25-50-100 Years Ago

That Pitkin County has public spirited commissioners and the city of Aspen, boosters for mayor and aldermen, is now a known fact by their liberal donations toward the purchase of the Fair Grounds and Hallam Lake grounds … the committee [a group made up of Hallam Lake owner D.R.C. Brown, Sr., and two others] has secured an appropriation of $1,000 from the county commissioners [and] renewed its application for an appropriation of $500 [from the city]. It was the intention to procure the Hallam Lake ground and make it a public park … Mr. Brown thought … it would be a great bargain and the establishment of a fish hatchery [one of the ideas for using the property] would be a great benefit to the community.

The farmer boys from Carbondale received an awful walloping at the hands of Aspen’s rejuvenated aggregation of ball tossers at the Fair Grounds Sunday … [the Aspen squad showed prowess that] is bound to land them at the top of the Western Slope teams before many weeks go by … The score was 28 to 0 …

There was a large crowd out to enjoy the moving pictures at the opera house last evening. The pictures are very clear and steady and highly entertaining. The illustrated song was a very pretty selection and Miss Garvin sang it with sweetness and expression. The slides were very pleasing. During the absence of Miss Ferris the Pianist, Miss Carrie Saunders kindly consented to take her place.

The Leadville baseball team has been secured to play with the Blue Stockings on the local diamond on Saturday and Sunday, and it is said that a train load of Cloud City boosters will accompany their team … the city will be in gala attire and the band will cheer our hearts and make us feel glad we are living. At 1 o’clock sharp the program will start at the Fair Grounds. The Crystal Palace will be turned into a mammoth dining room and strawberry shortcake will be served … Following the feast there will be events of interest and amusement … until 3 o’clock when the great game will start.

An irate citizen appeared before the city council … to ask it to take action about low water pressure and leaky water mains. The citizen, John Weaver … told the aldermen that a broken main was making a mud hole of the street near his house and was adversely affecting the water pressure of neighboring homes. He explained that the [private] water company had been informed of the leak several weeks ago but had taken no action. Although the aldermen agreed that the city did own the streets, they told Weaver that there was no action they could take and advised him to complain to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission … Weaver asked the aldermen if the city intended to carry out the ordinances voted on by the people in November, 1957, and acquire the water system. He was told that the city was still waiting for information necessary to such action.

The need for some type of municipal administrator was never more apparent than it was this week. At Monday’s meeting … the lack of adequate supervision of local affairs was emphasized by almost every discussion that took place … the aldermen admitted that seven months after the water election they had no plan of action as to how to improve, or even how to begin to improve, the system; [and] discovered that [a] letter which they had previously voted to send had never been written or sent [by City Attorney Clinton Stewart].

On June 19 Aspenites will be able to see themselves on television and see one of the first solar batteries in operation at the traveling Phonorama trailer exhibit. Sponsored by the Mountain States Telephone Company, the unique display … will be parked before the Chamber of Commerce … There will be no charge for admission.

Richard Rianoshek, the director of the Colorado Law Enforcement Training Academy at Eagle, has accepted [the] offer to become the new police chief .. The committee, sworn to secrecy about the selections, reportedly also named Undersheriff Don Davis and Acting Police Chief Terry Quirk as second and third choices … The committee was said to be divided between naming Quirk or Deputy Bob Braudis [current sheriff of Pitkin County] as their third choice.

The latest salvo in the world of chopstickery was fired this past week when Eastern Winds restaurant on Cooper Street held its biannual “Locals Appreciation Day,” a day when prices were cut in half. Their action, however, prompted a quick reaction by Arthur’s owner David Moss, who retaliated by offering dinners the same day at prices reduced by 70 percent from his winter menu …

The eating game in town, Orientally speaking, involves more than just two … for those who have a yen from something from the Far East … there are two Japanese style restaurants ” Takah Sushi on the Hyman Street Mall and Sumo’s on South Spring Street … [and] yet another Chinese restaurant will be opening soon ” The Szechuan Gardens.