THE ANTWERP INSURANCE AGENCY
By: Stan Jordan
The lot for this picture has a lot of history. As I remember, it was a red shed like there. Dave Johnson had a blacksmith business for many years. He also had another shed like, across the street where now the post office is. Jake Tracy had this building built in 1964.
In 1967, Randy Derck bought that business and the insurance company of Lawrence Sidenbender and Lawrence worked for Randy for nearly 10 years. Now Randy’s son, Tim, is also in the business.
Randy has slowed down a lot. He graduated at Antwerp High School in 1959, he is an old Antwerp boy.
The Antwerp Insurance Agency and the Randy Derck family are part of Antwerp’s history and he has been in business for over 50 years.
I know five generations of the Ab Derck family.
See ya!
THE FORT WAYNE WATER WAY
By: Stan Jordan
Ever since I was a little shaver, I have been a big backer of using the recreation forms of the Maumee River. To me, those ideas are endless.
The river has been there for many years and people are just now taking advantage of it.
As I understand both sides of the river there in Fort Wayne will be improved and partake of the entertainment and beautify the scene.
This is a big idea and project and will cost a lot more than the 22 million they had allotted, but if managed correctly, it can be a boom for the tourist trade and the local people also.
Here in Antwerp, the local ACDC volunteers have fixed up a good usable marina to put your boat in or to take it out. And this marina is posted on all the Maumee maps. The more often it is used, the better it becomes.
See ya!
THE AMERICAN EAGLE
By: Stan Jordan
American Eagle, that is the name sometimes for the Bald Eagle. It is our national bird. Now we also have the Golden Eagle. About the only difference between these two species is the color of the head of the adult bird.
These two are the main species all over North America. Although we do have some eagles that are called Fish Eagles and some called Brown Fish Eagles.
What we have here in the tri-state area is the bald eagle and they are no longer on the endangered list.
From my reading of my bird books, they mate for life. Each year they go through a mating cycle and do a lot of repair work on their nest, which sometimes last for years and get as big as a pickup truck.
They are very much family oriented and very protective of their off spring.
I have seen and have been told of maybe a dozen or so of adults and two or three year old eagles down around Power Dam eating fish through the broken ice. I’m sure they are family strong and the young settle down not too far from the adults, if there is a river and plenty of fish for food.
If you have time, watch for them.
See ya!
In the local bar, at one of the smaller tables, were three, a little older, women. The ladies were all passed out and in the middle of the table was an empty whiskey bottle laying flat on the table top. What time of the baseball game does this picture explain?
The last of the fifth, and the bags are loaded.
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One time in the old west, an Indian warrior caught a white guy and was going to scalp him. But the fellow had a wig on and when the Indian pulled on his hair, it came off in the warrior’s grip. It surprised the Indian and he looked at the hair piece and the man’s head and muttered, “damn lie”
***
How much wood would Woodburn burn, if Woodburn would burn wood?
***
Three sisters age 92, 94 and 96 live in a house together.
One night the 96 year old draws a bath, puts her foot in and pauses. She yells down the stairs, “was I getting in or out of the bath?”
The 94 year old yells back, “I don’t know, I’ll come up and see.”
She starts up the stairs and pauses, then she yells, “Was I going up the stairs or coming down?”
The 92 year old was sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, “I sure hope I never get that forgetful.” She knocks on wood for good measure. She then yells, “I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.”
A STORY
A nice old lady got up on Sunday and put on her good dress and waited all day and none of her children came to visit her. She said, “Well, they are very busy.”
This went on the next Sunday and even the next Sunday. The kids never showed. She mumbled, “Well, I know the kids are busy.”
The pastor called and wondered why she hadn’t been in church on Sundays, and she explained why she hadn’t been.
Well, she dressed up again and waited for her kids to come, but they didn’t.
Soon it came to be that the pastor and the undertaker were talking about how nice she looked, even had a nice smile.
Maybe her kids would come visit now.
*This story was told to me by Mr. Elston from Grover Hill.
