Tuesday, October 18, 2016

TUESDAY DAILY REPORT

RONANN'S ARE OPEN IN THEIR NEW STORE ON WEST PLATT STREET, ABOUT A BLOCK EAST OF THEIR FORMER LOCATION AND JUST EAST OF
TACO JOHN'S.  
A BEAUTIFUL STORE!
HERE'S THE FRONT COUNTER.   A PHOTO BELOW THE FIRST "N" IS OF
RON AND ANITA MEADE, WHO STARTED THE BUSINESS IN 1955.   
THEY ARE NO LONGER LIVING AND THE BUSINESS HAS BEEN RUN BY THEIR DAUGHTER, WENDY, WITH THE
HELP OF HER HUSBAND, DENNIS SCOTT, WHO ALSO FARMS.  THEIR OUTDOOR SIGN IS NOT UP YET, SO I
TOOK A PHOTO OF THE ROCK (ABOVE) AT THE OUTSIDE ENTRANCE.


WENDY NEXT TO THE CHRISTMAS
TREE.   SHE SAID HER GRAND OPENING/HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE WILL
BE ON NOVEMBER 11TH AND 12TH. 
MARK THOSE DATES ON YOUR CALENDAR.   BUT..DON'T WAIT UNTIL THEN TO STOP IN, BROWSE AND ADMIRE THE NEW STORE!


GEORGE WRAY WAS THE GUEST SPEAKER AT 
"BROWN BAG LUNCH" TODAY AT THE CLINTON
ENGINES MUSEUM.     HE LIVED IN MAQUOKETA WHILE GOING TO THE FIRST WARD SCHOOL AND
HIGH SCHOOL.   HE THEN WENT ON TO GET A DEGREE AT IOWA AND HAS LIVED IN CEDAR RAPIDS ALL HIS MARRIED LIFE, OVER 50 YEARS.
REV. HAROLD KUMPF MARRIED GEORGE AND PAT
HERE IN MAQUOKETA.    HE AND BARBARA KUMPF
WERE ABOUT THE SAME AGE AND WERE FRIENDS
AND NEIGHBORS.  HIS DAD WAS CECIL WRAY WHO
BOUGHT THE "ROYAL CONFECTIONARY" FROM
JIM MAROUSIS IN 1946 AND RAN IT FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS.   FROM CHICAGO CAME GEORGE PETAROS WHO BOUGHT THE "ROYAL" AND IT BECAME "THE GREEN MILL"   MAROUSIS WAS THEN THE OWNER
OF THE  ROYAL ICE CREAM AND BOTTLING WORKS
HE ESTABLISHED BEHIND THE GREEN MILL.   
AND CECIL WRAY OPENED HIS NEW RESTAURAT,
CALLED "CECIL'S CAFE" ON EAST PLATT STREET,
WHERE THE MATTRESS STORE IS NOW.    AFTER 5 YEARS,  CECIL'S WIFE DIED AND HE CLOSED THE
RETAURANT.     GEORGE WORKED FOR HIS DAD
IN THE RESTAURANT AND WAS ALSO A PROJECTIONIST AT THE 61 DRIVE-IN THEATRE SOUTH OF MAQUOKETA, WORKING FOR WALT ALLEN.    HE BROUGHT UP A LOT OF NAMES AND PLACES OF MAQUOKETA IN THE 40'S AND 50'S.
I ENJOYED HIS PROGRAM.


LARRY McDEVITT IS WORKING DAILY ON THE FINAL 4 PLANTERS DOWNTOWN.   THE FIRST TWO ARE
DONE AT MAIN AND QUARRY ON THE NORTH END
OF THE NEW "STREETSCAPE".    NOW HE IS DOING
THE STONE WORK FOR FOUR MORE AT THE 
INTERSECTION OF MAIN AND PLEASANT STREETS 
ON THE SOUTH END.   THERE ARE  TWO SIZES...
FOUR LARGE AND TWO SMALLER ... AND WITH AN
ATTACHED LIGHT. 

DENNIS VOY