From the Echo Press archives, 1973: Downtown Alexandria gets bike racks

This Week in 1973 – 50 years ago: In one of the largest auctions ever held in the upper Midwest, more than 125 heavy-equipment units — ranging from dozers to scrapers to graders to compactors, draglines, cranes, trucks and rock-pickers — were sold at the auction block for nearly $2.2 million. The auction was held at the Berghuis Construction Co. near the interstate south of Alexandria. The sale started at 10 a.m. and was completed by 1:30 p.m. There were over 400 registered bidders representing construction firms from 21 states, four Canadian provinces and South America. Henry Berghuis, senior partner, is retiring and the company is reducing the size of their operation. The Berghuises plan to stay in Alexandria.

1958, 65 years ago: The opening of the Alexandria public schools for the 1958-59 term has been postponed one week, Superintendent Arthur Hafdal announced. The school board made its decision after a progress report on the construction of the new Jefferson high school was presented. Rather than resorting to half day classes in order to make double use of available classrooms, the school board elected to postpone the opening of school until the Jefferson building is able to accommodate at least basic classroom work.

1973, 50 years ago: Bike racks are now available for bicycle parking downtown. Purchased by the city, the racks are located behind Bob’s Clothes Shop in the large city parking lot; across from Garden Center at the corner of 5th and Hawthorne and at the north end of the lot behind the post office.

1998, 25 years ago: As the 21st century rushes up, the Alexandria Area Chamber of Commerce and the Runestone Museum want to dress up for the new millenium that will involve redoing the office building they share on North Broadway. The current building has not been remodeled since the 1960s. The joint remodeling plan will include modernized offices, office space for everyone and a board room that can comfortably sit 25 people and that can be rented out for community use.

Alexandria Extrusion broke ground on a major expansion project, set for completion next summer, which will increase production space for the international supplier of aluminum extrusions and precision machined parts by more than 25 percent.

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2013, 10 years ago: After Labor Day, work will begin to reconstruct two city parking lots: the Coldwell Banker lot on 7th Avenue East and the Traveler’s Inn lot between 5th Avenue East and 6th Avenue East. It’s about a $350,000 project. Business owners with property near the lots will be assessed most of the cost and the city will pick up the rest. The parking lot work will be completed by the end of the construction season, according to City Engineer Tim Schoonhoven.

Just for fun, 1983 – 40 years ago: Entertainer Roy Clark, the pickin’-n-grinnin’ HEE HAW talent, performed at two near-capacity crowds at the Runestone Community Center in Alexandria. There was nostalgia a-plenty for the largely older crowds — old country and western tunes like "I’mThinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes," "Ghost Rider in the Sky," and "I’m Crying My Heart Out Over You."

Sports Trivia, 2013 – 10 years ago: Dennis Bitzan held off a late race charge by Cody Skytland in order to claim the WISSOTA Modified feature win during the Douglas County Fair night at Viking Speedway. First-time visitor Tami Naslund of Little Falls was also victorious racing in the Viking Pure Stocks. She raced against four other drivers in the feature. With the win, Naslund became just the second woman to win a feature at the Viking Speedway.

Rachel Barduson of Alexandria is a regular contributing columnist to the Echo Press Opinion page.

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