THIS DAY IN HISTORY Compiled by Jean Lundquist
Auction deals are a steal
May 8, 2000 On a Saturday morning in early May, Blue Earth County and the city of Mankato held an auction. Up for grabs were items including cars, car stereos, tools, duck decoys, flashlights, tennis rackets, water skis, truck parts and lots of bicycles. Most of the items were turned in by someone who found them or confiscated as part of a criminal investigation. Some people walked away with a vehicle for which they paid $25. The city and county also auctioned excess office equipment such as chairs and computers. The auction in 2000 was held at the Blue Earth County Highway Department building on Map Drive. The auctions still exist but are now online.
Wind blows many anglers off lakes
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May 11, 1992 The fishing opener in 1992 featured exceptionally mild temperatures with afternoon highs in the 80s. But Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday experienced winds in excess of 30 mph. While anglers usually look for a spot on the water where they think fish will be biting, they instead sought places for their boats out of the wind. One lodge owner on German Lake said all he saw from his window Sunday afternoon were whitecaps. Not a boat was in sight. For the weekend, the largest walleye weighed in at the Bobber Shop bait and tackle store in Mankato was a 6.67-pounder taken from Madison Lake.
Michael Johnson, Hoopsnakes headline People’s Fair
May 14, 1992 For its 22nd year raising money for the Eclipse crisis intervention program, singer-songwriter Michael Johnson called event organizers to offer his services. His hit “Bluer than Blue” reached the charts in 1976. The Hoopsnakes, featuring several former members of the Lamont Cranston Band, was making its second appearance at the festival. The two-day musical line up also included Blue Max, the Dust Bowl Blues Band and City Mouse. Advance tickets cost $7, day of event tickets cost was $8. In addition to the People’s Fair Committee, Mankato Area Jaycees were also sponsors. Made possible with the labor of over a thousand volunteers every year, the last People’s Fair was in 2000. Until then, it had been a rite of spring, held the weekend before Memorial Day each year.
Hottinger helps sway Senate tobacco vote
May 20, 1997 State Sen. John Hottinger, of Mankato, took to the Senate floor, giving a speech credited with putting the controversial bill curbing kids’ access to tobacco products into law. In the process, Hottinger called smoking “yucky.” Though unusual, the “yucky” comment defied tobacco company lobbyists who were against the bill. Some of the effects to curb kids’ access included prohibiting cigarette-vending machines accessible to minors, fining stores caught selling tobacco to minors, requiring sting operations at all stores and placing products behind counters where they were not accessible to shoplifting.
Mulling over the sale of Sunday liquor
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May 3, 1969 The issue of selling liquor on a Sunday was a hot topic in 1969. Not off-sale liquor in a liquor store, but selling drinks at restaurants that sold alcohol six days a week already. The request to put the issue on a special election ballot came from Michael’s, the Inn Town Central Motel and Cubs. The issue finally made it through the state Legislature in 1967, when it was decreed that liquor could be sold only at restaurants that seat 50 people or more and only at tables, not at a bar. Minneapolis, St. Paul and Winona had already given the issue a green light. The local Ministerial Association was against the idea by a 2-to-1 margin. It believed the sales would further secularize the Sabbath. Others in the association said it was an “irrelevant” issue compared to the moral issue of war.
