130 Years Ago
June 30, 1893
Among the chief attractions for the Fourth of July celebration at Alliance is the Fort Robinson band. The grand ball at the opera house in the evening can hardly fail to please all lovers of good music. The fire-works will without doubt be by far the most brilliant pyrotechnic display ever shown here. The races are sure to be excellent and is thought the street parade will not be bad.
125 Years Ago
June 24, 1898
The Alliance Artisan band is working hard nowadays preparatory to going to Hyannis the Fourth. They will go with twelve pieces, and be in condition by that time to give the people of Hyannis some good music.
120 Years Ago
June 30, 1903
Mitchell Bros. are endeavoring strenuously to get their restaurant in the new King building opened for the public before the Fourth of July, so as to assist in caring for the crowds that will be in the city that day. They expect to make it a first-class place, catering to the best trade.
115 Years Ago
June 26, 1908
A number of the residents in the country northeast of Alliance are taking an easy method of getting a new school house. The lumber is now bought for this in Alliance and the school house will be built and ready for beginning a term of school September 1st. The plan out that way is for each resident to give some sort of an entertainment for the benefit of the school fund of Dist. No. 130. Tom Briggs is the next patriot and will give a dance at his place, twenty miles northeast of Alliance.
110 Years Ago
June 27, 1913
The usual Fourth of July celebration will take place this year at William Case’s grove, 9 miles east and nine miles north of Alliance. One of the principal features will be the tug of war between the Sheridan and Box Butte county teams. Then there will be horse racing, bronco busting, a ball game, speaking, potato races, relay races and a dance both in the afternoon and evening. Lunch will be served on the ground.
105 Years Ago
June 28, 1918
The S. A. Foster Lumber company, one of the pioneer lumber yards of Alliance, has been bought by the Geo. Fowler company of Kansas City. Mr. Fowler completed the deal this week. New and modern machinery has been installed to take care of the increasing business under the direction of Mr. Fowler.
100 Years Ago
June 29, 1923
Gene Cathy, an employee of the Silver Grill cafe, had a narrow escape from death last night when he fell and caught his head between the water pipes in the bath room of the Nebraska house. A plumber had to be called before Cathy could be released and he was nearly strangled when this was finally effected.
95 Years Ago
June 29, 1928
Ground was broken in preliminary grading for the extension of three tracks in the Burlington yards at Alliance, which will be extended to almost double their present length. The improvement will involve the widening of the viaduct over the Potash highway.
90 Years Ago
June 30, 1933
Don’t be alarmed if you hear a gunshot in the middle of the night soon. It will probably be your neighbor shooting down a prowler who has been causing some Alliance women jumpy nerves and sleepless nights. Recurrent reports have come to police of a “barefooted man” who has entered perhaps a dozen homes in various sections of the city, made off with money and frightening women and girls. Women and girls have awakened to find him touching them or crouched beside their beds.
85 Years Ago
June 28, 1938
An argument over a horse trade of a year ago wound up with Louis Biltoft punching Gart Kittelmann, Long Lake mail carrier, on an Alliance business corner yesterday afternoon. According to County Attorney, Leo M. B. Biltoft, a farmer southwest of Alliance was arrested this morning on a charge of assault, with Kittelmann the complaining witness.
80 Years Ago
June 29, 1943
Hot Springs, S. D., authorities are holding Francis Smith and Harold Boggs, both of Alliance, for Sheriff Dan Hoppes who wants them for tire theft. The two removed a tire and two tubes from the office of the taxi company operated by Cloyd Crocker early Sunday morning. Hoppes and Deputy Sheriff Fred Shelmadine will go to Hot Springs tonight to return the prisoners.
75 Years Ago
June 29, 1948
At the sheriff’s office here today it was reported that the farm homes on the Harry Meyer place, six miles west of the city and Andy Ditsch place, eight miles north, were robbed. Sheriff Herbert Hahn of Grand Island telegraphed that he had arrested three men who had admitted the crime. Hahn disclosed that the men, who gave their names as Lewis J. Kadody, Carroll C. Campbell and Abraham N. LaDeus, were arrested in Grand Island when they attempted to sell some of the stolen goods.
70 Years Ago
June 29, 1953
The mangled body of a young woman found on the Burlington tracks west of town Saturday morning has been identified as that of Mrs. Goldie Walker, 19, of Scottsbluff. County Attorney Bob Moran, acting as county coroner, said it had also been positively established that the woman was struck and killed by Burlington train No. 42 which arrived in Alliance at 9:45 p.m. Friday.
65 Years Ago
June 30, 1958
Thirteen veterans of Company A, 355 Regiment. 89th Division, refought in Alliance Sunday. And they agreed unanimously it was their outfit that won the war. The picnic reunion at City Park was their 25th annual get-together. Most of the original company came from Nebraska and trained at Camp Funston, Kan. They are: D.C. Outsen, Lisco; Arthur Kirk, Bridgeport; Yale H. Cavett, Bayard; Leon Hughes, Scottsbluff; Martin Janssen, Chadron; Max Jensen, Bridgeport; John Hunt, Bayard; Fred F. Childs, Bridgeport; Jay Vance, Alliance; Lt. John S. Richards, Golden, Colo.; J. R. Beach, Alliance; Earl Hatch, Mitchell; and Leo Toohey, Alliance.
60 Years Ago
June 29, 1963
The Alliance JayCees announced Friday that they will sponsor a fireworks display here the evening of July 4 with proceeds going to the Alliance Diamond Jubilee, Inc. The event will be staged at the Alliance Municipal Golf Course with admission prices set at $1 per car.
55 Years Ago
June 28, 1968
Twenty years of experience qualifies the men at Perrin Refrigeration Sales & Service to give competent advice and service on all maters pertaining to refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning. John Perrin owner and manager has advanced and enlarged his business to the 40-by-48-foot building at 508 Flack, completed in 1962. Since 1961, Perrin’s have been a distributor of FrigiKing Auto, Truck and Tractor Air Conditioning. Lennox Heating and Air Conditioning equipment is installed and serviced by Perrin’s.
50 Years Ago
June 28, 1973
Judson Cornette, George Bates and Diane Ettle are among Alliance Lions Club members and their families to sell fireworks at the club’s stand at Third and Emerson. Proceeds go to the Old Timers baseball program, glasses for the needy, and the rural school track meet.
45 Years Ago
June 28, 1978
The Shrine Circus elephants are trained and presented by Carol and Bill Golden. These elephants are the largest of all earth animals to completely captivate an audience with tricks and dances. See them and many other attractions at the Carden-Johnson Clyde Bros. Circus. There will be two performances at the Alliance High Bulldog Stadium field on July 5th.
40 Years Ago
June 30, 1983
Jaycee President Rich Paulsen and Jaycee Fireworks Committee Chairman Fritz Sampson examine some of the fireworks that will light the Alliance sky July 4th. The fireworks display, preceded by a free watermelon feed at 7 p.m., will begin at dusk at the rodeo arena north of the airport.
35 Years Ago
June 28, 1988
Bruce Bickford of Sidney uses a spray gun to paint the cars gray at Carhenge located about 1.5 miles north of Alliance on U.S. 385. Bickford is helping his dad Dave Bickford of Alliance paint the vehicles which took about three days to complete. James Reinders, creator of Carhenge, finished the last phase of the project last week with the addition of more vehicles and a parking lot.
30 Years Ago
June 28, 1993
Four prisoners from the Box Butte County Jail escaped Saturday evening from this small hole that was broken out of a window in the jail. Three of the prisoners surrendered Sunday evening. The fourth prisoner was apprehended Sunday morning at the Alliance City limits.
25 Years Ago
June 29, 1998
Mike Schlattmann and B. J. Hiatt run Saturday afternoon during the annual Cornhusker State Games Torch Run. Schlattmann carried the torch from the post office to the high school gym. Runners from Hemingford and Alliance covered 24 miles Saturday, starting three miles west of Hemingford and ending at Alliance High School. The torch run is a prelude to the opening ceremonies of the Cornhusker State Games.
20 Years Ago
June 28, 2003
Tomorrow morning more than 100 cyclist and supporting personnel will gather in Alliance for the eighth annual Nebraska United Methodist Bike ride for Hunger (NUMB). During the past seven years NUMB has raised more than $175,000 for local, national and world hunger projects.
15 Years Ago
June 28, 2008
Haley Dean holds a tarantula at the summer reading program Wednesday. Ed Sherman of Scottsbluff brought several of his pet tarantulas for the children to see. This particular spider cannot see, hear, taste or smell, he said. Instead, they use vibrations to catch prey and survive. Although tarantulas are poisonous, Sherman said they are not dangerous to humans, unless they are allergic; however, they could kill a mouse or a house cat.
10 Years Ago
June 28, 2013
Thursday night in the Alliance Public Library garden area, Larry Leinweber presents a concert of Classic Rock and Country as part of the “A little Night Music” summer concert series. The next concert is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 11, and will feature A Little R and R with the Burrito Brothers.
5 Years Ago
June 30, 2018
Nebraska has a new millionaire. One lucky player who bought a Powerball ticket for the Saturday June 23rd drawing is holding a ticket worth $1,000,000.