OLD’N NEWS From Around the County
RALPH GERHARD MICROFILM RESEARCH CENTER
The collection of microfilm at the research center continues to grow. Chris Parrish, who met such an untimely, early death from cancer, was a long time member of the Randolph County Historical Society. He was a devoted family history researcher and amassed a huge collection of research materials. He had asked his wife Marge to donate his microfilm collection to the Society at his death. We now have the microfilm. In his personal research library were 87 microfilm rolls of birth, marriage, census, and other records from Randolph county and 8 other counties in the surrounding area.
They are a wonderful addition to the Research Center.
SPORTS NEWS
The Mirror of Roanoke High School, May 17, 1921 Roanoke High School fielded its first baseball team in 1920.
FOURTH STREET THEATER
Rehabilitating an old theater is a lot of fun. Researching the history of the place, doing actual demolition of parts of it and listening to the stories that people have about times there. Not so much fun is the constant need for asking for donations of cash or donated services.
Carolee Hazlet, Project Chairperson, has had many fund raising schemes, but the most beneficial to donors is the state NAP tax credits program. Carolee applied for tax credit status for the Fourth Street Theater project in 2002. The project was accepted and it was made an official project of the Neighborhood Assistance Program of the state.
At the present time, businesses and professional people are being solicited for donations that may be made using these tax credits. Tax credits work this way. The state of Missouri designates certain rehab projects around the state as eligible to receive tax credit money. So at tax time, a Missouri corporation may designate that it wants up to 70 % of its state tax money to be used for helping one of these projects. For instance, let’s say that a corporation owes $10,000 in state taxes. They may then make a $10,000 donation to the 4th Street Theater project and 70% of the $10,000 will be taken off their tax bill. The other 30% is a donation to the project and may be used for reducing their federal taxes.
Time is short, however, because the tax credits expire on June 30, 2005, so consider making your donation soon.