1941
J. Parr Godfrey, Editor
Jan. 16 excellent attendance has marked the Saturday evening shows at the Palace Theatre, sponsored by the Civic club, 560 paid admissions at the two shows last Saturday setting a new high.
Jan. 16 earth was turned at the engine house corner Tuesday, thereby laying the ground work for the new 18 X 36 foot library to be built from Woman’s Study Club funds and WPA appropriations.
Jan. 23 what looks like an Indian village from a distance, at the pump house corner, is really a crudely erected shelter completely surrounding the 18 X 36 foot site of the library. Inside 2 stoves help keep it warm enough to pour cement.
Jan. 23 A.W. Schwartz on Wednesday purchased the Stern Drug Store from A.H. Stern. Last spring Schwartz sold his liquor store to Ben Ebensteiner.
Mar 6 Pat and Art DeZurik are proprietors of a Royalton business establishment- the DeZurik Implement Company- located in the Armstrong building on Center Street.
Mar 13 Jim Fleeks, Alexandria, is opening a new barber shop on Center Street in the building owned by George Armstrong, which has been used for the Royalton library. The library books have been made two doors east in the DeZurik building until the new library is finished.
Mar 27 for the first time in the history of the Royalton High School, an annual will be published depicting the activities of the 1940-1941 school years.
Mar 27 Royalton will have another new shop when Miss Jean Christle open’s Jean’s Beauty Shop in the Litchy building, east of the Palace Theatre.
Apr. 3 the City Council renews the Linquist pool table license.
Apr. 10 more then 35 mattresses have been completed since last Wednesday when a WPA project got underway in the Kroll building on Front Street. A charge of $1.50 is charged to cover over head expenses and it takes a husband and wife 5-6 hours to complete the mattress. Any rural or eligible family can apply.
Note: by the end of May when the project was schedule to stop over 150 mattresses were made.
Apr. 24 finishing touches are put on the new library.
May 1 the Royalton Library will be open to the public on Saturday.
May 8 the fire department steam pumper is only one of two models in existence. One is in a museum in New York and Royalton has the other. A Chicago museum came to Royalton and offered to pay it but the town said no.
NOTE: this steam pumper can be seen at the Royalton City Museum.
June 12 commencement exercises last Thursday evening brought the award of diplomas to 19 Royalton High School seniors.
July 10 Fourth of July was spent in Royalton with out fan fare of community celebration. This will be the last time in a long while that young folks will shoot off fire works as the State has prohibited the use of them after this year.
July 10 it is believed that more then 35 new cars have been purchased here this spring and summer, a number which seems to set some kind of record for a village of 500.
July 10 the official federal census of 1940 shows Royalton has a population of 518 and in 1930 we had the same. 518.
Sept. 25 Frank DeZurik purchased the building owned by George Armstrong. The build will be remodeled and used as a ware house for the Grain Belt Distributors. George Armstrong’s Log Bar will continue to occupy the west portion of the building.
Oct. 2 hot lunches for children attending Royalton School will be a reality thru Surplus Commodities and the WPA. Each child will pay 10 cent for this meal to off set heating and other small costs.
Oct. 2 the new local manager of the Morrison County Lumber Co. is S.A. Hagerty of Waseca. He and his family will move here as soon as living quarters can be found.
Nov. 13 the Grain Belt distributing firm is moving this week from the Thelen building into the newly remodeled Armstrong building. Mr. Joe Moiser, Little Falls, is now working there during the absence of Willard DeZurik who is serving in the Army.
Nov. 27 Arthur Reynolds, Little Falls, is opening a barber shop on Center Street, recently vacated by James Feeks.
Dec.7 Pearl Harbor in Hawaii is attacked by the Japanese.
Dec. 18 James Bobick, 26, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bobieck Route 1, Bowlus was killed in action at Pearl Harbor on December 7. He is the first war casualty from the Royalton – Bowlus area.
Dec. 25 there were 500 school children in two shows of a movie sponsored by the Civic Club that received candy and nuts from Santa Claus on Tuesday.