Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
We're Nothing if We Aren't Fun at the Flying Wheels!
Help from Strangers for Marti
Because someone knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who wanted to help someone Marti became the recipient of funds from a raffle. St. Columbkille Shepherds have a fireworks stand every year and during the week they are selling fireworks they also have a raffle to benefit someone who needs help. This year they heard about Marti from a man who drives the delivery truck of fireworks. That man was Ray Mumenthaler, step father to Nicole Folden. Nicole is friends with Kris Ita, Marti's mom. Ray put the Shepherds in touch with Nicole and Kris. Kris gave her permission for them to use Marti's story and away they went! Usually the Shepherds raise between $800-1200 during the raffle. This year they raised $ $2,238.35 for Marti. The winner of the Raffle was Ashley Bailey of Omaha and she received $500 in fireworks. It is just incredible that total strangers would reach out and help someone that they don't even know. Elmwood Murdock is blessed to have so many people who care. Thanks to the Shepherds for taking the time to care and to help Marti.
Click below to see the Channel 7 news story about the event.
Marti link for news story - http://www.ketv.com/video/19950148/index.html
The Shepherds of St. Columbkille
Elmwood kids go to the raffle.
Saturday, July 11th, 2009
Benefit for Marti Ita
BBQ at Travis' Bar - 5:00 to 8:00 pm - BBQ pork, beans, potato salad, chips, drink -
FREE WILL DONATION!
Proceeds to go to Marti!
POKER RUN:
Any and all vehicles welcome!
Sign up at 12:00 pm to 12:55 pm at Travis' Bar in Ashton
Join the ride at any time!
Ride Route: Ashton to Rockville (Jane's Tavern)
Rockville to Ravenna (The Club) on Hwy. 2
Ravenna to Dannebrog (Whiskey River Bar)
Dannebrog to Farwell (Back 40 Bar)
Farwell to Ashton (Travis' Bar)
For more info contact: Nick Mendyk @ 308-383-1774 or Rick Stanczyk @ 308-750-5201
UPDATE ON MARTI: Marti is getting settled in at Madonna in Lincoln. She would love visitors! She has a long road ahead of her with recovery. She had a visit from her beloved cat, Silas, which really perked her up. The interview with Channel 7 gave Kris and opportunity to set the record straight about the accident. Most news accounts said that Jake had crossed the center line and caused the accident. In reality he was reacting to something in his lane which caused him to swerve into the other lane. That makes a difference.
Chances are if you know what that means you have been to a race track. And I'm not talking horses. Having spent my formative teenage years at local speedways that was a common phrase. I knew that it was a lot of fun way back then and I was just a fan. What I didn't realize is how much more fun it can be if you are the driver. Recently I had been hearing stories about the girl down at the gas station competing out at Eagle and wanted to get to know her and hear her story. Before I could ask her she beat me to it. She and her dad approached me last week and asked if I would want to write a story about her. Of course!
Mary Lenz moved to Elmwood from Ashland during her junior year in high school. I remember when she moved here...everyone said the same thing. "That new girl, Mary, is nice." It didn't sound like there was anything extraordinary about the new girl, she was just nice. But Mary Lenz is not just your average 18 year old girl. Some things are ordinary about her; she's a recent graduate of Elmwood-Murdock, she has a job at C-D's Express (owned by uncle and aunt, Coleman & Deb Lenz), she likes hanging out with her friends, and she's thinking about college. What is not so ordinary about Mary is that she spends her weekends racing in the Sport Compact class at local racetracks such as Eagle, Rising City, and Beatrice.
The cute bubbly teenager grew up in the stands of the races napping while her dad, Tom, raced. Race fans fed her sunflower seeds while she watched him race. Sunflower seeds are a requirement at race tracks. Mary spent a great deal of time in the pits absorbing all she could about racing. Racers, their pit crews, and the fans are like family. They may fight for first place on the track but they look out for each other. Last year one of Tom's friends switched to Late Models from Sport class. Late models are a more powerful vehicle than the Sport class. Sport class cars are more like a street car with roll bars installed...and a little gearing up of the engine, I'm guessing. And they have great paint jobs! That left Tom's friend's Sport class car without a driver so he offered it to Mary. Without hesitation she jumped in to racing! She raced four times last year and it was enough to show her that she was good at it. And it was enough to get her dad excited, too. Tom had quit racing by then but still had the fever. What better way to treat the fever than by helping his daughter get going?
This season Mary started with her own car. It is the car that won the points standing in Beatrice last year so it had already proved itself. Now could Mary prove herself? As with all sports there is a little rivalry involved. At the Eagle Raceway another rookie racer had eyes on being the Rookie of the Year and started the season by trying to intimidate Mary. But Mary's talent soon took her to 8th place in the points standing while the other rookie dropped toward the bottom. Now that it's clear who is in the running for Rookie of the Year the other driver has become a fan of Mary's and cheers her on. Last week Mary took second in her heat and third in the race. It's the second time she's done that which helps her advance in the points standing. At the end of the season if she is high enough in the points she may receive some money...she's hoping for enough to take her dad out to dinner.
Mary's belongs to the International Motor Contest Association (IMCA). It was organized in 1915 and is the oldest active automobile racing sanctioning body in the United States. Which means she can race it anywhere in the United State at a track that is sanctioned by the IMCA. Lucky for Mary and her dad there are plenty of those tracks within driving distance of Elmwood. She likes competing in Rising City because there aren't many cars in her class so she has a better chance of winning. It's the same way at Beatrice. But Eagle is a different story. There are 30-40 cars in her class each week so there is often an A, B, and C feature. Tom is her pit crew along with the others in the pits. Everyone pitches in when someone needs help so Mary has quite a team of experts helping her. Many of Mary's friends work at the Eagle Raceway so her fans are always on hand to cheer for her. Her fan club has even signed her race car for her. Mary has donated items to give-away at the track, too. One week it was bubbles, and another they received a donation of a John Deere racecar that they in turn donated for a raffle.
Racing is not a cheap sport. Mary has several great sponsors such as The Car Wash, Big Dan's Auto Body and Paint, A+ Brokerage and Financing Services, Amberly Dental, Graphics by Low, Budget Customs, C& D Custom Farming, Freeway Muffler and Brakes. Their names are emblazoned on her car along with her name. She also has her co pilots along for the ride, Dillon, Tyler, and AJ. She's racing with the help of her angels. Her car started out life as a Cavalier, not that you can really tell that now. The insides are gutted and one lone racing seat is bolted to the driver's side floor. The roll bars stand ready to protect her in the event of a rollover. Of course there are no windows. The car could be driven on the street she told me...until you get caught. So it is no longer street legal...it is a racing machine.
Mary claimed to not know much about cars but the more she talked she realized she does have a lot of knowledge. Tom thinks she learned a lot more than she realizes from growing up around racing. When she's racing she gets in her zone and drives as fast as she can. She doesn't worry too much about crashing but she's not looking forward to rolling it. She'd like to avoid that. Last weekend she crashed and smashed in her right front fender. She tried to signal to her dad that her engine was getting hot due to the radiator taking a hit. Tom just waved her on; he thought she was telling him she had smashed in the front of the car. He knew that but what he didn't know was that Mary knew enough that she could tell the engine was getting hot! They will need to work on some hand signals for just such an emergency.
Tom should have guessed that Mary had a need for speed when the Cass County dispatcher called him a couple years ago to let him know she had been stopped for speeding on her way to Murdock. When she got home he asked her how fast she was going...about 90 mph...she told him. When she climbed in the car for her first race good ol' dad leaned into the car to offer her some words of wisdom..."Drive like your going to Murdock" he told her. And she's done that ever since...but only on the race track!
What can be more fun than the 4th of July in small town America? Fireworks, BBQs, homemade ice cream, watermelon, family and friends. Elmwood is a small town but we had our own fireworks stand, thanks to our local Fire Department, who assured us that if we set something on fire they will come and put it out. All proceeds go to the fire department and we certainly supported the cause. Joe loves to blow things up.
All across town you could see gatherings of friends and family for bar-b-ques and amateur fireworks shows. The streets and driveways are temporarily littered with the firework debris and discolored from the smoke bombs. You can hear fireworks all around and see the skies light up with multicolored sparkles. Even though parents have been warned about the evils of fireworks we still hand our kids a lighter and let them go. Why do we do that? We know how dangerous they are! We do it because we did it. We shot of firecrackers and held punks in our mouth and drove the neighbors dogs nuts...just like we let our kids do. Because that's what Americans do. We like to blow things up. And then tell everyone about it.
This year the Fourth of July brought the first annual Dillon Synovec Memorial Run. I would estimate about 15-20 people ran the 6K and about 40-50 people walked or ran the 1 mile. Tony and Julie Synovec organized the event with the help of Marie Gregoire and many friends. Kylie Synovec, Dillon's little sister, placed first in her age group...I wonder where she gets her love for running?
Sam Burtch - First to finish in the 6K
Kylie Synovec - 1st in her age group to finish the mile
Start of the race
Waiting to sign in for the race.
Julie and Tony Synovec announce the results of the race.
Cheerios, Kolbi, Emily, Katie, and Kalee, front and center.
We are the champions!!!!
Shay and Brooke celebrate the end of the race!
Winners in their class - Cody Brown, Sam Burtch, Brandon Luetchens
Emily Meyer, Jennifer Hromanik, and Lyndsey Hrabik
David Neels, Adam Zobel, and Mark Luetchens
Zach Zobel & Jon Luetchens
Men's class - The guy who won, Corey Campbell, Trent Shrader
Young womens group winners
Theresa Brown, unidentified runner, Shannon Josoff
Wyatt Stroy, Issac Behrends, and Gary Ritnour
After the race some people took off to get ready for the parade and others had breakfast at Bulldogs. The parade line up began at 10:00 am and the parade started at 11:00. It seemed like the parade was longer this year. We love participating in the parade. Usually we have super soakers and squirt guns and water balloons. This year the 4th of July was drizzly and not as hot as normal so we decided not to make everyone colder with the blast of water. Instead we conjured up Elvis to help us in the parade. And we had a trailer full of children throwing candy.
There were hay racks and trailers full of ball teams, old, young, boys, and girls. The Ebenezer United Methodist Church had a float in the parade celebrating 110 years of worshipping. Their entry won the best float contest. Many other entrants representing various businesses and organizations joined the parade fun. The area fire departments and rescue units also participated.
Elvis Lives at the Flying Wheels!
Elmwood-Murdock Knights Cheerleaders - Sammie Olson, Tori Spellman, Brianne Ross, Rachel Fortney, and Brooke Spiering
Jeff Clymer and his sons, Teddy and Henry
Some of Elmwood's finest! David Althouse, Colt Blevins, Derek Stubbendeck, Jordan Vogt, Brody Baer, Jason & Tara Blevins
Stacey Dorr - Owner/Stylist of The Stylist Next Dorr - A new salon in Elmwood! We'll be checking her out and bringing you the scoop soon. She knows the hot new styles and has tanning facilitites. (402)297-7486
The Knight Flag Team!
Flying Wheels Rock the Parade with Elvis!
Jean Baumeister was a great sport as her friends helped her celebrate her 50th birthday. Yes, that is a golden throne!
Flying Wheels Skaters! We like to start them young!
Shannon Josoff's Boot Camp soldiers march for her cause...physical fitness!
The Squirts! Ericka Ritnour, Jena Meyer, Elise Drake, and Nichole Meyer
Lachelle Stille is Miss Elmwood 2009
Lindsey Hrabik - Miss Murdock 2009
The runners from the Dillon Synovec Memorial Run
Andersen's Donkey makes his annual appearance
Nathan Lockman looks on as Gary Ritnour, Josh Meyer, and Wyatt Stroy goof off. Nick Barkhurst grins from ear to ear.
After the parade lunch was served at the fire hall and free watermelon was passed out compliments of the 4-H club. A bounce house was sponsored by the Son-Shine Day Care in Elmwood. They also had cotton candy on hand. Annette Eggert and Julie Synovec sold shirts from the baseball tournament and the memorial run.
Annette Eggert and Julie Synovec sell shirts
Dawn and Randy enjoy the watermelon.
Free watermelon thanks to the 4-H club!
The fire departments headed down by the Coop and teams from each department lined up to compete in a water fight. If you are from the city you may not get to see this competition. Two teams of 3 firemen each used the water hoses to try to push a barrel on a wire to their goal. Elmwood, Murdock, Avoca, and Alvo, and Manley participated in the event. Manley won the men's tournament. There were two teams of women made up of women from different towns who competed. Kelly Zeirott's team made up of Kelly, Teri McClane, and Brenda Brockhoff were not able to hold off Tara Blevin's team, made up of Tara, Teresa Brown, and Jane Olson. The crowd watching the water fight found that if you were on the south side of the street you were going to get drenched. It wasn't as wet on the north side but the kids managed to get close enough to get drizzled.
The Elmwood Team works on some strategy.
Brody Baer gets his gear together.
The crowd on the south side of the street definitely had the wetter view.
The north side was much drier.
Tara is ready to kick butt!
The kids edged closer to the action so they could get wet.
Tara's Team moves in for the win.
Kelly's team was a fierce competitor.
Kelly's brother can't help but do some coaching from the side.
From there the crowds moved to a softball game and then a street dance. I moved on home to blow things up with Joe. ?
You just don't get this kind of fun in the city.
For more pictures of the 4th of July click below:
The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in
an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have
a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"
I replied I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday mornings. I was
drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no
matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I
disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill
of the teacher or preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of
me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was
drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was
drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to
mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood, and if my mother had ever known that I
took a single dime as tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.
Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They
are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroine; and if today's children had this kind of drug problem,
America would be a better place.
God bless the parents who drugged us!
(Author Unknown)
2009 Summer Reading Program
Come join us this summer for a creatively good time! Children of all ages will enjoy reading
some great books, dancing, singing, acting, music making, and creating artful masterpieces!
It's FREE and FUN is guaranteed!
We have 3 programs available this summer:
Where: Elmwood Public Library
When: Thursdays in July
Dates: July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30
Time: 9:00 - 9:45 am
Where: Elmwood Public Library
When: Mondays in July
Dates: July 6, July 13, July 20 and July 27
Time: 9:00 - 11:00 am
For children entering 4th - 6th grades this fall:
Where: Elmwood Public Library
When: Mondays in July
Dates: July 6, July 13, July 20 and July 27
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Monday: 9:00-12:00 2:00 - 8:00
Thursday: 9:00-12:00 2:00-8:00
Saturday: 9:00-12:00
For more info check out www.elmwoodlibrary.com
Klassic Kountry Performance
Entertainment includes Country, Gospel, and Clogging
Picnic @ 6PM & Music starts at 7PM
FREE with fundraiser for Handicap Ramp.
August 1 - Saturday
Red Head Express from Branson MO
Blue Grass Gospel Music @ 7PM Free Will offering will be taken
to help with the ministry of Red Head Express.
More info 402-269-5508
Boot Camp in Elmwood
Adds a New Night! (just a trial so far)
Monday, 6:45 pm
Contact Annette Eggert for more information
402-490-9959
Looking for a job?
Do you love Nebraska?
Check this out!
TITLE: Lincoln/Omaha Area Account Manager
SUMMARY:
Under general supervision, develops relationships with advertising customers and serves their needs through the sale and placement of advertisements in Nebraska Life Magazine and related publications.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1) Coordinates advertising in the region for Nebraska Life Magazine and related publications.
2) Maintains relationships with existing advertising customers through telephone calls, emails and personal visits.
3) Identifies new advertising prospects and initiates the sales process with them.
4) Guides customers in developing advertising topics, themes and campaigns.
5) Collects artwork to be used in customer advertisements, including logos, photos and illustrations.
6) Writes advertising copy.
7) Provides ad copy and artwork to graphic designers for ad creation.
8) Maintains accurate and current electronic records of customer correspondence and communications.
9) Provides daily activity reports to the publisher or immediate supervisor.
10) Represents Nebraska Life Magazine and related organizations at functions and events in the region.
To be considered for this position, please submit resume and cover letter by mail:
Nebraska Life Magazine
PO Box 819
Norfolk, NE 68702
Or, by email: publisher@nebraskalife.com
Check out the website for Nebraska Life.
FLYING WHEELS
FUN CENTER
OPEN Friday Night
Family Night!
July 10th
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Come in out of the
heat and cool off!
SKATE/DANCE/DODGE
Saturday, July 11th
6:30 - Midnight!
$6.50 admission + skate rental
Come and practice your dodgeball skills! Because there's a tournament coming up!
DODGEBALL
TOURNAMENT!!!!
Saturday, July 18th
Registration 10:30 - Games start at 11:00
6 people per team
$6.00 per person for Early Registration
$7.00 per person if registering that day
Tell your kids! Tell your friends! Put your teams together and register now! No age limits!
$2 admission to watch
The Lofte Community Theatre near Manley is excited to announce the continuation of its thirty-third season with the energetic Musical Comedy, "Crazy For You" opening on July 17th. "Crazy For You" is often referred to as "The new Gershwin Musical Comedy." Debuting on Broadway in 1992, it later won the Tony Award for Best Musical that year. The show relies entirely upon the music of George Gershwin who died in 1937. "Crazy" has all of the traditional elements of a classic Broadway show of the early 20th century; toe-tapping tunes, boy-gets-girl storyline and a comic ensemble cast.
Written by Ken Ludwig, the story is set during the theater scene of the 1930s. Bobby Child is a wealthy banker's son and socialite playboy whose real dream in life is to dance. Bobby is sent to a rundown theater in Nevada by his domineering mother for the purpose of foreclosing on the dilapidated venue. Instead, Bobby falls in love with a girl, the theater and decides to put on a show to pay off the mortgage. Singing cowboys, spunky heroines and an unwanted fiancee round out the cast of colorful characters.
Starring in his first leading role as Bobby Child is Adam Kovar of Lincoln. The plucky Polly Baker is played by Elizabeth Monzingo of Papillion. Other members of the cast include Jeff Johnston, Ross Mumford and Wade Mumford of Elmwood; Anne Riha of Louisville; Melinda Mead of Plattsmouth; Mimi Ostmann of Eagle; Lucy Myrtue of Murray; Samantha Colbert of Weeping Water; Ronnie Hurlbut, Marikita Payne, Olivia Herr, Sydney Timmons, Megan Kovar, Margaret Anne White, Mark Kranz, Alex White, Zack Schafer and Mick Kovar of Lincoln; and Derek Kowal, Anna Cashero and Levi Stroebel all of Omaha.
Performance Dates for "Crazy For You" are July 17-19, 23-26, 30, 31 and August 1, 2. Showtimes are 7:30pm Thursday-Saturday. All Sunday dates have two performances; 2pm and 7:30pm. General admission tickets can be purchased either on-line or by contacting the box office at (402) 234-2553. Please note that some performances are nearly sold-out and advance reservations are highly suggested.
Mimi Ostmann, Adam Kovar and Marikita Payne.
The ensemble cast of "Crazy For You."
The Lofte Community Theatre near Manley will be holding auditions for its production of, "Over the River and Through the Woods," on Monday, July 20th and Tuesday, July 21st at 7:00PM. The production will run weekends between August 28 and September 13.
The play is set in New Jersey and revolves around the young and single "Nick" who has Sunday dinner with both sets of grandparents every week. When Nick receives an offer for his dream job that would move him away from his family, his grandparents embark upon a series of schemes to keep him around! Parts for 3 men and 3 women.
Those interested in auditioning can expect cold readings from the script. Specifics on available parts can be found on the theater's website, www.Lofte.com. Questions regarding the show or the audition process may be sent to Artistic Director Kevin Colbert at LofteDirector@Lofte.com.
www.elmwoodnebraska.com/classifieds
The Classified Ads in www.elmwoodnebraksa.com continue to be among the most popular. You can advertise items for sale, events coming up, or you can tell everyone you are looking for something. We now have a 30 day expiration on the Classified Ads so if you submitted an ad a long time ago but haven't done anything with it and you still want the ad posted you will need to resubmit it.
One word of warning, it is the internet, so we can't stop some clown in India from contacting you about your ad. Use a little common sense; if they can't seem to use English correctly, probably better just click the delete key.
ELMWOOD CALENDAR
is Ready!
Check out the new website for Elmwood! www.elmwoodnebraska.com
Send me any items for the calendar and we'll keep everyone up to date on the actvities in Elmwood. I don't get out much so I would love it if you could send me activities to post. I can also post items on the ticker, too. Just let me know what you are up to!
Remember a few weeks ago the posters around town of Lucy, the lost long haired dachshund? Her owners were here visiting from Schyler and she got away from them. She was only 10 months old but was adored by her family. They searched for her and made many trips to Elmwood from Schyler looking for Lucy. She was found a couple miles from where she disappeared and the people who found her remembered seeing her poster so they reunited Lucy with her rightful owners. Her owners want to thank everyone in Elmwood for all their help in looking for Lucy. They are very grateful and very happy to have their baby home again. Don't we love a happy ending!
SPARKS Preschool
Let your light Shine
Our school is conveniently located between Murdock and Louisville off of Church Road. 1/2 day Preschool for ages 4,5 and 6
(Also, a preferred option for parents of half-day kindergarteners who are seeking additional enrichment activities for their child)
Monday - Friday
AM Session
8:00 - 11:30
PM Session
12:00 - 3:30
Before and After School care is available daily for our students at no additional charge from
7:30 - 8:00 AM for the AM Session and 3:30 - 4:00 PM for the PM Session.
If you would like additional information or to make an appointment to visit the school please call 234-4194.
Sparks Preschool
11111 358th Street
Murdock, Nebraska 68407
info@sparkspreschool.com
Phone: (402)234-4194
For more information click on this link: Sparks Preschool
Flying Wheels Breaks the Pinata!
At the Thursday sessions the kids have had fun making two pinatas over the last few weeks. The fun culminated last week when they got to break them open. The boys had one and so did the girls.
Austin helps spin the boys up.
Don't forget the blindfold!
Candy, Candy, everywhere!
Katrina takes a whack at it.
Olivia is ready to crack it open...too bad she isn't strong enough. Brooke finally cracked it open for them.
Here's Your Sign!
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the sign project! Thanks, EMMA!!! Thanks, alumni! Thanks to everyone! And thanks to Merl from the Sign Shop, for making the sign.
Have a good week! Please send me your story ideas!
Julie
PS...I'm learning this new program for the Elmwood Website..it is so cool! Thank you American Exchange Bank for sponsoring our website and making all this possible!