25 years ago: April 26, 1986

Playground equipment at the Evening Optimist Club Tot Lot at Capaha Park gets a fresh coat of paint during Friends of the Park Day; the massive cleanup at the park caps a weeklong effort by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and the Recreation Department to "Help Cape Shine."

Public officials and dignitaries from throughout the region yesterday marked the dedication of Coca-Cola Co.'s new distribution and production facilities at Jackson; the new facility includes two buildings with 48,000 square feet along the south side of Lenco Avenue.

50 years ago: April 26, 1961

Common Pleas Judge J.O. Swink of Farmington, Mo., upholds Cape Girardeau officials' contention that setting of employee salaries is an administrative function of the city council and isn't subject to the initiative process; it is another victory for the city in the dispute with firemen over a length-of-service pay ordinance presented to the council in September.

Mailsters will soon make an appearance on some Cape Girardeau mail routes, easing the weight of the sack on postmen's shoulders; the three-wheeled vehicles have been put into service across the country in recent years.

75 years ago: April 26, 1936

A songfest is given in the afternoon at St. James AME Church, with historical sketches of the songs being read by class leaders; W.B. Longdon, Frances Randol and Margaret Cravens are members of the committee arranging the program.

Alvaro Carino, a Filipino student minister, lectures in the evening at Trinity Lutheran Church; he relates experiences in his country and tells of his conversion.

100 years ago: April 26, 1911

The hearts of Cape Girardeau's voters must swell with pride, when they realize that yesterday's vote to have better schools did not carry; only about 70 votes were lacking to give the necessary two-thirds majority to pass the bond proposal.

Col. Thomas Beckwith, the antiquarian and historian of Charleston, Mo., is in Cape Girardeau conferring with The Republican concerning the history of the Mound Builders of Southeast Missouri the newspaper is printing for him.

-- Sharon K. Sanders