10 years ago —
n There will be no beer garden at this year’s Stilly Valley Arts Celebration in Arlington, voted Arlington City Council Monday — much to the chagrin of the chamber of commerce. The chamber, which was asking the Council for permission to sell alcohol on city property, proposed the beer garden as a means of generating revenue and luring a larger audience into downtown Arlington for the festival (recently named the Stilly Valley Arts Festival). The beer garden, which was to be set up between the Rome Restaurant and Arlington Fabrics on Olympic Avenue, would have been held Saturday evening during a celebrity music concert and would have been fenced off. City Council’s decision to deny permission came after several Arlington residents, most of them local business people, aired concerns over safety issues and the message the beer garden would be sending Arlington youth. But Kay Duskin, president of the chamber, believed the beer garden was a way to make the festival more appealing to a wider audience. “Primarily we’re trying to upgrade our event,” Duskin told the Council. Other Arlington residents, who also were in attendance to hear and speak on the discussion of the beer garden, opposed the addition of alcohol at the event — saying there was no way to do it responsibly. Roger Miller, local business owner and opponent, went so far as to bring before the Council a petition with the names of 128 people who didn’t think the city should be endorsing a beerfest. Following the decision, Miller said the Council was sending a positive message to festival-goers.
25 years ago — 1983
n It’s going to be too good to miss. Lay-In John Larson and Slam-Dunk Dale Duskin will lead a rag-tag Arlington basketball team to defend the community’s honor Friday evening against the Seattle Seahawks, lead by someone named Theotis Brown. The game will be held at the high school gym at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at $2.50 are available at any school office or Arlington Pharmacy. Tickets will cost $3 at the door. The event is a fundraiser for the high school’s Diversified Occupations Club and the Future Business Leaders. Also on the visiting team will be starting defensive backs (they have those in basketball?) Dave Brown, Kerry Justin and Keith Simpson; linebackers Keith Butler and Joe Norman; offensive guard Steve August and others. Playing for the aging Eagles will be Jamming Dan Johnson from Cascade Hospital (they’re planning ahead), Bouncing Chuck Borberg, Side-stepping Wayne Sweeney and Magic John Mathis. Arlington will also feature students and faculty who can play basketball, including Jim Kavaney, Steve Barker, Donna Torpey, Brenda Souther, Bridget Mansur, Jay Carlson and Tim Richard.
50 years ago — 1958
n Arlington Naval Auxiliary Air Station has been declared surplus, Congressman Jack Westland was informed this week. “The Department of the Navy has filed a report of excess for disposal of the property, subject to recapture for use by the Navy in case of national emergency,” Westland said. The land area consists of 1,125 acres, acquired at a cost of $114,730 during 1941-43. Present improvements, including buildings, utilities, runways and aprons cost approximately $1,519,000. The station was disestablished in 1946 and has been operated by the city of Arlington since. It is situated about three miles southwest of the city limits. It is hoped that through arrangements with General Services organization that the area aside from the actual runways, and flying field, may be secured for industrial site development. At the present time the area is being farmed by the Valley Gem Farms and several industries occupy sites there, such as the B&H Equipment Co. shops, the Jacobson Boat Works, the Acme Box Factory and the Doble Air Service, operating in the hangar. The field has its own water system and partial sewer system.
