Here is some very old news—actually 85-year-old news. It’s about what was happening in Camden around Christmas time back then. But you know what they say, “Better late than never.” So here is what the Camden Park Bulletin had to report many years ago:
The Girl Reserves of Hamilton School gave a program to 350 children in the school on Dec. 2 in the auditorium. Instead of giving parties for themselves, forms of entertainment have been arranged. Boxes of cheer to old ladies’ homes, parties at an orphan asylum, favors for hospital trays, and scrapbooks for a settlement house are types of work that the girls have planned for the holiday….
…Lee Hildebrand of the Camden Hardware Co., 4166 Washington Avenue N. left last week for Florida where they will spend a few weeks at Jackson and other places….It will be found convenient to shop for dolls and toys at Fremont Dry Goods, 4144 Fremont N. The variety is good and the prices reasonable. It will pay you to make this store your headquarters for Christmas gifts….Edward Hirt of 4731 Dupont and Albert Buhse,1406 Girard have just returned from deer hunting near Little Forks, Minnesota. Two big deer and lots of fun are the sum total of the junket….
…Mr. and Mrs. Frank Jackson of 4123 Bryant are rejoicing over the arrival of a baby boy which the stork left on Armistice Day, Nov. 11. Mother and child are doing well and the proud father is passing around the smokes. The couple also have a pretty little girl, four years old….Dr. Richard Cranmer, of Camden Park, was recently honored by being called to Montreal, Canada, to receive the degree of “Fellow of the American College of Surgeons” given by that body at its annual convocation during the last week of October….Boxed fancy stationery for holiday gifts at 29 cents, 49 cents and 98 cents can be had at Dahl & Fredins, 4161 Washington….Orville Dunn, of the P &R Coal Co. and John Hughes, a River Road farmer, went on a hunting trip recently and bagged five rabbits and two deer—the same two they started out with….George Frank is seen again on the streets, a little used up, but still in the ring. A few weeks ago George gave his friends a very practical illustration of the principal of the law of gravitation when he fell from a roof where he was doing some sheet metal work. The bump was hard and resulted in a broken leg….
…The 3rd annual banquet of the Folwell Athletic Association will be held Tue. evening, Dec. 14, at 6:30 o’clock in the Odd Fellow’s Hall, 42nd and Lyndale. This will be one of the principal social events of the season and it is hoped that there will be a representative attendance to give the boys of the group good cheer and encouragement in the way they held up the reputation of the Camden section in the athletic events of the past season!....Christmas gifts in attractive array are shown at Fremont Dry Goods, 42nd and Fremont, such as men’s fine shirts, mufflers, ties, gloves and mittens; gift handkerchiefs, embroidered towels, table scarves and other attractive items. Among the 10 largest building permits for dwellings last week included two from Camden Park, these being for a residence costing over $6000 for G. A. Haertel at 4311 Emerson and the other for V. D. Whitaker at 4305 Emerson, the latter being a one and one-half story to cost approximately $6000….
…Curtis W. Hill of 4535 Bryant returned from a successful hunting trip on Dec. 2, near Big Fork, Minn. Mr. Hill succeeded in bagging a 250 Ib. buck with 3 pointed horns, a 175 lb. black bear and a bunch of weasels. Mr. Hill is one of the guards at the city workhouse and an expert marksman…. Mike Anderson of 3719 Lyndale, who has been ill for some time, is reported as improving. His many customers at the Charles Blomquist grocery miss him and will be glad to see him in his place again…. Dahl & Fredins at 4161 Washington offer By Lo dolls, large size at only $2.50….Mrs. Jos. Falk, of 3558 Logan entertained at a “500” card party Monday afternoon, Dec. 6. Refreshments were served and everybody had a good time…. Frank Irman has purchased the P. M. Hoffman Grocery store at 4165 Washington and will hereafter run the place in his own name. This is one of the oldest grocery establishments in the Camden district, in business about 20 years….George Seagren was a member of a recent hunting party that spent a few days north of Aitkin, Minn. He brought home his quota of one deer….Ladies Beacon blanket robes as low as $3.95 at Dahl & Fredin’s, 4161 Washington….
…There has been some discussion recently as to the advisability of the city using part of the work house grounds for an airplane landing field. A birdseye view of Camden Park would not be so bad after all for passengers to gaze at, although the buzzing of the air vehicles might be a little unpleasant for the denizens of our community until they became accustomed to it….The Peppy Pals of North Church held their monthly meeting at the home of Miss Mildred Budge, 1321 44th Friday, Nov. 19. The meeting was devoted to the making of picture books for the little children of Glen Lake Sanitarium….
…All those interested in having a live newsy paper in Camden Park can assist materially each month by contributing one or more news item for the local columns. Leave them with Dahl & Fredin, G.A. Haertel, Camden Hardware, Camden Motor Inn or any of the leading business institutions of the local section. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
Note: Taken from the December 15, 1926 issue of the Camden Park Bulletin.