Peekin’ into the Past

Five Years Ago

Nov. 23, 2017

Official election results for the Holyoke Fire Protection District mill levy election were released this week, showing that the mill levy increase was approved in a slim 205-202 vote.

Dusty Sprague was honored with the National Football Foundation Silver Anniversary Team award at the HHS football awards ceremony Nov. 14. Each year, the top 11 scholar athletes in the state are recognized, and Spague received this honor during his senior year of high school in the fall of 2002. From the yearly teams, the foundation then selects a “Silver Anniversary” team to represent the best in the state over the past 25 years.

Ten Years Ago

Nov. 22, 2012

Plans to enhance grain shuttle loading capacity on the Nebraska Kansas Colorado Railway line are moving forward. Grainland Cooperative, a business unit of CHS Inc., announced Nov. 19 that construction details are being finalized, and it is anticipated that the project could break ground as soon as next month.

Minnie Rodriguez has been hired as the new bilingual home visitor for Baby Bear Hugs in Phillips County.

Everything has been affected by this year’s drought conditions, including the wildlife species that call northeast Colorado home. Pheasant populations have been extremely high the past two years, but the lack of moisture and high temperatures appear to have negatively impacted the production of chicks this summer.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

Nov. 27, 1997

Thirty-five ballots in the Holyoke Re-1J School District election Nov. 4 were not counted because the voters’ birth dates were written incorrectly on the envelopes of their mail-in ballots. The local school board gave approval at its Nov. 18 meeting to have legal counsel proceed to determine if those 35 votes can be counted. With the $2.8 million bond issue question failing by a mere three votes, 35 ballots could make a difference.

History and spirit of the Holyoke community have been captured in a coverlet, now being sold by the HHS FCCLA chapter. Included in the design are pictures of the high school, co-op elevators, courthouse, library, Peerless Theatre and water tower.

Nick Colglazier of the Colorado state FFA association was one of 50 state winners participating in the National FFA Prepared Public Speaking Career Development Event at the 70th National FFA Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

The 2A state championship football game in Holyoke last Saturday was an unpredictable match-up, with Burlington defeating Holyoke 20-35.

Fifty Years Ago

Nov. 23, 1972

An initial payment, one-third larger than any previous payment made for sugar beets out of the Sterling office of the Great Western Sugar Company, was mailed to growers on Nov. 20. The payment will total $6,407,616. The payment is also the highest average per ton that growers have ever received locally.

Due to the snow and very wet fields, the harvest of sugar beets in the area has come to a complete stop. Prior to the first snowstorm, the harvest of sugar beets was about 92% complete. Harvest of corn for grain is approximately 57% complete, and it will be sometime before equipment can enter the fields to complete the harvest.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

Nov. 27, 1947

A very fine and complete sound system and chime tower has been installed in the Methodist Church as a gift of W.E. Heginbotham, in memory of his father, John Heginbotham. It is now planned that they will be played each Sunday morning for 15 minutes before the opening of Sunday school and church and again Sunday evening for a half hour, beginning at 6 p.m., and also on special occasions and holidays.

The opening of the Dirks roller rink Friday night of last week was a huge success, with 135 pairs of skates being rented out and many skating who had their own skates.

One hundred twenty-eight squads of five men each were entered in the first turkey shoot of the season, sponsored by the Holyoke Gun Club, last Sunday, Nov. 23.