The Southwest Alumni Banquet was held Saturday, May 28 at Southwest High School in Bartley for alumni from any of the schools that consolidated to make up Southwest. There were about 50 in attendance. Since they had not met for the past two years, there were three honor classes this year, 1970, 1971, and 1972. Attending from the Beaver Valley Class of 1971 was Cheryl Hess Bales. Julia Burke Renich (Bartley) and Gloria Larson Godtel and Diana Nicholson Johnson (both from Beaver Valley) were in attendance to represent the Class of 1972. Elnora Burke, representing the Bartley Class of 1945, was recognized as the attendee from the earliest class. President Gary Newcomb led the business meeting. Officers for next year are president, Ed Witt; vice president, Gary Newcomb; secretary, Cheryl Bales; and treasurer, Loretta Carpenter. Carol Kelley presented a video slideshow of pictures from the past three years of activities at Southwest Schools.Next year's banquet will be held at Southwest High School on Saturday, May 27 with social hour at 5:00, followed by the meal at 6:00.

The Arapahoe Scouts BSA and Cub Scouts (along with some siblings and friends) helped to put flags on the graves of veterans at the Arapahoe cemetery for Memorial Day weekend.

By the time you read this, I should be home from my little trip to visit some of my far away kids. I’ll give an account in next week’s column.

BARTLEY - McCook E Free Youth Pastor Trevor Smith presented as the guest speaker at the Bartley Memorial Day Service Monday, combining a message on the importance of Memorial Day to Marines, such as himself, and the sacrifice of the ultimate soldier, Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice for the world.

BARTLEY - The annual Bartley Days festival will take place this weekend, with events Friday evening into Sunday while the majority of the events will take place in a jam-packed Saturday. Friday evening, there is a nut fry and pitch tournament.

On a small hill surrounded by fields of weathered corn, sat Sunny Hillside School. Sixyear-old Norris approached the school, early on a December morning, with his head lowered against the blowing snow, clutching his lunch pail. Norris had walked across the fields to the one-room school, and he looked forward to another day of studying and playing alongside his classmates.

Friday, April 22 began as what locals would call a nice day. Morning temperatures were in the 70s. It was sunny. There was a breeze, but nothing like the howling winds that had seemingly haunted the area for weeks.

CAMBRIDGE – As Pam Frecks surveyed her parents’ yard with the house now in rubble, she commented, “It looks so different. I can’t believe it’s the same place.” The farm, now owned by an older sister, was home to Pam from the time she was 11 until she left home for college.

Tucked against a wall behind a loveseat in her mother’s sitting room; the historic W.H. Faling House that serves as Cambridge’s grand Bed and Breakfast, are a couple of duffle bags and a tote filled with photos, negatives, and mementoes.

Lucas Haag knows the Southwest Nebraska area well. Long before he received his Ph.D. and began his tenure as Extension Agronomist and Associate Professor for the K-State Northwest Research Center in Colby, Kansas, he graduated from high school from Republican Valley in 2001.