Hebron holds third celebration
Multiple volunteers and organizations planned a Hebron history-filled weekend that has planted itself in the Hebron Journal-Register archives to document Hebron’s 150th Birthday.
By the numbers, 150th volunteer Pat Kenner had the counts over 733 free ice cream cones served by Thayer County Bank; 240 Windsor Pork Chops provided by Central Market, grilled and served by the Knights of Columbus.
“Despite seeing these at the meat counter, I don’t think many people grill them often and we had some great comments,” Kenner noted. “We are grateful to the Knights for their service to the community.”
Kenner’s description of the event is lengthy with names of volunteers oozing from every paragraph, and the City of Hebron, Bruning Bank, Thayer County Bank and other businesses, along with the Hebron Volunteer Fire Department, that made the weekend fall into place.
Nearly 50 people rode the history tour trolley, which took four trips, courtesy of driver, Lyle Pfingsten.
“I thought we might be lucky enough to fill the first tour when we decided to link the two trolleys,” Dave Cording, who led the tour in period clothing with his wife, Lee, said. “I never dreamed we would do over four tours. Cording’s clothing included his grandfather’s 1907 suit jacket.
Lee jogged his memory on the history route, and he thanked her for that, along with Joanne Ehlers and Dee Camp for registering riders and Kurk Wiedel and Rita Luongo for helping to prepare the trolleys for sound, and Lori Werner’s picture book of history riders were able to thumb through while on the tours.
It seems one of the trolleys had a low tire early on, and Cording said Brad Elting got them on their way.
“The tour was a huge success. Dave and Lee did a great job not only playing the part, but leading the dialogue. Both are so knowledgeable and I think this was one of the highlights of the day,” Wiedel said.
Cording and several other volunteers were grateful for Pat and Carlece Kenner who led the charge for the 150th weekend birthday party.
And there were many who worked “behind the scenes,” Cording said.
“Behind the scenes, in front of the scenes and IN the scenes,” Cording wrote in an email.
“I met people from Hastings and greeted others that had connections from Hebron’s past from St. Louis, Mo., and San Antonio, Texas,” Carlece Kenner said.
She said visitors came from Ruskin, Oak, Deshler, Geneva, Fairbury, Lincoln and Omaha, and other local areas.
The 150th committee sorted out the details of how the weekend would go — retail businesses, the country market, a scarecrow contest and quilting bee had the day Saturday and on Sunday, the schedule tapped into more activities.
“One of the most entertaining experiences was the Old Time Photos,” Kenner said.
Cindy Shinn brought the idea to the planning table at an evening meeting. Armed with a green screen and an app for super-imposing people into historic photos, Shinn placed subjects pointing at the 1953 tornado, standing in front of the courthouse with its towers, and posing on Hebron’s roads 100 years ago.
“Visitors to our booth enjoyed doing the green screen photos. I heard comments about how there was something to do for everyone,” Luongo said.
Indeed, Hebron Girl Scout Troop 409 had the set up of games and a Cornhole tournament for children in Roosevelt Park near the ice cream table, and for a brief stroll to the gazebo, children could redeem their winnings for prizes.
Two-man guitar and bass duo, Steve Lawlor and Rex Miller of New Malibu, traveled 612 miles round trip to set the atmosphere early.
“My weekend was summed up by Pat’s cousin that played in Malibu,” Carlece Kenner said. “I was serving ice cream cones and he came up to say goodbye. He thanked me for inviting them. He said the day reminded him of a play he was in as a high school student called, “Our Town.” He had a hard time telling me this as he was tearing up. He said he loved seeing the people work together and all of the people coming together on a God-given day.”
There was more — polka entertainment followed by Christian band and Luttrell/McLaughlin contemporary group. Cole Harris, who has recorded an album made the trek from Kansas to play.
Not to be short on sounds, JR Anderson chipped in to provide it. That allowed Eldon Kassebaum to be the announcer Sunday.
Carlece Kenner recalled Hebron’s 150th year that included celebrations Memorial Day weekend and Independence Day.
“We involved the churches, the school, retail businesses, the community and welcomed our neighbors that wanted to be involved,” she said.
Kristy Lukert covered the Majestic Theatre happenings, and said there was a great turnout all weekend for the historic Tornado and Landmark DVDs, which included a special Three Stooges movie starring Maxine Gates who was born in Hebron.
“It’s possible we might show the videos again in the future for those who didn’t get to see it this past weekend,” Lukert said.
Dakota Cherney worked on live interviews for the videos, and Perry and Deanna Gunn of Sports Shack made significant contributions in marketing Hebron 150 shirts, coffee cups, handcrafted postcards on Hebron history and the DVDs.
The Gunns were also set up in the park for old and new-found Hebron history buffs.
“They, and Hebron, deserve to be very proud of this celebration as we launch the next 150 years in our little ‘city of refuge,’” Cording said about the Kenners.
As the HJR archives are plump with the city’s history and the names behind it, surely there are more names, more people and more stories to tell, and perhaps at the next birthday celebration, someone will tell of their grandfather who sat on a trolley that actually had the capability to drive on streets after he learned Windsors should be grilled and had his photo taken with an obsolete device.
in Roosevelt Park near the ice cream table, and for a brief stroll to the gazebo, children could redeem their winnings for prizes.
Two-man guitar and bass duo, Steve Lawlor and Rex Miller of New Malibu, traveled 612 miles round trip to set the atmosphere early.
“My weekend was summed up by Pat’s cousin that played in Malibu,” Carlece Kenner said. “I was serving ice cream cones and he came up to say goodbye. He thanked me for inviting them. He said the day reminded him of a play he was in as a high school student called, “Our Town.” He had a hard time telling me this as he was tearing up. He said he loved seeing the people work together and all of the people coming together on a God-given day.”
There was more — polka entertainment followed by Christian band and Luttrell/McLaughlin contemporary group. Cole Harris, who has recorded an album made the trek from Kansas to play.
Not to be short on sounds, JR Anderson chipped in to provide it. That allowed Eldon Kassebaum to be the announcer Sunday.
Carlece Kenner recalled Hebron’s 150th year that included celebrations Memorial Day weekend and Independence Day.
“We involved the churches, the school, retail businesses, the community and welcomed our neighbors that wanted to be involved,” she said.
Kristy Lukert covered the Majestic Theatre happenings, and said there was a great turnout all weekend for the historic Tornado and Landmark DVDs, which included a special Three Stooges movie starring Maxine Gates who was born in Hebron.
“It’s possible we might show the videos again in the future for those who didn’t get to see it this past weekend,” Lukert said.
Dakota Cherney worked on live interviews for the videos, and Perry and Deanna Gunn of Sports Shack made significant contributions in marketing Hebron 150 shirts, coffee cups, handcrafted postcards on Hebron history and the DVDs.
The Gunns were also set up in the park for old and new-found Hebron history buffs.
“They, and Hebron, deserve to be very proud of this celebration as we launch the next 150 years in our little ‘city of refuge,’” Cording said about the Kenners.
As the HJR archives are plump with the city’s history and the names behind it, surely there are more names, more people and more stories to tell, and perhaps at the next birthday celebration, someone will tell of their grandfather who sat on a trolley that actually had the capability to drive on streets after he learned Windsors should be grilled and had his photo taken with an obsolete device.
