DOLLAR GENERAL
For the first time in more than five years, Minatare is home to a grocery store. A new Dollar General opened on Sunday, Jan 23rd at 130910 Stonegate Rd., adjacent to Highway 26.
Minatare in 1950's
Just doing some research on Minatare and I wanted to share with you on some Nostalgia that I am sure you will enjoy.
Bench
BUFFALO CALF SHOE COMPANY
The early history of the Minatare Library is obscure, but, in 1902, the Presbyterian ladies began a library. The library, as we know it today, was started in about 1921, without the benefit of monies to purchase books or a building. Many People donated books and locations, including a bank and a grocery store. At one time the library was in the corner of Mr. Johnson's grocery store. When people came to browse through the books, they took advantage of a bench to sit on and escape with a good book. However, if you were in the store to purchase a pair of shoes, you had to stand up to try them on because the bench was crowded with book worms. When the store closed and the library moved to a new location, the librarian was told to take that "darn" bench along with the books. So, every place the library went the bench followed. Today the Minatare Library has a building of its own located on Main Street. The some time to check out a good book and see why former resident found this bench so comfortable. Story Laurie Baker, Minatare Class of 1988 taken from Minatare-From Moccasins to Main Street- The Story of Our Town, copyright 1982.
Plaque sponsored by the Authors of Minatare Memories: Juanita Baker, Sharon Johns, Jolene Kaufman, Betty Kenyon, Wanda Mowry, and Alice Reuter
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Mayor Cheryl Spencer
The small town has had struggles - like many rural areas - with a lack
of jobs and a small population to balance upkeep of roads and
buildings. Main Street, which Spencer reminisced once had several
beauty shops, a laundromat, a drugstore and a place to pay your electric bill.
The town's only grocery store closed in 2016, and people have to travel into Scottsbluff for gas and banking. The old Platte Valley Bank branch is now City Hall and only a handful of businesses remain: An auto shop, the post office, a beauty salon and the Broken Spoke Bar and Grill.
Spencer said there are some new prospects, with a Dollar General and
a development at Stonegate and County Road 26.
"It would be great to see those develop and open up to our community," Spencer said. Spencer, 65, didn't start in small-town politics. She was born and
raised in Scottsbluff, and moved with her husband in 1976 to Minatare.
She raised two daughters while working as a registered nurse at the
Bayard nursing home. She returned to school and earned her licensed
practical nurse certification to work at Northfield Villa and later a
doctor's office.
She also got involved, joining the Minatare School Board in the early
nineties while her children were in junior high and high school, and
later held a term on the City Council. She lost her husband to a work
accident in 2016, but said she continued to look for ways to help in the
community.
"I'm still trying to find who I am. Because I've always been mom, wife
and stuff," Spencer said. "But I've always liked to be involved in the
community, and here I am."
With small-town politics, the tactics were a little different. She bought
one banner, hand-painted old signs given to her by a friend to put lettering onto, was given an extra cloth sign made by a neighbor and supporter. She didn't participate in a forum but said she tried to be available. She was inspired to run by friend and new city councilwoman Celeste Sanchez.
Sanchez said she pushed Spencer to run because of her "open mind,
and willingness for trying something new."
"We just need some new ideas," Sanchez said. "It's like winning a lotto
ticket: 'Why don't I ever win a lotto ticket?' Well, you have to enter to
win."
Sanchez, who's lived in Minatare 44 years, said she will balance her
human resources career with being on the city council, her first public
service position.
"I would like to see Minatare evolve, as far as housing, improving the
looks of the city," Sanchez said. "And working with other people getting new businesses in, what can we offer companies to come in to this area, we don't have a lot. As far as downtown, I would like to really put a new facelift on downtown."
Spencer said the election was the easy part, now it's time for the real
thing.
"I do realize the mayor doesn't always have a lot of power. You're more
of a figure head - but you vote, when there's a tie, she said. "But
surely you know if you see issues and address them as a council,
maybe we could get some things done."
">Forty-five years ago, Cheryl Spencer fell in love with Minatare's small
town charm.
"It's just, to me, a nice little town. People that you don't even know will
wave to say good morning. We look out for each other." she said. "I
think that's what Minatare is about - is helping each other."
Now, Spencer, is in her first week as mayor. In the town of 896 people,
she wants to see the place where she put down roots to grow back.
Spencer won the election over incumbent Bob Baldwin by a margin of
45 votes, winning 142 of the 239 votes cast in the election. Baldwin did
not respond to a request for comment.
Spencer said her focus is to promote businesses, clean and maintain
properties, fix roads and reimagine housing.
"I don't think any city ever has enough money to do everything they'd
like to do. But if we could just maintain both that small town
atmosphere, that when you come here, this is nice, well-maintained
and it would be great to see some new housing."
Making History / Minatare Fire Chief Brandi Ehler
It's not an easy job, she said. There's plenty of midnight calls, and she wants to keep the small force from burning out, and hopes to push for more recruitment and trainings this year.
She's not the only woman on the force. She inspired her daughters, Ashlee Wells, 19 and Lashae Ehler, 20, to join as well.
The pay is $150 a month, and the hours long. Ehler also has her own business, Building Blocks daycare in Gering, meaning she has some flexibility to try and get to every call.
She said, like everyone else, COVID impacted their department's operation.
"It's changed the whole lifestyle of our class. We mask just like everybody else, we're trying to protect our people from getting sick," she said. "It's really hampered our trainings."
Ehler said training is a core part of her mission at the station, saying that wildfire season this year could be grim if drought conditions worsen, which could spawn another incident like the dayslong fire that burned 4,000 acres in the Wildcat Hills.">Brandi Ehler has a moment which splits her life into a before and after: the summer of 2013, when her house in Melbeta burned down. "Our community's amazing," she said. "They helped us out so much that I figured the least I could do to give back was joining the fire department."
In the aftermath, she joined the volunteer Minatare-Melbeta Fire Department, climbing the ladder to emergency medical technician, a lieutenant, a safety officer, search and rescue diver, and assistant chief to Brian Lore.
Now, after seven years, she's the fire chief & the city's first woman to hold that position, after Lore stepped down in November.
Ehler grew up south of Lyman, a farm kid, who didn't anticipate fighting fires in adulthood.
"I never expected to get where I got. It was a big surprise," she said. She oversees a combined rural and city fire district spanning just over 300-square miles. It covers all of Minatare, McGrew, Melbeta, a portion of Banner County and a part of Sioux County. It also includes the town's namesake Lake Minatare, the Panhandle's largest body of water. That's a lot of ground to cover.
"The nice thing is we have what's called a mutual aid agreement. So we work a lot with other fire departments. So if we ever have a major call, we can depend on them," she said.">
She's got 10 volunteers in the Minatare-Melbeta department, with only three EMTs currently on the force. She now works as an EMS instructor, and hopes to get two more people certified. She said it's hard to get people interested in working for free.
"It's not just us, a lot of departments are struggling with recruitment," she said.
It's not an easy job, she said. There's plenty of midnight calls, and she wants to keep the small force from burning out, and hopes to push for more recruitment and trainings this year.
She's not the only woman on the force. She inspired her daughters, Ashlee Wells, 19 and Lashae Ehler, 20, to join as well.
The pay is $150 a month, and the hours long. Ehler also has her own business, Building Blocks daycare in Gering, meaning she has some flexibility to try and get to every call.
She said, like everyone else, COVID impacted their department's operation.
"It's changed the whole lifestyle of our class. We mask just like everybody else, we're trying to protect our people from getting sick," she said. "It's really hampered our trainings."
Ehler said training is a core part of her mission at the station, saying that wildfire season this year could be grim if drought conditions worsen, which could spawn another incident like the dayslong fire that burned 4,000 acres in the Wildcat Hills.">Brandi Ehler has a moment which splits her life into a before and after: the summer of 2013, when her house in Melbeta burned down. "Our community's amazing," she said. "They helped us out so much that I figured the least I could do to give back was joining the fire department."
In the aftermath, she joined the volunteer Minatare-Melbeta Fire Department, climbing the ladder to emergency medical technician, a lieutenant, a safety officer, search and rescue diver, and assistant chief to Brian Lore.
Now, after seven years, she's the fire chief & the city's first woman to hold that position, after Lore stepped down in November.
Ehler grew up south of Lyman, a farm kid, who didn't anticipate fighting fires in adulthood.
"I never expected to get where I got. It was a big surprise," she said. She oversees a combined rural and city fire district spanning just over 300-square miles. It covers all of Minatare, McGrew, Melbeta, a portion of Banner County and a part of Sioux County. It also includes the town's namesake Lake Minatare, the Panhandle's largest body of water. That's a lot of ground to cover.
"The nice thing is we have what's called a mutual aid agreement. So we work a lot with other fire departments. So if we ever have a major call, we can depend on them," she said.