Shown is a scene from the playground at Fifth Avenue Beach circa 1940s.

The Bear Lake community came out in large numbers yesterday afternoon to celebrate the grand opening of the new addition to its school system. There was good reason for the celebration because Sunday’s grand opening marked the conclusion of 18 months of construction on a $4.95 million project.

Area players on 25 summer Manistee Recreation Association youth baseball and softball teams will be taking orders for decorative tins containings scented candles from May 20 through June 1. The purpose of the sale is to raise funds for both team purposes and to allow the MRA to continue making improvements to Ramsdell Hall.

Students at Trinity Lutheran showed appreciation and thanks to the three cooks of the terminated hot lunch program at a special program this week. The cooks are Geri Hardy, six year cook; Helen Legget, 12 year cook; and Lucy Smith, three year cook. Special gifts were made by the children in appreciation for the service of love for all these years.

Indications that Selective Service quotas are moving steadily up to new records, month by month, were seen today in the report that Manistee County’s tentative quota for the month of June has been set at 59 men. This number compares with 45 selectees forming the May quotas. It is stressed that the 59 quota is tentative and subject to change.

After hearing a report from the city health officer, Dr. C.L. Grant, that an epidemic of measles exists in Manistee primarily because of lack of cooperation on the part of parents, the city commission at its regular meeting last night took steps to secure better observance of the quarantine and isolation laws. Police Chief Roy Hebner was instructed to make arrests, on misdemeanor charges, in cases where parents wilfully neglected to report cases of contagious diseases to the health officer.

Compiled by Mark Fedder at the Manistee County Historical Museum