“Name that Year” is designed to put your knowledge of Tracy and its newsmakers of the past to the test. Each week, we will publish a news item that ran in a past edition — maybe it was a major event, or a story about a Tracy resident — it’s up to you to determine in what year that particular news item hit the pages of the paper:
• A $100,000 GOAL WAS SET THIS YEAR FOR A TRACY PRAIRIE PAVILION FUND-RAISING CAMPAIGN, which was kicked-off by a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event, attended by about 300 people, highlighted the recent installation of a $90,000 multi-purpose floor in the Pavilion.
“This is a great addition to the Pavilion,” said Mayor Claire Hannasch, who recalled how the city had acquired the former National Guard Armory for $1. Had the city not made improvements, Hannasch said the city would be stuck with a “white elephant.”
But today, he said, Tracy has an outstanding facility that can be used for many events. He credited “teamwork” from local citizens, the City of Tracy and Tracy Public Schools with the successful floor installation. Master of Ceremonies Con Rettmer credited Dr. Francis Robinson with “spearheading” the citizen committee that researched and proposed the multi-purpose floor. Dr. Robinson was given the honor of cutting the ribbon.
The new floor replaces a wooden basketball floor that dated from the construction of the former National Guard Armory in the late 1950s, the wooden floor, which was in poor condition, was donated to a Marshall church. The new multi-purpose “Mondo” floor is twice as large as the old floor. The more that 12,000 square feet of new flooring covers the main Pavilion arena from bleacher lo bleacher.
• Last week’s answer: A small group of area residents in April 1981 formed a new Tracy church, Faith Christian Center, and sought a building in which to hold services.
