Tuesday, July 05, 2016

TUESDAY DAILY

WE HAD GREAT WEATHER FOR THE LONG 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND.
SUNDAY, BELLEVUE WAS FULL OF CARS AND PEOPLE FOR THEIR
HERITAGE DAY CELEBRATION AND EVENING FIREWORKS.   THE CAR
WINNER WAS STEVE TILL OF BELLEVUE. 
DEWITT HAD  A BIG TURN-OUT FOR THEIR JULY 4TH PARADE AND
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WERE IN GRAND MOUND LAST NIGHT FOR ONE
OF THE BIGGEST FIREWORKS IN IOWA.    WE WATCHED THE FIREWORKS
HERE IN MAQUOKETA AT THE  FAIRGROUNDS.    GOOD TURNOUT, GOOD
DISPLAY.     NOW IT IS FAIRTIME.   THE CLINTON COUNTY FAIR STARTS
WEDNESDAY IN DEWITT AND THE WYOMING FAIR STARTS FRIDAY.
FRANCIS WILLEY WILL BE 90 ON JULY 11.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON THE FAMILY HAD A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR HER, WHERE SHE LIVES..... AT THE MAQUOKETA CARE CENTER.    BIG TURN-OUT.
ABOVE, SHE IS SHOWN WITH HER SON JACK AND HIS WIFE MARILYN.
JACK IS A LONGTIME JACKSON COUNTY SUPERVISOR AND BEAUTICIAN
FOR OVER 40 YEARS, AS IS HIS WIFE MARILYN.     FRANCIS WAS A COOK
MOST OF HER LIFE, INCLUDING AT THE FAMOUS GREEN MILL RESTAURANT AND THEN OTHER RESTAURANTS LATER.    SHE..... LATE IN HER LIFE, HAD HER OWN "FRANCIS KITCHEN" RESTAURANT LOCATED IN
THE UNITIED LIVESTOCK AUCTION BUILDING.    AND ALL THESE YEARS,
SHE HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR HER DELICIOUS PIES.

AT THE PARTY WAS MEL STILES, IN HIS 90'S,  AND ALSO A RESIDENT OF
MAQUOKETA PARK APARTMENTS.    WHEN I FIRST CAME TO TOWN IN
1958 AND UNTIL 1963 WHEN I WENT INTO THE ARMY, I TOOK MY LAUNDRY
TO STILES DRY CLEANERS IN DOWNTOWN MAQUOKETA.    ALWAYS ENJOYED
MY WEEKLY VISIT WITH MEL AND BERNICE.    IN 1974,  WHEN THEY DECIDED
TO RETIRE, I PURCHASED THE BUSINESS (WHICH WAS NEXT TO MY VOY 1 THEATRE)...HELD A PUBLIC SALE AND CONVERTED THE BUILDING INTO
THE VOY 2 THEATRE.
WHEN I APPROACHED MEL, HE IMMEDIATLY SAID "HI DENNIS"  AND WE HAD
A NICE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OLD DAYS.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK.

DENNIS VOY