Columns

15 Years Ago

1997 – Vandalia’s first city administrator, Ron Neibert, had begun work at Vandalia City Hall.
Former Vandalia residents, Winifred and Dennis Smith,  were celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.
Members of the Vandalia Historical Society approved the incorporation of the group, a step that became necessary after local historian, Mary Burtschi, announced her wish to donate the Little Brick House to the society.

15 Years Ago

1997 – Between 450 and 500 people attended the open house for the new emergency room addition at Fayette County Hospital.
Representatives of GEM (Going the Extra Mile) went to Springfield to receive a Governor's Home Town Award for volunteerism. GEM is the volunteer arm of the Fayette County Health Department.
Deborah Philpot resigned from the superintendent's position in the Ramsey School District to take an associate dean position with Lake Land College.

In my spare time during the past several years, I have been working on a project to identify as many of Vandalia’s early taverns as I can. In those early days, a tavern was where you could find a place to sleep, and an inn, or grocery, was where you would find a dram of whiskey.

15 Years Ago

1997 – The city of Vandalia was considering rejoining the I-70 Growth Association, several years after dropping its membership.
Amy and J.D. Vieregge of Vandalia bought the 28th house built by a building trades class at the Okaw Area Vocational Center. The house is located on East Fork Drive.
Wilbert and Elenora Yagow of St. Elmo were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and Wilmer and Pauline Yagow of Kinmundy were celebrating their 40th anniversary.