Last week we featured two photos of The Turf Café, a long-standing Moses Lake restaurant. Today we feature two telephone book ads for The Turf, one from 1957 and the other 1966. The interesting part of being able to read two ads about one establishment from nine years apart is seeing the difference, such as being open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. at one point and being open 24 hours at another.

See the ads to see more differences.

E-mail from Cheryl

Facts from the past gleaned from the Moses Lake Herald, Columbia Basin Herald and The Neppel Record by Cheryl (Driggs) Elkins:

At one time, there was a race track for stock cars along Highway 17. Actually, it was between the Cenex station on East Broadway and the house on the curve on Highway 17. A line drawn from the house to the Cenex gas pumps would cut the track in half. These races must have taken place on this track. Read on.

From the CBH on July 10, 1952:

Lunsford wins A-Main event in stock races

Les Lunsford (98) of Ephrata took the A-main event in Sunday’s stock car races on the Legion Speedway, before a fair-sized crowd that stayed in their own cars to get out of the dust.

Digger O’Dell (88) came in second followed by Histon Robinson (19) of Quincy, Roy Fuller (8) of Moses Lake and Louie Vitolo (77) of Soap Lake.

A Soap Lake man, Chuck Frazer, took the B-main, with only four cars running, following by Jack Sitton of Wilbur.

Best time was Curt Elshire’s, followed by Buzz Reed and Wayne Gardner. Eishire took the trophy dash to add to his points. Heat winners were Harold Chapman, Vitolo and O’Dell. The track was fast, smoother than before, with more work promised before the July 20 race. The Columbia Basin Stock Car Racing Association plans races here every other Sunday for the rest of the summer.

From the CBH on Feb. 3, 1982:

Fund drive starts

Volunteers at Moses Lake are going door-to-door this month to offer information about heart research and accept contributions for the American Heart Association of Washington.

The annual Heart-to-Heart fund drive funs through Feb. 21. About 250 Moses Lake area volunteers will participate. Funds raised during the drive are used for plod pressure testing clinics, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, health education and cardiovascular research.

Earlene Anderson is the Moses Lake Heart Fund Chairman. She has six area chairmen and 24 district captains.

Purchased OKed

Grand County Five District Five commissioners have approved the purchase of a used 1,500-gallon per minute rated pumper and truck for $32,251.

Commissioners authorized modification of the rig to replace the 600-gallon tank with a 1,000-gallon tank.

Commissioners also met in executive session Monday night to discuss a personnel matter.

From the CBH on April 10, 1979:

Theater meet set

Moses Lake Little Theater will meet 7:30 p.m. at Frontier Junior High School in the theater room. All interested persons are invited to attend, said Jan Summit, member.

Nisei election

Nisei Women’s Club recently elected officers with Kiyo Osumi named president.

Other officers for the year are: Michi Kawauchi, vice-president; Grayce Hatori, secretary; Aki Kataoka, treasurer; Fumi Hara, sergeant-at-arms; Sue Matsumura, social chairman; Midori Osumi, courtesy chairman and Lillian Tokunaga, program chairman.

Members voted to present cash gifts from the proceeds of the annual Sukiyaki Dinner to Samaritan Hospital, Moses Lake Fire Department, Beach Court Apartments, Othello Community Hospital and Warden Fire Department.

Easter egg hunt slated Saturday

A community Easter egg hunt for children is slated 11:30 a.m. Saturday at McCosh Park near the tennis courts.

Moses Lake Newcomer’s Club is sponsoring the public event with a potluck family picnic slated after the egg hunt. Those attending are asked to bring their own table service, sandwiches or salad. Coffee and punch will be provided.

Persons planning to attend the egg hunt are to bring six colored eggs per child to Kathy Booth, 914 E. Hill Street, on Friday. Prizes will be awarded and the hunt will start on time.

Committee members for the event are Phyllis Schwartz, 1104 Dahlia, and Karen Mittelstaedt, 16 Albert Way. Call 765-5288 for further information.

Discussions for mothers

Weekly discussion groups for mothers with infants up to 12 months of age will be held 10-11:30 a.m. starting Monday, April 23, at the First Presbyterian Church, 1142 Ivy St.

The Grant County Health District is sponsoring the informal sessions. Topics for discussion will including feeding your baby, what to do with an ill baby and normal growth and development.

From the CBH on Sept. 29, 1980:

Moses Lake youth wins 4-H contest

Deena Hansen, 17, of Moses Lake, is one of three girls who’ll represent Washington at the North American International Livestock Exposition at Louisville, Ky.

This will be first year Washington has been represented.

Joining Hansen will be Monica Stevens, 14 of Mount Vernon and Betsy Brison, 17, of Bothell.

They were selected on their ability to judge pens of sheep, swine and livestock at eh State 4-H Fair held at Puyallup. A similar test of their skills will be held when they reach Louisville.

Bubbleator ‘sick’

The bulbous Bubbleator, which has raised millions at the Seattle Center to new heights since the 1962 World’s Fair, apparently is going to the hospital instead of the junkyard.

City bureaucrats decided earlier this year to junk the odd, plastic elevator, but Precon Enterprises, a Bothell firm which is redesigning the Center House, had donated the Bubbleator to the Children’s Orthopedic Hospital.

Jim Grassley, the hospital’s development coordinator, says he isn’t sure just how the hospital will use the see-through people lifter, but if safety codes permit, he hopes to use the Bubbleator “in some unique way,” perhaps as a play area for its young patients.

Dennis note: OK, tell your children and grandchildren about the Bubbleator. A search of the Internet indicates this unique elevator was put in storage in 1984 to make way for the Seattle Children’s Museum and later sold to a private owner in Des Moines, Wash. This new owner recycled the upper part of the dome into a greenhouse.

Valley Road job forces closure

Valley Road will be closed to through traffic until Wednesday past Grape Drive as construction crews begin to widen and repave the street.

Street construction will be performed from Grape and Valley to Paxson Drive and Valley. The two-lane Valley Road from Grape to Paxson will be improved to four lanes.

The road closure may cause some inconvenience for Cascade Valley residents, who’ll have to travel other routes.

Frontier plans parents’ program

The Frontier Junior High School staff and Parent-Teacher-Student Association will sponsor its 1980 Back-to-School program at the school Tuesday night. Parents and students are invited to attend the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. session.

PTSA officers for 1980 at frontier are Jim Evans, president; Jim Spidell, vice president; Mrs. Karen Thern, secretary; and Mrs. Carol Smith, treasurer. Two student representatives to the PTSA board will be selected this week.