A Thought to Remember: Birthday celebration brings even more pride in community

Yes, July 2 was my 90^th birthday, and our four sons, Paul, John, Mark and Luke, purchased the 28 tickets to the St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres baseball game for my birthday present.

All of our family that was available were in Section 130, as it was in the right field area — where the action is — and also where we used to sit, only much higher, in old Sportsman’s Park at Grand and Dodier. (My brother Udell and I were members of the Cards’ Knot-holers Club back in the 1930s.)

On my birthday, we drove to Glen Carbon and rode with Luke to the game and parked in the 400 lot, just west of the former PET Milk Co. building, at 400 4^th St. It was in this PET Milk building in 1985 that I saw the miniature PET Milk factory for the first time. (It is the one we now have at the Latzer Homestead.)

Jule Spindler and I drove to St. Louis to see this miniature factory and other displays, for PET’s 100^th anniversary. We talked with Tom Latzer, who was on our Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library Board, as I was, at that time.

Tom had us meet some others of the PET Board, and we had a verbal commitment to have the miniature factory on display for Highland’s sesquicentennial in 1987. (Yes, the miniature factory was on display and running in the Exposition Building during the sesquicentennial. During the sesquicentennial, I was Highland’s “town crier,” calling people to gather around to hear the actor who portrayed Mr. Louis Latzer, the president of the Helvetia Milk Condensing Co., which was founded in Highland in 1885 and in 1923 became the PET Milk Co.)

Also, we met Harold Wright, PET’s engineer who designed and built the miniature factory in Greenville in May 1941.

For the sesquicentennial, Mr. McCaslin and his crew from Greenville set up the miniature, which is 26 feet long and weighs three tons. They then dismantled it, put it back into the 17 wooden crates and stored them in the hayloft of the old red barn, which is still standing at Latzer Homestead. There it remained until 1996, when the miniature was given to the Highland Historical Society.

Bill Alexander and his brother-in-law, Jim Gifford, set up all of the miniature factory and have it running in a new room that was made in the white pole barn, just east of the old red barn. Come see the miniature factory during Harvest Days this Sept. 11-13. Maybe I can give you a tour of the miniature factory and make PET Milk for you?

Now, back to the Cardinals baseball game.

We were just seated when Ruth Zobrist of Highland, an usher for the Cardinals now that she has retired from the K-9 unit of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department. Ruth is our neighbor, living just one block away. She surprised me with a Cardinals jersey. Then, at the start of the fourth inning, two of the “Team Fredbird” girls and a photographer had me on the message board and presented me with the commemorative 2004 World Series replica ring and the miniature Hall of Fame plaque for Jim Edmonds, Willie McGee, Mike Shannon and Marty Marion.

Then, after the seventh inning, our usher and five other ushers sang Happy Birthday. It was truly a happy birthday and another great day to remember. The only sad moment all day was that Will Venable of the Padres hit a two-out, pinch-hit home run in the 11^th inning, and the Cards lost 5-3.

Highland, what a grand place to live and work. It’s where I had my own funeral home and worked in banking. It’s where we raised our family. And it’s where we retired, since 1990. Highland is the best!

It is also the home of the Schweizerfest, Kirchenfest, the Erwin Weder Museum in the old Schott’s Brewery buildings and the Highland Museum at Dr. Albert Kaeser Park, an old stage coach house and barn now owned by the Highland Historical Society with a four-acre nature trail maintained by the city. Then there’s the Helvetia Sharpshooters’ Lindendale Park, Dance Pavilion, Exposition Building and Madison County Fair buildings, plus the swimming pool and grandstands with track.

The city of Highland also has Silver Lake, which offers fishing and boating, and Silver Lake Park, which is outstanding, with playgrounds, volleyball courts, nature trails, a Frisbee golf course, pavilions and much more. Spindler Park has tennis courts, play grounds, a walking trail and a small soccer field. Glik Park has wonderful baseball diamonds, concession stands, tables, soccer fields, skate board ramps, a labyrinth and walking trails. Dennis Rinderer Park is under construction, but has its memorial kiosks and will offer many other amenities. The Tot Lot is a kiddie playground. Then there’s Dr. Merwin Park, Ernie Hoffmann Park, and don’t forget our beautiful Square, with its restored Centennial Fountain and music pavilion for those great Friday night summer concerts that followed the Peanut Butter & Jam Festivals on Friday afternoon. We have the Weinheimer Community and Senior Center and Korte Recreation Center and all their great facilities within.

We are proud of Highland and our Fourth of July fireworks at Glik Park, sponsored by many of our Highland merchants, manufacturers and other businesses.

All of these add up to a GREAT HIGHLAND.

Thanks for all of you who do so much for the youth, general population, seniors and all of Highland.

P.S. Donations people gave as gifts for my birthday amounted to more than $800 for Anderson Cemetery and Highland Area Christian Service Ministry. Thanks to ALL.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 3:00 AM with the headline "A Thought to Remember: Birthday celebration brings even more pride in community."