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Independence Day
The Ralston Way!
Parades, fireworks, picnics, dances & more. Complete event schedule inside.
A SUPPLEMENT OF SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS
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JUNE 27, 2018 •
METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
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SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.
Welcome from the mayor Inviting all to ‘join us’ Hello, All! Ralston’s Independence Day Celebration is July 3 and 4 and everyone is invited! The festivities begin July 3 with a family picnic, children’s pie-bakDon Groesser games, ing contest and an ice cream social in Ralston Park, followed by an all-ages dance on Main Street. The next day, there’s a fun run through Ralston streets in the morning, followed by a children’s parade, huge Independence Day Parade, water fights and spectacular fireworks display at Ralston Arena. We hope you’ll join us! Have a wonderful, safe celebration with your family and friends, Don Groesser Mayor of Ralston
RALSTON INDEPENDENCE DAY
June 27, 2018
Welcome from the Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce Parade, picnic, fireworks nothing short of spectacular for Ralston and its metro area neighbors
Amy Roeder
Happy Independence Day from your friends at the Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce! We have been hard at work planning the best Independence Day Celebration yet. We hope you’ll join us July 3 and 4 for live music, games, a pie-baking contest, dancing, food and fun. And of course, our main event — the largest Fourth of July parade in Nebraska! Independence Day begins with the Optimist Fun Run & Walk, a children’s parade and live music at the gazebo prior to the 1 p.m. parade. Our Fireworks Spectacular — one of the best displays in the metro area and a source of pride for our entire community — is at dusk. This year, the show goes mobile with iHeartRadio! Please consider supporting the chamber raffle. We have some great prizes and proceeds help
defray costs of various events and the parade, plus additional community programs and projects. Either stop by the chamber office, 5505 Miller Ave., or look for ticket sellers at various events July 3 and 4. Find a full schedule for our Independence Day Celebration on pages 4 and 5 in this publication and online at www.ralstonareachamber.org. We look forward to seeing you, your family and friends throughout these wonderful, funfilled events! Amy Roeder President Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce 5505 Miller Ave., Ralston, NE 68127 Phone: 402-339-7737 Fax: 402-339-7954 www.ralstonareachamber.org
Fun Run a fit way to start the Fourth OPTIMISTS INDEPENDENCE DAY FUN RUN/WALK One of the oldest runs in Nebraska. • Starting times: 1-mile walk/run, 7:50 a.m.; 3-mile run, 8 a.m. • Starting point: Independence Square gazebo, 77th and Main Streets • Entry fee: $25, includes a T-shirt • Information: 402-680-1023 or 402-990-4154
Runners take off through downtown Ralston for the Independence Day Fun Run and Walk. This year’s race will be held first thing on the morning of July 4. SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS
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June 27, 2018
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Grand marshal knows Ralston, from cover to cover By Tom Knox SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS Jan Gorman was the last person to expect being named 2018 Citizen of the Year by the Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce. If she had had an inkling, she might have been in town to accept the award. “I wasn’t there for the ceremony,” she said, explaining that she was visiting a daughter in Arizona. Lana Tribbie accepted on Gorman’s behalf at the chamber’s annual awards banquet. It’s a double-honor year for Gorman, who will be grand marshal of the Ralston Independence Day Parade. “I love Ralston, and I am very honored and humbled to be named the Citizen of the Year,” Gorman said. “Our Independence Day celebration is very special to me as
director in 1982, serving Baright from 1999 until her retirement in 2005. “I love to read,” Gorman said, noting that she’s a member of two book clubs (she’s currently reading “Stone Cold” by Robert B. Parker and “Still Me” by Jojo Moyes) and continues to volunteer with the library’s annual book sale. She also is secretary for the Ralston Lions Club, a member of the Society of United Methodist Women and an active member of Trinity United Methodist Church. She volunteers with various Independence Day activities, including the pie-baking contest and the Ralston Archives Museum open house. And this year, Ralston’s Citizen of the Year will be in the parade waving at the crowd from a convertible.
SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS
Where to buy fireworks FIREWORKS STAND LOCATIONS: Open though July 4, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 377 73rd Street, south of Q Street
Jr. Lancers Hockey Team 72nd Street, north of Harrison Street
Freedom & Independence
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rotellasbakery.com
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my children grew up with the parade, and I love being part of the July 3rd & 4th activities Jan Gorman every year.” Gorman is widely known in Ralston as a community volunteer and retired director of Baright Public Library. She grew up in northeastern Indiana and attended Arizona State University, where she met her future husband, Bill Gorman. The couple moved to Nebraska in 1971 when Bill was hired as general manager for the Omaha Royals — a job he held for 30 years. Gorman has been a resident of Ralston since 1975. She joined the library staff in 1978 and became a library
Louis Rotella Sr.
WWII, United States Army 1927-2009
Have a Great Independence day! – From your friends at Rotella’s Bakery.
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June 27, 2018
Your calendar will be full A guide to Ralston’s star-spangled Independence Day Celebration Like swords before battle, these pie spades lie ready for action during the judging of Ralston’s Independence Day Picnic in the Park pie baking contest. After the contest, contestants, judges and guests were able to enjoy a slice of pie donated by people in the community.
TUESDAY, JULY 3 Frank & Velma Johnson Ralston Archives Museum Open House — 4 to 6:30 p.m., Park Drive and Woodlawn Avenue. Free. Picnic In the Park — 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Ralston Park, 80th Street and Park Drive. Food and beverages available for purchase. Sponsored by Ralston Area Chamber, City of Ralston, Frank & Velma Johnson Ralston Archives Museum, Trinity United Methodist Church.
SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS
· Live music by John Worsham Trio. · Pie Baking Contest/Pie & Ice Cream Social. Pies for judging must be at park between 3 and 4 p.m. Pie and ice cream available for purchase during picnic. Family Street Dance — Featuring DJ RD Stars, 7 to 11 p.m., 77th and Main Streets. This is a non-alcohol event. Admission is free. Sponsored by Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce.
Mayor Don Groesser and his wife, Deb, lead the children’s parade on July 4. Participants should line up at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the chamber’s office, 5505 Miller Ave., to take part in the 10 a.m. parade. SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS
SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS
The Nebraska Candy Corn Queens shower the crowd with love as they roll through the Ralston Independence Day Parade. •
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 4 Optimists Independence Day Fun Run/ Walk — One of the oldest runs in Nebraska, Independence Square gazebo, 77th and Main Streets. Sponsorships available; 402-680-1023 or 402990-4154. 1-mile walk/run begins at 7:50 a.m.; 3-mile race begins at 8 a.m. Registration, $25, includes a T-shirt. https://runsignup.com/Race/NE/Omaha/ RalstonIndependenceDayFunRunWalk2015 Children’s Parade — For sixth-graders and younger; no registration required. Line up at 9:30 a.m. at the chamber office, 5505 Miller Ave. Parade, to be led by Ralston Mayor Don Groesser, begins at 10 a.m. Music at Independence Square — Joey Gulizia & the G Notes, 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., 77th and Main Streets. Free. Independence Day Parade — 58th annual, 1 p.m. Route begins at 80th and Highland Streets and ends at 7400 Main St. Grand marshal is Citizen of the Year, Jan Gorman. Parade emcee is KAT 103.7. Sponsored by Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce. Fire Department Waterfights — Immediately following parade, 77th and Main Streets. Sponsored by Ralston Volunteer Fire Department. Free. American Legion Chicken Dinner — Noon to 4 p.m., American Legion Post No. 373, 7380 Q St. Chicken fingers available. Live Music and Outdoor Beer Garden — 5 to 11:30 p.m., American Legion Post No. 373, 7380 Q St. $5 cover for music (inside). Fireworks Spectacular — Begins at dusk, about 9:30 p.m., Ralston Arena, 72nd and Q Streets. Synchronized to music from KAT 103.7 FM. Grand finale sponsored by Great Western Bank.
BH MEDIA NEWSSERVICE
Above, the First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry walks during the parade. Plenty of drill teams and marching bands will participate in the parade. BH MEDIA NEWS SERVICE
BH MEDIA NEWSSERVICE
Staying cool at the Independence Day Parade.
Ralston
THURSDAY, JULY 5 Raffle Drawing — 1 p.m., Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce, 5505 Miller Ave. Need not be present to win. Sponsored by the Chamber and its business members.
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SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS INC.
RALSTON INDEPENDENCE DAY
June 27, 2018
Archives museum is a history trove for all things Ralston By Eric Taylor Suburban Newspapers
See Archives: Page 7
TOM KNOX/SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS
Currently on display are metal cast toys by the Ralston Toy and Novelty Co. that has been in downtown Ralston for decades. Early toys were made of iron before WWII, then production materials were switched to wood. More modern toys are made of metal. Several are stamped with “RalsToy” on the bottom. Below, the Frank and Velma Johnson Ralston Archives Museum at the corner of Park Drive and Woodlawn Avenue in Ralston. Board members and volunteers change displays about every six months.
The Ralston Independence Day parade in 1972. The judges stand is in the foreground. Courtesy of the Ralston Archives Museum.
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A visit to the Frank and Velma Johnson Ralston Archives Museum is like scrolling through the pages of a Ralston history book. There are photos, memorabilia, furniture and scrapbooks, many dating to the early origins of Ralston in 1910. You also will find a museum board member who knows Ralston history like the back of their hand. The museum was established in 1971 and has been located at the corner of Park Drive and Woodlawn Avenue for a little more than 15 years. “Lots of people don’t know the history of Ralston,” said Jan Gorman, president of the museum board. “We get people who are new in town and maybe want to learn about the history of their house or a business in town.” Mary Ann Phelps, a library board member in the early 1970s, helped launch the idea of an archives museum during her term.
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Archives: Museum houses a great deal of local history, seeks to expand the collection Continued from Page 6 “They started collecting items and would display whatever people brought in,” Gorman said. The museum was part of the library for four years before outgrowing the space and relocating to City Hall in 1975. The museum continued to grow and moved gain, to the Elmer Pierson house, 8311 Park Drive. In 1993, the collection found a fourth home in the lower level of Hillcrest Landing. Thanks to the efforts of longtime Ralston residents Frank and Velma Johnson, the museum got a permanent home at 5615 Woodlawn Ave., in July 2002. An endowment fund spearheaded by the Johnsons, plus many volunteer hours and business donations, have not only sustained the archive but have added to it. A visit reveals a timeline of Ralston. There are pictures of the tornado that devastated the town in 1913. There are scrapbooks, high school yearbooks and newspapers dating to the 1940s. In the basement, you can see lawnmowers and snowblowers that were manufactured in Ralston at Sensation Motors. The museum is open to the public from 1 to 3 p.m. the third Sunday of every month. Board member Rich Shively’s family has been in Ralston for 100 years. He’s a walking history book, and if he happens to be at the museum during your visit, a story or two is likely to come your way. “I’ve got a lot of stories handed down through the years,” he said. Gorman said the museum is always looking for antique items for special display. She moved to Ralston in 1975 and integrated herself into the community with her work at the public library. She’s passionate about the preservation of Ralston’s history. “Unfortunately, we have people who pass and when they do, all those old things get thrown away,” she said. “I think it’s important to keep this going.”
Participants waiting for the beginning of the Ralston Independence Day parade in 1972. Courtesy of the Ralston Archive Museum.
BE INDEPENDENT: READ
Animal Hospital, P.C. ERIC TAYLOR/SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS
Several stoves and furnaces manufactured at Howard Stove Works in the early 1900s are on display at the Ralston Archives Museum.
5555 S. 77th Street • Ralston 402-331-7636 • www.ralstonlibrary.org Open: Mon-Thur 10-9 Fri-Sat 10-5 Sun 1-5 •
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When: July 3, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The Libra Library will be closed July 4. Join us at the Kids’ Parade!
Quality Pet Care
7316 Harrison St. Ralston, NE 68128 402-596-0355 Office Hours by Appointment
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OPEN HOUSE Where: Frank & Velma Johnson Ralston Archives Museum, Park Drive and Woodlawn Avenue.
HARRISON ST.
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RALSTON INDEPENDENCE DAY
June 27, 2018
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