no equal as a touring car, selling at $750.

To the man who is looking for more style, comfort, and more roomy car at a more expensive price, we offer the Oldsmobile in a four-cylinder at $1,095, and the Marion “Six,” a fully-equipped seven passenger, at $1,185.

• Store Prices - Hepp, the Lititz jeweler, offered Eastman Kodaks from 75c up.

Trimmer’s store had these bargains to offer:
Ladies up-to-date neckwear, 25c and up; ladies vests, 10c; men’s and children’s straw hats, 10 to 25c; gas lights for 50c; flashlight batteries, 25c each; middle ties, 5c and 25c each.

Dissinger’s Daylight Store advertised straw hats from 50c to $5. Panama hats were $3 and $5.

The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad advertised “An excursion to Baltimore and Washington and return for $3.”

100 Years Ago

Friday Morning’s Record
May 4, 1906

• Short Stories - Automobiles by the score of various sizes and colors, passed through time on Saturday and Sunday.

The last of a series of five concerts by the Linden Hall Symphony Orchestra was given in the Mary Dixon Chapel on Saturday evening and was well attended, as all the previous ones.

Mr. Murphy, of Bethlehem, the violin soloist, won many applause’s for his excellent renditions.

The Little German Band rendered right good music in the streets of town on Wednesday. They also have orchestra instruments, which the use at times.

Unless there is a better attendance at the Lititz Fire Company meeting next Wednesday than at the last meeting, the contemplated trip to Columbia and other important maters will fall through. What are the members going to do about it?

• Grand Opening - Grand Spring Opening at W.H. Bollinger’s confectionery on Saturday evening, May 5. Natural scenery, good music, plenty of things to eat and drink. We will show the old homestead in 20 acts. Free to everybody.

110 Years Ago

Friday Morning’s Record
May 1, 1896

• Short Notes - Mine Host Snavely, of the Warwick House, it seems is never content unless he is making changes and improvements about the hotel premises.

The large vacant lot, covering over half an acre of ground, lying north of the hotel building, is now being leveled off and laid out with walks and terraces. A frame pavilion will grace the south side, and a fountain will be near the front towards Broad Street.

When finished, the whole will no doubt present a handsome appearance as well as provide a beautiful spot for recreation.

• Wheelmen - Many of our local wheelmen are now contemplating long runs for this summer, and it is quite probable that some may turn their attention to racing.

There are a number of our young men who could make a very creditable showing on the track.

• Saloon-keepers - The constables of the city of Lancaster and county, by direction of the court, have notified all saloon-keepers that they must not hereafter sell beer to persons coming for it with kettles or pitchers, under penalty of having licenses refused them next February if complaint is made against them.

120 Years Ago

Friday Morning’s Record
May 7, 1886

• Poisoning - Last Friday a sad poisoning case occurred in the family of Linnaeus Longenecker, in Penn Township, about two miles southwest of Lititz. The family physician had left a preparation of belladonna for external application for one of the children.

Mrs. Longenecker placed it on a table and left the room but a short time, and on returning found that her daughter, aged two and a half years, had drank some of the preparation. The little one soon became ill and the doctor was sent for, but too late.

It suffered about 28 hours and died. Funeral was held at Longenecker’s meeting house on Tuesday morning.

• Rothsville Remnants - A three-minute race will come off on Saturday between four horses owned by Jacob Fry, of Stevens, Wayne Landis, Rothsville, I.M. Weidler, Rothsville and Samuel Buch, New Haven. A fine race is anticipated. It is to be on the race track.

The cigar factory of J.R. Landis was removed to the shop vacated by N.N. Bender last week. Mr. Landis also moved into Bender’s dwelling.

J.G. Unser has received an order for 300,000 cigars, which is doing unusually well in these days of strikes and dull times.

Research for Out of the Past is compiled by editor Stephen Seeber staff writer Michael Yoder. The information reported is written as it appeared in its original form. blog comments powered by Disqus