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SATURDAY • DECEMBER 27 • 2014
GOING OUT IN STYLE
SHOPPING
Post-holiday sales cap good year for retailers By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
WARREN-MCELWAIN MORTUARY’S HORSE-DRAWN HEARSE passes through the intersection of Seventh and Massachusetts streets during Lawrence’s recent Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade. The funeral home is now offering the carriage as part of the services it provides to bereaved families.
Lawrence funeral home debuts restored horse-drawn hearse By Sara Shepherd Twitter: @saramarieshep
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he daytime motorcade trundling through the streets behind a shiny black hearse, all with headlights on, is a hallmark of today’s funerals. But, of course, death predates cars and electric lights — and so do hearses. A Lawrence funeral home now has a vehicle for the deceased to be sent off in style from a bygone era: a horsedrawn hearse. Jim Larkin, owner of Warren-McElwain Mortuary and Cremation Services, purchased the antique hearse in 2006 and had it restored. The hearse made its Lawrence debut earlier this month at Lawrence’s Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade, though
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I’ve always liked old and unique items.” — Jim Larkin, owner of Warren-McElwain Mortuary and Cremation Services as of mid-December it had yet to be used in an actual funeral here. Larkin said he has shared photos with the owner of the firm that built the hearse and is awaiting verification of its history. But according to the retired Kentucky funeral home director he bought it from, it was first built in the 1870s by the Sayers and Scovill Co. in Ohio, known as one of the finer carriage builders. The renovation process required custom work. In addition to
painting the hearse black and replacing the frail curtain fabric inside, Larkin had a blacksmithing school in California create period-correct brakes and rebuild each wheel. The wheels were soaked for months in a mixture of kerosene and linseed oil, and re-varnished when finished. “I’ve always liked old and unique items,” said Larkin, who has been a funeral home owner since 1972. He said at Warren-McElwain, which has locations in Lawrence and Eudora, his finds on display include stainedglass windows that are more than 100 years old and a wall clock that’s more than 200 years old. Warren-McElwain has made arrangements to use specialty vehicles from motorcycles to firetrucks for funerals, said Lisa Manley, co-manager
of the funeral home along with Audrey Bell. But unlike those, the horsedrawn hearse belongs to WarrenMcElwain. Manley said it costs more than a vehicle hearse to use in a funeral, because of some extra arrangements including hiring a horse and driver, but that it’s available anytime. She said it also would require a special permit from the city to drive in the streets. The horse-drawn hearse is an elegant vehicle, they said, noting its large spoke wheels, gold lanterns, a tassled red curtain in the window and carvings on the outside. “We enjoy just standing there and looking at it,” Bell said. — Enterprise reporter Sara Shepherd can be reached at sshepherd@ljworld. com or 832-7187.
Traffic was heavy around 31st and Iowa and the sidewalks on Massachusetts Street were crowded as shoppers headed out to exchange items, redeem gift cards and hunt for bargains in the after-Christmas clearance sales Friday. For many reIt was wonderful tailers, the busy this year; it was after-Christmas rush capped off really great. We what they called a were really busy successful holiday and feel very shopping season. “It was won- blessed.” derful this year; it was really great. — Megan McHenry, manager We were really of Third Planet in downtown busy and feel very blessed,” said Me- Lawrence
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gan McHenry, manager of Third Planet, 846 Massachusetts St. Traditionally, the day after Christmas is a mixed blessing for retailers, who sometimes refer to Dec. 26 as “National Returns Day” because many shoppers only come in to return gifts they didn’t want or can’t use. Stores usually try to capitalize on that traffic with clearance sales featuring markeddown items they weren’t able to sell before Christmas. Please see RETAIL, page 2A
Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
BRIAN AND RECA POWELL, of Liberty, Mo., look over a window display Friday in the 900 block of Massachusetts Street. Local retailers reported strong sales on the day after Christmas.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
TV commercial latest in creative efforts to discourage drug use By Elliot Hughes Twitter: @elliothughes12
Since early fall, Lawrence residents may have noticed TV commercials warning viewers about the potential hazards of marijuana use. A few people took offense, said Jen Jordan, coordinator of Draw the Line Lawrence,
the coalition behind the TV spot. But she and her colleagues won’t back down, she says, because the ad serves her organization’s mission: telling youth about the dangers of substance abuse. “Our response is that for youth, there is no benefit,” said Jordan, who is also the
Business Classified Comics Deaths
Low: 19
Today’s forecast, page 6A
alcohol and drug free. It has funded two prevention specialists for Lawrence’s public high schools and hired law enforcement to search for underage drinking parties. The marijuana ad marks a transition for the Please see DRUGS, page 2A
INSIDE
Colder
High: 34
coordinator of prevention services for DCCA (Douglas County Citizens Committee on Alcoholism). “And actually it’s more harmful because the brain’s still developing.” Draw the Line has been behind all kinds of campaigns to persuade Lawrence young people to be
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I think it’s a good organization that is trying to be very creative.” — Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson
Crime reports Lawrence police recorded only five hate crimes in 2013, down significantly from the 15 hate crimes reported the year before. Page 3A
Vol.156/No.361 18 pages