Peekin’ into the past

Five Years Ago

Feb. 4, 2016

High winds and snow began Feb. 1, with 6.2 inches that day. More snow drifted overnight, with blizzard weather continuing the next day. Road closures and dangerous conditions gave the school (as well as much of the town) a snow day.

Billing of self-pay balances will be brought back within the community, as announced by Melissa Memorial Hospital administration at the Jan. 26 East Phillips County Hospital District board meeting. Continuing problems with the automated outside-party billing system that issues single-statement billing have accumulated to the point where it is more practical to return to the traditional model of separate statements for clinic and hospital services, which can be accomplished without outside services.

Holyoke Elementary School won first place in both the grade 3-4 division and the grade 5-6 division at the Sunrise Optimist Brain Bowl on Jan. 30 in Fort Morgan.

HHS sophomore Tyler Lamm was named Northeastern Plains District vice president and parliamentarian at the FCCLA winter conference in Merino on Jan. 27.

Ten Years Ago

Feb. 3, 2011

Leon Atkins is enjoying retirement after being in the tractor business for 40 years. Leon Atkins Motors is now Ag Power Equipment Company.

Jessica Watkins started teaching at Holyoke High School on Jan. 31, taking over as the new science teacher after Tracy Trumper announced her resignation in January.

Holyoke will soon be the proud new owner of an American elm (Liberty Tree), courtesy of the Elm Research Institute. A Liberty Tree is an elm tree that survived after Dutch elm disease removed most of the other American elms. Holyoke will receive a 10-foot Liberty Tree, as well as a smaller 3-foot tree, which will be given to the school district.

HHS junior Whitni Redman was elected Northeast District FCCLA president at the Jan. 26 winter meeting at NJC.

Schools in Holyoke decided to keep kids warm at home and canceled classes on Feb. 1, and temperatures were still well below zero mid-morning. The low temperature Monday night, Jan. 31, reached minus 14 degrees, with the windchill reading much cooler.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

Feb. 8, 1996

On Feb. 1, officers from Phillips County Sheriff’s Office were called to assist a neighboring agency with a barricade situation, for the second time in a week. This time they were called to 2 miles east and a half mile south of Fleming, where K-9 Ned was called in just in case.

After a cold week when high temperatures were not very high at all, sometimes only climbing into the single digits, weather in the Holyoke area started to warm up on Sunday. The coldest day of the past week was Feb. 2, when the thermometer stalled at 2 degrees and dropped to 19 below zero for the low. Weather seemed balmy to area residents Sunday and Monday when the mercury climbed to 44 and 56 degrees.

Fifty Years Ago

Feb. 4, 1971

Daily maximum temperatures in the area ranged from the 30s and 40s on cooler days to the 50s and 60s on the warmer days, with 65 a high for the week. Nighttime temperatures averaged 19 degrees for the week, with 32 the highest reading.

Cheryl Baker, Larry Barth and Gayle Howell, members of the Holyoke High School band, were selected to participate in the annual Colorado all-state band. Cheryl will play the flute, Larry the baritone saxophone and Gayle the trumpet.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

Feb. 7, 1946

The Holyoke Sales Pavilion is now in charge of Dale Quiggle of Wray, who last week purchased the sales business of Harry Mefford. Mr. Quiggle is familiar with the auction and livestock sales business, having been connected with the work at Wray.

Mr. and Mrs. Dean Mutchie have sold their five-acre tract adjoining Holyoke on the east to Harry Brinkema. Mr. Brinkema has sold a half interest to Wilty Poos, who will be partner in a tourist and trailer camp which they plan to erect immediately.

Mrs. Leon Kepler, chairman of the local clothing collection for overseas relief, reports that a total of 3,468 pounds of clothing of good quality was received here in the recent drive. There were in the shipment 88 boxes which were shipped Monday.