40 years ago

april 2, 1980

A capacity crowd from throughout the community flocked to Eastmoor United Methodist Church Sunday evening to hear Handel’s “Messiah” presented by the Marion Community Chorus. The two hour performance was directed by Jeff Brewer and was a Marion Community Arts Council project.

The Longhofer brothers, Ray and Rusty, have donated a large lot on S. Third St. as the site for the proposed new senior citizens center in Marion.

Wayne Payton, longtime employee of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad as agent-operator in the area, is the subject of this week’s “Personality Profile.”

About 900 people withstood drizzle and muddy streets to get in on the annul pancake and sausage feed held Friday at Lynn’s Farm Equipment in Marion. The crowd consumed over 550 pounds of sausage and 175 pounds of pancake mix.

Former Marion resident, Leslie Powell of Tucson, Arizona, retired Air Force colonel and jet pilot, has been invited to participate in this year’s Boston Marathon. An active jogger and runner, Powell writes a column for “The Roadrunner,” a publication for runners.