By STAN STAPP

EIGHTY YEARS AGO, Nov. 3, 1922, my big brother, Milton T. Stapp, published the first issue of the Outlook newspaper. Its name then was "Your Community Shopping News" and contained only ads. He soon was producing four editions every week, covering these areas: Wallingford, Meridian, East 45th Street, and 23rd and East Union.

On Jan. 18, 1924, the first issue containing news as well as ads made its debut and the paper's name was changed to Wallingford Herald. To avoid confusion with the University Herald, on June 12, 1924 it was renamed Wallingford Hill Outlook by our mother, Emma Frances Stapp. From then on it always had Outlook in its name.

I'd like to give you some idea what the North End was like in those early days, particularly Wallingford. But because we didn't have news coverage at first, I have selected the year 1927 which is 75 years ago. I was 9 years old at the time.

* * *

City Engineer J. D. Blackwell proposes that the Stoneway Bridge, when built, include a smaller bascule bridge underneath (that opens and closes like the Fremont Bridge) to carry additional traffic. ...

A woman in her 40s passes a bogus $18 check on Vanderwel Electric, 2119 N 45th., making off with a $4.50 curling iron, and $13.50 cash. ...

The Wallingford Neighborhood Bridge Club had a pretty and delightful three-course luncheon at Frederick & Nelson's department store, followed by an afternoon of bridge at the home of Mrs. Bernice Donley, 4011 Wallingford. ...

The Radio Service Shop, Wallingford's first, marks its one year anniversary. In addition to Crosley, Kolster, and Eria radios, it has Columbia phonographs, and process records, and a sheet music department. ...

It has not been very long since the first electric sign appeared on N 45th - the latest one is that of Miss Dicken's Cake Shop. ...

Interlake Elementary School kids filled about 185 boxes with candy for the war veterans. (Interlake is now the Wallingford Center.)

M. P. Clausen, who operates a hardware and auto supply store on Fremont Ave., injured himself with an axe while splitting kindling. ...

The Mah Jong craze which swept the country a few months ago has disappeared - being replaced by the Crossword Puzzle. ...

A local radio station, KGBS, located at 844 NE 58th, is a 100-watt 227-meter station heard almost all over the United States. It operates five nights a week from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. ... The Neptune Theatre changed its name to Liberty Theatre. (It got changed back later.) And what now is the Guild 45th St. Theatre, was then known as the Paramount - until the downtown Paramount paid the original Paramount $300 to change its name. ...

The Fremont WCTU hears a speech on "The Influence of Motion Pictures on the Morals of the Youth of Our Community." ...

The West Green Lake Community Club gave a "Hard Times Dance." All of the ladies wore colored balloons floating from their ankles. The winning balloon withstood many attacks by other dancers. (Ouch!) The prize was a flashlight. ...

A proposal to change the name of Woodland Park Ave. to Park Ave. was met with an enthusiastic response by members of the Green Lake Community Club. It was felt that Woodland Park Ave. conflicted with Woodlawn Ave. But it was not changed. After the Aurora Bridge was completed Woodland Park Ave. became Aurora north of Green Lake. ...

The brand new Hamilton Junior High School, George R. Austin Principal, opens for the first time. Austin had been principal of Interlake Elementary previously. Seventh and eighth grade students will study the same subjects as in the grade schools, with the exception of electricity, gymnasium, and several others. ...

The Cheeloco and Holowo Camp Fire girls of McDonald School held a skating party at the Camp Fire cabin on the shores of Green Lake. At 4 o'clock, they left school and skated down to the lake and had a nice warm dinner of wieners and scalloped potatoes. A Council fire was enjoyed by all. ...

At 7:30 the girls were taken home, tired but very happy.

Lost from vacant lot opposite Whitman Memorial Church last Friday, child's scooter. Finder please phone Melrose 0049 or leave at 4203 Woodlawn Ave. Reward. (Hey, that was MY scooter. I think I got it back. I was 9 years old.) ...

One of the most popular items advertised in the Outlook in 1927 were hot water bottles. Numerous ads featured them almost every week. (Why I don't know.) ...

The free scales at the Lincoln Pharmacy, N 45th and Wallingford, have weighed 109,824 people, according to James Yerkes, store owner. ...

Mr. and Mrs.George B. Hayes have purchased the Manhattan Theatre at 125th and Victory Way (the Bothell Highway, now known as Lake City Way). Its reopening was marked with a valentine dance in the auditorium. ...

The Radio Service Shop, 1905 N 45th, had a sale on phonograph records, all Fox Trots, such as: "The Henderson Stomp," "It Made You Happy When You Made Me Cry," "Don't Take That Black Bottom Away," and "Bugle Call Rag."

(The latter was MY favorite one - so much so that I bought a 78 RPM copy of it for 25 cents, and gave it to my mother for Mother's Day. ...

The boys and girls of the Ryther Home (across from Lincoln High School) had a Haircut Night recently. A dozen barbers donated their time to comb and clip more than a hundred kiddies, who were seated on high chairs similar to soda fountain seats. Six-year-old Earl Kennedy, who looks four, and is nearly blind, and is called "Jimmie" by everyone who knows him, entertained at the piano. (The Ryther Child Center is now located at 2400 NE 95th.) ...

April 15 was the date set for turning on the new street lights on Woodland Park Ave. from Green Lake to the city limits (then part of the Pacific Highway to Everett; now Aurora Ave.) The celebration attracted 20,000 people, 500 cars, a parade with floats. Mayor Bertha K. Landes pushed the button, Gov. Roland H. Hartley and City Light Superintendent spoke....

"Everybody danced with everybody else and it was a real sociable community party" that was the Wallingford Community Club Hard Times Dance held at the American Legion Hall, to which 209 tickets had been sold, and party-goers were advised to "come in your old clothes." ...

Fremont Commercial Club is sponsoring a dinner meeting at the Fremont Baptist Church, 75 cents a plate, plus entertainment, speaking, and "good old-fashioned community singing." ...

Reese's Bakery, 1908 N 45th, made 27,600 hot-cross buns during Lent, which if laid in a straight line from N 45th and Wallingford towards the sun would reach two miles. ...

When William H. Huston, of 4122 Evanston, entered his shop the Blue & White Cleaners on Stone Way, he found a stranger there, but with a familiar look. It was W. N. Huston, of 2200 N 38th - first cousin of William whom he had not seen for 31 years - even though they had lived only a few blocks apart. ...

The Woodland Park Auto Camp has brought out its piano which had been in storage for the winter. There is hardly an hour goes by that it isn't in use by happy campers having fun with it, or entertaining the other campers. ...

Earwig-baiting demonstrations are being held in eight Wallingford homes. ...

The Adams Concert Band of 14 pieces will present a program Sunday afternoon in Woodland Park. This summer various other bands will play there Sundays. ...

While driving to town, Mrs. Margaret Brown, 901 E 45th St., lost a handbag from the running board of her car, and some wearing apparel. ...

The Outlook advertising department has been losing money on its want ads, mostly 30 or 40 cents per ad (at 2 cents per word). We had a boy who would walk around the district making collections, sometimes having to call back two or three times. He gets a dime for every collection. (I recall this quite well, for I was the boy.) ...

Ballard needs a fireboat in Salmon Bay. The recent fire on the tugboat "Virginia" could have been put out much sooner had the fireboat under construction been in Salmon Bay. The other two fireboats are stationed downtown at the foot of Madison and Massachusetts. (75 years later we finally got one. Now we want another for Lake Union.) ...

Fremont Ave. property owners want some streetlights, too, like other areas are getting. They'd be quite happy to have them located on Fremont Ave. from N 36th to N 50th. Then you'd be able to drive from the Fremont Bridge to the City Limits at N 85th, on a well-lit highway. ...

North End businessmen played baseball recently, those north of 45th vs. those south of 45th. The Southsiders won, the score being something between 20-10 and 12-8. The game was played at Wallingford Playfield. ...

The Woodland Park zoo keeper complained to police that the water tank was overflowing. The police passed the problem over to the Water Department. ...

Another zoo complaint was that a porcupine had climbed a tree and couldn't or wouldn't come down. An officer finally persuaded the porcupine to come down and behave himself or herself, as the case may be. ...

Sever Severson, 611 N 61st, complained to police that someone had left a young calf on his front porch. The Humane Society was notified and said they would take care of it. The next day, though, the Society refused when they discovered it was a CALF, not a CAT. The Animal Pound was finally persuaded to remove the calf. ...

New printing equipment was installed at Hamilton Junior High. (I was excited about being able to take a printing class several years later, but was disappointed when I did - for at the age of 12 I knew more about printing than the poor teacher.) ...

Several ladies made a little money by babysitting. One advertised: 25 cents per hour, plus carfare (which in those days was 8-1/3 cents). ...

E. A. Smith, operator of the Park Service Station on N 49th, confronted a would-be bandit carrying a revolver. Smith was sitting in the back of the station, eating a late dinner. He picked up some dishes from the table and threw them at the holdup man who turned and ran away to escape the onslaught. ...

A 12-year-old girl, at the point of death, was given two pints of blood by a blind man, Arnie Fieldstad. The girl's father, C. J. McCrey, was a co-worker with Fieldstad at the Lighthouse for the Blind broom factory. ...

Mrs. John S. Burnett was walking home with a small package of ice. A man walked up and asked what was in the package. She didn't answer, so the man grabbed the package. A car driven by another man drove up and the man with the package jumped in. Wouldn't it have been fun to be there when they opened the package and found out it only contained ice?