For your reading enjoyment, we continue to publish Rambling Vines by the late Marylea Vines as she recalls events and names of Corning folks from many years ago. We are currently in the year 1990

I don’t know whatever possessed me to say I would do I, but I honest to goodness went up in an airplane last Thursday afternoon. This was the first time I had been higher than the top of Corning Grain Dryer and sure I was scared. Why else was I “white as cotton” and all my clothes were wringing wet with perspiration. Even though no one believes me, I went up with Steven Rockwell, Bill Cobb, and State Representative Jim Holland to survey the tornado damage. After the initial fright of taking off and actually flying, I really enjoyed the trip, except when Steven would make the plane tilt to my side, which was also Jim Holland’s side and made me a little nervous about maybe the plane would roll. We flew over the entire route of the tornado, all the way from Highway 67 to North of McDougal and I was able to get out of the plane unassisted once we landed… to tell the truth, wild horses couldn’t have kept me from getting out of that contraption! I am glad I did it, but once is enough.

The smoke alarm went off at Corning Nursing Home just before noon last Thursday and, of course, every able-bodied person who saw all the commotion went running to help. Thank goodness they weren’t needed, (there was no fire, just a faulty alarm) but it was nice to see the quick response. In fact, Floyd Romine, a former resident, was visiting at the nursing home at the time and was amazed at the quick response from so many people, “He was telling everyone that the fireman got there in no more than three to four minutes.” That’s the sort of thing we like to hear about the people of Corning… good stuff!

Speaking for fire alarms… back in the days before two-way radios and beepers… we had this big whistle that was mounted near the roof of the fire house, and it served double duty… first as a fire alarm and also as a curfew waring at 8:30 each night.

I don’t know if the curfew was actually an enforced law or not, but parents in our neighborhood had youngsters all believing that when the whistle sounded, they had better get home in a hurry or Pistol Pete would have them peeping through the bars of the calaboose. We played a lot of outside games in the Summer… such as hide and seek, tag, sitting underneath the streetlight telling ghost stories and catching lightning bugs, and no one ever had to call anyone in home, when the whistle sounded that meant move along in a hurry.

We didn’t even know there was such a thing as a picture show at any time other than Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

The firehouse was a story in itself, it was a sheet of metal building up the street between Belford Garage and Brooks Sheeks Lumber Company and one of the front doors fell off so many times that it had to be mounted upside down in order to find a place in it solid enough to hold a nail… consequently one door said “Fire” upside down and the other said “Fire” right-side up.

You know what? It might help solve some of the problems in this day and time, to have some sort of curfew.

We’ve still got lots of 4th of July tee-shirts in all sizes… even got in an order of child’s sizes a few days ago and they are really cute. These shirts, all sizes, can be ordered any time by contacting either the Chamber office or me. Most of the shirts are out at the Chamber office, but if anyone in town requests, I’ll deliver, or I will fill mail orders… This tee-shirt business is the brainchild of co-worker Bill Cobb and I and we are really pushing sales because we are afraid that we might have to “salt and pepper and eat” any that are left over!

I am in the market to secure a “granny” for Putter. Before too long we are going to be moving to the new plant and I won’t be close enough to run in and out seeing about him during the day. My plans are to find an older person, or couple, in the area, who stays at home a lot and would like a lovable little daytime companion, for a fee. I could drop him off each morning and pick him up at the end of the workday. He is a good buy… a little spoiled, but border-line perfect!

This is a guide for Happiness, also from a 1965 issue of The Courier, which seems pretty timely: For Happiness Take time to think, it is the source of power.

Take time to play, it is the secret of perpetual youth.

Take time to read, it is the fountain of wisdom.

Take time to pray, it is the greatest power on earth.

Take time to love and be loved, it is a God-given privilege.

Take time to be friendly, it is the road to happiness.

Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul.

Take time to give, it is too short a day to be shellfish.

Take time to work, it is the price of success.

Young is certainly not an uncommon name, it is just not the name expected to crop up three times on a county election ballot… Smith or Taylor, yes… but Young, I wouldn’t have expected it. Farrell Young of Corning, Farrin Young of Rector and Dave Young of Rector are all candidates for justice of the peace positions. And to add to the story, Mike Young of Corning is a former justice of the peace.

We appreciate folks like old-timers, the former Erma Dean Buffington now of Marion, Illinois (I forgot her married name) and Esther Deathearage of Shreveport, Louisiana, who have each brought tee-shirts for several of their family members. Some of Erma Dean’s shirts are going as far away as California and Colorado. We also appreciate Junior and Georgia Lou Shelton who have been selling a lot of the shirts at their State Line Steak House. All the money still goes into the Chamber of Commerce Picnic money, to be used for various worthwhile projects from which all of us will benefit.