Its hard to believe that I am old enough to have a brother who is celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary. It doesn't seem that long ago that I wore my new tweed suit to his wedding on November 25, 1951. I can still remember how itchy that suit was. One oddity to note is that the wedding was held on Thanksgiving Day in 1951. It seems like today almost all formal marriages take place on Saturday.

I think marriages back then were a little different. After the ceremony, a reception was held in the church basement. There was no big formal dinner with a dance at a rented hall. People in those days just didn't spend as much money on weddings mainly because money was not as plentiful.

A marriage custom in those days was to place limburger cheese on the married couple's car during the ceremony. Supposedly, the cheese would stink up the car after the radiator warmed up. They also would tie tin cans on the car's rear bumper.

After the ceremony people would pile into their cars and shivaree the newlyweds by following the wedding car honking and yelling as the procession of cars snaked through the town to let the rest of the world know that two lives have been joined together for better or for worse. Don had to use our father's car for the wedding since he didn't yet have his own. How many 21 year old boys today do not have a car, especially those that are married?

Even a few weeks after the wedding, the young couple could still be subjected to a more severe form of a shivaree. This shivaree was often initiated by the sound of a shotgun blast from one of the members of the shivaree party that would sneek up and surround the young married couple's house. Then the mob would start rattling pots and pans. That was a signal to the couple that they were being shivareed and the newlyweds were obligated to come out of the house and render themselves to the follies that await them.

Often the newlyweds were put into a manure spreader and then driven through main street of Minonk followed by the noisy band of merrymakers rattling their pots and pans and honking their horns. Afterwards, the group would head back to the newlyweds house where a party would ensue for the remainder of the evening. My brother and his wife were fortunate enough to escape being shivareed but I do remember going to a shivaree party for Eldon and Rita Jean (Smith) Harms. I think mostly rural couples were shivareed. Newlyweds nowadays don't know how lucky they are.

I wish to congratulate my brother Don and his wife Betty on their 50th wedding anniversary. Their marriage was blessed with many good friends and relatives, a successful career, and good health. But there were hard times as well including the tragic loss of a beautiful young daughter. Through it all their marriage survived because it was built on love and on the old fashioned foundation that the family comes first.

We need a long term development plan

I contacted two local lawyers who stated that they felt that the council's decision to give the land to Dollar General was illegal. They felt that the city was required to hold a public hearing on the land so as to give other potential developers a chance to buy the land if they had a plan for the land. Mayor Mark Spencer told me that he had contacted two lawyers who indicated that the city was not required to hold a public hearing on the land before giving it away. How can a law be so confusing that lawyers can have an opposite interpretation of the law?

There have been threats of getting a restraining order to prevent the council from proceeding with the deal with Dollar General. There also has been a petition circulated among citizens protesting the council's action. And I know that the council is sick and tired of me. Things are happening too fast and pride and stubborness are prevailing over reason and calm. I get the impression that the council is refusing to reconsider because they are irate over the public questioning their wisdom. Therefore, I am appealing to the city council to sit back and re-assess its decision rather than proceeding with the Dollar General deal in its proposed location.

The basic problem with the development of Minonk is that there is no official plan. I have heard that there have been plans developed and proposed to the city council but none have been officially adopted. I am suggesting that the council set up a committee that consists of citizens and maybe one or two councilpersons who can work with a professional to develop a long term plan for downtown development. A committee of this nature is necessary to give not only legitimacy to the plan but also to provide continuity to the plan. We must avoid the scenario of plans falling out of favor or being ignored because of a new city council coming into office.

The city council should not be city planners. That job belongs to professionals working with a committee that has the support of the council. The final development plan needs to be made available to the public to put an end to rumors and speculation. When a developer comes forth with a proposal, not only will the council know if the proposal fits in with the city's plan but so will the public and there will be no more surprises.