by Elaine Walker
June 20, 1979: Before: Here is the city council chambers prior to the rooms being remodeled as part of the renovation of city hall. A current photograph of the room, complete with city councilmen, is featured on the front page.
June 17, 1909
John Berg added another scalp to his wardrobe of wrestling trophies at the Anacortes Opera House last night, when he put Joe LaSalle’s shoulders squarely on the mat twice in succession.
June 19, 1919
A bottle of water containing a couple of live tadpoles and a few dead ones, together with some worms and dirt, just as it was drawn from a faucet in Anacortes, stood on the table for the city councilmen to look at during their meeting Tuesday night. The exhibit was sent to the council by Dr. H.E. Frost, city health officer.... Councilman W.H. McCallum stated that Dr. Frost had gone to the water company office and left word to stop the use of Heart Lake water immediately, and emphasized his request with the assertion that if this were not done he personally would go out and blow up the Heart lake pipe line with dynamite.
June 13, 1929
Both local banks have on display samples of the new currency which will replace the larger bills now in circulation. The new currency is expected to go into use about the middle of July.
June 15, 1939
Beginning in early September an influx of from 100 to 150 new families into Anacortes may be expected shortly in advance of opening operations at the Anacortes Veneer company this week. With building plans well progressed, and with the major portion of the machinery all ordered, and expected in shipments scattered between the present date and August 15, Veneer leaders this week believe they can put their finger on the actual operation date for the large Anacortes plant, as being sometime around the latter part of September.
June 16, 1949
Eleven of Anacortes’ loveliest and best known young women were this week embarked in the first week of the Annual Marineers’ Pageant queen contest race which will close some five or six weeks from now. Here are the official Pageant queen contestants for 1949: Beverly Leake, Florence Adams, Norma Archer, Norine Chiabia, Anna Kager, Alice Harvey, Lila Keltz, Beverly Rosenblatt, Rita Bargewell, Ardelle Rock and Roberta Sullivan.
June 18, 1959
More pickers are needed in the Skagit Valley’s burgeoning strawberry fields, the state employment office said today. Anacortes fields opened up at the beginning of this week and the last valley growers will be ready to harvest by Monday at the latest. Transportation by bus will be provided pickers working in the valley’s 1,000 acres of berries.
June 20, 1979
There will be one less elementary school in Anacortes by the 1980-81 school year if the board here follows a recommendation by parents, residents and instructors. Faced with dwindling enrollments and limited levy capacities, the district must reduce spending in the near future, Supt. Duane Lowell said. And so based on that prediction, the 40 individuals present at last night’s special meeting voted to close Whitney Elementary School by 1980, if necessary, and to absorb those students into the city’s three other elementary schools.
June 21, 1989
The initial offerings at The Depot’s Market might not have been many, but the enthusiasm was high, according to the coordinator of the brand new event. “Gee it was fun. People loved it. They liked the setting at The Depot,” coordinator Kathy Janke said.
— From the archives of the Anacortes American
