Harrington News

By MARJORIE WOMACH

Mike Cronrath organized an all-school Veteran’s Program with participation from many of the various age groups. Debra Armstrong and Karen Kennedy handed out programs during the prelude. Madison Charlton, ASB President, made the introductory comments prior to the opening with a flag ceremony. The third and fourth graders sang the Star Spangled Banner under the direction of Mr David Nighswonger. Mike Cronrath made opening remarks and introduced the veterans that were present, one in uniform. Cronrath elaborated on the significance of the flag. The fifth and sixth graders demonstrated the proper technique for folding a flag and provided thorough information on proper flag etiquette. Each fold has its purpose and the students were keenly aware of that. Mrs Grace Moeller was responsible for the excellent demonstration by these students. A video, There She Stands by Michael W. Smith and Wes King, was presented. Dr. Mike Perry commented on and presented the Gettysburg Address, commemorating the 150th anniversary on the 15th of November. He reminded the audience to "listen closely to the words of the address, of how President Lincoln honored veterans". Ben Edwards, math instructor, led in a moment of silence. Nighswonger performed Taps, and it was simply beautiful. A video "Harrington's Heroes" was shown of some of the Harrington veterans with a listing of the names of every veteran from Harrington scrolling by. Cronrath, Nighswonger and Perry sand the third and fourth verses of America the Beautiful and were accompanied by Tony Hamilton on his guitar. This was followed with the audience joining in for the first verse as the last. Edwards closed the ceremony with "Retiring the Colors" as the conclusion to the nearly hour-and-a-half production. Some of the veterans attending and being recognized were U.S. Army veterans Pat Quaigg, Howard Schaffner, Tony Hamilton, and Randy Behrens, Air force veterans attending were Ray Harrington, Ron Wilkie, Roger Lybecker. Brad Simpson. Navy veterans were John D "Skip" Simpson, and Casandra Mahrenholz.

Cronrath said 1.4 million Americans have been wounded and more than 650,000 Americans have died in wars. He marked the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, in which more than 25,000 lost their lives in the three days outside Gettysburg. He marked the 70th Anniversary of the US in WW II, the 60th Anniversary of the end of the Korean War and the 12th Anniversary of September 11 and the War on Terror.

Harrington FBLA

The Harrington FBLA will sponsor Turkey Bingo Sunday, November 17, at the school. It is sponsored jointly by the FBLA and the Harrington Homemakers. Homemade chili and cinnamon rolls are available at 12 noon and bingo starts at 1 p.m.

Opera House Society

Saturday's rummage sale was another great success adding more than 400 dollars to the elevator fund with a steady flow of customers and curiosity-seekers from 9 until 2 p.m. Several tables were filled to overflowing with basketry. Lighting and heat lamps were also added which made shopping easier and more pleasant with cooler weather setting in. The next sale is scheduled for December 7, with new additions to include Christmas theme items (old and new), vinyl records, brass collections, Christmas CDs, and books. Some of the vintage clothing remains on display as are many of the baskets. The theme continues, "make a donation and take what you like".

A choir from Grand Coulee will be performing a Christmas concert December 8 in the Harrington Opera House. Watch for details.

Chamber of Commerce

December 7 is the date to mark on your calendars for not only is that the date of Santa's arrival at the opera house at 10 a.m., but it is the date for the venders to be set up at Memorial Hall at 9 a.m. with bingo and the FFA serving chili and hot dogs.

Harrington's New Eatery

The early Willis building that became the Pickell hotel for many years furnished meals to their lodgers. In 1892 just below the Great Northern headquarters was a saloon with a restaurant owned by Fred Folmer. The Tinsley House, which was later identified as the Pacific Hotel in 1894, had also provided meals to the lodging clientele. By 1898 the Up-To-Date Restaurant owned by Mace Delane and the California Restaurant owned by J.S. Gill were the primary eating places for the influx of people that had come to the new townsite of Harrington. Advertising appeared regularly in the fledgling newspaper, The Harrington Citizen, such as this one: : "Remember That The California Restaurant Gives A First Class Turkey Dinner on Thanksgiving Day. For 25 cents. Menu: Salads: Potatoe, Cole Slaw. Soup: Fresh Oyster. Roasts: Choice Ribs of Beef, Brown Gravey, French Sauce; Turkey, Cranberry Sauce. Entrée: Chicken Fricassee. Vegetables: Celery, Olives, Cream Corn, Mashed Potatoes, French Cabbage. Dessert. Pies: Cranberry, Apple, Mince. Cakes: Chocolate, Marble, Cocoanut. Apples and Oranges. Tea, Coffee, Milk, Chocolate." (Citizen: 11-18-1898) "Harrington Hotel. Only First-Class House in the City. Mrs J Dyke, Prop. Rates: $1.00 and $1.25 a day. Meals: 25 cents." (Citizen: 9-15-1899) It will be remembered that the Harrington Hotel of 1899 is not the Lincoln Hotel, and it was destroyed by the same arson fire that took the life of Lawrence Tierney in 1904.

Advertising alerts the general public as to what is available in a location, but for historians it is a source of information that otherwise might be more difficult to locate. In the late 1890s and early 1900s there was a great turnover not only of business locations and ownership of businesses, but one's occupation might well change from barber to proprietor of a restaurant. Other early-day restaurants included the Home Restaurant to 1905, the Ivy Leaf Café with proprietor Wilbur Dobson in 1903, M. Z. Epperson in 1904 and Anna Hennessy in 1905. Albin C. Swanson advertised his restaurant in 1908 as did Young & McAnnally. Imagine if you will that Harrington in 1910 advertised Boyer & Billow, bakery & restaurant (formerly owned by Becker & Butterfield); dining at Hotel Lincoln; meals at the Sherman (boarding) House; I. Uydea's Restaurant, and others that managed without ads. The Chocolate Shop arouses one's sweet tooth, but the reality was that it was as much a restaurant as a candy shop and ice cream parlor. The Magnet, a confection store, also served food for many years. 1921 showed Mother's Café (Nora Schilly) as a new business that was short-lived. The Royal Café was long a restaurant in Harrington, successfully owned by Y. Sekiya & H. Tagami with Joe Kinoshita operating it some years. In 1926 a gun-wielding bandit made off with $60 from them. In 1949 its very existence was threatened in the blaze that destroyed the Harrington Drug Company and Birge-Swenson Implement Company. As the older hotels and their adjoining restaurants closed, new independent cafes and restaurants were opened. Mr. and Mrs. Finis Smith opened one in 1929. In 1937, Mrs Ina Hudson and Mrs Emma Johnson opened the Midget Lunch counter. In 1946 Inland Empire Hotel & Coffee Shop, Mr. and Mrs. C.M. Scott, was advertising. By 1950 advertisements included a wider area than just one's own town, people were traveling a great deal and through ads one would become familiar with businesses in nearby towns. Many townspeople will readily recognize the Challenger Café, Joe Heinemeyer, proprietor, whose ads began appearing in 1955 when the Royal Café closed. The Challenger, Verda Moore, ad appeared in 1958, and continued well into the 1960s with no ownership showing. Winnie Rodenbough ran the local restaurant until 1972 when Mitch and Renate Mattoon took over and had a thriving little business. Mollie Beers had the café also for a period of time, followed by Tom Fitzpatrick; the Nighswongers had the Carrot Patch as a successful business and were followed by the Youngs. Many should still remember Minnie Kloster and the Buy-n-Bye Drive-In, the skeleton sitting at the north end of town. Billie Herron also had a small coffee stand in her Minnie Mall. Today, if you are hungry, the Harrington Food Market has limited hot dogs, sausage, etc. to eat on the go, but there is no place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or meal.

The crux of this article shows that people in Harrington have eaten through the years when establishments were available. This year with winter came the closing of the Golf & Country Club which served meals and the recent closing of the Harrington Haus has left the Chamber of Commerce, the PDA, the Harrington City Council, the Harrington Historic Preservation Commission and the Harrington Opera House Society each discussing how to attract businesses to town, and always the mention of a need for a restaurant, café or drive-in. Each of the foregoing eateries took risks and provided a service. Some were skilled business people and some were less successful. Harrington's New Eatery is a dream in someone's mind or a potential for an investor to utilize one of the many empty and preserved buildings to provide a much needed service. Each of the local Harrington meetings seem to attract the same individuals showing an interest in one aspect of the community. People with vision for the community are invited to attend these meetings and add their input of ideas and energy on finding the New Eatery for the town. The early development of the community came with an influx of people, and their survival depended upon having a sense of community. We are extremely mobile today, farms are huge by comparison to the early days but attitudes have changed with mobility. People tend to go to the larger towns to spend the money they earn in our locality without regard to the loss of "community". Harrington is waiting for the New Eatery.