Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI, December 17, 2014, Page 9

All Ladies’ Hats, only 50¢; Ladies Flannel Gowns 59¢; Men’s Sweat Shirts 63¢; Heavy Work Sox, 2 pr. 25¢; Printed Cloth, 3 yards $1; Outing flannel, 6 yards $1; Men’s Domet Shirts 2/$1

Friday night Fish Fry & Saturday Night Chicken Served at Skroch’s Cozy Corner Tavern, Neillsville

Reminiscent of the old days when the horse was supreme, farmers, unable to make use of their automobiles because of snow-filled roads, have been coming to Neillsville in sleighs the past few days. Old Horse sheds, which have stood almost totally unused for many years, are again sheltering teams as rural residents attend to their shopping in the city.

Although the main highways have been made passable by plows, any of the side-roads were impassable to cars during the first few days of the week.

Rural mail carriers had difficulty in getting over their routes. One farmer living south of the city reported he had received mail Tuesday for the first time since Friday. In a few cases, milk trucks were unable to reach their patrons.

Mrs. Elsie Gustafson is reported to have sold her bakery equipment to a baker of La Crosse who will arrive soon to reopen the place of business.

Miss Mildred Bartz who has been boarding with her aunt, Mrs. Kaddatz, has moved to the Havilich home where she will be nearer her school in South Washburn.

Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 8 o’clock, the pictures taken of the parade during the State Moose Convention here will be shown at the Moose hall, together with pictures of Mooseheart, which will be shown and a lecture given on them by R. N. Smith, regional director of Milwaukee. All wives and the general public are invited to attend. There will be no admission charge and no collection taken.

Archie Van Gorden and family attended the funeral of his grandfather, S. H. Van Gorden, at Hixton Sunday, where the body was laid to rest. Mr. Van Gorden was 82 years of age and leaves surviving him three sons and two daughters, eleven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. He had long been a prominent and active businessman, the founder of the Van Gorden and Sons merchandise and feed stores. He held the honor of starting the first creamery in Wisconsin, near the city of Milwaukee. (Mr. Van Gorden’s name was Schuyler Humphrey Van Gorden. DMK)

The telephone service, which was interrupted two weeks ago by the sleet storm, was resorted to normal last week, according to the Badger State Telephone Co. The company faced an enormous task to resetting the 500 poles, being handicapped by the cold weather and deep snow. Herbert M. Smith solved the problem by traveling along some of the lines by using snowshoes, the first time this mode of travel has been used by the telephone men in many years.

Gustave Marg, 57, lifelong resident of the Town of Fremont, died Monday night, Dec. 10 at his farm home.

Mr. Marg was born in the Town of Fremont April 20, 1877, the son of Mr and Mrs. William Marg. He was married to Ida Krause on June 26, 1901. Immediately after their marriage the couple made their home on a farm in the Town of Fremont, which has been their residence for past 32 years. He was highly respected by all who knew him, being quiet in manner, industrious and honest. Besides his widow, he is survived by two children, Elmer, Granton, and Mrs. Curtiss (Clara) Cattanach at Marshfield and six grandchildren, a brother Albert, of Fremont and a sister, Mrs. Amelia Gerzemitle, Granton.

Funeral rites were conducted at one o’clock Thursday afternoon at his home, followed by services at the Fremont Lutheran Church with the Rev. Ralph Diemer officiating. Burial was made in the Windfall Cemetery.

Neillsville merchants who signed the petition given with regard to closing their places of business Christmas Eve are:

By the request of the Mayor and businessmen, which has been the favor of our churches for years, we the undersigned will close our places of business at 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve. Therefore it makes possible for our clerks and ourselves the opportunity to attend our houses of Worship and accept the joy for which Christmas Eve was given us.

May and Ruchaber, Eva’s Fashion Shoppe, M. A. Bohn, T. Lowe, W. G. Woodward Co., Bob Brauer, Arthur K. Dern, Farmers Store Co., W. F. Schiller, H. A. Shedden, A. Unger, Prochazka Bros., Neillsville Tire Shop, Harry Roehrborn, Albert Degener, G. C. Deutsch, Neillsville Hardware, F. O. Balch, and Cash Market.

Twelve residents of Clark County were naturalized in circuit court before Judge E. W. Crosby and C. R. Berg, naturalization examiner of St. Paul, who conducted the examination. Those who became citizens are: Martin Ryczez, Anna Ryczez, Paul Robert Spaete, John Lato, John Popovich, Walter Voightlander, Wincenty Grzegorzerski, Stanislaw Kalita, Herbert Wilhelm Holdt, Anna Berglio Aabakken Olafson, Harold Aabakken Olafson and John Pernich.

Card Party Monday, December 17, at St. Mary’s Church; Playing Bridge, 500 and Schafekopf; Lunch will be served. All are Welcome!

Basketball Dance at the Silver Dome Ballroom, December 23. City Teams: Merrillan versus Neillsville. Game called at 8 p.m. Dancing after the game from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Admission for both 25¢ per person, music by the Castilians Orchestra.

Three Keller brothers were original owners of the Silver Dome Ballroom, having purchased the building plans from a firm in Germany for $1,000 (a lot of money during the depression). There were only two dance pavilions of that design built in the United States, and the Silver Dome is the only one that remains. Construction was completed in 1933. The owners then opened it up for events other than dancing, such as basketball games, wrestling matches and roller skating.

The 45th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Mattausch was celebrated Sunday at an open house held in the afternoon and evening at the home of their son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Wendt.

Many friends and relatives were present. The honored couple received gifts, a purse of money and many congratulatory messages.

Mrs. Mike Bolf, Mr. Erna Wehrman, Mrs. Clara Lukes and Mrs. Calvin Franz served refreshments. A family dinner was served Saturday noon.

Mr. and Mrs. Mattausch have two children; Lester Mattausch of Milwaukee and Mrs. Edgar (Delores) Wendt; and one granddaughter, Kay Karen Wendt.

Henry William Mattausch, son of William and Gertrude (Tillman) Mattausch, was born September 6, 1879, in Pray, Wis. His wife, the former Emelia Miller, daughter of Peter and Elisabeth (Herbel) Miller, was born in Greenwood November 1, 1883. They were married November 27, 1909, at Alma, Wis. They were engaged in farming, later operating a general merchandise store in Pray for more than 22 years. Mr. Mattausch retired from farming 12 years ago.

They continued to reside in Pray but for the past two years have made their home with the Edgar Wendts.

Helen Piett, Augusta Mattausch, Edward Miller and Joe Mattausch were the attendants for the wedding 45 years ago.

The deer kill of 1954 in Clark County was smaller than the advance estimates. The present indication is that the total will not be far from 550.

The kill in Clark County last year was 559 and 338 the year before. Prior to 1952 there had been three all-deer seasons, with the kill ranging above 8,000 in 1949 and ’50, and dropping to 2,800 in 1951.

The Blood Center at Loyal went over the top, with a margin above. The goal was 150 pints from 150 contributors. The result was 168 pints. A total of 202 persons volunteered, with 34 screened out in following the usual routine.

The success of the center of Loyal brought high commendation from Mrs. M. V. Overman, chairman of Blood Bank, who gave unstinted praise to the efficient teamwork of the Loyal organization and to the warm response of all in the community.

Ronnie Marden received a severe cut above his right eye last Sunday when he fell on a child’s platform rocker while he and his mother, Mrs. Anita Marden, were visiting at the home of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Ratsch. Four stitches were required to close the wound. Ronnie is a first grade pupil at the Northside School.

A Christmas concert will be given at the Congregational Church next Sunday evening at 8 p.m. by the senior and junior choirs. Solos will be be sung by Dr. Sarah Rosekrans, Mrs. Betty Schultz, Harry Hauge and C. Scott Hunsberger. A piano and organ duet will be played by Eileen Zank and Betty Ylvisaker. The concert will be public.

The following Clark County men left the City hall, Neillsville, by chartered Greyhound Bus, on December 1, 1954 and were inducted into the army at the Minneapolis examining and induction station:

Raymond E. Miller, Jr., Colby; Robert P. Gregorich, Greenwood; Forest J. Larsen, Neillsville; Waldren W. Gravunder, Spencer; Milton H. Molle, Unity; Vernon W. Wenzel, Withee.

The quota for January is eight for induction and 14 for preliminary examination. This group will leave Neillsville January 7.

A 7 p.m. dinner was served Saturday, December 4, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Loyal, in celebration of the Silver wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Wolfe.

Twenty-five years ago Margaret Degen and Alvin Wolfe were married at the Loyal Lutheran Church by the Rev. Lechensky. Their attendants were Doris Degen Collier and Paul Wolfe. For a short time they made their home with Mr. and Mrs. Ed Wolfe, on what is now the Milton Wolfe farm. Since then they have lived on the farm that is their present home. They have six children: Verlyn, Mrs. Edward (Ardith) Domine, Jr., Richard, Tommy, Ronald and Robert.

The anniversary dinner was prepared by Mrs. Walter Pieper, Mrs. Romaine Rossow, Mrs. Edd Dobbe, and Mrs. Herman Litka. Waitresses were Mrs. James Helm, Mrs. Allen Luber, Mrs. Arnold Pieper and Mrs. Delmar Pieper.

Clark County has done a big business in Christmas trees this year. The sale brought in $4,882.35 from 8,376 trees and boughs. This was a larger sale than that of 1953, when the returns were $4,011.

The demand is strong for Norway pine rather than spruce. The sale of Norway was 5,794 trees. The largest tree sold was a spruce 12 feet high.

“I Quit!” After 30 Years, I Quit - I am selling out to the bare walls my Hardware Store known as the Lee Bluett Hardware Store, Granton, Wis. “Only Hardware Store in town, so I carried Everything!” A $50,000 Sell Out! 3 floors - 2 Warehouses! Attention: If at any time The store becomes jammed and we lock the door, please be patient a few minutes. As customers leave with their purchases, new buyers will be admitted.

Fifteen hundred persons, by a conservative estimate, attended the seventy-fifth anniversary party of the Neillsville Bank, held in the armory last Friday evening. The attendance and the interest were so great as almost to overwhelm the party. Before the program began, all the seats were occupied, and presently it was difficult to get a place in which to stand.

The plan was that after the program of entertainment the chairs would be pushed aside and the floor would be cleared for dancing. But the crowd was so dense that the chairs could be moved very little. So the dancing was limited to the skillful who could manage with a minimum of space.

The audience was highly appreciative of the entertainment. They did not know, however, that they were missing what would probably have been recognized as the star feature of the show. For the Ukrainians, intended for the top role, were definitely and unhappily bogged down on the side of the highway. The bus, which had gathered them up encountered the difficulty of the weather and slid off into the ditch. The Ukrainians, greatly to their own disappointment, were unable to reach the show at all.

Despite their absence, the Ukrainians were given a considerable share of the limelight. They had prepared in their own manner the large Christmas tree, which was the chief decoration, and attention was drawn to the ornaments upon the tree, which they had made with their own hands. It was intended that they should put on their own kind of dance and costumes had been brought on from Chicago with that in view. Also a young woman had made the trip to participate. But neither the Ukrainians nor the bank people had reckoned with Wisconsin roads and Wisconsin weather.

The service of the Ukrainians in decorating the tree and their intended participation in the program seemed to the bank personnel especially suitable. The bank was celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary. Its history runs back to the pioneer days of Clark County. In these days the Ukrainians are pioneers, too. Refugees from their homeland with untold cruelties behind them, they have come to Clark County to carve out a new life for themselves. Almost entirely they left behind what possessions they had and they are starting afresh in Clark County.

But if the Ukrainians bogged down along the road, that was not the bad luck of some 600 youngsters, who connected up for the bags of candy, nor was it the luck of the grown-ups, who made way with gallons of coffee and mountains of sandwiches and doughnuts.

(After World War II there were several Ukrainian families, referred to as Displace Persons of Europe, who immigrated to Clark County. DZ)

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