Stories from Tuesday, September 11, 2001

TRENTON -- Crystal Rene Ashley and Christopher Lee Smith were united in marriage on June 2, 2001, at St. James Catholic Church in Trenton. The Rev. Phillip Luther presided over the ceremony. Parents of the couple are Bill and Shirley Ashley of Culbertson, and Randy and Sandy Smith of Fredonia, Kan. ...

Andrea J. Nekuda and James D. Moreau, both of North Platte, announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Gary and Alice Nekuda of North Platte, and Roger and Patsy Moreau of McCook. The bride-to-be is a 1987 graduate of North Platte High School and is the owner of Spectrum Quick Copy Center in North Platte. ...

The family of Eugene and Marilyn Anderson is hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 40th wedding anniversary. They were married Sept. 3, 1061, at the United Methodist Church in Geneva. The open house will be Saturday, Sept. 15, 2001, from 2 to 5 p.m., at the Community Building at West Fifth and O Streets in McCook. Cards will reach them at 804 West J Street, McCook, NE 69001...

The children of Tom and Mary Ann Anderjaska are hosting a reception in honor of the couple's 40th wedding anniversary Saturday, Sept. 15, 7 to 9 p.m., at D's Place, 905 East Seventh in McCook. A dance will follow the reception. They were married Sept. ...

The children of Thomas L. and Letty J. Richards of McCook, formerly of Stratton and Palisade, are hosting a card shower in honor of the couple's 30th wedding anniversary Sept. 24, 2001. Cards will reach them at PO Box 643, McCook, NE 69001.

Melinda Byrkit and Jon Richards announce their engagement and upcoming wedding. Parents of the couple are Robert and Jaclyn Byrkit of Nelson, and Thomas and Letty Richards of McCook. The bride-to-be is a 1999 graduate of Nelson High School and a 2000 graduate of Lincoln School of Commerce. ...

The children of LeRoy and Ramona Fisher are hosting an open house in honor of the couple's 50th wedding anniversary Saturday, Sept. 15, 2 to 5 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Express Conference Center on the corner of U.S. Highway 83 and the Interstate 80 interchange in North Platte...

At the top of this column is an explanation of the airplane drawing that is part of this newspaper's logo. "The Newsboy" was an attempt to link Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas through a new technology, the airplane, in 1929. The Curtiss Robon C-1 distributed newspapers to 40 towns, flying 380 miles non-stop each afternoon, taking about three hours to deliver more than 5,000 newspapers...

In August, Cambridge celebrated its third annual "Old Fashioned Saturday Night." The weather was perfect, Model A Fords and other vintage cars lined the streets, people took rides on a horse-drawn hayrack, the band played polkas, marches, and songs that had tunes you could hum...

Clyde N. Slonecker ARAPAHOE -- Clyde N. Slonecker, 91, died Friday (Sept. 7, 2001) at the C.A. Mues Good Samaritan Nursing Center at Arapahoe. He was born Oct. 17, 1909, at Moorefield to John T. and Sophia (Nelson) Slonecker. He grew up on the family farm at Moorefield. he was an owner and operator of an over-the-road truck for a number of years...

Marie I. (Axtell) Grafton DANBURY -- Marie I. (Axtell) Grafton, 90, died Friday (Sept. 7, 2001) at Hillcrest Nursing Home in McCook. She was born Jan. 28, 1911, in Red Willow County to Frank and Elizabeth (Halsey) Thomas. She grew up on the family farm west of Lebanon where she graduated from rural school...