When tragedy hits a small town in middle American, one of two things typically happens: Folks will either pull together for the good of all or they will divide themselves in anger. There's no question the route Gothenburg people have chosen to take following the heartbreaking death of our Officer Jill Larson McCandless.
There isn't a person in this community that hasn't been affected by Officer 071. Jill grew up here, she raised her children here, she worked here and she served here. She knew the kids and visited both Dudley Elementary and Gothenburg High School frequently. She new the adults and where everyone lives and works, calling nearly everyone she came in contact with by name. She knew the senior citizens, checking on those who live alone and never hesitating to offer a helping hand. Whether you drove a little too quickly up Lake Avenue and had to chat with her in that professional capacity or you saw her in the grocery store aisle after a shift, Jill offered a smile, a hello and a huge heart. Jill was highly respected as an officer, often referred to as one of the best Gothenburg has ever had. She also earned a tremendous amount of respect as a daughter, mother, grandmother and friend. She exemplified "The Gothenburg Way," and that shows through the number of lovely tributes that have been offered to her this week. Jill's death leaves an incredible hole in our community. If there's one thing we can all do to honor Officer 071, it is to give each other the same kind of compassion and respect Jill modeled for us every day. Rest in peace Officer 071. Funeral services for Jill will be in the north gym at Gothenburg Public Schools at 10 am on Saturday, June 15.
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The Chamber office got a dandy new piece of artwork last week. If you've driven downtown, you've likely seen the barn quilt in the south window of the building here on the corner. The barn quilt movement began on an Ohio farm in the early 2000's as Donna Sue Groves painted the first block to celebrate her mother, Maxine. She didn't know her artwork would eventually lead to a cross-country adventure, but that's essentially what has happened. Barn quilts have become the fastest growing grassroots art movement across the U.S. and Canada. Dawson County jumped into the barn quilt craze about three years ago, building a tour right here in Central Nebraska. There are well over 100 barn quilts mapped on the Barn Quilts of Dawson County website and lots of folks from other states plan their back-roads trips to see them all. Just like traditional fabric quilts, barn quilt blocks each have their own unique story. They tie to an individual's interests or family heritage and some represent the significance of a business or a location. The barn quilt in the Chamber window has a story too. The basic pattern is called the Swedish Weathervane. The Swedish part of the name makes an obvious choice for a quilt block in Gothenburg. Our city's settlers and our far-off friends in our sister city in Sweden would surely appreciate the reference. As for the weathervane design, the half-square triangles are similar to the points on a compass. Each point in the weathervane block symbolizes a different direction, helping you always find your way. The Chamber office is kind of the same thing ... a central spot for visitors and residents, as well as the best connecting point to get you where you're going. Our barn quilt was painted by retired Chamber director Anne Anderson, who still serves on the Chamber's Ambassadors and the tourism committee. She is working on others that will hang around town. If you're interested in having one of your own, she may be able to help you out. She can also point you toward some classes if you want to try your hand at painting one yourself. If you contact the Chamber office, I can put you in touch. And don't forget to drop by the Barn Quilts of Dawson County website at barnquiltsdc.com. There are enough beautiful pieces right here in your back yard to plan a day trip checking them out! It might only be the end of May, but the Chamber has already begun planning for the 2019 Harvest Festival in September. Actually, we started planning last October because these things don't happen over night. And boy do we have a packed weekend in store.
For the past three years, Gothenburg has been the host city for the Nebraska Hand Cornhusking Contest. That is a great event that celebrates our agricultural heritage and helps keep a tiny piece of that history alive. Since Cornhusking involved food vendors and craft vendors and a whole heck of a lot of volunteers organized by the Chamber's ag committee, it didn't seem feasible to duplicate activities in town. So events that residents remember in Ehmen Park were moved to the farm and the park sat relatively silent. Well guess what ... Gothenburg's good fortune to host this year's Nebraska AND National Hand Cornhusking Contests is a boon for all! Because the national contest involves nine states and we have to accommodate their state contest schedules, the national corn picking competition has to be in October. That means Cornhusking will break away from Harvest Festival this year. That's correct. Harvest Festival will be Sept. 19-22 and Cornhusking is Oct. 19-20. That provides Gothenburg the opportunity to whoop it up two months in a row! It also lets us bring some activities back into town, specifically back into Ehemn Park. We still have to get city approval for use of public spaces, so I can't really spill all the beans yet. Just know we're working on a full weekend of activities and we hope everyone will jump on board with support. Maybe you'll be asked to sponsor or donate. Maybe you have ideas for events you'd like to see. The only way to make these things work is with folks willing to dive in and do it. Our special events committee is made up of first-time festival folks who have already put in many hours of work. They are over-the-top excited to bring a fun weekend to Gothenburg. Keep watching for details ... And thanks in advance for the support and participation that will make Harvest Festival 2019 the best one yet! Memorial Day weekend is quickly approaching. That means the door to summer is open and waiting, even thought it might not feel like it outside. Folks will plan family gatherings this weekend with barbecues running full blast, the fridge stocked and enough wood on standby to have a campfire for three days.
But while you're enjoying your three-day weekend, please take a minute or two to remember the reason we get this Monday off. Our freedom to celebrate certainly was not free. Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day originated after the Civil War as a way to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. The Civil War claimed so many lives that the country's first national cemeteries were established to accommodate the fallen. By the late 1860s, Americans began a springtime tradition of decorating those soldiers' graves and paying tribute to their service. In 1968, May 30 was designated as Decoration Day. On that first Decoration Day, 5,000 people decorated the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and the tradition began. Originally meant to honor those who died during the Civil War, the holiday evolved as the nation fought more wars and lost more soldiers. Decoration Day continued annually on May 30 until Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which named Memorial Day, placed it on the last Monday in May and created a three-day weekend for federal employees. The change officially went into effect in 1971. If you've never visited a national cemetery over the Memorial Day weekend, take some time and make a quick trip to Fort McPherson. It's our own little version of Arlington, right down the road. The flags, the flowers and the feeling cannot be compared. Even if you don't have a loved one buried there, it's worth the time to pause and give thanks to those who so bravely served so we may be free today. There's also an opportunity to pay your respects to our fallen soldiers at the Gothenburg Cemetery at 10 am on Monday. The American Legion Post 64 and local Veterans of Foreign Wars will host a Memorial Day ceremony, complete with Color Guard and "TAPS." Our country's fallen soldier deserve our respect. Make sure your weekend includes that. Anyone who has called the Chamber of Commerce or stopped by the corner office in the last couple of weeks has found either a voicemail or a locked door. With an office of one, when family matters dictate, the lights stay off.
You see, I spent last week plus working from home while caring for my mother in the final days before she earned her angel wings. Mom had cancer ... twice. She thought she beat breast cancer the first time around and lived cancer free for about three years. Then this second round hit about seven months ago and she decided not to do treatments. She entered the hospice program toward the end of March. She came from Indianola to live with me on April 9. I have always respected folks in the health care industry. It was not my calling, so I admire those able to do it day after day. Now I have an all new appreciation for a different set of caregivers, from the nurse who works as part of the hospice team to the bath aide and the guy who delivers the medical equipment. They come into homes as strangers and leave as family members. No matter how much we attempt to prepare for it, losing our parents is never easy. These folks do everything they can to ease the pain. I am forever grateful to everyone who has offered patience while I was away from work and especially those who have freely given moral support to me and my family over the past few weeks. This is an amazing community and I appreciate all of the kind words and precious prayers. We'll be back in the swing of things soon... LAURA MILLER Laura A. Miller, 79, of Indianola, Nebraska, formerly of Scottsbluff, NE, died May 7, 2019, at her daughter's home in Brady, NE. She was born October 24, 1939, in North Platte, NE, daughter of Merwin Barfoot and Ima (Callahan) Barfoot Roberts. Laura moved from North Platte as a child to Scottsbluff. She graduated from Scottsbluff High with the class of 1957. She later got her associates degree in accounting from Western Nebraska Community College. She lived in Nebraska, Texas and Kansas. Laura enjoyed creating things with her hands, sewing and quilting. She also loved her pets and gardening. Surviving are daughter, Deb (Buck) Egenberger of Brady, NE; daughter, Jennifer Johnson of Indianola, NE; son, Jim (Deb) Huber of Garden City, KS; son, Joe Huber of Maine; sister, Myrna Cassel of Brackettville, TX; brother, David Barfoot of Brackettville, TX; brother, Bryan Barfoot of Texas; seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Laura was preceded in death by father, Merwin Barfoot; mother, Ima Roberts; brother, Fredrick Barfoot; brother, Edward Barfoot; and granddaughter, Jessica Huber. Memorials are suggested to the family and will be donated to a charity to be chosen later. We've all heard it ... one man's junk is another man's treasure. It's true. For real. And it will come to life in a huge way this weekend.
It's garage sale season and Saturday is Gothenburg's Citywide Garage Sales, organized by the Gothenburg Chamber of Commerce. Folks spend $15 and the Chamber advertises their garage sale on a map in the newspapers, on the Chamber website and social media sites. Then the work begins for the folks at home. Some go to a tremendous amount of work to clean out their closets, toy rooms, storage sheds or attics every spring, then price each item with a sticky tag or simple strip of masking tape. Others know they're going to have a garage sale at least once a year and they plan ahead, collecting their wares in one location throughout the year. Either way, why not get a few bucks for the things you no longer want or need? I'm always amazed at how many people look forward to the Citywide Garage Sales every year, both those shopping and those selling. For buyers, it's often about the "find," and there are certainly some treasures to be had out there. For sellers, it's about the liberation of purging. For the Chamber, it's an opportunity to serve the community and to show off for the many folks who come from other towns just for the sales. An added twist this year is that Chamber member businesses could put their address on the garage sale map for free, allowing them to entice some some shoppers into their stores. Charm, Dee's Floral & Gifts, Mind.Body.Balance.Breathe., Ribbons & Roses and Sander Furniture will all have specials on Saturday. A couple of other Chamber members — the YMCA and Banner Church — are having actual garage sales. All the funds raised by the Banner Church sale, a multi-family affair at 820 Jefferson, will go toward the church's elevator fund. Get out there and see what kinds of treasures you can find! The ag industry is a tough place to be right now, especially in Nebraska where hundreds of farmers and ranchers on both ends of the state lost most or all of their livelihood to Mother Nature's wrath. Thankfully, even when commodity prices are low and trade agreements are sketchy, Nebraska producers are the ultimate optimists and they keep believing in a better tomorrow.
The Gothenburg Chamber of Commerce Ag Committee has collected $4,150 from local and area donors for the Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund to offer financial assistance to ag producers across Nebraska who were affected by an unprecedented combination of rain, blizzard and flooding. Several of those donations came from ag producers themselves. Neighbors helping neighbors. The Ag Committee put out a challenge, promising to match up to $5,000. While that goal fell just short, the committee is choosing to contribute the full $5,000 pledged to match donations, making a total contribution of $9,150 to the relief fund. The Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund will distribute 100% of all contributions to Nebraska cattle producers affected by the recent natural disasters. The Ag Committee has worked hard to raise money to not only host events like Beef, Wine & More and the Hand Cornhusking contest, but also to provide a high school senior with a nice scholarship. When the need became apparent that Nebraska's ag producers were in trouble because of the crazy weather we've had the past couple of months, Ag Committee members were quick to offer assistance. Some folks in this group are producers themselves. Everyone is tied to agriculture somehow. Thanks to all who donated to this cause. It seems small in the grand scheme of things, but dollars add up and every little bit of help counts. Donations may still be made directly to the organization online via PayPal at the Nebraska Cattlemen's website. It's all about who you know, right? We've all heard that many times. But maybe it's not so much about who we know, but rather who we tell. Let me explain. There are businesses here in Gothenburg that came because of a chance conversation. For instance, a Gothenburg banker meets a Cambridge businessman at the boat dock during a fishing trip. The two hit it off, chat about their towns and business dealings. The next thing you know, Gothenburg has gigabit fiber available to every home and business. It didn't happen with the snap of a finger. A lot of hard work went into that recruitment. But it wouldn't have happened at all had one person not been willing to share Gothenburg's story. That's how community leaders expect to come across the next occupant of the former Baldwin building. Your neighbor might have a friend or a relative who has close ties to a manufacturing business that's looking to expand or relocate. Your daughter or granddaughter could have been in a sorority with the CEO of a business in eastern Nebraska that was devastated by the flooding and needs a new place to land. Maybe your uncle is an entrepreneur just waiting for the perfect location to mass produce his next invention. You never really know what's possible if you don't ask, right? Gothenburg Improvement Company believes strongly enough in this city and its opportunities that it purchased the former Baldwin building so local leaders can pursue an occupant that provides jobs rather than turning it into a warehouse. But GIC needs everyone to be on board, sharing Gothenburg's story and encouraging those we know to take a look. GIC will host an open house from 5-7 pm on Tuesday, April 30, at the Baldwin building. Board members will be on had to answer questions, give tours and show off the possibilities. There's free food and drinks, so come take a look. Then tell your friends, your neighbors, your relatives what you saw. Share your ideas with GIC members, city officials, the Chamber. Think how cool it would be if YOU were the one who could say, "I helped make that happen!" We did it! We made the finals! Check out the news release below! Gothenburg is proud to announce the city has been named one of 20 finalists for the National Civic League’s 2019 All-America City Award (AAC). Communities large and small from across the country vie for this annual recognition. This year’s finalists represent the diversity of Americans and share a common bond of working to create healthy communities through inclusive civic engagement. They are among the largest cities to the smallest towns, from east to west and north to south. Finalists include the fourth largest city in America — Houston, Texas — and Gothenburg, Nebraska, a city of only 3,500 people. The application for the AAC award was submitted by a team from the Gothenburg Improvement Company board of directors, who will also organize Gothenburg’s presentation to a jury of judges during the finalist competition in Denver, Colorado, June 21-23. The 2019 spotlight for the award focuses on efforts of inclusive engagement practices that create healthy communities for all. The three projects the Gothenburg team chose to focus on for this competition are the expansion of Gothenburg Health and addition of the YMCA; the local food access initiative that includes Gothenburg Shares, Lunch Buddies, home-delivered meals and the Backpack Program; and Gothenburg’s Early Childhood Learning Coalition. “Our community is one that recognizes and acts on the evolving needs held by our residents. These become action plans, and those action plans become results. The involvement of our community members makes these goals a reality and sets the stage to continue Gothenburg’s vision of making sure ‘All Means All.’ ” — Gothenburg’s AAC application This is not the first time Gothenburg has experienced the All-American City competition. The city received the award in 1991 and shared in the award when Dawson County received recognition in 1993. In addition to Gothenburg, the other 2019 finalist cities are: Battle Creek, Michigan Clinton, North Carolina Cornelius, Oregon Doral, Florida Dubuque, Iowa Edinburg, Texas El Paso, Texas Hallandale Beach, Florida Houston, Texas Livingston County, New York Millcreek, Utah Mission, Texas Ontario, California Pasco, Washington Rancho Cordova, California Rock Hill, South Carolina San Antonio, Texas West Hollywood, California Wichita, Kansas The All-American City award, given to 10 communities each year, celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties, tribes and regions that engage residents in innovative, inclusive and effective efforts to tackle critical challenges. To view the full release from the National Civic League, go online to https://conta.cc/2JGOeuz. @AllAmericaCityAwards #AAC2019 Rescheduling a public event that involves a rented venue, a caterer, a liquor license and a long list of award recipients is no small task. That's a lot of moving parts to try and realign. In the darkness of my home, which had no electricity from 3 am to 9 am, I fretted last Thursday morning about how the Chamber and GIC Business After Hours & Awards event might all come together again (or simply fall apart). Amazingly, just like the privacy fence around my yard, all of the pieces fit back together (with only minor flaws) and the event was a go once again. Please, come celebrate with us tonight! When all of the rescheduling details were worked out, I spent about two minutes being proud of myself for not having a nervous breakdown during the realignment process. Then I opened Facebook to share the new details for the Business After Hours and I was instantly mad at myself. Rescheduling this celebration had become such a big deal to me that I was blind to what was happening on both ends of my state. In the Panhandle — where I grew up — folks were buried under FEET of snow. The losses, especially to the cattle industry, are enormous. In eastern Nebraska, three people lost their lives due to FEET of gushing water that has caused destruction beyond BILLIONS of dollars. It seems a little unreal here in Gothenburg where a few washed out gravel roads have been an inconvenience. But to no surprise, our generous residents have already begun delivering help to take care of our neighbors. There have been loads of hay, water, food and other personal items already delivered from here. More loads are being collected. The Governor has declared Friday, March 22, as #NebraskaStrong Day, urging those who can donate financially to give via a phone call to 844-278-8555. Giving online is also available through an American Red Cross relief site at www.RedCross.org/donate. There's not a quick fix. No doubt, though, neighbors will continue helping neighbors until everyone is back on their feet, because we are ... #NebraskaStrong. |
DEB EGENBERGERis the Executive Director of the Community Development Office, which encompasses the Gothenburg Chamber of Commerce and the Gothenburg Improvement Company. Archives
January 2021
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