New Stastny Community Center Nearing Completion
The new Stastny Community Center is nearing completion after much anticipation.
The next Hebron City Council meeting will be held in the new building on October 5 at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
Robert and Antonette Stastny were married in 1916. They moved to a farm one mile west and one mile south of Alexandria. The farm was a wedding gift from Robert’s father. This is where the Stastnys lived all of their married life.
They had one daughter, Jane Nadine Stastny Brinegar.
Robert worked on the farm during the day and enjoyed relaxing at night, listening to the radio, watching television or playing cards. He was a devoted husband and father, and was active in the community. Robert also served on the school board of Alexandria.
Antonette was a hard-working woman who enjoyed gardening, canning, cooking and baking and inviting family and friends over to try new recipes she had heard on the radio. She was well-known for her homemade kolaches.
Robert and Antonette farmed, as well as raised chickens, cattle and hogs.
They were avid travelers, usually going on two trips a year. One summer, they traveled to Japan and spent six weeks touring and sightseeing.
They were both active members of the Alexandria Presbyterian Church and loved giving back to the church and community.
Jane attended a one-room school, District 36, located one mile west of their home for eight years before attending and graduating from Alexandria High School in 1936.
Following graduation, she attended and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She then became the head dietician at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. She continued her employment there until retiring late in life.
As a memorial to her parents, Jane wanted to give back to the community that they called home.
With the proceeds from the sale of the original farmland, plus land Robert had invested in during his life, the Stastny Community Center has become a hub for events of all kinds.
Robert, Antonette and Jane would be humbled yet proud they were able to make such a large donation that has turned into such a useful addition to the community and all of its members.
There are already a number of community events lined up in the new Community Center.
October 13 is Women’s Health Night, followed by the Thayer County Health Services Annual Variety Show on November 1.
The Thayer County Community Theater is holding performances in the new building on November 6 and 7.
Brad Elting & Co. is holding an antique auction on November 14.
November 24 is the Thayer Ministerial Community Thanksgiving Church Service at 7 p.m.
February 12, 2016, there is Fun Pianos! by 176 Keys, a dueling piano show.
The Open House for the new Stastny Community Center is to be Saturday, October 3, at 2 p.m. It’s a tailgate party for the Nebraska Huskers football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Free snacks and drinks, games and activities for the whole family and much more. There will also be a beer-only cash bar.
For reservations or more information, contact Blythe Norder by phone at (402)768-1620 or by email at stastnycommunitycenter@gmail.com.
