Inside The May/June 2004 Issue
A Yankee Photographer in the Sandhills
Story and photography by David Owen
“I'm well out of reach, now, of Canton, Conn., where we live,” writes photographer David Owen. “The place I sought had to be out of the ordinary and off the beaten track. But very important to me, it had still to be alive and in touch with the taproot of the history which formed it in the first place.” Owen's search led him to Ellsworth, Neb., and led to stunning black-and-white photographs of the area and its people.
A Big Small Town
By David Bristow
“We're unique among the suburb cities,” says Blair Mayor Jim Realph. “We've been able to maintain a unique personality of our own. We're not getting engulfed. We're maybe the largest small town in Nebraska.”
Big Canvas, Big Challenge
By Gary Inness
Norfolk muralist Karl Reeder has always been “inspired by images enlarged or exaggerated beyond their normal state,” he said. As Reeder faced a blank wall 20 feet high and 100 feet long in downtown Norfolk, writer/photographer Gary Inness was there to document the mural's creation and to learn the artist's story.
Show Horses
By Bernie Hunhoff
An industry, a sport and a mystery to most of us. But look at those thick tails! Horse shows are held across Nebraska. Riders are all ages, from youth to senior citizens.
Dragonflies
Photography and essay by Peter G. Beeson
“They perch under swaying grasses along Sandhills creeks, hover over sandbars in the Platte, rest under cottonwoods lining the Big Blue, and dart over eddies of the swirling Niobrara.
McCook's Courageous Senator
By Curt Arens
George Norris spoke his mind, whether voters liked it or not. In his day, Norris was a powerful and controversial Senator — a Republican who backed Franklin Roosevelt and who became the father of rural electrification.
A Fishy Tale
Humor by Lori Clinch
“Our four boys feel there is little on Earth that compares to a good day of fishing… After they feel they've readied themselves to perfection, the eldest will rise in their midst and announce loudly, ‘All right, ladies, it's time for catchin' some fish!' They chant like Neanderthals, ready for the kill.”
Backbone of Barada
By Sheryl Schmeckpeper
The town has all but vanished, but Howard's Grocery is still the place to be. Inside, 78-year-old Mary Howard holds court, of sorts. Seated by her table in the middle of the room, Mary, who calls herself “everyone's grandma,” dispenses advice, shares a joke or two, teases, laughs, plays a hand of cards and listens to plenty of fishing stories.
By David Bristow
Why are so many good movies being filmed in Nebraska? And why is Scottsbluff so determined to save its 1947 Midwest Theater? The Midwest Film Festival — with director Alexander Payne (“About Schmidt”), producer Annie Sundberg (“Tully”) and others — provided a glimpse of Nebraska film possibilities.
Sandhills Hatter
By Jerry Wilson
You could count America's hat makers on two people's fingers and toes. One of them builds hats in Arthur, population 129 and counting down. After a nasty encounter with a rodeo bull, James Marshall needed a new line of work. Now, for folks seeking custom-made cowboy hats, Marshall is the man to see.
Lauritzen's Spring Bulbs
By David Bristow
Bulbs are blooming at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha. Lauritzen's experts share their springtime gardening tips.
From Hell to Here
By Benny Hochman
“We lived out in the open for many days, exposed to the wind and the elements. Then one day we were sorted like cattle by the Gestapo.” Longtime Sidney resident Benny Hochman is a Holocaust survivor. In an excerpt from his autobiography, From Hell to Here , he tells of his survival of Auschwitz and his post-war migration to Nebraska.
Plus “Flat Water News” (observations of life in Nebraska), Traveler (Nebraska events), Travel Tips by Mary Ethel Emanuel, Bookshelf, and poems by William Kloefkorn and Nancy Savery.