Fort Hartsuff

Infantry, Cavalry and Cannons!

The Fremont Pathfinders and Friends of Fort Hartsuff will be stationed at Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park on Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1st.

In addition to staffing the Fort with living historians, who will be manning the barracks, stables, blacksmith shop and other areas of the Fort, the Ord FFA will be presenting a donation to Friends of Fort Hartsuff at 12:00 noon on the parade grounds.

The FFA has frequently visited the Fort and studied the historic flora and fauna native to central Nebraska. The chapter voted to donate the proceeds from the FFA Barbeque held during Extra-Ordinary Days to the Friends of Fort Hartsuff, a newly started non-profit organization which dedicates all funding to the protection, promotion and preservation of Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park.

The park grounds will be open from 8:00 AM to sunset during the Burwell Rodeo weekend. The Fort is located between Ord and Burwell near Elyria, Nebraska. From Highway 11 visitors turn north on Fort Avenue by Elyria.

Visitors desiring more information can call the Fort office at (308) 346-4715. The office is staffed by volunteers during weekdays and hours may vary. The park office is normally open from 1 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, but will open in the morning on the Saturday of the Burwell Rodeo.

For more information on Friends of Fort Hartsuff, call Jeff Anderson at 308-730-0780.

Eveyly Sharp Day

Evelyn Sharp Day will be held at Sharp Field in Ord on the morning of August 1st, 2010. A Fly In Breakfast open to everyone, pilots and civilians alike, will be sponsered by the Airport Authority and the Valley County Historical Society. The breakfast is Free with donations going to the Christian Church Youth Group who will be serving.

A short Church Service will be held at 8:00 AM and live music by the Baker Family will follow.

At Noon the festivites will move to Janes Diner on the east side of the square in Ord where Diane Bartels (author of the book "Sharpie") will present the Congressional Gold Medal to the Valley County Historical Society for display in the Museum. The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress and is, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Presidential Citizens Medal the highest civilian award in the United States. The decoration is awarded to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States. American citizenship is not a requirement.

WWII Women Ferry Pilots Finally Receive Recognition

In conjunction with the Congressional Gold Medal, Diane will be presenting the Medal and a plaque from the Air Force Association Lincoln Chapter 187 in recognition of that event.

Following the presentation will be Jerry Penry, author of "Nebraska's Air Crashes of WWII"

Mr. Penry will be showing his PPT presentation and answering questions about the fatal air crashes of WWII in Nebraska. Nebraska Air Crashes During WWII The complete documentation of each fatal air crash that occurred within the state of Nebraska during World War II. Includes the type of aircraft, crash location, names of crew members, historical data from both military and local perspectives, eyewitness accounts, modern descriptions of the sites as they exist today, along with many maps, crash photos and other historical documentation. Appendix includes the names of references people who were interviewed, sources of information, listing of all airmen killed, statistics of the crashes, map of the airfields, map of the bombing ranges, and index. 320 pages, 132 photos, 57 maps, 14 diagrams.