July 1, 1897 —
The editor of this sheet and the lady who cared for us when we were a red-faced squalling infant eloped, vamoosed, skipped the country sometime between dark and daybreak this morning. We hate it on another’s account, but then, gollee! Won’t we have a time while “the gov.” is gone! Down town nights, “curfew” or no “curfew.” “Nail polisher,” you bet, we are one, for a few days. Early York cigars, Limburger etc., etc. Just keep your weather optic on us while we climb the dizzy, and sublime heights attained by man!
There is a move on foot to have an ordinance passed to clear the street of “nail polishers” after 9 p.m. This will be a companion piece to the “curfew” law. Let the good work go on.
100 Years Ago. . .
The Izaak Walton League published this notice in the paper: Notice is hereby given that it is strictly a violation of the law to take the ring perch, which have been placed in the ponds and streams around Osmond.
These fish have to be at least six inches long before they can be taken.
If caught, wet your hands, carefully unhook them, and place them back in the water.
The formation of the line of march following the Decoration Day service at the city hall included the following, in order: The Colors, music, firing squad, Civil War veterans, Spanish War veterans, American Legion, Legion Auxiliary, other patriotic bodies. Services were held at the Osmond cemetery by Rev. Guest, followed by services at the Catholic cemetery by Rev. Father Krings.
The service at the city hall included a selection by the Osmond concert band, remarks by Post Commander Paul Thomsen, invocation by Rev.
Kerber, a solo by Edna Hoeppner, the Memorial Day address by Rev. W.
H. Rowden, a standing silent tribute to the heroic dead for 30 seconds, “Star Spangled Banner” by the band and audience, and benediction by Rev. Guest.
Two drinking founds were installed, one by the Marek Hardware and the other by the Haswell cream station.
As the standpipe was being painted, the water tank was going to be empty, but for the benefit of the users of city water, the pump engine would be run from 11 a.m. until noon and from 5 to 6 p.m. each day and also Saturday afternoon and evening. By Sunday, the tank would be all painted and full of water again.
75 Years Ago. . .
Members of Immanuel Lutheran congregation announced that June 10 was the date for an auction sale of the lumber, brick and building material coming out of the razed Lutheran school which was replaced by a modern brick building in 1949. The material consisted of an assortment of lumber and brick. A later article reported that the sale netted nearly $1,000.
A new baby, the second child of the family, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Krohn at the Plainview hospital. The baby girl was named LaVon June. It was just a week before that the Krohn’s 2-year-old boy, Lee Harold, tumbled off a dining room cot and broke his left collar bone. All concerned were doing nicely.
Miss Alaska Reed received notice that she had been admitted as a participant in the Breadloaf Writer’s Conference to be held at Middlebury, VT, in August. Participation was quite selective because the size of the conference was limited, and because all work was to be conducted on a professional basis. Chief stimulus at Breadloaf was the eminent poet Robert Frost, and noted publishers acted as instructors and lecturers. The manuscript which Miss Reed had submitted to the conference was part of a novel she had written, named Omega.
65 Years Ago. . .
Vandals as yet unknown, entered St. Mary’s Church basement during the late daylight hours on Memorial Day to carry out their perverted version of wrecking a wedding setup and stealing. The church basement had been decorated for the wedding the following morning of Lawrence Polt and Marion Wanke. Wedding cake, fancy Jell-o dishes and other food items were on the festive table.
A wedding cake was ruined, Jell-o tampered with and eggs tossed about the basement. Several items of gift silver and earrings were missing.
A woman, who said she was with a transient family, had appeared at the parsonage in the evening. She asked for food, which she was given.
Whether she or other members of her family were responsible for the debacle was not known.
An employee of the Osmond Republican noted the name “Osmond A. Jackson” in a news story in a daily newspaper. The Republican for years had been trying to determine definitely for whom or what our town was named. Consequently it wrote to Mr. Jackson, to see if he could shed any light on the bewitching question.
Mr. Jackson, like many others with either the given name or surname Osmond, could not.
Business expansion was the order of the day at Osmond. Mr. and Mrs.
V. Glaze Reed announced plans for immediate construction of a highway drive-in on lots purchased from A.
G. Swanda in the southeast part of town. The Reeds also operated Reed Lockers here. Mrs. Reed, who was a school teacher in Brunswick and daughter Alaska, who was an instructor at Pierce, would conduct the new business during the summer months. Mr. Reed said tentative plans called for construction of a motel, probably the following year, as well.
50 Years Ago. . .
The Osmond midget baseball team won its first encounter of the season by a 13 to 7 score, downing Wausa on the Viking diamond. Battery for Osmond was Doug Stratton, pitching the entire game, and Todd Edwards.
Good hitting was provided by Stratton, Ray Boice and Pat Hoffman.
Four Osmond youths had enrolled in the U. S. Navy’s Delayed Enlistment Program. They were: Robert Gansebom, Michael D. Bowling, Vicky L. Warneke, and Jeffrey H.
Blunck. Gansebom and Bowling both chose engineman as a career area for training after basic. Miss Warneke chose the yeoman field for advanced training, and Blunck chose the advanced electronics field as a career area.
Osmond’s three churches cooperated with the Osmond Jaycees in constructing and erecting signs which indicated the times of Sunday services at each of the churches. The signs were located at east and west edges of Osmond.
25 Years Ago. . .
Sixteen-year-old Nicholas “Nick” Schieffer lost his life in a two-vehicle accident on Wednesday, May 17, 2000. He was alone in his car when the crash occurred at the intersection of Highway 20 and “Old Highway 98” east of Osmond. He was driving north and failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection with Highway 20. His vehicle hit the side of a semi, and he died at the scene. As word of the death of the popular, talented youth spread, young people began to gather and an impromptu prayer service took place at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. An estimated 725 to 750 persons gathered in the Osmond Community School gym for the last rites.
10 Years Ago. . .
The Q125 Wagon Train booster ride set out from Osmond after circling the “wagons” — several 24-passenger buses and other vehicles driving behind. In all, more than 50 persons dressed as pioneers or in Western gear and traveled from Osmond to Pierce, Plainview, Creighton, Wausa, Randolph and Magnet. Wherever the train stopped to “water the horses,” the boosters posted flyers, distributed brochures and played trivia games with the locals. Prizes were given, including Q125 T-shirts and Osmond dollars.
