10 Years Ago 1997

After a heart-breaking loss Friday night, Darrington rebounded and won third place at the State B Tournament last week in Spokane with an overtime victory over Ritzville. The town of Darrington turned out to greet the team on Sunday as they arrived back from Spokane. Some of the people met the bus at White Horse and escorted them into town. There the streets were lined with people and all of the emergency vehicles were out in force. The team was escorted to the school, where they were put up on stage and honored by the residents. According to Coach Jeff Bryson this was the best finish for a Darrington boys team since 1958 when that team finished third at state. The Loggers won the title in 1955 and 1957, placed forth in 1967, sixth in 1983, fifth in 1986, and eighth in 1994. Bryson said that the neatest thing is the support that the community showed the team. It was their way of returning the favor for the way the team played, added Bryson. They played well together. There was good chemistry on this team. It was neat to see the excitement that this produced in the community.
The Snohomish-Arlington Trail Coalition is holding its regular March meeting at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club, in an effort to get more Arlington residents involved. Plans are underway to construct the next leg of the Centennial Trail, from Lake Stevens to Arlington, this year. Snohomish County Parks Senior Planner Marc Krandel will present an update on trail progress and Connie Reckord, of MacLeaod-Reckord Design Consultants, will present drawings of the proposed trail layout. Also on the agenda is a revision of the by-laws to expand the Coalition purpose beyond the original 17 miles of the trail. The original by-laws identify acquisition, development and maintenance of the trail from Snohomish to Lake Stevens. Each year, the Trail Coalition celebrates Earth Day by clearing a section of the undeveloped Centennial Trail. Helpers are asked to bring gloves, lopers and a sack lunch with high-energy food. Coalition tasks during the year include lots of planning for grant applications and following legislative issues as well as building trails. The Centennial Trail will eventually span Snohomish County and will connect with the Whitehorse Trail, from Arlington to Darrington.


25 Years Ago 1982

Discover things to do in 1982. Discovering north of Snohomish County can be an adventure. With all of its assets, there is always something area residents can find to do. Not everyone is familiar with all the good things there are in the Arlington-Marysville area, whether it be going to the library to read a book or attending one of the annual celebrations held by both communities. For the athletic, the area is prime for sporting events. Runners, bikers, baseball players or scuba divers all find a certain tie to their community. Water abounds throughout Snohomish County, in the form of Puget Sound, lakes and rivers. A leisurely day of fishing or boating can be enjoyed within miles of your front door. The Arlington-Marysville area schools and clubs give residents a different outlet of enjoyment. Many social services and non-profit agencies can use volunteers, as well as churches, schools, hospitals and nursing homes. People feel at home in Snohomish County. We were surprised by the amount of things there are to do in our communities. Some are not so ordinary. Have you considered panning for gold? Expert Dave Molsee of Arlington said any of the creeks this side of the mountain have gold, but he warns panners to check with the Department of Fisheries to be certain the fish arent spawning. Pans are available at most hardware stores and rock shops. There are also a lot of areas rich in jade, agate, garnet and others. Molsee has a claim in the Sloan Peak area and will let you dig around if you are careful. There is always something to do in north Snohomish County. Whether it be swimming or teaching others to swim like Bernie Chugg, or enjoying the world a little more through music, like Fred McCarthy or Frank Carlson of the Marysville School District.

50 Years Ago 1957

You may not have seen any chain gangs in Arlington, nor have the men-folk been working on the streets in lieu of paying their poll tax, and no able-bodied men have been arrested for idleness within our fair city but the eagle eye of our young city attorney, J.P. Mathews Jr., discovered on the citys ordinance books three ordinances which he suggested the City Council repeal. He didnt ask that they be enforced. The chain gang ordinance, adopted by the Council in 1907, empowers the City Marshal to work prisoners on the city streets, in the event they were unable to pay their tax fines, while the poll tax ordinance passed in 1916 requires every male citizen 21 and over to pay a poll tax of $2 per year. The ordinance forbidding able-bodied men to be idle was passed during the First World War, in 1918, and was intended to aid in solving the manpower shortage. In the case of the poll tax, the ordinance required that employers furnish the Marshall with a list of employees, and see that the employees paid the tax. The tax was to be collected between the first of April and the first of May each year; failure to pay subjected the culprit to a fine of $30. The city fathers gave due attention to Mr. Mathews suggestion and passed Ordinance No. 336 which repeals the earlier ordinances.
Fortune smiled twice on the Howard Vognilds in last weeks farm photo contest, when the farm was identified as the mystery farm, and Mr. Vognilds name was drawn from the 56 correct entries, making him the winner of a bundle of groceries from last weeks star sponsor. The farm at the Valley crossroads has been the home of the Vognilds since 1945 when it was purchased from Mrs. Vognilds father, Mr. Martin Stenson. It has long been a landmark at the intersection of highways 1-E and 99. The house is now in its third location, having twice fled in a northeasterly direction from the meanderings of the highways. The last move made way for an intersection overpass, in connection with the expansion currently underway on Highway 99. While Mr. Vognild is busy tending his Guernsey herd of 25 to 30 milkers, Mrs. Vognild is engaging in a livestock project of her own raising a pair of sheep. This hobby of hers not only grows the wool for five or six blankets each year, but keeps grass neatly mowed around the yard as well. Sheep are great foragers, Mrs. Vognild reports, and get along fine year-round on summer and winter pasture alike. Once a year, the sheep are sheared and the wool is taken to Bellingham Bedding Company, where it is processed, Mrs. Vognild said. She covers the processed wool with cretonne material.