Up on the North 40
That toe-tapping music last Sunday on the North 40 was a pleasant sound. We strolled down the hill and joined the many people attending the open house at Nebraska City Manor.
The SAC band did a fine job with a variety of tunes. I suggested to Gary DeBolt that someone put a bug in the ear of the director for Woody Herman's "Woodchopper's Ball."
"You're late," Mr. DeBolt said. "They've already played it."
Don Poggemeyer who lives in the house next to the Manor was having a hard time trying to work on his pickup truck on his restoring job so he put the truck back in the garage and enjoyed the music.
From the Fenske file
The widower was determined never to marry again.
"I was married twice. My first wife died after eating poisonous mushrooms and my second wife died of a fractured skull."
"Oh, that's terrible," the friend said. "How did it happen?"
"She wouldn't eat her mushrooms," was the reply.
New owners
Roger and Ann Peterson of Nebraska City have purchased the Sears store at Seventh Street and Central Avenue from Jerry and Bev Hall and will take over later this month.
The Halls have been successful and popular retailers and we will miss them in the Sears store. Whatever they decide for their new work, you can bet they will charge into it with much energy.
And, we welcome the Petersons. The sale has been in the "mill" for several weeks and we've all awaited the announcement. We wish them much success in their new work.
Roger works with Control Data in Omaha and his wife is a teller at Otoe County National Bank.
Congratulations
. . . to Marianne Cooper and Carrie Wurtele who have been selected as the valedictorian and salutatorian of the Nebraska City Lourdes graduating class. Commencement will be May 22.
. . . to Greg Mann, Joni Yost, David Ailes and John Schneider. They are the four top students at Nebraska City Senior High and will address the graduates and others at the commencement Sunday at Steinhart Park.
Best speakers
The Best Speaker of the Year award goes to Paul J. "Dick" Niemann for his 10-word speech on his acceptance as the Arbor Day honoree.
The second best speaker was Monte Johnson, Oakland Raiders football player. He spoke only a few minutes at the Pioneer Athletic banquet directing his comments to the athletes, then answered questions from the audience.
The swimmer
Wayne Thompson, the man who is swimming the Missouri river as part of a 2,000 mile "trip" to New Orleans, has caught the attention of most people for his feat.
We don't know anything about swimming 2,000 miles, 200 or 20 miles. About the only great challenge we ever attempted was to swim a mile upstream in Mill "krik" in northcentral Kansas. It seemed to be the longest stream in the world and I confess, the last laps were dog-paddled.