“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:
• BRUCE AND MARCY KIRKPATRICK, WELL-KNOWN MEMBERS OF THE TRACY BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1949, SOLD THEIR VARIETY STORE IN THIS YEAR TO A ST. CLOUD MAN.
Raymond R. Hlavka. 45, St. Cloud (pronounced lavka) assumes possession of Kirkpatrick’s Variety Store on Thursday, April 8.
Hlavka, who is originally from Hutchinson, as operated a vending business the past two years in St. Cloud. Previous to that he owned a Ben Franklin Store in Kasson. With Hlavka’s ownership, the store will assume the new name Ben Franklin Store and be one of nearly 2.000 operating under that franchise name.
Hlavka says there will be some changes in merchandise displays throughout the 5.000-square foot store, to follow the Ben Franklin plan.
HIavka and wife, Carol, have two children, Mark, 6, and Nancy, 3.
The Kirkparicks have resided in Tracy since 1949. They operated a drug store until, then sold the business to Brix Drug Store. Two years later, Kirkpatrick’s Variety Store opened at the corner of Morgan and Third Streets in Tracy. Kirkpatrick has been a licensed pharmacist since 1948 and has worked actively in the field while operating the variety store with his wife, Marcy.
• Last week’s answer: Some 500 people turned out in 2013 to watch the razing of Lake Shetek landmark Breezy Point Tavern.
