Enjoy these snapshots of articles written in past issues of the Nisqually Valley News from 45, 35, 25 and 15 years ago, respectively.
A Look Back at This Week, 45 Years Ago
• Two residents along state Route 507, east of Yelm, estimated a motorcycle’s speed in excess of 80 miles per hour when they witnessed Paul Wright and his passenger, Joan Hakala, die in an accident in early June of 1978. The bike failed to make the curve at Five Corners and struck the concrete block building of L&M Drive In.
• Nancy Heinrich, age 16, competed for the honor of Prairie Days Princess in 1978. Born in Sacramento, California, Heinrich was the sixth out of seven brothers and sisters in the family. She was set to be a senior at Yelm High School in the fall of 1978.
• George Kalama was master of ceremonies at the formal dedication ceremony of the new Nisqually Indian tribe center east of Yelm. The $7 million dollar installation was a multipurpose building to house many activities of the tribe.
• A test of tennis skills faced players in first round action in the Mr. Peanut Target tennis competition set for July 21, 1979. The activity was hosted at the Yelm courts. It was the second year of the competition. The event tested skill and accuracy in the placement of basic tennis strokes.
A Look Back at This Week, 35 Years Ago
• Carl Warren, of Yelm, was named the outstanding recruit for Company 71 at the Navy’s recruit Training Command. The 21-year-old is the son of Wary and James Warren. He was selected for the prestigious award from among 63 recruits from his company that graduated from boot camp.
• The Yelm Prairie Kiwanis Club served fried chicken, salad, rolls, cake and ice cream to members of the Nisqually Valley Care Center on June 28, 1988. Dennis McDermott and Dennis Phillips of the Wild River Band provided entertainment for the event.
• The Will Family Quartet was set for Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday, July 9. Their singing was compared to the Blackwood Brothers and the Kingsmen Quartets. They performed some newer songs, as well as many older Stamps Baxter types of numbers.
• A traveling circus came to Yelm on the Fourth of July in 1988. The event brought elephants, llamas, ponies, tigers, lions and excitement to Yelm City Park. Several hundred Yelm residents gathered to witness the traveling circus.
A Look Back at This Week, 25 Years Ago
• Bald Hills resident Scoot Matthews took his love of adventure and water and combined them to discover his sport of choice, kayaking. Matthews scoured Washington state for over 10 years searching for the perfect kayaking location.
• A music festival and fundraiser was held at Yelm City Park on July 12 to assist 63-year-old Richard Spong of Yelm. Spong lost his home, business and all of his possessions in a late-June fire near Lake Lawrence.
• Former Yelm High School teacher Steven Fiser was sentenced to 18 months in prison and two years of community supervision after being convicted of having sexual relations with one of his students on two occasions. The judge ruled that Fiser could not have contact with females 12 to 18 years old at any time without an adult present. He also had to register as a sex offender.
• The UCBO/Yelm Community Services announced the startup of the Summer Food Service Program for children. Meals were made available at no charge to participants under the age of 19.
A Look Back at This Week, 15 Years Ago
• The Nisqually Plaza owner decided it was time to crack down on illegal parking in the lot she leased out in 2008 after the opening of Saar’s Market Place. Maintenance for the parking lots was described as expensive, and owner Christine Lee said she was frustrated to see trash blowing around the lot in July of 2008.
• Two men were rescued from the Nisqually River on June 30 in 2008 after getting stuck on rocks while rafting. The incident occurred near Whitewater Estates in McKenna. The two men reportedly could not swim and weren’t wearing life jackets.
• A 25-year-old Puyallup resident accidentally shot himself in the leg while at a party in the 19300 block near Bald Hills. The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. when the man sat down in a recliner and went to secure his gun, accidentally discharging the weapon in the process.
• A Rainier neighborhood was on high alert as police searched for a man reportedly wanted on suspicion of domestic violence on July 2, 2008. Officers from Yelm, Tenino and Thurston County all searched for a man who reportedly fled from a house located off of 133rd Avenue Southeast.
