Hometown Matters

The wide swath of excavated ground on the west side of Lamar Parkway south of CVS Pharmacy is not preparation for a new building as some observers have thought. The construction site is being prepared for a new road. By the middle of July motorists are expected to have a second entry into the parking lot of one of the city’s most heavily travelled outdoor shopping centers, the Route 66 Marketplace, 2244-2248 West Osage.  The now under construction Route 66 … Continue reading “New Entry to Route 66 Marketplace is Under Construction, Projected Opening Date Mid July”

The Scenic Regional Library Pacific branch is cool. Any time. But especially in summer when temperatures soar. The library is an official cooling center during all library hours and has been since the day it opened. Library hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 8 p.m. closing time at the library is especially helpful because late afternoon is usually the … Continue reading “Scenic Regional Library is a Respite Against the Heat – How Cool is that?”

The National Weather Service, (NWS) which had previously posted a heat index warning through Wednesday at 8 p.m. has extended that. Post on the NWS page today says EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THURSDAY. But beyond that, weather forecasters are predicting that temperatures will be in the 90s for the next ten days and will reach 100 on three days next week. We as a community need to look out for anyone who might be … Continue reading “Senior Center Cooling Station Closed After a Volunteer Tests Positive for COVID – But Dangerous Heat Wave Continues”

The Tri County Senior Center, 800 West Union is open as a cooling center – now through Wednesday, June 15 – to offer relief from the current heat wave. The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures in the high 80s and 90s this week. In lieu of ROBO calls or mention on the City of Pacific web page, the City posted EXTREME HEAT WARNING on the City of Pacific Facebook page. To see the warning go the City of Pacific … Continue reading “Senior Center Open As Cooling Center During Heat Advisory 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.”

Pacific’s reputation as a good place to stopover on historic Route 66 got a boost that lit up social media along the Mother Road when a pair of North Carolina motorists making the cross country trip heard a little bumping noise in the engine of their 1930 Model A Ford. Arthur J. “Joe” Lamothe, (pronounced Lamott), a retired Coast Guard senior chief and his travel companion Dennis Liu had driven the 949 miles from their homes in Camden, North Carolina … Continue reading “Pacific’s Route 66 Legend Lit up When a Motorist on Historic Trip Needed a Model A Ford Mechanic”

——————————————————————————————————- When a favorite son was memorialized June 4 with an annual poker run that bears his name, a dozen members of his family gathered at Pacific American Legion 320 antique pavilion to cheer on the bikers and vehicle drivers who took the 130 mile ride to play out their poker hands. Danny Lee “Turtle” Johnson, whose death of an unexpected heart attack on July 15, 2018 at age 52, electrified the community, is remembered each year in this popular … Continue reading “Annual Charity Poker Run Keeps the Memory of Danny “Turtle” Johnson In the Game”

Who would pay $10.75 for a snow cone?That was the cost of the strawberry cheesecake paradise, flavor of the week at the Snow Monster stand at West Osage and Indian Warpath Drive on Saturday evening, June 4. Don’t scoff,. It was a bargain. If ordered a la carte it could have cost $12.50 or more. And people, mostly families, were lined up 25-deep to order the ‘build-your-own’ Snow Monster summer treats, You had to be patient. One couple, who allowed … Continue reading “Monster Summer Treats Scare Up a Crowd at West Osage Sidewalk Cafe”

  Few of Pacific’s historic homes – constructed during the heyday of railroading here – have had more loving care than the two story landmark Bell Funeral Home building at 709 West Union Street. The actual building date is uncertain. Photographs in 1890 of the Everett house under construction two doors east show this lot was empty but the original home appears in a 1910 photo. Little is known about the Hill family that built the house and lived there. … Continue reading “Historic Landmark Future Assured as Bell Funeral Home Gets Its Third Owner”

Arm chair travelers and history buffs are in for a treat this week when a local history luminary offers a presentation on one of the most talked about – and maybe the most misunderstood –  places on the globe, the Bermuda Triangle. Laurie Davis Osseck, Scenic Regional Library adult outreach coordinator, a master at uncovering histories mysteries, will be at the Tri County Senior Center, 800 West Union Street, Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. to present a show and tell … Continue reading “Curse of the Bermuda Triangle Comes to Life Under the Eye of a Local History Luminary”

——————————————— Forty-three years ago this spring the City of Pacific opened its city swimming pool for the first time. During the months leading up to the pool opening the city was in the throes of a dilemma. The board of aldermen was in absolute disagreement. It might not have been the biggest fight leaders had in the city’s history but it was memorable. As the pool opens Saturday, May 26 for the 2022 season, we take a look back how … Continue reading “City Swimming Pool Opens for 43rd Season But It Took a Fight, a Grant and City Workers Turned Excavators to Get Here”