The weather report
We often call the Dr. R. C. Fenstermacher home to check wind velocity because they have a measuring device and because they live on the "point" in the north part of town.
Sorry, we couldn't report the wind velocity to you during the storm last week. The Fenstermachers wisely went to the basement as the storm approached and increased in intensity.
Ed Thomas drove home in the storm and tells a story like it was the Last Frontier and all he and son Mark had was their pickup truck and a determination to get home.
I tried to be the brave soul. Millie wanted her Donkey Tail plants brought in, but when I opened the door and got soaked in one whish of wind, I said that was enough.
The plants? They blew down but now are being nursed back to a growing life.
Congratulations
to the Lyle Babcock family on being selected as the church family of the year for the First Christian Church in Nebraska City.
They will be honored by the congregation at a fellowship dinner on Sunday.
The new Pioneer
Sid Metcalf will retire soon after 25 years of operating the Pioneer and Trail Drive-In theaters in Nebraska City.
Sid sold the movie business to Peter Frederick of Des Moines and the new owner has begun immediate changes. He plans to convert the present Pioneer Theater building on Eleventh Street to twin theaters, naming them appropriately Pioneer I and II.
A large fan was removed from the rear of the building by Leroy Fletchall and his American Meter crew. The fan will be used for additional ventilating at the [illegible] factory [illegible].
Mr. Frederick had it removed to make way for air conditioning.
Sid has hired a lot of boys and girls over the years to work at the ticket sales, concessions and clean up. His office wall is decorated with pictures of a lot of graduates. They remembered him.
Best wishes to the Metcalfs in their retirement.
The WWII story.
Remember the Safety Valve a few weeks ago in which a man from England wanted to locate a Tech. Sgt. Raymond Shephard who lived at 1207 Third Corso?
Well, they're getting together. Tech. Sgt. Shepherd (his last name is Shephard) is married to the daughter of the Lew Hunts of Nebraska City.
Mr. Shephard now operates an air freight business in the Los Angeles area and resides in Torrance.
The writer from England wanted to locate the Nebraska City sergeant for information for the book he is writing on the USAAF base at Goxhill, Lincolnshire, England.
Imo Heebner
The other night Cliff Johnson, the singing evangelist, soothed his audience with good humor. This one made Miss Imo Heebner chuckle.
It's entitled "How to get your son to church."
On a Sunday morning this young man turned and declared, "I'm not going to church today and I have 2 reasons - No. 1: They don't like me. No. 2: I don't like them."
The woman of the house flashed a look in his direction and quipped.
"Well, you ARE going to church and I have 2 reasons. No. 1, you're 43 years old and No. 2, you're the pastor."
And little Will West, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bobby West, cracked up when he heard another of the Johnson family jokes.
It was about a young boy who squirmed in his seat, wiggled, piddled and about drove his family nervous nuts. Later at the fellowship coffee the little fellow was gazing around when he saw a large bronze plaque.
He turned to his dad.
"What's that thing?" he asked.
"That's a memorial plaque for those who died in the service," his father answered.
"Which one?" the young man asked. "The 9 o'clock or 10:30 service?"