By Arline Adamsick
The Beecher Herald: February 7, 1974
“Knuth’s Kountry Korner Destroyed by Fire Tuesday”
“Approximately 45 firemen from Steger and Steger Estates waged a losing battle against the flames that destroyed one of Beecher’s landmarks – Knuth’s Kountry Korner, Tuesday afternoon.
“The alarm sounded at approximately 1 p.m., when one of the clerks in the store, Ms. Diane Schultz, noticed a smell of smoke in the back room. She called the other clerk in the store at the time, Miss Leona Brands, and she looked in the incinerator to see if something was burning there. Finding that was OK, she and a customer, Lester Clausing of Peotone, took a fire extinguisher and went down to the basement where they saw flames through the thick smoke. Just 15 minutes earlier, the two employees had been in the basement and noticed nothing amiss.
“Meanwhile, Ms. Schultz attempted to call the fire department and the store owner, Rodney Knuth, who was home for lunch. The phone was inoperable, so she ran across the street to Ray’s Heating. Their phone also was inoperable, so while Ray Zoetemann ran across with a fire extinguisher, another employee ran to Pins and Needles to place the phone calls. (They certainly could have used a cell phone about this time!)
“When Zoetemann entered the store, he met Clausing coming up the steps, who informed him a hand extinguisher would be of no help. They helped evacuate the store of the customers, one of whom was a handicapped man, Donald Taylor. As far as we have been able to ascertain, Taylor, his niece, and Mrs. Louise Rehborg were the only others in the building at the time.
“Meanwhile, at the fire station, Beecher was experiencing a problem getting a response to the fire signal, as there was a scarcity of firemen in town at that hour of the day. Police Chief Mervin Bewsey told us that while he was ringing the siren, he placed a call to Peotone, realizing additional help would be needed. Peotone responded with three units and 20 men, while the Manteno pumper stood by at the Peotone station should an emergency develop there.
“As the fire progressed, additional help came from Crete, which sent a pumper; Steger, which sent the snorkel and fire chief car; and Steger Estates with two units. The fire chief from Chicago Heights and a couple of men from the Park Forest South department, who happened to be in the vicinity, also responded. There was no water problem, as Fred Bernhard stood by at the pumps, keeping all three in operation.
“Despite the valiant efforts of all the firemen, it soon was apparent the store was going to be a total loss. The roof and floor collapsed. Flames were shooting out of everywhere. The Herman Fisher Jr. family were evacuated from the house west of the store, as the flames were being fanned by a strong southeast wind.
“The cold, biting wind added to the discomfort of the firemen. It is reported one of Peotone’s men was halfway back to Peotone before he could remove his coat that was practically frozen to his body. Ice-encrusted men were able to get relief from the cold in Ray’s Heating establishment, which he opened to the men and the ladies of the firemen’s auxiliary, who were there dispensing the welcome hot coffee, sandwiches, and donuts.
“Area businessmen donated rolls, buns, etc., while the Princess Cafe made urn after urn of coffee. Individuals brought coffee cakes and cookies. People really responded to the needs of the moment. This is not hard to understand, for they were witnessing a tragedy that was happening to one of their fellow businessmen, their friend.”
The Crete Record: February 7, 1974
In addition to coverage of the fire in Beecher, Crete had a fire headline of their own…
“Farmhouse Destroyed by Fire Monday Night”
“Fire Monday night destroyed a farmhouse near the old Milwaukee Railroad roundhouse location, just as it had destroyed a corn crib and two-car garage on the same property the preceding Thursday, January 31. The property was at Roundhouse Road, abut 1-1/2 miles south of Faithorn Road.
“The house, which had been unoccupied for about 2-1/2 weeks, was known as the old McCoy farm, more recently occupied by the Becker family. Said to be owned by five doctors from Chicago Heights, according to Crete Rural Fire Department Chief Wayne Most, the property was apparently uninsured. A new resident reportedly was planning to move into the house sometime this weekend.
“The new renter, who did not give his name, reported he had an old car and a pickup truck in the garage at the time of the first fire, both of which were destroyed. Most said he also had reported tools in the garage were missing before the fire.
“The same man told Most he discovered many of the house windows had been broken on the afternoon of the house fire. Most said when the fire department arrived on the scene, the fire was burning rapidly in the kitchen area of the home and spread quickly throughout the house, probably due to the draft created by the broken windows and the dryness of the wood in the old house. Estimates of the damages from the total loss incurred by both fires is about $25,000, Most reported.”
Girl Scouts certainly seen to be as hardy as their fellow Boy Scouts, according to this article…
“Girl Scouts Camp Out for Two Days”
“Girl Scout Troop 443 spent the two most recent school institute days of January 24 and 25 “roughing it’ at Camp Falcon in Tinley Park where they cooked outside, hiked through the woods, and slept in rustic cabins. The girls’ main objective in this most recent outing was to work for their badges in health-first aid, gypsy, outdoor cook and rambler.
“They planned their menus, shopped for groceries, and prepared the days’ meals outside. All cooking was done on ‘buddy burners,’ constructed of three-pound coffee cans with air vents cut in the top and bottom. These cans were paced over homemade fuel pots consisting of pieces of corrugated paper set into hardened paraffin in empty tuna cans. The girls were able to prepare main dishes, Jell-O, and even cakes on their ‘hobo hotplates.’”
Featured at the Holiday Theatre in Park Forest: Walt Disney’s “Superdad,” plus “Flubber.”
They were talking about a swing to electric back in 1974, too…
“Sees Swing to Electricity”
“The oil supply crisis, combined with natural gas shortages, can be expected to result in increasing reliance on electricity over the long term for a wide variety of industrial, commercial, and residential applications, according to Alvin Vogtle Jr., chairman of the Edison Electric Institute. Pointing out such indigenous fuel resources as coal and uranium find their principal use in the production of electric power, he stated that with increased development of these sources, greater quantities of petroleum products could eventually be released for other needs.”
The Peotone Vedette: February 8, 1974
“GSU Students Train to Be Competent”
“An educational publication says ‘GSU Trains Students to be Competent.’
“Published by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction State of Illinois, Michael J. Bakalis, Illinois Education News in a half page article reports in part:
“‘Governors State University has been called an experiment in education by some of its professors who appear proud of its progressive competency-based educational program. Competency – a student’s ability to prove he can perform a task required to teach or to administer or write effectively, for example, is what GSU is all about.
“‘Many schools are looking into the competency program…but GSU is the only university in Illinois using the program in the entire curriculum, according to William Katz in GSU’s College of Human Learning and Development.
“‘We have broken down most of the behaviors expected of students into what we call competencies, and have arranged for the student to achieve these in a variety of ways,’ Katz added. Thus, the result of the student’s learning is measurable in terms of observable behavior.
“Dr. Katz also said: ‘We believe teachers teach as they’ve been taught, by modeling. If we want students to be open in the classroom, we have to be open with them here. Lab sessions are offered in which students experience emotional encounters with others.’”
On sale that week at Jerry’s Bi-Rite in Manteno: Lean ground beef – 98¢/lb.; Temple oranges – 69¢/doz.; grapefruit – 89¢/5 lbs.; Bounty jumbo towels – two for 89¢; Maxwell House coffee – $2.39/3 lb. can; and carrots – 19¢/lb.
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As I close this column, I want to report that Willie, in Woodstock, predicted it would be an early spring. Quite frankly, who can you trust if you can’t trust the groundhog? Yesterday’s temp was 50, and today it’s in the mid 40s. Kind of think Willie just may be right, but it’s hard to forget that quite recently we were slipping and sliding in a huge deep freeze. Bought Meghan some little kids’ socks for those quick trips outside, but so far she hasn’t had to wear them as the weather broke by the time we actually got them. With all the excitement and digging in my block, quick trips outside do not seem to be the future norm. This morning, it took a good half hour for her to “get comfortable.” Just too much commotion with those “scary trucks and digging things” all around us, along with workers digging and measuring, then more digging and measuring. I still can’t figure out how the men got out of the HUGE hole at my neighbors – those guys were in up to their chests!!! And I missed them getting out!!! Have a great week – Life is Good!!!!