75 years ago

March 21, 1942

At Harbor theaters this week: James Cagney and Brenda Marshall star is “Captains of the Clouds,” a technicolor drama of the Royal Canadian Air Force, at the Warner Brother’s. In a different kind of role for her, Marlene Dietrich stars with Fred McMurray in “The Lady is Willing” at the D and R. “You’re in the Army Now,” starring Jimmy Durante and Phil Silvers is playing at the New Bijou. Ginger Rogers and George Montgomery star in “Roxie Hart, the drama of a murderess in the “bad old days” of Chicago, now showing at the Seventh Street.

March 22, 1942

Sunday, no newspaper published

50 years ago

March 21, 1967

Mrs. Tony Zuvich, home economics chairman of the Sharon Grange received the State and National Grange Home Economics Achievement awards earlier this month.

Mrs. Zuvich reported there were 43 entries in the Grange Baking Contest held at Pomona Grange recently.

On March 11, Sharon Grange served more than 400 at the annual oyster dinner. Fifty members prepared and served the dinner.

March 22, 1967

The ominous orange unidentified flying objects (UFOs) that have been alarming McCleary residents for the past four days are no longer unidentified thanks to some alert detective work by McCleary Police Chief Dick Valley.

Valley disclosed last night that the UFOs were designed by a pair of prankish college students, not little green spacemen sporting pulsating antennas.

In reality, the UFOs were ingeniously prepared plastic garment bags and weather balloons, containing lighted candles. The chief preferred not to name names but did advise that one youth is from Elma and the other from McCleary. Both attend the University of Washington and are home on spring vacation.

25 years ago

March 21, 1992

• Every work day, Bill Lonn has a warehouse at the Port of Grays Harbor filled with planer shavings — used waste from local mills.

Machinery inside compresses the truckloads into neat, stackable bales. The bales are for use in the “equestrian industry.”

Translation? Grays Harbor’s wood waste is being shipped to Southern California for use in horse stalls, chiefly at race tracks.

“I know it’s not rocket science but we’ve been very successful for a long time,” Lonn said of the business founded in 1927 by his grandfather, Russell Price.

The family company operates out of Los Angeles and Fremont, Calif. as well as Baja, Mexico. There are two subsidiaries in the Northwest — one in Oregon and Premium Pak, which signed a lease in November and began operations this month at the Port of Grays Harbor.

Three employees “who would have been displaced by our decision to relocate” moved to the Harbor with the Lonns. Eventually Lonn said he expects to employ about 9 and perhaps 11 people on a full-time basis.

• Hoquiam High School graduate Sam Brueher is a young man on a mission — making music. He has recently cut his first album, and what’s remarkable is that this 19-year-old composed all the music and wrote his own lyrics.

A chance meeting at the Aberdeen health club in November was instrumental in moving along his dream to “put out an album before I was 24,” Brueher said.

Kurdt Vanderhoof, the lead guitar player and founder of the heavy metal group “Hallaflame” was home for a visit and the two ran into each other. Brueher told Vanderhoof what he wanted to do and the two lifelong Harborites agreed to produce the album. It was made at Vanderhoof’s Aberdeen recording studio.

March 22, 1992

A sturdy OAK is branching out to revitalize the sleepy little town of Oakville.

The Oakville Action Kommittee — OAK for short — is breathing life into this long-dormant town.

“We’re livening up the community,” noted Mayor Carl Lindholm, a member of Oak.

Members of the group cleaned, raked and mowed along Main Street, but their first “event” was a Halloween parade. Then volunteers made wooden Christmas decorations for Main Street — the first time the city has had decorations — and put up a Christmas tree at the post office. They also encouraged the fire department to once again host the town’s annual Christmas celebration.

As an offshoot of Oak, a clothing bank has been started and two new ball fields are being built.

Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom