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Circleville Sesquicentennial 
SPECIAL DAY: A happy Betty Zimmerhanzel, above left, receives a proclamation from a representative of the Governor’s office for her 150 years in business. |
By Rebecca Lackie Store celebrates 150 years serving small community They say that Cheers is where everybody knows your name, but the cast of the famous TV show has obviously never been to the Circleville Store. On Saturday, the Circleville Store had a celebration commemorating the 150 years of memories that are all bound up into one little building. The Circleville Store has been the center of life for generations of people. A meeting place, a place to shop, and a place to get Williamson County's best hamburger, the Circleville Store knows how to keep people coming in. One of the reasons that the Circleville Store is so special is the interesting people that have shopped here. Frank Talbert, a man who worked for a Dallas Newspaper, was said to have come in to the store every day at 3 p.m. looking for Henry Fox, otherwise known as the ‘Circleville Philosopher.' Bud Adams, former owner of the Houston Oilers, used to come to Circleville for fencing supplies. In fact, Circleville has seen every type of person imaginable at one time or another. The local cotton pickers used to bring in their bags of cotton and leave with groceries. Circleville residents would stop in to get pressed ham and goose liver to take back home for sandwiches. Back before refrigerators, practically everybody would come to the store for blocks of ice to put in the icebox to keep food cold. “They sold ice by the block, and we'd stop in to get a 50 pound block of ice so we could make homemade ice cream on Sunday afternoons,” Judy Kocurek Saegert said. That was another part of the store's success; the Circleville Store has sold a little bit of everything over the years - from fencing supplies, to lunchmeat, cowboy hats to pecans, if you wanted it, all you had to do was go to Circleville. “Somebody used to say, ‘If we don't have it, you don't need it,'” Joan McNabb, whose father used to own the store, said. “We've sold practically everything.” But perhaps what made Circleville most popular was the parties. Circleville has always been and still is a great place to celebrate. “We have had thousands of birthday parties and anniversary parties. We even held domino tournaments on Saturday nights in the ‘60s. One thing I remember is how I used to watch Joe Quebe and Walter Johnson shoot pool here,” McNabb said. That was the sentiment of practically everybody who attended Saturday's celebration. Anyone who's been to Circleville can talk for hours about the people they know, the fun times that they've had, and the good food that they've eaten with friends. However, Saturday's party was something extra special. Owner Betty Zimmerhanzel saw friends from Taylor, Georgetown, Rockdale, Granger and many other places. People came out in droves, bringing all of their best vehicles with them for the car show. Guests saw cars such as a ‘59 Chevy Apache, a ‘47 Chevy Pickup, an ‘84 Jaguar SJ6, an ‘86 Chevy El Camino, and even a ‘67 Cadillac limousine that was formerly owned by the late Johnny Cash. The car show had more than 30 different classic cars, each one a winner in its own right. However, there were several awards given to different vehicles that had that extra something special. In the street rod category, Roy Bishop took first, with Dennis Moeller taking second place and Russell Balusek taking third. In the classic car category, Russell Balusek took first with Raymond Salazar taking second place and Cale Hall and Brook Niemlschk tying for third place. In the rat rod category, Lynn Stout took first place and Norman Gonzales took second, but there was no third place winner due to lack of entrants in that category. In the muscle car category, Scott and Myra Naemen took first place, and John Douglas took second with no third place winner. In the motorcycle category, Tim Patten took first place, Jimmy Reyes took second and Russell Balusek took third place. The Best of Show winner was a tie between Dennis Moeller and Cale Hall. The celebration also had a host of other activities, including an opening ceremony in which the talented young Courtney Ging sang the national anthem. Then, Betty Zimmerhanzel received a proclamation from the governor's office for 150 years of successful business. Following that, guests were treated to free hot dogs as they mingled and enjoyed the music of deejay Britt Ging. The kids, however, received an extra special treat, as Checker the Clown, aka Richard McNabb, was on hand to make balloon animals. They also had a moon walk, a water slide and face painting, all of which were big hits with the children. In the evening, Clayton Ging performed live music for the crowd as guests relaxed and mingled for the rest of the evening. The 150-year celebration was a success, with memories, friends and fun, three things that are not new to Circleville, but definitely worth remembering.
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