Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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The Grove Lake Bait Shop has been in business near Grove Lake for many years. According to the "Royal Centenniel," Arthur and Agnes Erb had several people stop for worms on their way to Grove Lake. After this reoccurrence, the couple decided to dig worms out of their garden and build a bait shop on their farm in October 1968. They had other items to sell besides live and artificial bait. Refreshments, ice, food items, and fishing licenses were also offered. In 1980, the couple moved to Orchard,...
Every morning, vehicles fill the lot at Royal One Stop, where customers are greeted at the door by a group of individuals playing cards. While the town's population has dwindled over the years, Royal One Stop continues to flourish. The "Royal Centennial" outlines the history of the business. The convenience store has not always been called Royal One Stop. The business started in the early 1920s when Hiram and Louise Beal bought land from a Mr. Allen and built a service station and home on the...
You're a softy, Mr. Grinch. The classic character showed his gentler and giving nature, Thursday, during a visit to Clearwater Market. His mission: select items to donate to the Antelope County Food Pantry. Funds to pay for the cart, filled with kitchen staples, came from a holiday photo shoot, Dec. 18, at Sly's Family Bar & Grill, in Neligh. Owners Teresa and Brian Legate offered a photo op for with the Grinch. The price: $5 or a donation of food items for the local food pantry. Teresa said a...
Six Saturdays of shopping remain until Christmas morning, which falls on the seventh Saturday from today. I haven't even started shopping. One of our kids told us no toys for the grandkids this year, please. "Get them something they need." Well, if we grandparents believe the kiddos need a LEGO set to work on for next year's 4-H project, they will, more than likely, get it. Or maybe they won't. I'm all about practical gifts, a necessity, a replacement, something you know you need but wouldn't ne...
GRAND ISLAND - The question rolled around in Laban Njuguna's mind long before he took action. Coffee? Really? Upend his life to sell Kenyan coffee? In Nebraska? He daydreamed about the idea as he hauled grain for farmers in the Grand Island area. It spilled out in long late-night conversations with his wife, Cora. Friends and family grew coffee in his native Kenya. He lived in the United States, the largest consumer of coffee in the world. Njuguna's logical side told him that he knew nothing...
Retired social studies teacher Laura Nelson is used to seeing her small town send its children, and its dollars, off to bigger cities. "We tend to go that way," to Lincoln and the Omaha metro, where her nieces and many former students live and shop. But lately, from her seat at the cafe table where she meets friends most mornings for coffee and an omelette, she's witnessed a reversal of fortune. City folks are spending their money in her hometown. "The cafe has managed to bring them up here,"...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION Oct. 13, 2021 Summerland Public School Board of Education held a regular meeting, Wednesday, Oct. 13, at the school. President Nordby called the meeting, advertised in the Oct. 6 paper, to order at 6:30 p.m. Nordby noted the Open Meetings At poster in the boardroom. Members present: Candice Hoke, Marty Kerkman, Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Steve Thiele, Jeremy Wagner. Absent: none. Motion by Kerkman, seconded by Schwager, to approve the agenda as presented. Voting aye: Hoke, Kerkman, Nordby,...
Since the Advocate-Messenger's first edition hit your mailboxes on July 25, 2019, our newspaper has had a single mission: Bring community stories to the forefront. We've shared our region's success stories and we've covered the moments when we all have faced struggles. We share photos from sporting events, document engagements and weddings, promote area businesses and record community history. One of the biggest challenges we collectively have faced is the COVID-19 pandemic. As a small...
Taste of Home; www.tasteofhome.com Cinnamon Chocolate Sundaes: Kids will enjoy this tempting ice cream topping because it hardens on the ice cream as it stands. Store-bought sauces just can't compare to this homemade concoction. Cinnamon Chocolate Sundaes Any way you top it: Ice cream the ultimate summer treat Is there anyone you know who doesn't like ice cream? Sure we all that one person who says their favorite flavor is vanilla (seriously?), but is there really someone out there who doesn't l...
KIM PRESTON Rural Enterprise Assistance Project director Center for Rural Affairs You have a great idea for a new small business. Congratulations! Now, what do you do to turn that idea into a legitimate business? To celebrate National Small Business Week, May 5 to 11, here is a checklist with step-by-step actions to get you started. 1. Choose and register your business name. Check with the secretary of state's office where you plan to set up shop. 2. Decide on a legal structure: Sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, s corporation, etc. You...
Shoppers at Ewing Family Foods may notice the freezer section, located along the east wall of the store, features a new look. The produce cooler along the north wall also has a fresh appearance. The family-owned grocery store updated the store's refrigeration system recently, allowing the store to expand offerings and utilize space. In-stock items were pulled from coolers and the freezer section beginning March 10 and stored in the walk-in cooler. Kaczor said old coolers were removed March 15....
The sign outside the lone bar in Royal reads Last Chance Bar and Grill. For some area residents, the name might have sealed the business's fate. Thanks to a Phoenix-now-Plainview couple, the local eatery and watering hole is experiencing a renaissance, of sorts. Lisa Meisner and Polly Anderson hope to reopen the Royal Bar and Grill in March and anticipate the place will remain a gathering place for locals, while alluring new customers who venture along U.S. Highway 20. A trip to Nebraska in Dece...
This week, we’re going to play the close your eyes and imagine game. Ready? Close your eyes. No peeking. You need to tune in and think. Your future depends on it. Think of a building in your community you consider prominent. What sets it apart from other structures in town? Now, think about a building that may be a diamond in the rough. You know the type of place I’m talking about. Once upon a time, this building was the centerpiece of the community, a drawing card with a welcome sign, a str...
PROCEEDINGS SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION February 15, 2021 Summerland Public School Board of Education held a regular meeting, Monday, Feb. 15, at 12 p.m., at the Ewing site. President Ed Nordby called the meeting, which was published in the February 10, 2021, newspaper, to order at 12 p.m. The Nebraska Open Meetings Act was noted in the room by Nordby. Roll call. Present: Candice Hoke, Marty Kerkman, Ed Nordby, Nate Schwager, Steven Thiele, Jeremy Wagner. All board members were present. Possible motion on board member absence....
I’m guilty ... and I imagine you are, too. I’m guilty of spending dollars outside the community, sharing my wealth with box stores and high-dollar chains, instead of investing in mom and pop establishments. Granted, I don’t do it all the time, but if I happen to be in Norfolk or Lincoln, I’ll stop and pick up items I may need soon. I’ve written it before, but it bears repeating. Spending locally makes dollars and sense. (Yes, that’s a play on words.) Let’s use my shopping example mentioned abo...
Searching for unique, handcrafted Christmas gifts? Want to support local businesses this holiday season? Shoppers will find unique buys during the vendor fair at The Office, 522 Main, in Clearwater, Saturday, Dec. 12. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Sidebar, Paparazzi, Pink Zebra, Cut Across Creations, JuJu Bean Coffee, Thirty One Gifts will be on site, in addition to other vendors. Food will be available fromWeave's BBQ food truck....
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many events to be canceled this year, but it does not take away the opportunity to shop local during the holiday season. Communities across the country have found innovative ways to keep both business owners and customers safe. For example, the Valley County Chamber in Ord, made its annual Snowball Drop a virtual event. Starting in early November, the Chamber posted questions about local businesses on their social media. Every community member who responds to a...
A leap of faith and a desire to meet community needs has led to a new business opening on Clearwater's Main Street. The Sidebar, a mix of handmade crafts and locally produced items, fills a spot in The Office, located at 522 Main Street and will be accessible on the west side of the building. The business, a division of ColdType Publishing, will have a soft opening, Nov. 19. The Sidebar is a take on the journalism term. Merriam-Webster's definition of sidebar reads: "A short news story or...
Last week, I spent part of Thursday, Friday and Saturday meeting colleagues via Zoom, taking part in sessions of the National Newspaper Conference. The socially-distanced version offered multiple chances for sharpening skills and networking with newspaper publishers and reporters from across the United States. The event renewed nearly all of the ethics I believe are key to providing community journalism. And, several sessions left me re-evaluating some ideas newspapers use because “it’s the way...
Nearly six years after forming the Clearwater Sons of the American Legion, organization members are proud of its community service activities. Yet, members believe there is more work to be done. Sons of the Legion Commander Fred Thiele said the group holds a variety of events for the community and surrounding area, including an Ash Wednesday fish fry and Veterans Day supper a. Members also hold poker tournaments, participate in Memorial Day services, sponsor a local softball team, bartend for...
When I pitched this idea, only one reporter balked at spending time at a thrift store with his co-workers. It’s okay, Mark. I understand. Even Scott gets tired when I drag him to a resale shop in whatever town we happen to drive through. The premise for this story was simple: I will give each of you $10 to spend on an outfit or outfits. Who can get the most number of quality items at a low price and put together an outfit for work or a night out on the town. Basically, I wanted to know which o...
A quest to visit all 531 incorporated towns in Nebraska has turned into a geography lesson for residents of the state. University of Nebraska-Omaha college students Seth Varner and Austin Schneider, of Wahoo, got the idea after college classes moved to online learning in March, when the coronavirus pandemic curbed traditional learning and sent college students back home for the semester. The statewide road trip is similar to a venture Varner took with his dad nearly a decade ago. "We were going...
A team of Nebraska Air and Army National Guard members arrived in O'Neill and Bloomfield Friday. Their mission: complete critical COVID-19 testing. North Central District Health Department assisted with the event. According to a media release, received April 16, NCDHD stressed testing events were not due to a large number of COVID-19 cases in the district. "Nebraska National Guard has been in contact with local health departments ... to set up these testing events to gain a clearer picture of...
A one-time testing event will be held Friday, April 17, in O'Neill and Bloomfield. North Central District Health Department will oversee the event, with assistance from the Nebraska National Guard. According to a media released, received April 16, NCDHD stressed the presence of the National Guard and testing events are not due to a large number of COVID-19 cases in the district. "The Nebraska National Guard has been in contact with local health departments across the state of Nebraska to set up...
How do we make our community better? That's a question many of our community leaders ask themselves every day. And most days that question goes unanswered. However, there is one program that rural Nebraskans are finding to be a useful tool in community development and that is the Local Option Municipal Economic Development Act, or what is more commonly referred to as LB 840. Most economic development projects are done using tools available in a community. Those tools are limited in many...
