Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
The Sidney High School Class of 1984 made sure everybody knew their float was in the parade, and their spirited participation earned them First Place in the Adult Organization Category.
BACK ROW (L-R): Pam (Ely) Diebold, Dennis Kilgore, Terryl Jensen, Barb (Sabin) Wachtel, Todd Weber, Jolynn (Highland) Stewart, David Rosenbaum, Stacy (Bartling) Rosenbaum, Kim (Speer) Moore, Trina (Jung) Stitt, Patty (Long) Samuelson; Front row: Margaret (Elwell) Ropp, Diana (Roach) Rakowski, Susie (Young) Ernest, Shawn Banks, Amber (Billings) Samuelson, Dineen (Heuck) Pittam, Rachel (Morlock) Abrams, Deb (Hays) Craig; NOT PICTURED: Doran Bush, Traci (Frerichs) Rehmer, Joe Ward, Chris Christofferson, Roy Harmon.
SIDNEY--If you were at the Oktoberfest Parade last weekend, you undoubtedly saw the Sidney High School Class of 1984 Float go by packed with graduates from that storied year. They were loud and full of spirit and gathered for a weekend of reminiscing and fun that only true members of Generation X could appreciate.
The festivities started Friday afternoon with a gathering of the alumni at Boss City Brewery in Sidney, and the group had specialized merchandise, including keychains and drink koozies, made up for the occasion. After some time of laughing and story-telling, the group moved on to the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds and the Oktoberfest Tent for beers and a lot of fun. The revelers stayed late until they were told "You don't have to go home, but you got to get outta here!"
The fun started again Saturday morning when the large group gathered for the Oktoberfest Parade, manned their float, and proudly cruised down the Lincoln Highway, tossing candy to the kids and cheering back to the expectant crowd. A highlight of the route was when the 1984 SHS alums came upon a group of SHS alums from the class of 1985 observing the parade outside Grandma Jo's diner who challenged the 1984 alums in a spirit cheer contest. The '85 group shouted "We've got spirit, yes we do, we've got spirit, how 'bout you!" and pointed at the the 1984 float. The 1984 alums hit back with an even louder response of the spirit cheer and capped it off with "84! 84! 84! 8-8-8-8-84!". The parade watchers surrounding the scene had a good laugh and cheered for the display between the two classes. The cheers must have done the trick as the 1984 Alumni Float won First Place in the Adult Organization Category.
After the parade, the group packed into a party bus and drove around Sidney for a while, pointing out places they remembered, locations that had changed, and other spots that held special memories for the group. The bus headed south for Peetz, and the group piled into the Hot Spot, a popular destination for the 1984 alums back in the day. After a few hours of eating and drinking at the Hot Spot, the group headed back to the Oktoberfest Tent to continue the party through the afternoon and into the evening.
It was a special weekend for the class of 1984, with alums returning home from as far away as Texas, Arizona, and California. Many alums scattered throughout Nebraska after graduation made sure to get off on Exit 59 for a weekend of fun and camaraderie. All agreed it was a great weekend and that it should be done again in the not-too-distant future.
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