December 1999: The four shepherds from medieval Christmas plays, from left, Don Hollister, Ron Seimer, Tony Bent and Paul VanAusdal. The plays, handed down orally in Germany from the 12th century, have been performed in Yellow Springs since 1962, brought here by the Stave family. (YS News archives)
News from the Past: December 2024
- Published: December 25, 2024
75 years ago: 1949
Local police nab ‘Numbers King.’ “Smart fast police work on the part of Police Chief Russell Bradley is credited by Mayor Paul Kintzel as bringing about the first arrest and conviction here Tuesday of Leland Rice, long rumored to be a top man in the alleged numbers [gambling] organization. … The local officials confiscated numbers slips estimated by them as representing several thousands of dollars of numbers chances.”
Area Theatre goes to Dayton. “Yellow Springs’ Arthur Lithgow and Frances Loud head a cast and staff of the Area Theatre production of ‘Taming of the Shrew’ in Dayton next week that gives the first all out-of-town run of the theatre group a strong Yellow Springs flavor.”
Women’s basketball. “Two teams of Bryan High School girls split a double header at the local gym Tuesday afternoon, winning 24–15 and losing 16–15. … Appearing in the victory … (with the scoring) were: Marcia Cordell, 4; Virginia Hamilton, 10; Shirley Shook, 6; Alice Hoffman, Marlene Perry, Joy Baldwin, Mimi Goetz, Marilyn Welch, Betty Corwin, Betsy Leuba, 4.”
50 years ago: 1974
More football! “Yellow Springs High School students are in favor of continuing football at the High School, 230–41, a survey taken Friday of 95% of the students showed. Athletic Director James Jones reported the survey findings to the school board Monday as the board began its review of the three-year-old high school football program.”
“Mayor James Lawson was honored by 250 of his fellow-citizens Friday night at a surprise recognition dinner. At the conclusion of the dinner Mr. Lawson was presented with a check for $1,000, the gift of those attending. The event recognized 25 years of public service.”
“Margaret Snyder, popular and much loved checkout clerk at Weaver’s SuperValu, retires this week. … But she’ll be back off and on, Margaret and Bud Weaver have arranged, for a few days each week, so the host of customer friends for whom shopping at Weaver’s carries the added pleasure of a greeting from her, can still be in touch. Margaret’s 28 years serving Yellow Springs grocery shoppers … began [in 1946] with P.W. Weiss in the old Weiss store where Weaver’s [Tom’s] is now.”
Ban trucks. “Thru’ trucks only are affected by the Village’s recent truck ordinance banning thru trucks except on Xenia Ave. and Dayton St., explains Village Manager Bruce Rickenbach in a statement released last week.”
35 years ago: 1989
“Wayne Baker … is working as a reporter for a newspaper in Southbridge, Massachusetts, and coaching basketball. He would like to hear from his friends.”
“Dorothy O. Scott has been honored as one of the Top Ten Women in the Dayton area in an annual program co-sponsored by the Dayton Women’s Coalition and the Dayton Daily News.”
“Jerry Boswell is the director and Jonathan Pyles and Tim Rowe are songwriters for the Springfield Civic Theatre’s production of A Night at the Tropicana, to be staged this December. … Suzanne Grote, of Yellow Springs, is president of the Springfield Civic Theatre.”
25 years ago: 1999
Tunnel of Love Car Wash in planning stage. “The sign went up last week: ‘Kiss & Hug’s Tunnel of Love Car Wash.’ That’s right. Villagers may soon be able to get their dirty cars washed locally. You might be able to buy a car there, too. Yellow Springs resident Doug Roberts … plans to open a car wash on the Village’s south side. He also wants to open a small garage and used car lot.”
Volunteer opportunities. “As a service to the community, the Senior Citizens Center is compiling a list of local volunteer opportunities. It will be accessible to everyone and lists more than 50 area organizations and agencies. The compilation will be a resource for high school and college students who need to fulfill a community service requirement, for retired persons who have spare time and want to spend it constructively, or for anyone else in the community who would like to reach out to help others.”
10 years ago: 2014
Art surrounds trash. “‘Honey, please throw that trash in the art can!’ Okay, so it may take a while for villagers to give the large round cans that line downtown streets the respect they deserve. But in fact, several of the lowly Xenia Avenue receptacles that catch our trash are now original works of art, and they’ll be joined by more artwork soon.” [Thank you, co-creators Beth Holyoke and Kathi Seidl.]
“Softcops is timely, provocative. … The purpose of theater being to hold ‘the mirror up to nature,’ in Hamlet’s dictum, the choice for the first faculty-directed play in Antioch College’s renovated Foundry Theater is fitting. Though set in 19th century France, Softcops’ exploration of totalitarianism and torture is highly relevant to the present discourse around police brutality, racism and oppression.”
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