Light up Jesse James Park this Christmas

It’s time to light up Jesse James Park for Christmas. Individuals, families, businesses, and other groups are encouraged to decorate a tree in the park for Christmas.

The City of Kearney will have electricity available along the trail for people to decorate trees. People and organizations are responsible for lights, extension cords, decorations, and creativity.

There is no reservation system for the event. People may pick out their tree and begin decorating it after Thanksgiving. The city would like the people or organizations to put a sign near the tree so viewers will know who decorated it. The city will turn on the electricity after Thanksgiving.

Tree decorators are asked to take down decorations promptly after January 1st. Decorations left up after January 12 will be discarded.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Aldermen Approve Fallen Veterans Memorial

Kearney City Aldermen approved construction and placement of a fallen veterans memorial to be placed in Jesse James Park.

Rich Kolb presented the plan to the Board of Aldermen at the city’s meeting on Monday, August 7. The plan and fundraising began several years ago and was eventually abandoned.

Kearney City Aldermen approved construction and placement of a fallen veterans memorial to be placed in Jesse James Park.

The group has raised over $17,000 for the completion of the memorial.

The memorial will have an American flag as well as a POW/MIA flag as well as granite stone with the names of fallen soldiers from the Kearney area. Those soldiers were part of World War I and World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and action in Afghanistan. One of the soldiers on the memorial was a POW from the Korean War and his remains were never recovered.

Future plans for the memorial include a bench and story boards. “We would like to get some story boards up there at some point too, to provide contexts for the names on the memorial,” said Kolb.

Kolb has been researching names to put on the memorial for about a year. He believes that he found everyone who participated in wars in the past, but he doesn’t want to miss anyone that should be included on the memorial.

At least 14 names have been found and they will be etched into the memorial: E. Howard Porter, World War II: Matt Mason, Afghanistan; Donald Bean, Vietnam; Albert Vincent, North Korea; Roy Boggess, Howard Calder, William Dykes, John Hagan, Glenn Hartell, Robert Seuell and Charles Smith, WWII; Clinton Marsh, Earl Chanslor and Sparrel Harris, WWI.