D. W. Kicker will never believe this, but the other day the wind blew so hard on the North 40 that we folks on the hill "annexed" 20 feet of downtown Nebraska City.
And the gales were so strong and the gusts so fierce that unless you wore a pair of red five-buckle overshoes like Mr. Kicker's you could have been swept into space.
And we watched Harold Gress' new home now under construction on the corner lot with a great deal of interest wondering whether we might get our gardening space back.
And thanks to our retired farmer neighbors the Fred Bakers who fertilized their lawn and now our's has been fertilized.
Leland Hayward, the producer.
Longtime memories of the Hayward family flashed in the minds of many Nebraska Citians who read Friday of the death of Leland Hayward, whose productions included Mr. Roberts, South Pacific and The Spirit of St. Louis.
Mr. Hayward was born in Nebraska City. His father later built and the family occupied what is now the Ursuline Sisters house east of Nebraska City Lourdes. Hayward park was named after the family.
John Watson, Florence Hawley and Vantine James were among the many residents who remembered the Hayward family well.
And perhaps, Arthur Sweet, News-Press publisher, will write something about the family from his reporting station in Sun City, Arizona.
We've made a few visits to Ray's Music where the music is pool.
An eight-ball tournament has been going on for three weeks at the Central Avenue recreation place. Winners are decided each week and at the close of the local contest, the weekly champions will play each other and that winner will play against other champions for the grand championship — a 1971 Torino.
We haven't played pool as a steady diet of entertainment for a long time, although we have played a couple rounds with neighbor Fred Baker.
As one of the spectators the other night in tournament play we had an opportunity to visit with the wife of one of the competitors. Mrs. John (Karen) Crook watched as her husband later won the week's championship.
She doesn't mind sitting in the spectator areas at the tournament. John has enjoyed playing the game for many years and often their dates were affected on how well he played the game.
Those are happy memories, she recalls.
There was a time when shooting pool was frowned upon in many communities and the point was brought out pretty clear in the famous Music Man stage play.
But for those of us who were raised in communities where no one ever heard of a youth center, the local pool hall (and beer parlor) were more entertaining than hanging out at the drug store soda fountain.
Perhaps we didn't learn a lot about the game, but we had fun playing snooker, rotation or eight ball by general rules which we changed from time to time as the tempers flared.
There was a billiard table in the pool hall and the owner of the place would let the kids play on any of the tables — except the billiard table. That was for the men who "played for blood," we used to think.
Times have changed. Everyone wishes he had a bigger basement door so he could get a slate-top pool table into his house. And there are numerous other types of pool table games that are on the market and as such, are in many homes for mom, dad and the kids.
Maybe the changing times are good. Maybe Robert Preston and Music Man had some effect, either way, pool games are good sport in the new generation and you'll find the tables in many homes.
After all, someone has to keep Minnesota Fats going!
I can always tell it's spring by Joe Steiner.
He's got his Rupp minibikes displayed in front of the store and a lot of young eyes have been looking them over.
Also, we've visited with a man who wears a black and white striped shirt and smokes black cigars and bellows a language all of his own.
We're talking about Bill Jordan, of course, the race official at Whitehead Speedway.
Richard Whitehead, owner of the half mile dirt track, has his brochures available at Automotive, Inc., and elsewhere explaining the rules.
The racing season will begin the last week of April, weather permitting. Races will be held each Saturday at 8 p.m.
Whitehead said he plans his first two races on Sunday afternoons and then will switch to Saturday nights.
There will be two classes of races, super late model of 1960 and up and claim cars of 1955 and up. Each class will have two heats, a trophy dash and A and B features.
Dirt work is being done on the track to improve its surface for racing and crews will soon begin reenforcing jobs of the grandstand.
Bob Kosiski, popular driver of No. 53, who roared to top honors for the season, will be back on the Whitehead oval. Although not confirmed, Kosiski is said to be building a new Camaro for racing this season.
Ought to be a great season.
John R. McKenzie, Omaha, said he likes Nebraska City and if it wasn't for business assignments, he's move to Nebraska City.
Mr. McKenzie is general manager for Sioux City-New Orleans Terminal Corp., which includes Steinhart Terminal. He succeeds our late friend, Ben Ryan.
There's a great deal of optimism that B.P.O.E. Elks 1049 at Nebraska City will have a new Elks lodge.
Exalted Ruler-elect Ron Eiserman reported on plans for the new facility and Harold Fouts, whose retirement from the G.E. Conkey company has been a boon to the Chamber and the Elks, forecast such a bright picture that golden shovels may soon be ordered for a summer ground breaking.
The Elks have proposed to build a new facility on private property south of Wildwood park. They admit there are a number of stumbling blocks (including money) but "we think we're well on our way," Fouts said in his report.
If membership is any indication, it might be well to mention that 34 new members were received at the meeting.