Author: paulinemasson

The recent board of alderman discussion about promoting the upcoming 2026 anniversary of the construction of Route 66 to aid the local economy stirred up a hornet’s nest of opinions. But, as our current president would say, “Here’s the thing.” It is complicated matter but we can figure this out. In one small snippet of our Route 66 story, we once had a marker on Route 66 that pinpointed the spot where the Confederate Army was stopped on Oct. 1, … Continue reading “Rt 66 at Pacific Promotion Can Be A Tricky Business / But It’s Our Story to Tell”

How does a town like Pacific – which may have the best straight through section of Historic Route 66 of any city between Chicago, Illinois and Santa Monica, California – put together a 100th birthday bash that will get the tourists to stop? The official 100th Route 66 birthday is 2026. That commemorates the year construction started on the road. We have five years to get it together. The birthday party is coming. The federal government has appointed an official … Continue reading “Mayor Wants Citizens’ Help to Map Rt 66 Centennial Celebration. Only Have five Years to Plan and Build”

I normally don’t read love stories. I prefer the grittier tales in biographies and histories. That’s what I thought I would be reading twelve years ago when the late Tom Cronin gave me copies of the letters his father wrote home from this tour in the Merchant Marines during WWII. I thought it was going to be a war story, seen through the eyes of a young man at sea. If I’d known ahead of time that it was a … Continue reading “75 Years Later, a WWII Love Story Told Through a Sailor’s Letters Home”

Mayor Herb Adams says he will begin a nine-month exercise in ‘government by the people,’ as he looks ahead to next April. I’m guessing that most people are familiar with the phrase, government of the people, by the people and for the people. And they take confidence in its intent. A friend and fellow Pacific resident once quoted the phrase to me saying it was the law of the land. Actually, you won’t find it in the Declaration of Independence … Continue reading “Citizen Input Wanted to Help Design City Entrance Complex on Route 66 / Government by the People”

Open House September 25 In 1974 when Bob Chandler bought a new F-250 pickup truck it never entered his mind that his truck might one day be up there in the realm of American pop culture icons along with with baseball, cowboys, Route 66 and apple pie. He just liked to drive. It was a hobby.But like all hobbies, to keep pursuing it the first rule was to keep the thing running and that led to a business that would … Continue reading “BIGFOOT Places Pacific At the Center of Pop Culture – as American as Apple Pie”

Pacific aldermen say there will be no assigned parking spaces on St. Louis Street. They say any motorist hoping to park in front of a residence or business and finding all the spaces filled will just have to drive on and look for the next empty space. They say it is the only reasonable and fair thing to do. At their Tuesday September 7 board meeting, Pacific aldermen declined to act on requests for parking spaces assigned to residents on … Continue reading “No Assigned Parking on St. Louis Street / Motorists Must Look for Next Empty Space”

There are no words to describe the growing body of work that a mixed media artist has created. You have to see it to experience it. And that is what Rex Batson, Pacific’s newest self-styled artist in residence is hoping for. When it comes to words, Batson is a master. He has taught college English and literature for more than thirty years in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Des Moines. He has edited books for academic authors, big scholastic tomes approaching … Continue reading “Former Wordsmith Switches to Art: Creates Mixed Media Pictures In a Pacific Studio”

Everybody worth their salt loves their grandmother. Right?  Maybe so, but there was a lot more on his mind than parental love when Prentice Cawley came home to Pacific this week to help his family celebrate the life and legacy of his grandmother Marie Adams.  September 1, the day of her funeral was his 51st birthday. And he was asked to give the tribute to Marie, who died August 26, at age 98. Pacific High School alumni of 1985-88 would … Continue reading “Grandson Comes Home to Give the Speech of a Lifetime: Tribute to His Grandmother”

The Safety Net program for students whose families are displaced can’t give kids a room of their own, but it has done the next best thing. The Indian Closet, which is located in Pacific High School, is where students who may not have the haven of their own room, can find items such as food, hygiene products, school supplies, backpacks, shoes, hair products, hats, gloves, scarfs, cleaning products, and Pre-K through 12th grade coats and clothes. Overseeing this unique kids … Continue reading “Displaced Kids With No Room of Their Own, Have Special Nook in Pacific High School Where They Can Find All Manner of Treasurers”

Historic O’Connell House to be Razed The black net fence around the building at 222 North First Street means that one of the surviving 1890s mansions will soon be razed. Once the building is removed, the vacant lot will make room for an extra traffic lane on North First Street to aid large trucks heading for the industrial park on Denton Road. The two and a half story structure with its intricate gabled roof and wrap-around front porch has been … Continue reading “Historic Landmark to Come Down / Make Way for Extra Turn Lane”