It’s finally here — the Butler County Centennial Jubilee brought tens of thousands of visitors to Poplar Bluff to celebrate the area’s 100th birthday. Many residents wore pioneer-themed clothes, and men showed off several months’ worth of facial hair grown for the occasion. Attractions included parades, contests, historical exhibits and dances.
No issues available — Aug. 31, 1924; Sept. 1, 1924; Sept. 1, 1974; Sept. 2, 1974.
__Aug. 31, 1949__
• The Butler County Centennial Jubilee kicked off with great fanfare — church bells, aerial pyrotechnics and a massive parade — after months of preparation.
Hundreds of Butler County residents marched in the parade wearing their best pioneer dress, and almost every downtown business had decorated its storefront with an 1849 motif.
Poplar Bluff is also hosting multiple exhibits at Bacon Park, including its largest car show today (consisting of 26 models) and collections of both historic and decidedly modern goods from saddles to home appliances.
This evening’s program includes a queen pageant and ball, tennis tournament, and a saloon-themed soft drink parlor with square dancing contests.
__Aug. 31, 1974__
• A spectator was knocked out during a demolition derby last night. Douglas Mabry, 21, and other spectators were lined behind a fence at the Jaycee Butler County Fair in Poplar Bluff when a derby car accidentally rammed it. Most people scrambled out of the way, but Mabry later said he didn’t see the car coming. The car hit a large fence post and the post hit him, fracturing his right shoulder and knocking him unconscious. Fortunately, the ambulance crew on site was stationed only a few feet away. He was rushed to Doctor’s Hospital.
The car’s driver, George Mohr, had just won the evening’s second heat and was trying to drive through a gate into the pit area when his car struck the fence.
__Sept. 1, 1949__
• The numbers are in, and a whopping 50,000 people are estimated to have gathered downtown for Butler County’s Centennial parade yesterday. The Daily American Republic called it “the finest ever held in this part of the state.”
The parade included “17 bands, a drum and bugle corps, 19 floats, two vintage autos, local pageant queens, horses, trucks, covered wagons, bicycles cars, veterans, Girl Scouts an Boy Scouts.”
Parade floats were judged and Dexter came out on top, winning $500 for its gold and white float. Runners-up were Jackson; Paragould, Arkansas; and Portageville. All received cash prizes.
In addition to thousands of items new and old on display in Bacon Park, an Old Time Museum is open downtown. Guests can see a pistol owned by Jesse James, documents and artifacts from the Civil War, vintage clothing and goods stitched by hand, land grants from King George II and more. The museum is sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
__Sept. 2, 1924__
• Three young people were injured in car accidents today.
At 8 a.m., high school students Braezle Albro and Howard Brown were both injured when two of their car’s tires blew. The vehicle overturned at the intersection of Main and Spring streets. Howard Brown’s cousin Muriel Brown escaped by jumping from the car as it tipped over.
At 1 p.m., 4-year-old Martha Holt survived being run over after she walked into the path of a moving car. She seemed to escape with only bruises, but doctors are monitoring her for internal injuries, which will take 12-24 hours to discover. The Poplar Bluff Interstate American reported “neither child nor driver” were responsible for the accident.
__Sept. 2, 1949__
• The show goes on: the next attraction at Poplar Bluff’s Butler County Centennial Jubilee is an industrial parade showing off every float left out of the Aug. 31 parade. It begins tomorrow around noon. The city continues to host record numbers of tourists and veterans associations have been asked to help direct traffic.
Thought the event’s scope was impressive, individual experiences made the jubilee truly unique. Writer Joan Cain said she was grateful to live in a small town where, even among the pioneer dresses and bushy beards, she recognized friends and neighbors having fun.
“It was fun trying to convince an incredulous out-of-towner that the ruddy faced, white whiskered, overly animated rube acting as usher was really the editor of the American Republic and my employer for the evening,” she wrote.
Yesterday, Centennial Committee Chairman Leo Baumgart left the festivities for another kind of jubilee: the birth of his first child. Baby Van William Baumgart was born at 5:01 p.m. Sept. 1 in good health, and his mother is recovering well today.
“Van William had his first newspaper interview with the press this morning. He yawned, brushed his long hair (he has more than his Pop already), and refused to be quoted,” the DAR reported.