Peekin' into the Past

Five Years Ago
March 21, 2013
    Highline Electric Association is set to celebrate its 75th anniversary at their annual meeting March 26 at Phillips County Event Center in Holyoke.
    On March 13, a gathering of Catholic cardinals chose Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the cardinal from Argentina, to be the new pope. As the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, he will be called Francis. The 76-year-old, who was archbishop of Buenos Aires, has made history as the first South American pope, the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years and the first member of the Jesuit order to lead the church.
    
Ten Years Ago
March 20, 2008
    After 15 years of ministering at First Christian Church in Holyoke, Pastor Jim Blake has decided it’s time to retire. And though he is retiring from the church, Blake is not retiring from the ministry. Instead, he will begin working full time at Gerk Funeral Home.
    Next weekend, when HHS presents “The Music Man,” it will be Clark Ginapp’s last production in the school system after 30 years as the school drama director.
    The HHS boys and girls basketball teams both took consolation championship honors at the March 13-15 Colorado 2A state tournament in Pueblo.
    
Twenty-Five Years Ago
March 25, 1993
    After reviewing considerable input on a variety of options relating to alternative scheduling, the Re-1J Board of Education voted unanimously to approve Alternative Schedule B for implementation during the 1993-94 school year at HHS. The alternative schedule involves an eight-period day, while the current schedule is seven periods, so students can have 64 semester credits instead of the current 56 for the four-year period. The schedule is planned so students attend four classes each day. Classes will alternate between Monday/Wednesday/Friday of one week and Tuesday/Thursday the next week.
    Responding to pressures from the State Health Department, the Phillips County commissioners have announced that the County will not accept grass clippings at the County incinerator between April 15 and Oct. 15.
    The Heginbotham Library is now a participating member in the Colorado Library Card program. Librarian Rose Kreher says the program will enhance Heginbotham’s current Interlibrary Loan Program by offering local residents a chance to borrow books on site when they visit libraries in other participating Colorado towns and cities.
    
Fifty Years Ago
March 21, 1968
    The “pistol-packin’ mammas” will be on the loose Saturday, looking for hostages to take to the Sterling Savings & Loan community room. A “kidnap coffee,” featuring coffee and homemade rolls, will be served there — and there’ll be a kitty for contributions. It’s a fun way of raising funds for the Easter Seal Society.
    All Phillips County farmers and businessmen are invited to attend the annual Farmer-Businessman Banquet to be held here Friday evening, March 29. This popular annual event is sponsored jointly by Holyoke Chamber of Commerce and Haxtun Commercial Club and is held alternately in Holyoke and Haxtun.
    
Seventy-Five Years Ago
March 25, 1943
    The USDA war board is now ready to issue permits to local farmers, butchers and slaughterers who expect to deliver meat to others for human food. The control regulations of the federal government for stamping out the black market in meats become effective April 1 and govern the slaughter of cattle, calves, lambs, sheep and hogs. Home slaughter of meat animals for use of the farm is not affected by the regulations.
    Two snows, one Thursday of last week and the other Saturday, brought 0.25 of an inch of moisture. Both snows melted where they fell and brought much benefit to the top of the soil. While there is plenty of subsoil moisture, the top of the ground has been dry as there had been little snowfall during the winter.
    A victory garden school will be held at the Legion Hall on Wednesday night, March 31, with the session in charge of George Rober, county Extension agent.