Some History of the 1970's
1972 saw the club start an annual event. It was the Christmas Party for residents of the Madison County Nursing Home. Working with the staff at the Home, we were given the names of residents who did not have any immediate family located in the area. Then their needs or desires. Several Kiwanians and mates would embark on a shopping spree. At the night of the event, All Kiwanians assemble at the home, sing carols, provide some entertainment, refreshments, then lo and behold, Santa appears with a big sack of gifts. It is an inspiring, and sometime saddening sight to behold.
The early 1970's saw an upswing in baseball activities for the younger generation (baby boomers). At one point, we were sponsoring 3 Little League teams, and built numerous bleachers for the Citizen Park and Glen Crossing diamonds. At the request of the citizens group that had been managing the ball park and concession stand, the club took over the responsibility and operation of the facilities on an interim basis in 1973. This meant, operating the stand during all Little League games, preparing the diamond, and general maintenance and security. It also meant fielding complaints.
Our success in dealing with the political bodies of the Village and Edwardsville Township, as well as the Little League Management, resulted in a request from the Village, and favorable granting of a $10,000 set aside fund for the lighting of the ball field. The lighting was installed and operating by April 1974. Many Kiwanian labor hours were expended to backfill power line trenches, tire ruts, etc.
However, the overall ball park project evolved into an effort of such magnitude, that it rewarded us with the Henry J. Elliott Efficiency Trophy as the top club in the Illinois-Eastern Iowa District for 1975. We are the only club in our division to ever have won the award, which dates back to 1922.
We sponsored a fun event in 1975, that was termed a mini-Circus. It was all set up in the open lot south of the Cottonwood Mall. Complete with one huge tent, several performers and animals, and an Elephant. Who among us can forget the elephant? The animal took sick on the morning of the first performance, and arrangements had to be made with the St. Louis Zoo to get an "Elephant Doctor" to Glen Carbon, stat! The elephant recovered, the shows went on, and the proceeds went to the development of the newly formed Oliver C. Anderson Hospital in the area.
In the fall of 1975, club members started thinking and planning for the club's and Village's participation in the forthcoming National Bi-Centennial. An old signboard at Citizens' Park was restored and painted Red White and Blue, with a Miner head symbol and the words "Happy Birthday U.S.A. from GLEN CARBON, ILLINOIS" A similar sign was built, this one 4' x 16' and displayed at the Kinsey Motors (now Four Flags) area. We also ordered and sold Flag Kits at cost to anyone wanting to display their patriotism.
Then came the big project for the Bi-Centennial year. A brainstorm from the Village Clerk's Office.
"We need a covered bridge on Main Street over Judy Creek." When the planning was completed, design finished,
our club was looked upon as an immediate and available source of labor. Early in March of 1976, our members met
with the designers and started work on the structure. Work was limited to week-ends, as most all involved were still
in the work force of their various companies. Thirteen week-ends later, we stood back to admire our work. With the
expert guidance of Bill Kaman and Jim Kovarik, and the toils of our members and several other citizens,
Glenda's dream had come true. But alas, early on the morning of September 1, 1976, the bridge's life came to an
abrupt end at the hands of an arsonist. The bridge was rebuilt with insurance money and hired labor, but is the
same as the original structure. Since we had received the Henry Elliott Award the previous year for our Ball Diamond work,
the best this would get us was runner-up.
In 1977, the Park Association was able to obtain, with the aid of a local State Representative, a Railroad Caboose for Miner Park. But how to move it from the siding on what is now the Nature Trail to the park entrance. Again a call to the Kiwanis for help. Arrangements made with a Granite City Kiwanian, owner of a company with a huge hoisting rig was accomplished. Then, manually pushing the caboose to Collinsville Street, disassembling the box from the railroad trucks, and moving it piece meal to the site. Several members became adept "Gandy Dancers" in putting a section of track in place for the re-installation of the caboose. What a versatile club we have. The comment has been overheard many times that "If it can be done, someone in the Glen Carbon Kiwanis Club will know how to do it." The following year we assisted in the renovation, sand blasting and painting of the structure.
1978 saw the club celebrate its 25th Anniversary, with a Dinner meeting at the K of C Buffalo Park in Maryville. It was a combined affair, as that same night the new Land of Goshen, Glen Carbon Club was chartered. District Governor Don Miller was the key speaker and major dignitary for the evening. The formation of the new club was a real challenge, as numerous snowstorms and blizzards hampered the efforts early in the year. But formation was completed by May 10th and chartering held July 8th.
Also in the 70's, the club undertook a unique one time project. It was a combination fund raiser and Community service project. The Village had received 200 signs, which a traffics safety study had indicated were needed in various parts of the community. Installing the 200 signs was a huge task for the small Village work force. Our club agreed to install the signs for $2.00 per sign, far less than any other bids could be made. After receiving the go-ahead, some of our members studied the specifications, locations etc.
During the cold part of the year, our first attempt was slow and somewhat futile in setting the sign posts into the somewhat frozen ground. (Two Kiwanians holding a pole, two sighting for the perpendicular and one on a pick-up bed wielding a sledge.) Then the brilliant engineering capacities of a few members came to the forefront. Acquiring an unused power pole, a pulley was attached to the top. This pole was affixed into the back end of one of the village dump trucks. A pile driver was fabricated out of a piece of steel pipe of sufficient inside diameter as to slip over the posts.
The end was capped and welded. A steel loop affixed, and a heavy rope attached. This rope then was passed through the pulley on the top of the power pole.
Using manual labor, we raised the heavy pile driver, slipped it over the top of the sign post and let go of the rope. Worked fairly well, however it quickly tired the rope men. "Must be a better way", said one of the members. Since all this was being done on week-ends, the Village had made their equipment available to us. One said, "Let's get the Ford Tractor down here. We'll use the Power Take Off (PTO)."
Now it only took one rope man at a time. Jockey the dump truck and Ford tractor into position, lower the pile driver pipe over the pole, put a single wrap of the rope around the PTO shaft, turn it on and the shaft winds up the rope. When the pipe is raised sufficiently, the rope man lets go and, Wham, the sign post goes into the ground a foot or so. Several more tries and the post is ready for the signs to be affixed. At the end of each weekend we had to disassemble the rig on the dump truck so it could go back into service. However, this operation shortened the sign installation job by several weekends.
