Good Old Days 07-10-15

Compiled By Delaney Uhrig

These stories from the past first appeared in The Sidney Telegraph. Original writing is preserved, though some stories were shortened for space reasons.

50 Years Ago

'Panhandle Farmers Eager To Get At Wheat Harvest Chore'

July 12, 1965

With temperatures ranging into the 90s in the western one-third of Nebraska, "Mother Nature" is doing her best to speed the start of the wheat harvest in the Panhandle region.

Sidney's official high Sunday was 86, but there were higher readings in the area west of North Platte. However, rain fell over the weekend in west-central Nebraska and this stopped the harvest in that area.

Best guesses along the southern tier of counties in the Panhandle say that the cutting will start here in about a week, with considerable activity anticipated between July 20-25.

The combine armada is moving slowly westward – in fact, few have arrived in Cheyenne County.

Weather during the past week has been ideal for ripening the wheat. There have been a few scattered showers, and the usual accompaniment of light hail, but in general the weather has been hot and dry, and that is what the wheat farmers have been wanting.

If cutting gets started the first of next week, and is not interrupted by rain, it should be one of the fastest harvest on record because there is every indication that the supply of machines will be more than ample. Too much of the grain is ripening evenly, so that it will be ready to cut as fast as the machines can get to it.

No one is hazarding a guess on the western Nebraska wheat yield for 1965 – there are too many "ifs" involved, but the outlook today is for a fairly good crop if the weather stays hot and dry.

The weather bureau is predicating frequent afternoon and evening showers this week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast of a 1965 corn crop of 3,912,036,000 bushels and a wheat corp of 353,813,000 bushels.

25 Years Ago

Sidney Campus To Host Summerfest '90

July 13, 1990

It's called Summerfest '90 and it's taking place July 20 and 21 in Sidney.

Summerfest '90 is when prospective students visit campus, see what WNCC has to offer, and make preparations for the fall, explains Ron Anderson, director of student development.

"We will be offering a picnic, games, tours of the facilities, and other activities to help incoming students make the transition to college life," Anderson said.

The Summerfest '90 schedule includes some fun time and time to take care of business, Anderson said. Students cant take care of business activities either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning; and everyone can take part in the fun activities planned for Friday evening.

On Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, students will be able to visit with college personnel and faculty, learn more about financial aid, the Leaning Resource Center, counseling services, Rainbow House sitter service, and student housing. Tours of housing and the shops will be available. Preregistration and the ASSET test will be conducted on both days.

10 Years Ago

'Prairie Schooner Museum Receives Improvements'

July 12, 2005

Board members of the Dalton Prairie Schooner Museum, Thrivent members and local children made improvements to the museum June 19-20 in an outdoor improvement projects.

The local volunteers planted pots of flowers, installed a porch swing and planted trees and an herb garden.

The new pots will brighten the entrance of the museum and the new trees will provide needed shade. A total of five Russian Olive and Honey Locust trees will be planted when the project is completed.

The porch swing and herb garden have been used to highlight the entrance to the old ranchers line cabin which is on the museum property off of Highway 385.

The line cabin came from the Greenwood Ranch.

The children received a hands on lesson about what kind of plants the pioneers were in the area when they arrived in the "prairie schooners" and what type of plants they brought with them.

Funding for the project was awarded by the Cheyenne County Chapter of the Thrivent organization number 30359, which is a group of the Lutheran Church.

5 Years Ago

'Sidney Stage Line Coming To Town'

July 13, 2010

The Sidney Stage Line is nearly ready to expand the City of Sidney's public transportation options. City manager Gary Person announced Monday that after a 120-year absence, the stage line will roll once again.

"The City of Sidney has teamed up with Cheyenne County Visitor's Committee to add a second public transportation service bus that should begin rolling sometime by late summer early fall," Person stated.

Applications for part-time drivers are now being accepted at City Hall. The city is hoping to hire four or five part-time drivers working no more than 20 to 24 hours a week.

Sidney's City Council sought American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars to pay for two new buses for the city at no municipal costs. The successful application made possible the old west stagecoach-themed stop-oriented bus, which is wrapped to give it an old western appearance.

Person attributes the route availability to the visitor's Committee that agreed to provide 25 percent local match money needed for the operational costs of the new bus.

"We'll use that (the new bus) to carry tourists downtown and vice versa, the general public can ride it too," said Visitor's Committee chairperson George Perry. "It will help the downtown merchants as well as tourists who travel downtown."

Other operational funding includes 25 percent state funds and 50 percent federal funds.