Jawny Gill
From the Herald Files
100 Years Ago - 1926
As America marked the sesquicentennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1926, Auburn celebrated with a full day of events at the Fair Grounds, according to an advertisement published in the June 25, 1926, edition of the Nemaha County Herald.
Because July 4 fell on a Sunday that year, Auburn's celebration was held Monday, July 5. All grandstand and bleacher attractions were free.
A day-long schedule
The festivities opened with a 10:30 a.m. band concert on Auburn's streets, followed by an afternoon and evening of entertainment:
- 2 p.m. — Horse racing, with 5/8-mile, 1/2-mile and 3/8-mile dashes and "good purses" for winners
- 3 p.m. — A baseball game pitting Auburn against Nebraska City
- 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. — Performances by Jack Hoard's Jubilee Singers, described in the ad as including a jazz band and "Charleston Steppers"
- 5:30 p.m. — An "Automobile Pig Race" with cash prizes
- 8:30 p.m. — A Charleston dance contest, open to all comers in pairs, also with cash prizes
- 9 p.m. — A nine-round boxing card featuring six fighters billed from around Nebraska and the Midwest, including featherweight state champion Freddie Crook
Music played throughout the day courtesy of the Southeast Nebraska Band, and the celebration closed with a dance at the Fair Grounds Auditorium featuring music by "Loomis Demons."
50 Years Ago - 1976
Dedication of the Nemaha Valley Museum on Sunday afternoon will highlight the nation’s bicentennial birthday celebration in Nemaha county. The July 4 program will climax several years work toward the new facility.
Auburn high school’s marching band has accepted an invitation to march in the Cotton Bowl parade at Dallas, Texas, on January 1, 1977, according to Director Paul Ramp, who said 15 high school bands from 10 states were included in the invitation. The Bulldogs are the only unit from Nebraska.
Detasseling time is nearing. Make your plans now. Boys and girls age 14 and over. Earn $2.00 per hour. Starting mid-July. 8 miles south, 1/4 east of Auburn. Apply with Gregg and Kathlene Smith. Adult supervisors also needed.
25 Years Ago - 2001
Work crews were busy Tuesday morning putting brick on the facade of the new expansion at Auburn Family Medical Clinic. Everything is on target for the project to be completed sometime in August, according to Office Manager Kim Kruger.
Two court dates are scheduled for July in the district court suit pitting Peru resident Joe Kincaid versus the District 29 Board of Education and Superintendent Chuck Chevalier. The first will hear arguments on a motion for expedited discovery, for Kincaid to obtain documents from the school district. The second will present arguments on whether or not a temporary injunction should be granted to keep the defendants from moving forward on their decision to close Peru Elementary School.
10 Years Ago - 2016
Sharvil Kaware of Auburn Public Schools is the Nebraska merit winner in the 2016 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Kaware will be a sixth grader at Auburn Middle School during the 2016-2017 school year. He is being recognized for his project on anti-slip footwear using carbon nanofibers.
A little over a year ago the most recent Nemaha School Reunion took place at the Nemaha Community Building. Great food and laughs were shared at this event but most importantly it was discussed and eventually decided that a project would take place raising funds for and building a permanent historical memorial to honor the Nemaha School and the Old Settlers Picnic in the Village of Nemaha. Ground breaking for the memorial took place June 29th.
From the Chieftain Files
100 Years Ago - 1926
As the country marked the sesquicentennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1926, Tecumseh celebrated with a "Big Free Celebration" on July 3, according to an advertisement in the June 25, 1926, edition of the Nemaha County Herald.
The event, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, was held at the Fair Grounds and promised "plenty of shade and cold water." The ad billed the day as filled with good music and speaking, a picnic dinner, a fine athletic program, horse and pony races, "new and novel" contests, a water fight, a merry-go-round, shows, and a baseball game between Sterling and Tecumseh.
50 Years Ago - 1976
Every state in the union was represented last weekend at the Tecumseh Bicentennial Alumni Reunion with approximately 1,200 people attending both the banquet Saturday night and the barbecue on Sunday.
Over 100 quilts were on display Saturday and Sunday at the United Methodist Church. Included in the exhibit were quilts which were made in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Old Jim Ritchie was celebrating his 100th birthday and everyone commented on how well-preserved he appeared. “I will tell you the secret of my success,” he stated. “My wife and I were married 75 years ago. On our wedding night we made a solemn pledge that whenever we had a fight, the one who was proved wrong would go out and take a walk. Thus, I have been in the open air almost continually all these years.”
25 Years Ago - 2001
A historic milestone occurred on Highway 50 north of Tecumseh on Friday as Constructors Inc. paved 100 feet with a new concrete mixture which contained 3M polyolefin fibers, known as Fibermesh®. Constructors Inc. began paving over the old concrete slab with a .110 millimeter overlay as well as paving the shoulders of the highway three feet wide to a depth of 121/2 inches.
Theodore C. Straube, 106 years of age, of Sterling, died on Monday. He was the last of Johnson County’s WWI veterans. He married Pauline Benson in Tecumseh, July 19, 1921 and they celebrated their 77th anniversary in 1998. He was commissioned as an admiral in the Great Nebraska Navy by Governor Mike Johanns.
10 Years Ago - 2016
Rodney Roesener of Cook decided to retire as a bus driver for Johnson County Central Schools following a career of 50 years. He started driving for Cook Public School, then Nemaha Valley Schools, and then Johnson County Central. “The kids’ behavior on the bus has certainly changed through the years,” said Roesener. Since his grandson, Mitch Faris graduated from Johnson County Central Schools, Roesener decided it was time to end his career as a bus driver.
For the past month, a bird called a killdeer, a member of the piping plover species, has been caring for a next of three eggs in the east parking lot of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Tecumseh. Members of the church put a barrier of two folding chairs and wire around the bird and nest to indicate the location so that it won’t be disturbed by traffic.
