Peekin' into the Past

Five Years Ago

July 20, 2017

Robbie Doman, a 2001 Holyoke High School graduate who grew up in Amherst, competed in Monday night’s episode of American Ninja Warrior, and his “impossible comeback story” was featured in the show’s promotional videos. Doman, now a special forces Army veteran with 12 years of service under his belt, was seriously injured in Iraq in February 2008 by an IED attack, requiring 14 surgeries and five years of physical therapy.

On July 13, Ballyneal held an opening ceremony for its new 12-hole golf course, Mulligan Course, named for the late Charlie Mulligan, who was known as the original caddie at Ballyneal Golf Course.

Ten Years Ago

July 19, 2012

Holyoke Cleaners owners Dave and Sheila Johnson announced recently that they have closed the laundromat portion of their business as of last week. While closed for public use, they said they will continue to handle drop-off laundry. The Johnsons will be expanding their embroidery business and will be getting a new, larger dry cleaning machine that will be located in the back of the business at 105 S. Baxter Ave.

Olan Wallin of Chase County, Nebraska, celebrated his 100th birthday last week. He was born July 14, 1912, in Phillips County.

While only a few sprinkles fell within the city limits of Holyoke, those living just east and south of Holyoke got hit with a storm that left ditches flooded and cornstalks stripped from hail.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

July 24, 1997

At the July 15 meeting of the Holyoke City Council, City Superintendent Mark Brown reported on difficulty maintaining water pressure in the city during peak watering hours. The result is a lack of fire protection. During those hours, enough water is going out for sprinklers, etc., that there is not enough left to use when fighting fires.

St. Patrick Catholic Church recently took major steps to establish a quality religious education program in the parish. The most obvious of these steps is the hiring of Sister Laetitia Slusser, S.C., for the position of director of religious education.

Weather over the past week was hot and dry, but temperatures still didn’t hit the century mark. The high for the week of 96 F was reached two days in a row, July 16-17.

Fifty Years Ago

July 20, 1972

Mike Friede, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Friede, Holyoke, with his essay “The Olympics, Competition in Body, Mind and Spirit,” has been named one of the 12 winners of the Seniors for ’76 contest. Approximately 2,000 junior high school students entered the state contest. As one of the 12 ambassadors representing the state of Colorado, Mike will attend the Olympic summer games in Munich, Germany, and will be part of the youth volunteers that will help develop plans for the 1976 Olympic winter games in Colorado.

Motorcycle races will be featured at the Phillips County Fair for the first time this year as an added attraction. The Haxtun Jaycees are sponsoring the cycle races, with trophies offered in all classes. The races are open to all ages.

Buster Jenkins and the High Country Travelers will be the feature grandstand attraction Monday, Aug. 7, at the Phillips County Fair.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

July 24, 1947

The severe rain and hailstorm of Monday evening brought the harvesting of wheat in this area to a complete stop. The bad part of the storm was in the country north of Paoli, and rainfall in that area was reported to be from 3-5 inches. Hail damage to wheat in that area was said to be 100% loss. The bridge over the Frenchman at the north edge of Holyoke was sagging in the middle and on the west side of the structure because the heavy flow of water had undermined the center support and it had settled about 15 inches.

The Highway Advisory Board turned thumbs down on any great amount of construction work in the near future. It did allocate $2 million for repairs and some small pieces of construction work. It declined to follow the requests of the county commissioners for large sums with which to go forward with the building of new highways. Its position was the same as it has been all along that it is useless to go ahead until prices are down and until labor and materials are more plentiful.