SEYMOUR HIGHLIGHTS FROM 1951
Flora Boyden, a long time Seymour resident and historian, authored many articles about the history of Seymour. During the 1950's she was a correspondent to the Appleton Post-Crescent. On December 28, 1951, she submitted the following article to the paper summarizing the major events in Seymour during the course of the year.
SEYMOUR- Seymour has had an active year. Many people wonder what activities there are in a little town and how people keep busy. In making a resume of the doings of the various organizations, the churches, the clubs, and the people, it is notable how so much can be crowded into a year.
JANUARY
To begin with, January is a busy month. There’s inventory for the merchants, it’s tax time, and everyone is busy thinking what they will do to make a success of 1952. The thermometer dropped to 32 below zero on Jan. 30, 1951. The Boy Scouts had their big pancake supper and the Women’s Club was busy getting its scrapbook ready for national competition.
FEBRUARY
In February, the Boy Scouts held their annual bean feed, the churches celebrated World Day of Prayer and he annual Masonic party for the ladies
was held at the Evangelical church with the Rev. Dascomb Forbush of Appleton as the speaker. On the last day of the month, we had a snowstorm accompanied by thunder and lightning.
MARCH
March wasn’t kind to Seymour as Leland West of Seymour and John Adrian of Kaukauna were killed in an airplane accident just south of Shiocton, and on March 10 we had the biggest blizzard of the year.
APRIL
Elections highlighted April. The first robin was reported and the McDowell and the Chaminade choruses of Appleton entertained Seymour people sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. The Daughters of Isabella Club of Green Bay presented a concert for the Seymour Women’s Club. There were audiometer tests at the Seymour public school and on April 28 the temperature hiked to 80 degrees. There was much talk of trout fishing. A meeting was held in the high school gym at which plans were made for a new scout building to be built in Rock Ledge Park.
MAY
The Seymour High School made the front page in May with its senior class play, a graduation class of 68 and many social school functions.
JUNE
The 5th of June, the Alice in Dairyland contest was held in Seymour under Kiwanis supervision, and 12 girls chosen to represent this area at the contest at Fond du Lac. Strawberries were 35 cents a quart. Dick Sachs and Dallas Goerl attended Badger Boys state at Ripon, and Janice Peotter and Helen Reis went to the Badger Girls camp at Madison. The eighth Wisconsin school safety patrol congress was held at Wisconsin Dells and was attended by several children of the Seymour school.
JULY
The Legion sponsored the 4th of July celebration at the Fairgrounds and many family reunions were held in Seymour during the month, the largest being that of the Mullen family, with 150 in attendance. New streets were opened in Seymour and new water mains installed in the Clark Addition. At the annual school meeting, a five-member school board was elected.
AUGUST
The Seymour fair took all of the attention for August. There were 35,000 in attendance for the 5-day fair, and the grandstand income doubled for the 5-day showing. An ice revue, horse races, stock car races, 4-H exhibitions, and a Centennial historical pageant furnished the entertainment. A driver in the stock car races was badly injured and rushed to the hospital. Many 4-H boys and girls were in the spotlight with their prize entries.
SEPTEMBER
School opened in September with several new teachers. The Women’s club visited the Grignon home at Kaukauna on Sept. 12 and a bad storm hit Seymour doing much damage to trees, shrubbery and telephone and electric wires. On September 21 the Seymour State Bank opened for business in a new building on South Main St.
OCTOBER
The annual Seymour High School homecoming was held in October with a huge bonfire, pep rally, dance and the Seymour team meeting the De Pere Red Birds. The homecoming queen was Dolores Lembcke with Judy Wurtzel, Nance Melter, and Donna Mae Muller in her court.
The local firemen held their annual dance to raise funds for the kiddies’ Christmas party, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars sponsored a dance for the benefit of little Kay Seidl at which $1,000 was collected to help the little girl on the road to health. Grover Falck, postmaster, was found dead in his home. On Oct. 2. several Girl Scout troops were organized each with two leaders who attended a series of meetings in scouting at Appleton.
The Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Seymour celebrated its 75th anniversary with 1,800 in attendance at the three services. A dinner and supper were served to all the visitors. The Seymour Women’s Club entertained the school teachers at a reception and the entertainment was put on by members of the Green Bay Recreation Club. The Seymour Rebekah Lodge No. 21 entertained delegates at a district meeting from Iola, Clintonville, Shiocton, Manawa, New London, Waupaca, Ogdensburg and Seymour.
NOVEMBER
November blew in with much snow. The Seymour library celebrated its 50th anniversary with open house and tea in the library rooms. The Kiwanis Club entertained the library board and honored F.W. Axley and George Droeger, who had served on the library board for many years. Miss Eleanor Tubbs, the present librarian, was presented with a corsage. The Congregational Churches of Seymour and Nichols honored their pastor, the Rev. George R. McKeith, on his 50th year in the Congregational ministry.
Many of the deer enthusiasts left for the north woods for the annual deer season, and many were the tales told when they returned. Nov. 24 a bad fire burned out the Sarrfe studio and home occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Don Fraser. Earl Windau sold his garage and was appointed acting postmaster in place of Grover Falck, deceased.
DECEMBER
December brought us snow, thunder, lightning and rain, but also brought us Christmas and a very busy holiday season. The Future Farmers of America held their annual banquet at the Seymour High school gym, with I.O. Hembre, Madison, state education leader for soil conservation with the University Extension Service as the speaker. About 190 attended and honor awards were given to FFA members.
Members of the surrounding school area met in December with the Seymour school board and high school faculty to talk over the crowded conditions of the Seymour school. The Catholic women of St. John’s Church held a Day of Recollection, at the church with a large crowd in attendance. The speaker was the Rev. Blaise Peters, O. Praem of St. Norbert’s College, De Pere. A Boy Scout Court of Honor was held in St. John’s Hall, with many boys receiving merit badges. Dairy Plant operators in the area were entertained at a dinner at Hotel Seymour, with Ed Tierney, manager of the Badger Co-Op in Seymour in charge. The Seymour Women’s Club held its annual party in the school gym with Mrs. C.J. Conseor presenting a Christmas cantata.
Schools, churches, homemakers clubs,
the garden club and all organizations held annual Christmas parties, and Santa visited the Seymour children and handed out 940 bags of candy to the little tots on one of the coldest days of the year. All in all, it has been a busy year for Seymourites.