ELMWOOD, NEBRASKA
“Growing Together”
18 April 2007

Sunday, April 22nd is Earth Day!
On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. It was a time when cities were buried under their own smog and polluted rivers caught fire. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment.

Earth Day is a time to celebrate gains we have made and create new visions to accelerate environmental progress. It’s also a time to unite around new actions. Earth Day and every day is a time to act to protect our planet.

• The nation's air is much cleaner today than it was in 1970 and progress will continue.
• The trend of annual loss of wetlands has been reversed.
• Restoration and redevelopment of abandoned industrial sites is accelerating.
• President Bush is meeting his commitment to reduce the National Park Service maintenance backlog.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

Project Switch
Save Energy by switching your
Inefficient Incandescent Light Bulbs to Fluorescent!

Save Money on Electricity Bills
Use Less Energy
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint to Help Stop Global Warming!
Wait… Stop! Reduce my what?! What’s a Carbon Footprint? (click here)

90th Anniversary! April marks the 90th anniversary of the U.S. entering World War I, official date was April 6, 1917.

Elmwood’s Annual Cleanup Day – June 9th, 8am – 1pm. There will also be a horse trail opened between Elmwood and Wabash this day.

Elmwood Electronic Sign (Fire Station) - If you would like to have something posted on the electronic sign outside the fire station, please send your requests to: evfrdwebmaster@yahoo.com Signage is for non-profit use to include birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Spring Play – Public performance will be Monday, April 23rd, 7pm, at the Murdock gymnasium.

Athletic Banquet – Friday, April 27th, 6:30pm, at Murdock school.

“Camping With Henry and Tom” - The Lofte in Manley is showing this historical comedy now through April 29th. www.lofte.com for more info.
The cast includes Lofte veterans Larry Bauers (Thomas Edison), Bob Pinkerton (Henry Ford), and Jamion Biesterfeld (secret service agent Col. Starling). Newcomer Dave Shamblin rounds out the cast as Warren Harding. Get your tickets now -- 402-234-2553.

Last Weeks EVFD weekly Winner was: Olivia Kate Hollenbeck of Elmwood. Congratulations!
This Weeks EVFD weekly Winner is: Dustin Beckman, Elmwood Ne. Congratulations!

NEW Elmwood Library Hours: (The web page has been updated to reflect these new hours)

Monday - 9:30 - 12:00, 2:30 - 5:00
Tuesday - 2:30 - 8:00
Thursday - 9:30 - 12:00, 2:30 - 8:00
Saturday - 9:00 - 12:00

Elmwood Annual Garage Sales – will be held on Saturday, June 9th. Those interested in having a garage sale can contact Rose Dankleff at the Elmwood Post Office for details. Maps will be available in Elmwood at C-D’s Express. The cost for advertising your garage sale on the map is $7.

Colorado Peaches! The Elmwood Lions Club will take your order BEFORE July 15th. These will be delivered in August. Contact number 994-4895.

Prairie Rim Plants – Will be opening up for the summer again very soon, if not by the time you read this. Bedding plants, geraniums, perennials, potting soil, mulch…. It’s the little Red house on the West side of Hwy 1, North end of the Elmwood business district! For more information call 994-4895.

Flying Wheels Fun Center – New Music!
*New Change - Tuesday nights – Two fer Tuesdays – Two admissions for the price of one – Any age! It’s not just for adults anymore! 6:00 – 8:30.
SATURDAY – April 21st – Hat day – Morning & Evening – prizes for the most unique! Wear your favorite hat!
FRIDAY, May 4th – Old Time Rock & Roll – More of the Best of the 80’s! 6:30 – 10:00 – Adult Admission free with a paid child admission ($3.00)
SATURDAY, May 5th – Cinco De Mayo – Nachos Grande Special!
SATURDAY – May 26th – School’s Out, School’s Out, Teachers let the Mules Out! End of the School Year Blast! IT’S AN ALL NIGHTER!!! 6:30 pm – 6:30 am – If you are up to it!!!!
*WATCH FOR NEW SUMMER HOURS! WE WILL BE OPEN for the SUMMER – Including some afternoons!!!!!!!

State FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Conference Results
Forty-two Future Business Leaders from Elmwood-Murdock High School attended the State FBLA Leadership Conference in Omaha from March 29-31. Members listened to workshop presenters, took part in officer elections, and participated in competitive events. For the superstitious, 13 is an unlucky number. The opposite is true for the Elmwood-Murdock Chapter, which qualified 13 students in 9 events for the National Leadership Conference that will be held in Chicago, Illinois, this summer. The following are the list of the 13 students that will be attending the Nationals: Jon Luetchens, Trent Shrader, Scott Ronhovde, Hannah Fischer, Sierra Ronhovde, Megan Bober, Madison Stephen, Sam Stephen, Brittney Hrabik, Kevin Zoz, Mallory Buck, Clay Carlton, Lachelle Stille.
(Editor Note: Due to the length of the press release, I omitted the very long list of all the participating students and their events. But it was definitely impressive! Congratulations to ALL the students who participated, Mr. Kurk Schrader and Miss Melissa Schram who serve as there chapter advisors!)

UNL LANGUAGE FAIR 2007 (see pictures below)
The 31st Annual modern Language Fair was sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages, March 29, 2007 at the UNL campus in Lincoln. There were more than 1000 students who attended the opening ceremony at the Centennial Room in the UNL Student Union. Language, culture, and folk dance mini lessons were presented throughout the day. Elmwood-Murdock Spanish 1 and 2 students competed in drama, music, poetry and poster competitions. Results of the competition are as follows:
Awards: Trophy 1st place in category; Blue ribbon-Superior; Red ribbon-Very Good; White ribbon-Good.
Drama
1st place trophy & Blue Ribbon: Las Vidas Detalladas, Una telenovela written by Samantha Colbert, Cast: Calvin Althouse, Samantha Colbert, Kirstie Harvey, Taylor Moreau, Matt Novak, Tamara Rorie, Nathan Stander
Poetry
Blue Ribbon – Calvin Althouse, Samantha Colbert, Tyler Schmale
Red Ribbon – Amy Archer, Nicolas Beebee, Allison BlochTaylor Cornelius, David Neels, Lacey Reed, Miles Wagoner, Dora Worley, David Davis, Kylie Drake, Kirstie Harvey, Nathan Hromanik, Kelsey Jones, Piper Jungren, Cari Laughlin, Taylor Moreau, Matt Novak, Tamara Rorie, Nathan Stander, Aaron Stewart, David Todd, Kelsie Scholting
White Ribbon – Ashley Demars, Nathan Fries, Nicole Jones, Natalie Stander,
Poster
Red ribbon – Carnaval – Cari Laughlin, Piper Jungren; Mexico D.F. – Nicholas Beebee, David Neels, Tyler Schmale, David Todd, Julie Worley
Music
Red Ribbon– Bidi, Bidi, Bom, Bom – Ashley DeMars
White Ribbon – La Bamba - Kylie Drake, Kelsie Scholting, David Davis, Nathan Hromanik, Kelsey Jones, Nicole Jones, Aaron Stewart; Tengo Una Familia Grande – Amy Archer, Allison Bloch, Taylor Cornelius, Nathan Fries, Lacey Reed, Natalie Stander, Miles Wagoner

Red Ribbon Poster, Carnaval, created by Cari Laughlin and Piper Jungren

Red Ribbon Poster Mexico D.F. created by David Neels, Nick Beebe, Tyler Schmale, David Todd, Julie Worley

1st Place Drama Cast: Front row: Samantha Colbert, Taylor Moreau, Tamara Rorie Back Row: Matt Novak, Calvin Althouse, Nathan Stander, Kirstie Harvey

1st Place Drama Winners at the UNL Language Fair 2007 – Front:Tamara Rorie, Samantha Colbert, Taylor Moreau, Back: Nathan Stander, Calvin Althouse, Matt Novak

Spring Carnival – April 20th, 5:30 – 8pm, at the Elementary school, sponsored by S.O.S.

NOTICE TO ALL SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL PLAYERS AND PARENTS:
Due to the weather baseball clean up has been postponed until next Saturday, April 21 at 9:00 a.m. until completion at each ball field. Please show up to help get the fields ready. Even if you can only help for an hour, make an effort to support your teams. Bring rakes, wheelbarrows, shovels, brooms, and cleaning materials if available. If you are not sure which field to help at, please contact your coach or else show up at one of the fields. Your help is greatly appreciated.

BASEBALL NEWS - Reminder Strikezone pitching/throwing clinic, Sunday, April 15th, at the Strikezone, Center & I-680 in Rockbrook Village Shopping Center. Please make arrangements to get your kids there.
3rd Boys Wee Wee, starting at 1:00 pm, please be there no later than 12:45 pm
5th Boys Pee Wee, Starting at 2:00 pm, please be there no later than 1:45 pm
Additionally, a reminder that it is also the next two Sundays, April 22 & April 29 at 3:00 for 3rd and 4:00 for 5th.

National Library Week, Open House, Elmwood Public Library

When: Thursday, April 19, 2007 Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Where: Elmwood Public Library
Why: To Celebrate the Elmwood Public Library services to the community of Elmwood and to see the artwork for the Elmwood-Murdock Elementary Students.

All entries in the Summer Reading Get a Clue @ your Library “Coloring Contest” will be displayed at the Library. Cookies, coffee, and Kool-aid will be served. Coloring Contest pages and information are being sent home today in the children’s’ Friday Folder.

Scholastic Book Fair - The Scholastic Book Fair will arrive on April 23 at the Elementary school. Students and parents may buy books after school on the 23rd. The Book Fair will be open before and after school during the week of the 23rd. On Tuesday, April 24th and Thursday, April 26 the Book Fair will have extended hours and will be open from 3:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. in the evening.

Hats On For Childhood Cancer - On Friday, April 20th, the Elementary Student Council will be sponsoring a “Hats On Day”. “Hats On Day” is something we are doing to help raise money for The Foundation for Children With Cancer. Students are asked to bring fifty cents to wear a hat all day long as long as it is school appropriate. There will also be prizes awarded for things such as, the funniest hat, prettiest hat, most original, biggest, fuzziest, and many more. We are also trying to challenge the classrooms to see which class can raise the most money toward this Foundation from now until April 20th. Whichever class raises the most money will earn a movie party. So, don’t forget to bring money and your best hat on April 20th. This is a great event and it is for a wonderful cause.

Bright Lights 2007 Summer Learning Adventures
Registration begins April 1st.

(Lincoln, Neb.) Registrations for the summer Bright Lights program begins April 1. For both fun and learning, explore a favorite topic such as Robotics, Cartoon Art, Digital Photography, Chess or Podcasting. The program will be at Randolph School, 37th and D. Bright Lights has an active outreach program to reach low income and minority students who want to enjoy some hands-on, minds-on summer experiences. Buses travel from several schools; if you work downtown, catch the bus from south of the capitol at McPhee Elementary.

Over 100 Bright Lights classes will be held during the weeks of June 18, June 25, and July 9. The cost for the weeklong, half-day classes is $95. In combination with the half-day classes, both “Before Care” and “Lunch Care,” are available for a small fee.

Bright Lights also offers 6-day camps. Middle School students can explore Medical, Architecture or Engineering careers. Grades 4-6 can participate in Science: Crime Scene Investigation, American Girl or Outdoor Explorers Day Camp.

Class and camp descriptions, registration and scholarship information can be found at www.brightlights.org or call 420-1115.

April 21, 2007, 6:00 p.m. Annual Aldrich Spring Banquet at the Elmwood School, 400 West F St. Enjoy a catered meal followed by a great program and an awards ceremony honoring the winners of the 2007 Aldrich Short Story Contest.

Program Details: In 2004, author Charlotte M. Endorf made the decision to document the real-life stories of the children who rode the Orphan Trains from 1854 to 1929. She traveled over 3,000 miles, seeking the last surviving riders and descendants. She created Plains Bound: Fragile Cargo, a book that brings to light an important chapter in America's history. Sit back and be entertained as the Endorf family brings the book to life for you in a fun-filled, entertaining historical presentation for all ages! Charlotte will be selling and autographing her books after the program.
Admission $8.00. You needed to RSVP on or before April 16 by calling 402-994-3855 – if you did not, you might still call to see if there are tickets available!

Other Cass County Happenings:

Springfield:
City Wide garage sales May 5th.
May 5 & 6 - Friends of the Library Plant Sale at Springcreek Gardens, 122nd & Main St. The sale will run from 9:00am - 3:00pm on Saturday and 12:00 - 3:00pm on Sunday. Entertainment for the kids will begin on both days at 1:30pm. Proceeds from the sale will help purchase replacement computers for the library.

Needed, New Elmwood Editor! I will be writing my final official newsletter the latter part of May. If you are interested in editing this newsletter, please contact me! The rules are pretty simple, write and submit! You are encouraged to write and create your own style that makes you and our newsletter unique!

Carbon footprint, is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide or CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. Carbon footprint is often expressed as tons of carbon dioxide or tons of carbon emitted, usually on a yearly basis. Carbon dioxide is recognized as a greenhouse gas, of which increasing levels in the atmosphere are linked to global warming and climate change.
As you have probably guessed, incandescent light bulbs emit this greenhouse gas into our environment. The new fluorescents not only are more earth friendly, but they also do not put off the heat like the incandescent bulb. I think Mr. Edison would be proud and wonder why it took so long to improve his electric bulb.

Special Thanks to this weeks contributors: Jacob Blunt, Joyce Mortensen, Kurk Schrader, Mike Winters, Dave at The Lofte, Julie Anderson, April Anderson, and Teresa Lorensen! Your input is what makes this a real community newsletter!

I think the flowers will enjoy this week and I hope you do too!

Gina Fahrenholz
Editor@ElmwoodNebraska.com
www.elmwoodnebraska.com