1966: Indians pitcher Sonny Siebert suffers a hard-luck 3-2 loss after Dick Howser’s error in the ninth kick-starts a rally by the host Senators.

1955: Three area dog owners take home top trainer honors in the 13th annual Chagrin Valley Kennel Club show held at Thistledown.

1944: Roy Cullenbine’s solo home run to right on a Johnny Humphries offering in the bottom of the ninth propels the Indians to a 1-0 over the White Sox.

1933: Frankie Pytlak has a bases-clearing triple in the eighth to give the Indians the lead for good in a 6-4 win over the visiting Yankees.

2009: Monica Coffelt and Morgan Choe each score first-half goals as Kirtland edges North, 3-2, in nonconference girls soccer play.

1998: Rockers point guard Suzie McConnell-Serio is named as the WNBA’s Newcomer of the Year after a season in which she averaged 6.4 assists per game.

1987: Tim Manoa scores from the 1 to tie it at 10, but the visiting Browns are not heard from again offensively in a 24-10 preseason loss to the Giants.

1976: Stanley Jenovic, Doug Kennedy, John Bernot, Fred Stetler and Debbie Zirkle are each crowned division winners in the 8-mile race of the second annual Old Fashioned Days Run in Madison.

1965: The Painesville Telegraph releases the field for the Regional Press Champion of Champions tournament with 11 female and four male golfers qualified thus far.

1954: The Indians announce with 13 home dates left in the season, they have surpassed the previous year’s attendance, checking in at 1,075,923.

1943: Jeff Heath caps a seven-RBI day with a two-run home run in the 14th to give the Indians a 7-5 win over the Yankees in the second game of a doubleheader.

The first thing I noticed when I unfolded the Jan. 13, 1888, edition of The Willoughby Independent is just how huge it seems.
It's about 17.5 inches wide. Today's News-Herald measures 11 inches across.
Lawrence Caine of Willoughby was kind enough to stop by with his find and loan it to us for a few days.
He'd been on Kelleys Island when the word Willoughby jumped out at him while he was milling about at a sale.

Listen to him share his experience:




The edition itself is in remarkably good condition. A few tears where its been folded and unfolded, but still readable.

And read it I did. Though I did need reading glasses. The type used in stories was just 6 points; we use 10.4-point type today.

One thing that struck me - aside from the overwhelming grayness of the pages with no photographs, no big headlines, nothing to break up the text - was how Twitter-like it was.
The journalists of 1888 were certainly committed to getting as much information in their four pages as possible. While there are a few lengthy stories, much of the copy is just snippet upon snippet. Complete stories told in 140 characters or less.
A few of the highlights:

On the 7th Isaac Merrick shot his young daughter at their home in Camden, N.J., and then turned the weapon on himself with fatal effect.

Emma Lewis, aged twenty-five, sister of Rev. W. Lewis, committed suicide early Monday morning by drowning herself in the canal. Sensational developments are expected.

At Belgrade, M.T., on the 7th the spirit thermometer registered fifty-two degrees below zero, which seemed to be the coldest since 1865.

Fascinating stuff.

The Willoughby Independent was a weekly newspaper published from April 18, 1879,until May of 1920, according to The News-Herald family tree. It was established by John Holland Merrill, a wealthy Painesville journalist.

It's price at the time - $1.50 a year.

Quite a bargain considering how much info it packed.

Thanks for sharing, Lawrence.

--Tricia Ambrose tambrose@News-Herald.com @triciaambrose

1932: Ray Evans cards a 75 to earn a 2 handicap at Black Brook in the Painesville Telegraph Open Handicap tournament.

2008: Lake Catholic two-way football standout Randy Greenwood suffers a major leg injury during a scrimmage against Madison, sidelining the D-I recruit for at least six weeks.

The Lake County Fair opens today, and Staff Writer Caitlin Fertal previewed the event, including the 6 p.m. parade and themed days scheduled throughout the six-day fair. Visit www.lakecountyfair.org for more details and the schedule.

In honor of the opening, I decided to take a look back in the archive to spotlight some moments in the fair's more recent history.

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In 1980, News-Herald Staff Writer Maggi Martin profiled Lynn Plaisted of Willoughby. The 90-year-old hadn't missed a fair since it began in 1912. Read Martin's full story by clicking the image below to enlarge it:

My favorite part: "I gave up smoking, I don't drink, and I don't chase women," he said.

The 1980 fair was the last one Plaisted attended. He died in 1981. Last year, he was among the first class inducted into the Lake County Fair Hall of Fame.

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The economy was a concern at the fair in 1982. Staff Writer Keith Jameson wrote about worries that the number of buyers would be down and the prices paid would be incredibly low. Read Jameson's full story by clicking the image below to enlarge it:

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The price of admission to the fair rose in 1983 - from $3 to $4, and that price included all mechanical rides. Today, admission to the fair is $6 for general admission per day unless otherwise noted, and free for those ages 12 and younger. The cost of admission does not include rides. Read the full story from Staff Writer Jim Sweeney by clicking the image below to enlarge it:

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The 1984 installment of the fair started off on a sad note, as 20-year Fair Board Director Joanna L. Fuller died shortly before the fair opened. Read the full story from Staff Writer Jim Sweeney by clicking the image below to enlarge it:

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The 1988 fair provided an opportunity for then-Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich to stump in Lake County during his first bid for the U.S. Senate. "... the Republican candidate said he believes he will 'do very well in Lake County,' a traditional Democratic stronghold." I didn't realize before reading this that Democrats outnumbered Republicans by such a big margin 23 years ago. Read the full story from Staff Writer Jonathan Riskind by clicking the image below to enlarge it:

Voinovich lost his election bid, but was elected Ohio governor in 1990. After serving two terms, he successfully ran for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Glenn.

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In 1992, a new pavilion on the fairgrounds was dedicated to the memory of former Lake County Agricultural Society Secretary Florence Belcher. Read the full story from Staff Writer Scott Linabarger by clicking the image below to enlarge it:

Belcher is among those to be inducted in the Lake County Fair's second Hall of Fame class.

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In 1993, Johnny Cash was scheduled to headline the grandstand entertainment at the Lake County Fair. Grandstand seating for the concert was free with regular admission to the fair, and track seating tickets were $8. Read the full story by clicking the image below to enlarge it:

I'm so curious about such a big star performing in Lake County. Did anyone attend this show?

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OK, this one has much less to do with the history of the fair than the entertainment value of the opening sentence. Looks like Indians fever spread beyond the Sports section. Read the full story from Staff Writer Craig Webb by clicking the image below to enlarge it:

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-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl