A Nebraska City family said the next time they go hunting on the river bottomland, they'll take a shovel and several sheets of plywood.
Mr. and Mrs. Don Hoyle and their four children spent most of the night a week ago in their Dodge station wagon on the bottomland when their car bogged down m sand.
And it wasn't very funny.
The Hoyles left town shortly after the Saturday drawing and drove three or four miles south of Nebraska City along the bottomland to do some hunting. They hadn't planned to be gone most of the night and as such, were not dressed for the cold.
One of the children said granddad had driven over the sandy route a few days earlier and Don thought he could surely make it with his car. He didn't.
He worked until about 7 p.m., trying to dig out the car, but the more the wheels turned, the deeper the Dodge settled into the sand.
Don said the children went to sleep and he was more upset over the incident than his wife.
At 3 a.m., lights were seen. It was Mrs. Hoyle's father, Ray (Fat) and son, Floyd Kinnison. They had been worried when the family did not return and had been looking for them.
Police were also alerted as was the rescue squad.
Don said he started the engine and warmed the car with the heater at intervals, cautious about the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.
After daylight, he returned to the scene with some sheets of plywood and a shovel and the Dodge pulled out of the sand.
"The next time I'm going to check that sand first by foot," he said.
Max and Alice Snodderly, our former neighbors, have returned to Nebraska City and are looking for housing.
Max will return to Haley's where he was in charge of the shop before moving to Kansas City several months ago. "We just didn't like Kansas City," Mrs. Snodderly said.
Prior to returning to Nebraska City they went to Storm Lake, Ia., to help their son who opened a steak house.
"We had a ball," Mrs. Snodderly said. "Max did the cooking and I helped with the checking."
The real reason Max and Alice left is because he just couldn't raise as big as vegetables as we did and then he came back when he found out we don't have a garden anymore because Harold Gress is building a house on the lot.
Harold Halm was swinging fire hoses at the Hotel Grand fire and changed from fire fighting uniform to an apron Monday.
Joe's Cafe at 618 Central Avenue opened Monday after tragedy struck several months ago. A wall in the rear of the building collapsed. Workmen took off the top floor of the structure and made it a one-story building. The job included some improvements including more space for Rose's kitchen.
Welcome back in business to the Halms.
Some time ago we contacted an Otoe county widow and mother of a large family to ask about her family's contribution to the Dennis Armknecht kidney transplant fund.
We have never met the mother, her late husband nor the children, but we have heard some admirable things about that family. We know only that the husband and father was killed in 1968 in a tragic accident.
She said no publicity, please. She is raising a family getting along fine, and by family agreement, there was to be no publicity.
But let's tell the story anyway and leave out the names. It's getting near Christmas and some stories just have to be told.
There are nine children at home; one in the military service and two others working close by.
To make the story brief, the kids have been giving practically everything they've earned to the Armknecht fund. "But don't put it in the paper that we're not going to have a Christmas," the mother said proudly, "because we sure will have our own Christmas."
We don't know what she meant by that statement but coming from such a wonderful family, it'll probably be a very warm and personal Christmas.
Back to the story.
A teenage son had his mind set on buying a car with money from summer work. Instead he gave some of the money to the Armknecht fund and gave $100 to two of his sisters. He kept none of the money for himself . . . and he never complains . . . as he walks.
Four other children in the family cut weeds in soybean fields during the summer. They spent part of their money for plain bluejeans for school (not the trousers they had wanted originally) and gave the rest to the Armknecht fund. They put nothing aside for Christmas.
Two other children saved their money for summer camp. Instead, they gave it to the Armknecht fund. And their good deed was recognized by someone and they received an anonymous gift for camp expenses.
Well, that's the end of that story. But only a beginning for a fine family.
I'm sure you all join me in wishing them the very best as we approach the time of the birth of Christ.