CONGRATULATIONS, CONESTOGA GRADUATES!
~
Often we look so long at the closed door, that we
do not see the one that has been opened for us.
~ Helen Keller ~
COUGAR SPRING SPORTS
Middle School Boys' & Girls' Track
May 13 ECMC Meet @ HOME, 2pm
Varsity Boys' & Girls' Track
May 12, Districts, Time and Place TBA
May 20 State Championships, Time and Place TBA
Congratulations to Ashley Anderson,(formerly of Murray),who graduated on
May 7th from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln with a Bachelor of
Science Degree in Education and Human Services. Ashley earned the highest undergraduate academic award of Chancellor Scholar and also was selected as an Outstanding Senior from the College of Education.
Shannon King, Megan Black and Kirsten Clawson,
Instructions for submitting your item are at the end of the Newsletter.
NATIONAL LAND JUDGING
Oklahoma City - 428 FFA members from 38 different states across the
nation, including Clayton Henne, Jamie Johnson, Mason Jensen, and Zach
Fowler of the Conestoga FFA, competed in the 60th annual National Land
Judging Contest, held May 3-5, 2011. The Redlands Community College
hosted the Land Judging Evaluation Contests on its farms near El Reno,
Oklahoma.
The first two days of the three-day event offer contestants opportunities to
visit nearby practice sites to get acquainted with Oklahoma soils with inform-
ation available from soil experts. A dance in the evening of the second day
gives the participants a chance to socialize with other teens from across the
nation.
The actual contest site remains a secret until contest day, so no one has an
unfair advantage. Contestants and coaches gather on contest morning to find
out the official contest location. They then travel to the site, with a police escort,
in a caravan of over 100 cars spanning several miles.
Once at the contest, teams match skills in judging the adaptability of land for
various purposes including farming, range management, and homesite con-
struction. The contest involves principles that can be valuable in career fields
like environmental and agricultural management, natural resource conservation,
home building and construction.
Conestoga was lead by Johnson receiving 30th place overall. Jensen, Henne,
and Fowler all did not place in the top 100 and the team received 60th place.
Johnson's placing was a testament to her hard work, confidence and eye for
detail. She and one other FFA member from Red Cloud were the only two
Nebraskans to place in the top 50.
Though the soil is bright red and has a more of a coarse feeling, surprisingly, the
biggest challenge for the students was not the soil texturing. The biggest challenge
was determining slope. When figuring the slope, students have to visually gauge
the rise over run of stakes placed 100 feet away without any outside tools and place
number within 6 different classes. This year 2 of the 4 sites had slopes that were
less than 1% off of the class above them, which really separated the elite judgers
from the rest of the judgers.
Land judging contest was invented by three Oklahoma conservationists in 1943.
They decided which soil qualities could be judged and developed score cards to
test skills. The idea caught on and Oklahoma has been hosting the national contest
since 1952.
Above, Clay Henne records the depth of the topsoil at National FFA Land Judging.
Johnson received 30th place overall and was the second highest individual from
Nebraska at the event.
Bake Sale supporting American Cancer Society's Relay for Life team,
Kris' Krew.
MURRAY GARAGE SALES
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
MAY 20 - 21, 2011
Sign-up forms are also available at the
Post Office, Murray State Bank and Town Hall.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murray Garage Sales
Friday and Saturday
May 20 - 21, 2011
8 a.m. - ?
Name: ____________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________
Sale Location: ______________________________
My sale days (same cost if doing one or both days) :
Friday, May 20 ______ Saturday, May 21 ______
Items of Special Interest to Note on Maps, (where space allows):
1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
Print, fill-out and send this form with $12.00 to cover cost of ink, fliers, advertising in
newspapers, maps, etc. NO LATER THAN MAY 15, 2011 to:
Pat Zeigler
201 N How Ave
Murray, NE 68409-8403
Call with ?'s, 402-235-2926
or email
Editor@MurrayNebraska.com
WHAT?...LEFTOVERS, AGAIN?!
When your garage sale is over, volunteers will once again pick up any
left-over items for your tax deductible donation to Hosanna Lutheran
Church in Plattsmouth. Please try to have your items in boxes, instead
of bags, if at all possible. Just call 402-235-2999 and leave a message
for Gloria or Tom. They'll return your call to set up a pick-up time.
Saturday, May 21st
7am - Noon
Murray Christian Church
The Junior Girl Scouts are working toward earning their Bronze Awards and with the proceeds from this event they will be purchasing items for the
Take a break during the Murray Garage Sales and stop by for a quick
breakfast or lunch item to support a wonderful cause.
Thank you!
Girl Scout Troop 201
RECYCLE SCHEDULES
May 14 - 20, Murray (Fire Dept parking lot)
May 14 - 20, Nehawka
May 21 - 27, Beaver Lake
(Murray will also continue to have the recycle bin located behind Town Hall every day,
although this is for Murray residents only.)
Lofte Receives Two Awards at Regional Competition
The Lofte Community Theatre of Manley, NE was one of two Nebraska arts
organizations recently selected to represent the state at the AACT Regional
play competition held in Kansas. Players from the Lofte performed a one
hour cutting from "Leaving Iowa," a comedy by Tim Clue & Spike Manton
that revolves around one man's memories of childhood family vacations.
In all, there were ten entries from the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, North
and South Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri. The competition took place at
the Salina Community Theatre April 28-May 1. At the end of the competition,
the Lofte took home two prestigious awards; "Best Costumes," and actor
Larry Bauers of Louisville was awarded, "Best Supporting Actor." Beatrice's
Community Players were recognized in the category of "Best Sound." The
Lofte is a non-profit organization and was able to attend the competition thanks
to generous donations from the general public as well as a grant from the
Nebraska Arts Council.
Artistic Director Kevin Colbert was extremely proud of the cast's performance.
He also noted that the winner of the competition, "Wiley and the Hairy Man," from
a theater in Cloquet, Minnesota was directed by Cheryl Kramer-Milder (formerly
Callahan). Cheryl is a Lofte Community Theatre alumni who performed in many
of their productions from 1978-1981. The Minnesota team will now advance to
the national AACT competition being held in Rochester, NY.
The full-length version of "Leaving Iowa," will open the Lofte's 2011 season. Per-
formances will run May 28-June 12. Tickets are $17 and can be purchased online
at www.Lofte.com or by calling the Lofte box office (402) 234-2553.
Front Row - Allison Bauers of Louisville and Elbert Traylor
of Lincoln. Back row - Best Supporting Actor recipient, Larry Bauers of Louisville,
Noelle Bohaty of Lincoln, Doug Rothgeb of Omaha and Betty Colbert of Weeping Water.
It's only 3 months away - Cass County Fair 2011!
Schedule is published.
Click on the link below to check it out.
http://www.casscountyfair.org/
Lawn Doctors
Are you tired, don't have time to mow or weed-eat your own lawn?
Well, call the Lawn Doctors! We are two teenage boys who love to
mow and weed-eat!! We have both been mowing for 6 years! So
don't worry about forgetting to mow or being too stressed or tired.
Cheap service
Never Late
You choose the date
Call (402)-850-0605 or email- cluckmike@gmail.com
Summer fun is just around the corner. Start planning your vacation travels today by ordering the 2011 Nebraska Travel Guide. It's everything you need to rediscover the road trip!
Request a free Nebraska Travel Guide!
Policy Changes for Boats and Parks
My message this week speaks again to the connection between District 2 and
the bills I introduced in the 2011 legislative session.
A request to license boat dealers in Nebraska was brought to me by a District 2
resident late in 2009. The absence of existing statutes to simply amend, delayed
examination of the request until the interim period between the 2010 and 2011
legislative sessions. Interim research was conducted, and consideration of what
was needed and how it should be structured was discussed at a hearing before
the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. My office collected models
of licensing procedures from neighboring states, but the Committee suggested
that our own motor vehicle licensing process could serve as the model for Nebraska.
As introduced, LB 495 mirrored the Committee's suggestion. The bill would create
boat dealer licensing with regulatory oversight and an annual fee arrangement that
are similar to those used for motor vehicle dealers in Nebraska. Further review of
the motor vehicle model in LB 495 caused some Committee members and me to
have second thoughts about imposing significant regulations and fees on our rel-
atively small boat dealer industry. We still believe boat dealers should be licensed;
we just have to design a plan that makes sense for the dealers and their customers.
Alternative ideas are being considered and are likely to result in the introduction of
an amendment to LB 495 or a new modified proposal next year.
At the request of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, I agreed to introduce
LB 421 to increase annual park entry permit fees. This decision also relates to District
2, because five of the more than 80 state park facilities are located in our district. They
offer wonderful recreational opportunities for people who live in and visit our areas of
the state, and they are strong economic partners for our local communities. We need
these facilities to stay open and be well maintained. To accomplish this goal, permit
fees must be increased.
At the hearing on LB 421 before the Natural Resources Committee, and again when
the bill was scheduled for floor debate, I described three primary reasons to support a
fee increase at this time. First, about nine million visits to park facilities are recorded
each year. This makes a positive impact on our state's economy. Tourism is the third
largest industry in Nebraska, and 15 of the state parks are among the top 25 tourist
attractions in the state.
Next, increased costs and reduced revenue have increased deferred maintenance in
our state parks, to the point that some of them may have to be closed to protect the
public from unsafe or unsanitary conditions. Game and Parks currently has about $34
million in deferred maintenance costs. The fee increases proposed in LB 421 cannot
eliminate this deficit, but they can slow the deficit's growth and allow park employees
to address the most urgent maintenance needs. Nebraska's state parks are supported
primarily by a user-based funding system. Approximately 70 percent of the operating
and maintenance budget for our parks comes from fees --- not taxes --- paid by the people
who use the parks. Only about 30 percent of the park system's budget comes from the
General Fund, and this percentage has been declining for years. Like the rest of state
government, the Game and Parks Commission has cut its budget, in part by privatizing
some services and significantly reduced park staff. At the same time, the Commission
has faced steadily increasing costs for equipment, materials, contracts and fuel. Operating
and maintenance services have been reduced in as many ways as possible, so the failure
to approve increases in the park user fees may result in reduced operating hours and the
possible closure of some facilities.
Finally, the current annual $20 park entry permit fee, per car, per calendar year, has not
been increased for five years. Nebraska's fee is the lowest-priced park entry permit fee
among all of the states that employ a user-fee based system to help fund their state parks.
LB 421 is my priority bill this year. Maintaining our park system is good for our state and
especially for District 2.
I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to represent District 2 in the Nebraska Legislature.
We welcome your contacts by mail, phone or email.
Senator Dave Pankonin
State Capitol
PO Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2613
dpankonin@leg.ne.gov
CASS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
646 Main Street
Plattsmouth, NE 68048
Phone: 402-296-4770
E-mail: ccohsm@windstream.net
website: www.nebraskamuseums.org/casscountymuseum.htm
G.A.R. MUSEUM in ELMWOOD
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Guest Speaker: Bonnie Brewer
One of the newest museums in Cass County is the G.A.R. Museum in
Elmwood, housed in the 1886 G.A.R. Hall.
Bonnie Brewer will tell us about the museum ald also share some history
about Elmwood which will celebrate its 125th birthday on May 28.
***
Book Discussion: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Leader: Kirsten Wood
At Cass County Historical Society in Plattsmouth
In conjunction with the Big Read, Kirsten Wood of Plattsmouth Public Library,
will lead a book discussion of this year's book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,
by Mark Twain. Copies of the readers' guide are available at the Museum
and the Library is giving away copies of Tom Sawyer, if you need a copy.
"SAC Federal Credit Union" Team with the Cass County Relay has a
fundraiser going on now and until they are sold out. They are offering
bracelets for a minimum $2 donation to the Relay. The bracelets are
silicone purple with grey swirls and white lettering that says
"CU Crush Cancer".
Stop in to 219 South 23rd Street Plattsmouth, Ne.(next to Pamida) to
purchase!
Workshop for Folks Who Have Never Fiddled
For folks who have never played a fiddle or violin, and are brave
enough to try, come to the
Schoolhouse Fiddle Workshop for Folks Who Have Never Fiddled.
Championship fiddler and fiddle book author, Deborah Greenblatt,
will share some hints about beginning fiddling, shopping for a fiddle,
reading music, playing by ear, etc. Fiddles will be available for
participants to play, and source lists and advice for further study will
be provided.
The Workshop takes place on Saturday, May 14, 2011, 1 PM - 3 PM,
in the Old Avoca Schoolhouse, Avoca, Nebraska.
Pre-registration is required, enrollment is limted, and there is a $20.00 fee.
For more information, call 402-275-3221, or send an e-mail to
debby@greenblattandseay.com.
###
SCHOOLHOUSE FIDDLE CAMP REGISTRATION is OPEN NOW
Registration is now open for the 2011 Schoolhouse Fiddle Camps, in the Old Avoca Schoolhouse,
in Avoca, Nebraska.
Deborah Greenblatt, championship fiddler, author of many fiddle collections, will help the campers
get in touch with their inner fiddler. The course of study during the Schoolhouse Fiddle Camps will
be designed specifically for the individual campers who sign up.
Fiddle Camp for Beginners is Monday, June 13 - Friday, June 17. This 5 day camp includes some
of the basics and fun of fiddling, such as performing in public, practice techniques, reading music,
playing y ear, and jamming. Fiddling styles include bluegrass, Cajun, Irish, Klezmer, old-time, and
newly composed tunes by the campers. Movement and singing are included in the experience.
Fiddle Camp for Intermediate/Advanced Fiddlers is Monday, July 11 - Friday, July 15. Campers
will discuss picking tunes for contests, performing in public, practice techniques, reading music,
playing by ear, playing for dancers, back-up fiddling, arranging twin fiddle pieces , and jamming.
Many fiddling styles will be represented, including original compositions by the campers.
Campers can sign up for all 5 days, or just 2 days, or just one day of Intermediate camp.
Monday & Tuesday is for reading fiddlers/violinists who want to read more tunes. This mini-camp
is perfect for fiddlers who want to improve their music reading skills, and for classically trained
violinists, violists, and cellists who are interested in various fiddling styles. Using sheet music in
standard notation, these campers will get to improve their sight reading, and experience the fun
of playing fiddle tunes at the same time! Fiddling styles included in the sessions will be tailored
to the interest of the campers who register.
Wednesday & Thursday is for fiddlers/violinists who want to learn tunes by ear. This mini-camp
is designed to jump-start your ability to pick up tunes quickly by ear, and to make them stick!
Tunes used will reflect various styles, meters, tempos, and difficulty levels.
Friday is for fiddlers who "just wanna have fun". This mini camp includes jamming, modulating,
singing, dancing, experimenting, sharing, improvising, and playing fiddle related instruments.
Each day is scheduled from 9 AM - 1 PM. Registration is available on line at
www.greenblattandseay.com.
For more information, contact Deborah Greenblatt at debby@greenblattandseay.com.
HOW to SUBMIT ARTICLES for this NEWSLETTER...
Event announcements and advertising can be an enormous expense when
you're wanting or needing to get the word out. If you've checked into regular
newspaper pricing lately for such items, you'll know what I'm talking about. So
why spend your hard-earned money, when you can accomplish the same thing
right here - FREE - on your local news website?
Below is a list of categories that will cost you absolutely nothing, except the
time to submit it, (which you'd have to do with a regular newspaper anyway):
Wedding / Engagement Announcements and Photos
Birth Announcements
Letters to the Editor
Birthday Greeting
Upcoming Events
Cards of Thanks
Lost and Found
Obituaries
Recipes
and So Much More.
That's right! These are all items that can appear FREE of CHARGE
in each Wednesday's Murray Newsletter and/or Calendar!
All YOU have to do is send the information to us - it's that simple!
Deadline for submissions to each week's Wednesday Newsletter is
NO LATER THAN NOON on the prior MONDAY and it's so easy to submit
your news.
1.) You may call your information to 402-235-2926,
Leave a voice mail with your name phone number.
2.) Email your story to Editor@MurrayNebraska.com
NO 'zip' files, please, and send photos in jpg format, if possible,
no larger than 340 x 480 pixels. (Picnik.com is a FREE photo editing website
where you can edit your photos before submitting them. Try it, it's easy - and FREE!)
3.) Send items via the U.S. postal service to:
Editor, MurrayNebraska.com
201 N How Ave, Murray, NE, 68409-8403.
(When mailing items you'd like to get back, please enclose a self-addressed,
stamped envelope.)
Remember to include 'who, what, when, where and why', along with any other
helpful details, such as a contact person and phone.
Thanks for helping to keep YOUR Murray Newsletter fresh and up-to-date!
***
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