Our man in war — local soldier School days in the In memory of Civil War Little League baseball INSIDE: tells of basic training — Page 4 B old days —Page 15 B dead — Page 9 B draft results — Page 9 A ll'lth Year No. - 6 ST. JOHNS, MICHIGAN, THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1966 2 SECTIONS - so PAGES 10 CENTS |r Memorial Day in St. Johns Soap box race Sunday Record field of 70 boys ready to race Annually one of the big events this year, and there will be 24 blast from ,an aerial bomb fired will take place' at an award! in St. Johns is the Soap Box first-round heats. Before the by Jerry Bunge. The invocation luncheon at St. Joseph's Social Derby, and this year's fourth an­ long afternoon of racing Is over will be followed by flag raising Hall following the race; Each nual derby promises to be no there wilt be 69 competitive ceremonies by Boy Scouts, with • boy in the race will receive a exception. races down the hill. Ross Myers as bugler. Retiring small derby trophy for his par­ A record number of 70 boys Jaycee President Don Roesner ticipation. Parents of the par­ —more than last year—are mak­ ' FOR^THOSE NOT in the race, will crown the new Soap Box ticipants are invited to the lunch­ ing final preparations with their much of the excitement of the day Derby queen!. Five girls are now eon. It will- consist of an in­ cars for the three-block run will be in the pre-race festivi­ still in the running for the queen formal meal rather than a ban­ down Clinton Avenue from State ties that again include crowning title; judges will make the de­ quet, and there will be no special Street to Railroad Street Sun­ of the Soap Box Derby queen, a cision Friday evening. outside speaker. The derby com­ day afternoon. parade, Oil Can.Derby and, new About 30 separate units will mittee felt that after a long The, large number of entries this year, a Powder Puff Derby take part in the derby parade afternoon of racing, 70 keyed-up has forced derby officials to race between three girl drivers. under the direction of Don Bast. boys would be In no mood for any run three cars per heat again Events start at 2 p.m. with a- The parade will form on Ross, formal program. Steel and Lincoln streets and proceed up Clinton Avenue to DERBY SIDELIGHTS 9 State Street. Included will be the An additonal prize awaits the Flint Scottish Bag Pipe Band, top 10 finishers in-the Soap Box Capitol Savings which" has appeared at previous r Derby here. All .10 "boys will get / derby days. a free trip to Akron, Ohio, Aug. 6 for the All-American Soap IMMEDIATELY AFTER the Box Derby. Only the winner will parade, the annual Oil Can Race race, however; the others will grand opening will be held. Veteran drivers watch. Lawrence Sexton of Sealed Pow­ The derby is a county-wide er, Russ Allman of Saylor-Beall event again this year. Ten boys and Ed Idzkowsk of Federal- have entered from Westphalia Mogul are reported primingtheir with a promise to take the cham­ here this weekend special cars,~ which never fail pionship back there, and there Capitol Savings and Loan Assn., to provide laughs, if not speed. which opened a new branch office are several entries each from at 222 N. Clinton Avenue Wednes­ The special Oil Can Trophy Maple Rapids, Fowler and rural day, will have its grand opening will be presented to the winner Lansing. The St. Johns color guard of the American Legion and VFW posts of St. Johns this Friday and Saturday. immediately after the Oil Can 1 Race. THERE WILL BE seyeral re­ lead the Memorial Day parade up Clinton Avenue Monday morning. They were followed The new business will have a 'The Soap Box Derby races staff of three persons at the St. freshment stands in the down­ themselves are expected to start town area Sunday afternoon; The - << by bands, other marching units* floats and bicycles. An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people^ Johns branch office. Heading the s about 2:30 or 2:35. Race_Com- Soap^Box Derby committed w'iil - watched-'the parade-and other ceremdi$es\ - ' --.' - staff-as* manage!* WIH b'& William mittee Chairmen Bob ColeTJack H. Patton, 37, formerly associat­ be .running a couple of them, Downing and Elmer Upton plan with profits from the sale of ed with HenryCountySavingsand to keep the cars moving down Loan of Newcastle, Ind, 'hill in rapid-fire order to insure See DERBY, Page 2-A The other staff members are as early a finish as possible. Mrs Nancy (Thomas) Hufnagel of All boys will race at least French Road, R-3, a native of St. twice; the boy who wins the derby Clinton Johns and graduate of Rodney B. championship will drive his car Wilson High School; andMrsBon- down the hill four times. At nie (Lawrence) Phinney of 3275 ,the final finish line for the cham­ E. Price Road, a graduate of De- pion are the big prizes for the Theater Witt High School. race— a $500 savings bond from Chevrolet, national sponsor for PATTON, WHO WILL reside the Soap Box Derby, a large to open with his wife and three children ^ WILLIAM H. PATTON trophy and an expense-paid trip The leasing of the Clinton at 505 Lambert Drive, isanatlve birthday last year'. It had assets to Akron to compete In the All- of Terre Haute, Ind. He attended Theater of St. Johns by Howard 1 of $117,674,226.20 as of Dec. 31. American Soap Box Derby Aug. Kortes was announced yester­ Indiana State Teacher's College. 6. He is the holder of a graduate "We have done a lot of business day (Wednesday) by William and key award from the American over the years inSt. Johns," Rob­ Jack Beechler, owners of the ert Clark,' eKecutlve vice presi­ THERE'S LOTS of ^incentive, theater building. Savings and Loan Institute and a a dent, saidrecently, sowearenot too, for those who don't finish Kortes is the owner of the r graduate diploma from the-Tnstl- first. The Soap Box Derby com­ tute's'correspondence school. entirely new to the community." Family Drive-in theater in St. Officers ofCapitolSavlngsare: mittee, headed by Bill McCarthy Johns. He has set' a tentative He was an associate member of C. W. McKibbin, president; Clark, of the St. Johns Jaycees, has opening date of June 10 for the the Detroit chapter of Residential executive vice president; RubyV. provided prizes for boys fin­ Clinton Theater. His present Appraisers and is a past member Pennell, secretary and senior ishing second through 10th. plans call for having the Clinton of the board of governors of the vice president; and William J. The runner-up in the derby Theater open on weekends, Fri­ Detroit chapter of the American VanHoesen and Martin W. Rich­ will win a GE portable TV; a day, Saturday and Sundays, until Savings and Loan Assns. ards, vice presidents. Polaroid Land camera awaits the fall when- he would have a fuller ,'The Capitol Savings branch third-place finisher. Other schedule for the week* here is the fifth branch for the DIRECTORS ARE McKibbin, prizes are: fourth place, a Cro- Lansing-based/financial institu­ Clark, Pennell, Paul Kreger, Jo­ ton Data-Matic wrist watch; fifth tion. The front portion of the seph C. Coleman,Harolds. Reni- place, Sony transistor radio; THE CLINTON THEATER has building at 222 N. Clinton Avenue ger, A. Taylor Menzles, Stanley sixth place, Croton wrist watch; been in theBeechlerfamilysince has been completely remodeled V, Weed, Charles S. Cummins, seventh place, 26-inch bicycle; 1925 when Cash B'eechler, an for its new use. The public Is in­ Walter A. Graff and Richard P. eighth place, Zelico spinning rod uncle of William and Jack, pur- vited to attend the open house and • Lynam. and reel; ninth place, Instamatic ^chase'd the "local theater which meet the personnel. Other Capitol Savings and Loan 104 camera; and 10th place, Mc­ was then located at the present Assn. branches are located in Gregor baseball glove. ' site of the Miller-Jones store. CAPITOL SAVINGS and Loan Detroit, Lathrop Village, Pontiac In 1932,- Roy Beechler, father The placing of wreathes at the civil war'"monument in the Mt. Rest Cemetery and Okemos. In addition, all 70 boys will Assn. was established in 1890 in of William and Jack, purchas­ brought? crisp salutes from military veterans and Boy Scouts at memorial services'. receive a'race helmet and derby ed the theater from Cash Beech­ Lansing arid celebrated its,75th T shirt prior to the race, they'll ler. Mr Beechler operated the ICE CREAM SOCIAL -Satur­ wear them when they walk up Monday. day, June 4, Bengal EUB. Serv­ theater at that site until 1935 Clinton Avenue in the pre-race when he built the present Clinton ing begins at'5:30, chiliburgers, parade. ' hot dogs, cake", homemade ice Theater. The theater has been cream, milk and coffee. —Adv. THE \AWARDING*OF prizes closed two years. - Fires ruin home of family on trip; aid drive is on |lU SELL ALL THE ITEMS MY | A St. Johns family of three had left, and at 3 a.m. the department Bessie Smeaton of 203 W. Lin­ il a holiday trip north ruined when was "called out again. Tills time f | FAMILYiDOESN'T USE WITH | coln is heading a door - to - door fire ruined their home early Sun­ the blaze completely gutted the solicitation of Items, and Sam | A.