43 AND SUNNY TODAY...

THE MAQUOKETA CITY COUNCIL VOTED LAST NIGHT TO PUT IN NEW
FURNACES AND AIR-CONDITIONERS AT THE MAQUOKETA COMMUNITY
CENTER. FOUR UNITS AT A COST OF AROUND $18,000.

THERE WILL BE NO NEW "DIVERSITY CLUB" AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, AT LEAST ANYTIME SOON.
AT THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING LAST NIGHT, THE TOPIC WAS DISCUSSED AND
THE SHILOH BAPTIST MINISTER IN MAQUOKETA, STEVE HANTELMANN, WHO
MOVED TO MAQUOKETA LAST FALL, SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE FORMATION
OF THE CLUB. THERE WAS A PERIOD OF SILENCE AFTER HIS REMARKS.
BOARD MEMBERS SAID NOTHING AND AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, PRESIDENT
SCHWENKER SAID WITH NO MOTION BEING MADE, HE FELT THE ISSUE
WOULD NOT BE DEALT WITH AT THIS TIME.

A BIRTH. TROY AND ANESSA PETERSEN OF MAQUOKETA HAD A GIRL
AT MERCY IN DUBUQUE YESTERDAY. MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS ARE
MARK AND JULIE MILLER OF RURAL MAQUOKETA. PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
ARE DON AND KATHY KUNDE OF MAQUOKETA.

BIG DAY FRIDAY. THE NEW GOODWILL STORE OPENS. I WILL HAVE A PHOTO
FRIDAY NIGHT.

AND THURSDAY, THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS OPEN THE NEW SEASON IN THE
AFTERNOON, HOSTING SAN DIEGO. FOR THE 27TH YEAR, WE WILL BROADCAST
CARDINAL GAMES.

MOE BANDY IS COMING TO THE MOONEY HOLLOW BARN AT GREEN ISLAND
SATURDAY NIGHT, APRIL 16TH, WITH HIS AMERICANA BAND. HE HAS HAD
A THEATRE IN BRANSON FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS AND HAS HAD MANY BIG
HITS. KMAQ IS TAKING A BUS TO SEE HIM....LEAVING FROM THE FAIR
GROUNDS AT 5:30 P.M. AND BACK HOME AROUND 10:30. JUST $55 FOR
THE BUS AND CENTER STAGE TICKET. SIGN-UP HERE AT KMAQ.

HAVE A GOOD TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

DENNIS VOY

MY 61 DRIVE-IN THEATRE WILL OPEN FOR THE SEASON FRIDAY, APRIL 8TH.
IT OPENED AND SHOWED THE FIRST MOVIES IN AUGUST OF 1950.
THIS IS A 1951 OR 1952 AIRPLANE PHOTO OF THE DRIVE-IN. MARGE
CORNELIUS OF MAQUOKETA BROUGHT IT TO ME THIS MORNING. SHE AND
HER LATE HUSBAND FLOYD (LATER, BABY CRAIG ALSO ) LIVED THERE FOR NEARLY 3 YEARS, STARTING RIGHT AFTER THEY WERE MARRIED, JANUARY 1, 1951. THEY RENTED THE FARM HOME FROM DICK AND BETTY FRANKLIN, WHO OWNED THE FARMLAND. PART OF THAT FARM WAS USED FOR THE DRIVE-IN LOCATION. THE
HOUSE WAS TORN DOWN THIS MONTH. IN THIS PHOTO, YOU SEE THE BACK
OF THE HOUSE, THE WEST SIDE. ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE SCREEN AND HOUSE
WAS THEN 2-LANE HIGHWAY 61. TO THE SOUTH JUST OUT OF THIS PHOTO, WAS
A RAILROAD BRIDGE. DICK AND BETTY FRANKLIN WERE THEATRE PARTNERS WITH WALT AND LEULAH ALLEN. THREE ARE DEAD AND DICK FRANKLIN MAY STILL BE
ALIVE. LAST I KNEW, HE WAS LIVING IN THE DES MOINES AREA.
I HAVE OWNED THE THEATRE SINCE 1972. PURCHASED IT FROM THE LATE
"BUD" McKINSEY. THERE ARE THREE OTHER DRIVE-IN THEATRES IN IOWA. AT ONE TIME, THERE WERE 5 DRIVE-IN THEATRES IN THE QUAD CITIES, 3 SCREENS IN DUBUQUE, 1 IN CLINTON AND 3 OR 4 IN CEDAR RAPIDS. SO, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN EASTERN IOWA AND WESTERN ILLINOIS THAT REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES THEY HAD AT A DRIVE-IN THEATRE. PEOPLE WILL START HAVING THOSE GOOD TIMES AGAIN JUST 5 MILES SOUTH OF MAQUOKETA STARTING APRIL 8TH.....WHEN THE 61 DRIVE-IN THEATRE OPENS FOR ANOTHER SEASON. SEE YOU THERE! I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO GET THIS PHOTO THAT I NEVER KNEW EXISTED.
CLICK-ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT.
DENNIS VOY