Hometown Matters

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”

By Jim Schwinkendorf – As you are probably aware, Union Pacific’s Big Boy steam locomotive, UP #4014, has a planned short stop in Pacific on the morning of August 30.  Pacific always turns out for these infrequent visits, and as time has passed, UP is basically the only one still running any main line steam engines.  But before 1950, steam was king, and Pacific had a lot more interaction with its two railroads.  And a railroad history that dates back … Continue reading “When Steam was King”

Pacific’s Royal Theater got its start in the infancy of the moving picture industry. In 1913 St. Louis Street was a din of activity. Shoppers visiting 50 or more stores, where they could find every daily need, were treated to a cacophony of train whistles and the horns of automobiles that more and more residents were buying.  Adding to the hubbub Lorenz Leber and Henry Hirth bought a hand-cranked movie projector and a few dozen folding chairs and began showing … Continue reading “Pacific’s Royal Theater / Reminder of 1920s Art Deco Movie Palaces / Star of Downtown Pacific History”

Pacific got more than donations to help restore a historic church at the First Baptist Church (FBC) of Gray Summit Gospel Sing last Sunday. Six area churches, of black and white congregations, gathered in song to help a group of Pacific citizens restore Historic First Baptist Church of Pacific that was severely damaged by flood water in 2016. The August 15 music festival was the second Gospel Sing that FBC hosted to benefit the Pacific church restoration project. Music has … Continue reading “Pacific Hailed for Community Spirit in Music Festival to Benefit Historic First Baptist Church Restoration”

If you’re one of the Pacific residents who got yourself in the movies in 2006 when Hollywood came here to film a little family flick called Saving Shiloh, you might want to come to the Tri-County Senior Center on Friday evening to see yourself on the big screen – back when you were younger and looking for your big break. Saving Shiloh is the second movie in the Senior Center’s monthly Movie Night, recently launched as fundraising activity for the … Continue reading “Saving Shiloh: Movie Filmed in Pacific to be Shown at the Senior Center Friday Evening August 20”

Aldermen are set to approve the hiring of former mayor Steve Myers as city economic development director at a salary of $70,000 at Tuesday evening’s board meeting. Pacific City Attorney Bob Jones declined a request to provide a written explanation to this blog of why Myers accepting immediate employment with the city is not in violation of state statute 105.454. The decline to explain to Pacific citizens came in an Aug. 11, telephone conversation between the attorney and me (Pauline … Continue reading “Aldermen to Approve Myers New Job Tuesday / City Attorney Won’t Say in Writing Why He Thinks It’s Legal”

The company that picks up waste and recyclables in Pacific says it is experiencing trouble in keeping drivers and obtaining parts to keep all its trucks in safe operating condition. The company says COVID is the cause of both delays. In a letter to Pacific officials, Tony Lamantia, municipal representative with the city’s waste hauler, Waste Connections, said the firm is tackling a range of challenges to keep up with pick-ups. The biggest issue the firm faces is having enough … Continue reading “Company Says Shortage of Drivers and Truck Parts Are the Reason for Delays in Picking Up Trash / Asks for Patience”

Catawissa resident Bob Carter chuckles at the idea that he might be preserving his 1940 Chevrolet business coupe as a prototype of hotrods, and drag racing.  The coupes were mass produced in 1932 and would give birth to hotrodding and become an icon of American pop culture. Classic Auto Trader magazine notes that the 1940 Chevrolet body has been a favorite choice of Hot Rodders since the 1950s. After World War II, small military airports throughout the country were rarely … Continue reading “Owner of 59 Years Tackles Restoration of Classic 1940 Chevrolet Business Coupe – Icon of American Pop Culture – Hotrods and Drag Racers”