Old movies of area being saved to discs

First let me say thankyou to the Judith Keith family for the family genealogy sheets and miscellaneous research material given to the genealogy library. We welcome donations that help expand our information base.

Our annual Christmas celebration will be Saturday, December 4th from 1-3 PM and is open to the public. Food and refreshments will be available and viewing our beautiful library and all the great historical records contained within is a must.

As a part of my involvement with the Museum of the High Plains I have been reviewing old movies that are being sent in to be saved to disc so they can be shared with the public. One of the movies is the dedication ceremonies for the bandshell in Norris Park. Few people realize today that the bandshell was dedicated to Harvey P. Sutton the indomitable band leader brought to McCook in 1889 to lead the Burlington Band. Harvey also had a jewelry store and the clock that sat in front of it on Norris Ave. now graces the front of the Carnegie library.

Harvey and Eliza also built the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed home in Nebraska. I always knew I’d like to have known Eliza because this diminutive lady gave Mr. Wright a run for his money in the “who’s the boss” category. I’m thinking Eliza was the clear winner.

The movie however shows a wonderfully human side of not only the Sutton’s but also Harry Strunk the legendary publisher of the Gazette. Eliza, dressed in her finest with a beautiful elaborate hat sitting jauntily on her head is shown standing on the stage with her husband to her left and Harry to her right when Harvey, grinning, leans into her and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. Harry, not to be outdone, leans down and graces her other cheek with a kiss. Eliza, attempting to regain the pomp and circumstance of the dedication, remains calm, and then Harry gives her another kiss much to Harvey’s surprise and the contest is on! As the film progresses, Harry plucks a large blossom from the standing flower arrangement and keeps trying to give it to Eliza as she continues to try and ignore his shenanigans, finally relenting and taking the flower.

What I truly love about this is how they all react to the back-and-forth exchange between what must have been good friends and people who respected each other. When we as historians only know the power and influence of the famous, and all three of these were famous, we don’t always see the humorous, playful side of them. The digitizing process will should be done sometime in January, and I hope that people will make an appointment to see these movies at the museum.

Now for genealogy. SWNGS has determined that it is high time that we bring back our expositions and are hoping to have plans in place for October 2022. Additionally, we are taking a page from the Family Share Program in Carroll County, Virginia and asking for you to provide us with families that you want researched. You can write us at PO Box 156, McCook, email us at swngs@hotmail.com, bring your research sheets to 322 Norris Ave., Rooms 2-7 on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 1-4PM or contact us on our Facebook page with your query. We would hope that you would join us to do your searches but if that is impossible, give us as much information as you have, and we will see what we can turn up. What we would like to end up with is a Genealogy Club of sorts that meets once a month to work on research for themselves and other members. Give it some thought!