Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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Local beef was on the menu last Wednesday for Kimball Jr/Sr. High School. Ninety hamburgers were grilled for students by Alvin Koski, and Superintendent Trevor Anderson also handled grilling duties. Next week the entire student body K-12 will enjoy grilled burgers on Wednesday. Donations for beef have been received from JMKJ Reich, T & B Cook Farms, and KW Cattle....
Lincoln Highway painters Jessica Rocha, left, and Jaime Bright were back at it on Labor Day, laboring to highlight the historic old roadway that runs throught these parts with a fresh coat of red, white and blue. Last week, their painting posse gave Kimball's corner of Chestnut and 2nd the Lincoln Highway makeover. This week, they painted the bridge, shown above, on the west end of Bushnell and north side of the tunnels. It was part of the original Lincoln Highway route – and now it's a t...
Korean, Vietnam and Desert Storm war veterans will be traveling through Kimball on Thursday, Sept. 7, en route to Washington to see their War Memorials. The 14th Honor Flight Mission delegation will be stopping by the High Point Visitors Center, a place that has welcomed the Honor Flight in the past. Steve Thomlison, Patriot Guard Riders senior ride captain, released a mission statement telling of their estimated time of arrival through Kimball. Five or six vans carrying the veterans are being escorted into town from Chadron via Alliance, Minat...
September is here! For Kimball, this means Farmers Day is right around the corner. Farmers Day weekend is always filled with fun activities for the whole family. The library will have several fundraising events going on. The Friends of the Kimball Library are once again hosting the annual Book Sale, and in addition, a Craft Fair this year. The craft fair will feature handmade items from local crafters and artists. A portion of the proceeds go to the Friends of the Kimball Library to help...
Kenneth Childs began a 30-day jail sentence Aug. 30 on a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest Jan. 19. Two other charges were dropped: criminal mischief and failure to appear or comply with citation. In a bench trial, Judge Randin Roland heard from two witnesses, Kimball County Sheriff David Hottell for the plaintiff and Kenneth Childs for the defense. The guilty charge included a 30-day sentence and a $50 fine. Childs was in custody on an unrelated charge....
Kimball County Highway Superintendent Randy Bymer met with the Kimball County Commissioners on Sept. 5 at their regular meeting to provide an update on the road department. Bymer said the department is out graveling and that the roads had received a sizable rain north of Bushnell. A discussion ensued about a complaint that the clerk’s office had received stemming from the gravel trucks on Road 37. Bymer explained that there is “not a whole lot we can do.” The complaint mentioned the volume of trucks, noise, speed and dusty roads. Pine Bluff...
Potter Days packed in a crowd on Saturday, and the day was full of events from dawn till dark. After the crowning of Miss Potter and Amanda Waggoner on Thursday, the Saturday events began with the Color Run. The parade theme was "Getting' The Band Back Together" and crowds filled the sidewalks for the event. Other notable events included a craft show, free inflatables for the kids, a co-ed sand volleyball tournament, and open bowling at the Duckpin Bowling Alley. Entertaining the crowd were...
Good morning and Happy September! Wow did we ever have rain this past Sunday. Puddles everywhere. Hopefully that will help with the next plantings. Did anyone make it to the Horizon Music Festival this past weekend? I was lucky enough to go for a while on Saturday and know the stage lights were still on Sunday, rain and all. I was just wondering if the full lineup of artists were able to perform. I sure hope so. What I did see was great and I hope this becomes an annual event. Here is another question for you: Do you know what the Honor Flight...
Kimball Park and Rec Executive Board members are exploring taking land from the Kimball Recreation Area and replacing it with other recreational land in town. This would make the golf course area land available for development for residential purposes. The land under consideration has been identified as 42 acres north of Gilliland Drive and would include the baseball fields. The plan is to move the baseball diamonds back into town if all gets approved. According to the board's Dave Wilson, "We...
At a press conference on Aug. 12, 1986, U.S. President Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Even though these words ring true in many situations, the federal and state governments, through the Federal Transit Administration 5311 grants, have helped the Kimball County Transit Service achieve a successful rural transportation program. The Federal Transit Administration grant program began in 1975 and helps fund travel industries like Greyhound Bus Lines...
Ty Proffitt is known as a "high pointer," and his wife Sheila accompanies him on some of his high point trips. The couple left Tennessee at 3 a.m. on this particular trip and flew into Denver, then drove straight to their first high point adventure, Panorama Point, in southwestern Kimball County. Ty and Sheila will cross Nebraska's high point off their list, as well as those in South Dakota, North Dakota and Colorado. Before Tuesday, Ty had visited the high points in 34 states. They will return...
Kimball Mayor John Morrison updated the Observer on Tuesday about the City Council approving a four-way stop at 2nd and Chestnut streets. Morrison said he "thinks everyone understands that we have a problem with traffic on Main Street (Chestnut Street)." Morrison explained that it was on the agenda simply for discussion, but a motion was made, and then it was seconded. There was little discussion on the subject. It passed by a 4-0 vote. Before a change is made at the intersection, Mayor...
Dar Gardner of Kimball received the traditional Green Jacket when she was inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame on Aug. 21 in Elkhart, Ind. Gardner has been in the manufactured home business for 50 years. Elkhart is the home of the RV Manufactured Home Museum....
Good morning, Banner County, here is a little News, Notes and Nonsense. Local news is still centered around harvest as we are in need of rain for the next crop planting and the harvesting of the remaining summer crops. School, of course, has started and that means fall sports. Volleyball and football games got underway last week. The next county commissioners meeting is on Tuesday, September 5th at 8:30 a.m. and everyone is welcome. We are sorry to hear of the passing away of lifelong Banner County resident, John Jones. Our sympathy goes out to...
Banner County School opened the new academic year with a number of new staff members and the distinction of being the first Panhandle school to establish the JAG NE program for students to explore career options. Superintendent Evelyn Browne told the Observer on Tuesday that JAG NE, which stands for Jobs for American Graduates Nebraska, is a program supported by United Way of the Midlands. Browne said JAG NE students in grades 7-12 take part in problem-based learning activities to help them explore career options, identify interests, and...
The Lincoln Highway has a special place in Kimball history. Now two crosswalks have been painted on Chestnut Street at the corner with 2nd Street to commemorate the highway's original route through town. The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway across the United States. It officially opened in 1913, even though it wasn't completely paved until years later. Initially, it went through the downtown area of most of the towns it intersected, but it has since changed course slightly...
Kimball School Food Service Director Danessa Terrill shows off a freezer full of local beef. On Thursday, Aug. 24, students received their first meal of local beef, which was spaghetti and meatballs. Three beef have been donated, which equates to about 1,000 pounds of beef, while the school pays for the processing. In September, hamburger patties will be on the menu and Superintendent Trevor Anderson will help grill the burgers. Donations of beef have come from JMKJ Reich, T & B Cook Farms and...
Kimball Health Services CEO Ken Hunter, RN-BSN, plans to retire in January, KHS announced Monday. Hunter, who turned 74 on Aug. 19, has served as CEO at the Kimball hospital and rural health clinic since January of 2011. He served two years as director of nursing at KHS after joining the staff as a night nurse in 2006. Hunter received the prestigious Nebraska Hospital Association's "Caring Kind" award in 2013. The award honors outstanding health care employees who have demonstrated compassion...
The Kimball City Council last Tuesday unanimously approved a four-way stop at 2nd and Chestnut streets downtown following a discussion on traffic, speed and the dangers of the intersection at 2nd and Chestnut streets. Warning signs will be installed to begin preparing cars and trucks for the change, which will add stop signs on Chestnut. The four-way stop will be one block from Kimball’s only stoplight at the corner of Chestnut and 3rd streets. In other business, a public hearing on Ordinance 824 – interfering with a peace officer – was held....
The first day of school for Kimball students and staff was unique and fun. School spirit was everywhere. At the Kimball Jr./Sr. High School, Superintendent Trevor Anderson had agreed to have his head shaved if grades 7-12 achieved their testing goals for the spring of 2023, and they did! Julia Winstrom, Aspyn Kiefer and Grace Anderson did the shaving. Anderson said he had not received a haircut all summer and won't have to get another haircut for a few months. The first day was filled with...
On the closing day of the season for the Kimball swimming pool on Sunday, the tradition continued to open up the pool to the dogs. Lifeguard Jasmine Gawith and Riggs jumped in, swam and chased his ball....
Even though it is hard work and long hours in the hot sun, Tracy Gifford, with the help of his daughter, Megan, loves his days in the fields, planting, tending to, harvesting and selling his produce. Gifford said he went broke farming in 2005 but "hung on for a couple more years," and then, due to medical reasons, he was unable to continue teaching math, so they began with a little garden by the house – but now they have expanded to acres of vegetables. He built a machine to plant the produce a...
FirsTier Bank announced Monday that Nan (Nancy Prince) Garrett has been added to the board of directors of the bank. Along with her responsibilities as bank director, Garrett has been promoted to branch manager for the bank. She will continue her responsibilities of oversight of all day-to-day operations at the Kimball branch of FirsTier. "Nancy has long been our go-to person in Kimball. She has been with the bank for many years and is a natural addition to the board of directors" Executive...
What an incredible day we had on Bushnell Day! Even though the temperature was higher than I would have liked, it was a great day. We had a wonderful turnout and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the day! The first annual cow tongue football was a success thanks to all the people willing to participate, Jovan Mays for stepping in to officiate and to Twin City Packing out of Gering for the donation of the cow tongues. Thank you also to Gene Russum for the new event idea! It was quite entertaining...
The aging process for Kimball's old water system is showing again. This time it happened when a small leak in a 1-inch waterline under 2nd Street, which goes to the fire hall, became a big problem. City crews tried to turn off a water valve Friday at 2nd and Chestnut streets so they could make repairs, but the valve broke and started spewing water, Mayor John Morrision told the Observer. He said since all the water was going into a sewer and not damaging businesses, the decision was made to not...