This Week in Odessa History

Continued from the April 19, 2018 issues of the Odessa Record.

75 years ago

The Odessa Record

April 15, 1943

Club members hold judging practice: The Odessa 4-H beef club members held a meeting at the Mark Smith and Praetorious brothers ranches, where they had access to several groups of choice beef steers for practice judging and coaching on showmanship, as a warmup practice before the Odessa and Spokane junior livestock shows.

Those taking part in the contest where Bud and Bob Praetorious, Bill and Benny Smith, Joanne, Wayne and Myron Walter, Dick Laney, Frankie Groh, Mary Ann Smith and Joyce Napier.

Bob Praetorious, Bill Smith and Wayne Walter turned in perfect scores on judging, all the other members turning in very creditable cards.

Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Praetorious served a substantial lunch to the youngsters and visitors at the close of the meeting, states Joyce Napier, club reporter.

The Odessa show will be held on April 24, and the Spokane show on May 5, 6 and 7.

50 years ago

The Odessa Record

April 18, 1968

Otto Amen will be a candidate: Representative Otto Amen has announced that he will be a candidate for re-election to the Washington State house of representatives for district 9-B, comprised of Lincoln and Adams Counties.

Amen, a Republican, is now serving in this capacity, having been elected to the office in 1966.

In the last session he served on the Agriculture, Natural Resources, Public Institutions and Youth Development, and Transportation Committees.

During the interim he is serving on the Legislative Council and the Legislative Council Committee on Commerce, Industry, Trades and Professions.

Prior to serving in the legislature, Amen was active in agricultural organizations, having served as President of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Western Wheat Associates and as Chairman of the Washington Wheat Commission. He has also served on advisory committees for Washington State University and the State Department of Agriculture.

Representative and Mrs. Amen live on and operate a wheat farm on the Adams-Lincoln county line, half-way between Ritzville and Odessa.

He is a graduate of Odessa High School and Washington State University.

25 years ago

The Odessa Record

April 15, 1993

Town ready for its 1993 Spring Fling: With Odessa's Spring Fling on April 24 fast approaching, the Chamber of Commerce committee in charge of events has been scurrying about, phones are ringing for the reservation of craft tables and space at the quilt show and the Lions Club is preparing for an influx of trout in the fish pond.

Odessa's annual spring celebration will be the start of a busy season. The idea of a mini-fest in the spring was born many years ago, and at first there was little enthusiasm. Some community leaders felt that one fest --Deutschesfest-- was enough in one year. But year by year, the event has begun to grow. New features have been added, and this year more and greater attractions will be offered than ever before.

Last year the trout pond was Spring Fling's biggest sensation.

This year the Lions Club will be the sponsors of the pond. There will be 290 trout available for the young fishermen. Hot dogs and pop will be for sale at the fish pond. It will again be held in the Washington Water Power Building.

The Odessa Quilt Club will present their first quilt show at the Heritage United Church of Christ. At the present time the group is expecting approximately 100 quilts and wall hangings to be on display for viewing.

There will also be fabric and supplies that are needed by quilters for sale from area dealers.

Not all the quilts are new, some will display their ancestor's quilts. The Quilt Club plans to make this an annual event. If there are too many quilts for the church, a spokesman for the group says they will have the overflow at the Heritage Chapel. The group hopes to make this an annual event.

Twenty-seven tables have been rented for the Community Center for the arts and crafts. Also being offered at the Community Center is baked goods from Grannie BarBar and lunch by Lean Edge Meats.

Some of the items for sale will be wheat weaving, porcelain jewelry, dolls, wood crafts, plants, and much more. Parkside Day Care will have a children's game.

There will be a horse adoption at the Lakeview Ranch. The final 90 people have been selected through a screening process. Of that 90, the BLM will draw out of a hat about 30 names. They will be the lucky horse owners and will pay their $125 and get a horse.

Clarene Haynie has received seven phone calls for yard sales. She is making a yard sale map depicting where each sale is being held. Clarene said she is getting more calls every day and is excited about the response.

A Best Ball tournament will be held at the Odessa Golf Course beginning at noon. It will be a two-person tournament. A partner is not mandatory to sign-up. The fee is $5 plus greens fee.

The museum will be the site of a horseshoe tournament. Sign-up will be at 1 p.m. and the tournament starts at 1:30 p.m. A $2 entry fee per person will be charged. The museum will be open for viewing during Saturday.

For all of the citizens who have not gotten their cars washed since winter, a car wash will take place by Denny's Thrift softball team.

The Odessa Gun Club will have a practice shoot on Saturday. This will be a preliminary event for their big shoot on Sunday.

The Odessa Chamber of Commerce is the sponsor of the one day event. This year, the wrap-up of the evening will be a dance at the Community Center. A country-western theme has been selected since there were 65 people who took country dance lessons in March. The cost of the dance will be $5 single and $8 a couple. Music will be from 8-12 p.m. and furnished by Rock-a-bar. The band also plays songs from the '50s and '60s besides country music.

100 years ago

The Odessa Record

April 26, 1918

Good fishing at Deer Lake: Fishing is reported exceptionally good at present at Deer Lake, a small member of the Lake Creek chain just below Coffee Pot lake. Perch are luring people from as far as the Harrington country. It is claimed that over a hundred people fished there Sunday and that all who had boats made fine catches.

75 years ago

The Odessa Record

April 29, 1943

Close contest at stock show: With 18 head of prime steers groomed for exhibition, the Odessa 4-H fat stock show on Saturday at the Finney Lumber yards attracted a large crowd. Owing to the tire rationing many judging teams from outside towns could not compete.

The program opened at 10:30 with a parade and band concert, followed at 11 with an Easter egg hunt and rabbit chase for kiddies. The main show started at 1 o'clock with stock judging, in which eight teams were entered.

In stock judging the Ritzville club, represented by Bert Williams, Don and Bernice Heinemann, won first place, with a score of 1080 out of a possible 1200; Wayne Walter, Ben Smith and Joanne Walter, Odessa, were second with 1005 points; Robert Wagner, Joanne Alderson and Eileen Harris, Wilbur, third, with 975, and a mixed team, including Elmer and Alva Gettman, Harrington, and Manford Giese, Odessa, fourth.

Girl is winner.

The stock exhibited was so nearly perfect that judging was difficult, the judge, George Burkhalter, Adams county agent, awarding the championship to a steer exhibited by Joanne Walter. Paul Praetorious took second place, Wayne Walter, third; Ben Smith, fourth; and Elmer Gettman, fifth. Following in order were entries by Alva Gettman, Bob Praetorious, Bill Smith, Marilu Giese, Myron Walter, Elmer Gettman, Mary Ann Smith, Marilu Giese, Joyce Napier, Manford Giese and Frankie Groh.

Individual winners in stock judging were Bert Williams, Ritzville, with a perfect 400 score, and Dickie Laney, Odessa, 370 out of a possible 400.

Showmanship prizes were divided into two classes, one for members of three years and over, the other for those of two years and under, and were awarded as follows: Elmer Gettman, first; Paul Praetorious, second, and Wayne Walter, third; second class, Alva Gettman, first; Joyce Napier, second, and Myron Walter. third.

Assisting in putting on the show were Mr. Burkhalter; Lee R. Foster, Davenport, county agent; John Napier, leader of the Odessa club. Al Wagner was chairman of the event.

Among the 4-H members present from other points were Barbara Heimbigner, Alva and Elmer Gettman of the Harrington club; Bernice and Don Heinemann, Charles Jassen and Bert Williams, of the Ritzville club; Joanne Alderson, Eileen Harris, Bobbie Miller, Robert Wagner, Wayne Watson, Jim Gollehon and Art Hanson of the Wilbur club. This group was accompanied by J. H. Llewellyn, leader.

Odessa members taking part in the judging contest were Ben Smith, Wayne Walter, Joyce Napier, Dickie Laney, Joanne Walter, Marilu Giese, Bob Praetorious, Bill Smith, Paul Praetorious, Frankie Groh, Manford Giese, Myron Walter and Mary Ann Smith. From the entire group only one, Manford Giese, will be lost to club work next year, because of age.

50 years ago

The Odessa Record

April 25, 1968

Odessa puts on a new face: Announcement of the fact that a judging team would be in Odessa to view and assess the accomplishments of the Town and Country Junior Women's Club has resulted in a "new face" for the community. The club has been designated as one of 10 national winners in a Community Improvement program.

Bright and early Saturday morning volunteer firemen were on the job washing down streets. It gave them an opportunity to try out the two new fire trucks which arrived this month.

And strollers through town Sunday afternoon found that the planters had been changed. The Evergreens had been removed by the Lions Club and replaced with European White Birch. The Evergreens were re-planted along with more Birch trees around the parking lot of the former Food Center area.

On Monday afternoon and Tuesday Leonard Mills and Merlin Giese spray painted the fire-scarred east wall of the burned-out food store. A sign was hung there, "Odessa Salutes Junior Women's Club April 24," by Mike Nichols and Paul Hopp for the chamber of commerce.

And the face-lifting reached its peak Wednesday morning as elbows could be seen bobbing up-and-down along First Avenue as more windows were washed than have been at one time since Halloween.

Harold Suchland had the flags flying early in the business district while many residents displayed them at their homes.

...all was in readiness when the chartered bus arrived from Spokane Wednesday afternoon with the visiting dignitaries, met at the Odessa Auto Parts bus depot by brightly-clad Junior Women, local officials and visiting neighboring club women.

25 years ago

The Odessa Record

April 29, 1993

Ranked with the best; quilt show gains fame on first try:

By Linda Gustafson

The Fronen Stepdecker, the Odessa Quilt Club's first annual quilt show, held Saturday during Spring Fling at the Heritage United Church of Christ, was pronounced by all to be a great success. There were quilts in every color, design and size that anyone could dream of.

Not only did women enjoy this show, but many men were seen viewing the quilts and giving their opinions on which ones were the finest. Well over 260 people saw the display.

Some visitors were heard to comment that the Odessa quilt show exceeded in excellence that of the Tri-Cities, which is second only to the Spokane quilt show in size and quality of workmanship.

Filling the fellowship hall and the narthex** area of the church building, the display included 139 quilts. A survey of those in attendance, showed that more than 25 percent were from out of town, coming from as far away as Renton, Tacoma, Dayton and Pasco. Others came from Quincy, Ephrata, Moses Lake, Ritzville, Spokane and Davenport.

Door prize winners were Elsie Winter, of Odessa; Diane Wagner, of Harrington; Hilda Derr, Ritzville; Clara Reimer, Moses Lake; Gordon Johnson, Veradale and Jim Zimprich, of Odessa.

The Mayors Award and People's Choice Award went to Roylene Scoggins, of Moses Lake, for her pink on cream cathedral window quilt. Mayor Denny McDaniel said the choice was really difficult to make as there was so many beautiful quilts. "The workmanship that went into so many of these quilts is just unreal," he said. He was overwhelmed by the number of quilts on display as he did not realize how many he would have to look at before deciding the winner.