Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
BEATRICE (AP) — For 50 years beginning in 1937, residents and visitors of Beatrice had to go no further than Fifth and Court streets for a bag of fresh popcorn.
That’s where you could find the Traubel’s Popcorn Stand, where it operated until 1987.
The Beatrice Daily Sun reports (http://bit.ly/YUdXLP ) that today, you can find the retired five-by-eight-foot stand tucked away in a storage facility at the Gage County Historical Society, as it’s too large to fit through the main building’s doors.
It’s been more than 25 years since popcorn was produced in the stand, though a recently formed non-profit group is aiming to change that — at least in spirit.
Community Possibilities Inc. is a group composed of people aiming to enhance the city of Beatrice, and its first project is to build a replica of the Traubel’s Popcorn Stand that the group hopes will soon sit at the same location as the former stand, and provide the salty, buttery snack once again.
Jan Fischer-Wade, one of the group organizers, recently told the Beatrice City Council that funding to recreate the stand, which is estimated to cost $7,500, isn’t expected to be an issue thanks to a strong interest in the project.
“Funding does not appear to be an obstacle in this case,” Fischer-Wade said. “There’s been plenty of interest.
“The original stand was donated to the Gage County Historical Society and is in their warehouse. It’s really in no condition to be restored as it would need to be for today.”
A replica popcorn stand is planned to be built by Mark Setzer of Setzer Manufacturing. Setzer described how the stand would be constructed to last, while holding true to its original styling.
“The original popcorn stand from the ‘30s was a wood frame and galvanized steel,” Setzer said during this past week’s council meeting. “I would replicate the stand as close to original as possible, however the frame work on this would be out of steel tubing and be powder coated. The outside structure was originally galvanized. It would probably switch over to stainless steel for longevity.”
The group approached the City Council last week to discuss what steps need to be taken to place the stand in its original location.
No council members were opposed to the project, though a few stipulations were requested and Community Possibilities will likely be back with an update in the near future.
One main issue city officials pointed out was how the stand would be anchored to the ground. Concern was expressed that if the stand was mounted to the sidewalk, and met a similar fate as the former popcorn stand, it could leave mounting hardware on the city sidewalk.
It was requested instead that the popcorn stand be mounted to the building on the northeast corner of Fifth Street, an option the group said it would explore.
How the stand will receive electricity also was questioned. A direct line could be run, or it could feed from the existing building it will sit next to.
Councilman Allen Langdale said despite the questions about the popcorn stand, it’s a worthy project for the city to get behind.
“I know there’s some obstacles to get through on it, but I think it’s a good project,” Langdale said. “A lot of us had grown up with that old stand where it was and we’ve got some obstacles, but I would preferably like to see it at the same location it was at for 50 years, but those are for future discussions down the road.”
City officials also pointed out that since the intersection is near a Nebraska state highway, the group should explore any issues that may arise with the state.
The group said the stand will be manned by volunteers, and other groups may operate it on occasion as a fundraiser.
Community Possibilities representatives indicated they’d like the stand to be completed and in place by this year’s Homestead Days, though it was pointed out the Fifth Street renovation project may hinder the stand from being permanently installed that quickly.
Anyone wishing to contribute funds to the cause can mail the group at Community Possibilities, Inc., c/o Hartig Real Estate, 1023 Court St., Beatrice, NE 68310.
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