Peekin' into the Past

Five Years Ago — Aug. 31, 2017

Statewide, the number of school districts that use a four-day week has climbed in the years since the practice first began in 1980 with just three districts. Now, 37 years later, 98 districts use a shortened week.

Heavy rain and hail fell southeast of Holyoke on Friday evening, Aug. 25. Accompanied by high winds, the hail stripped corn and millet fields as well as gardens in the rural area.

Funding streams for English as a Second Language and General Education Development diploma classes have changed for Phillips County Family Education Services this school year. Executive Director Trisha Herman is excited to announce that Family Education Services is teaming up with Northeastern Junior College to provide ESL and GED classes to local residents.

Ten Years Ago — Aug. 30, 2012

A Great Outdoors Colorado grant application to include a new track and lighting for the HHS football field/track will include a $25,000 allocation as the district’s cash contribution. Approval of that cash amount was given by the Re-1J board at its Aug. 21 meeting.

Friday night, Aug. 24, community members walked the track at Phillips County Court House, celebrated with cancer survivors and raised funds for the American Cancer Society at the 2012 Phillips County Relay For Life. The 12-hour “Magic of Relay” event raised nearly $30,000.

Twenty-Five Years Ago — Sept. 4, 1997

Last week, Deb Carlstrom of Amherst announced her candidacy for Colorado state representative from the 65th district, a seat currently held by her close friend Marilyn Musgrave. The district is made up of Phillips, Sedgwick, Logan, Morgan and Washington counties. Musgrave has announced her candidacy for Senate District 1.

After four years of what Phillips County commissioners call “jumping through hoops,” the new incinerator at the county landfill is permitted and operating. A letter of consent from the state air pollution control division indicated that the new machine had met all necessary standards. The county plans to run it on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

A new beet piling ground is taking shape 2 miles north of Holyoke on the east side of Highway 385. Early harvest will start Sept. 22 and last about a week. Regular beet harvest will begin Oct. 9.

Fifty Years Ago — Aug. 31, 1972

Last Wednesday evening, heavy rain and hail caused considerable damage to crops in several parts of Phillips County, with most of the damage in the southwest section. Fields of sugar beets and corn received extensive damage.

Colorado youth representatives to the Olympic summer games in Munich, Germany, left Denver on Aug. 24. Winners representing northeast Colorado are Mike Friede, Holyoke, and Keli Fennie, Yuma.

Douglas Keasling, director of the Phillips County Department of Public Welfare, resigned as director, effective Aug. 31. He and his family are moving to Fort Collins, where he has been appointed assistant director of the Larimer County Department of Public Welfare.

Seventy-Five Years Ago — Sept. 4, 1947

The opening of the Holyoke high school and grade school, which was scheduled for Sept. 1, has been postponed until Sept. 8. The opening of the schools was postponed due to the difficulty in securing teachers.

The opening of the Phillips County Fair today greeted officials of the fair with the problem of providing space for the record number of livestock exhibits, and record crowds are expected. The addition of 28 feet of the grandstand on the east side of the present grandstand will provide additional seating room for about 300 people.

Women and girls throughout the nation who have the name of Allegra are organizing clubs under that name. The idea started back in Massachusetts. Allegra Saunders is the Colorado organizer of the club. In addition to having a club peculiar in name and in purpose, they want to ascertain how many girls and women there are by that name. Any one from the age of 12 to (how high do women go in ages) may join.