Manley News June 2024

Madison E.M. Garey

By the end of the month, it will officially be summer! This seems to have been one of the stormiest seasons as of late. The sever weather has thrown hail, floods and tornadoes. The sound of sirens seems to have been the anthem of Spring 2024. Perhaps the summer will settle and warm into bliss.

I recall looking forward to summer as a child. It is a time to sleep in, do what crafts or reading I desired, and have no where to go or be. As a parent it feels much different. While the hustle isn’t quite the same as the school year, the clubs, classes, activities, zoo season, pool passes, splash pad dates and birthday invitations abound. It almost feels as this “free time” is even more chaotic! I cannot be the only one feeling this way.

Manley Calendar

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

Proverbs 12:25

(NIV)

The Lofte Theatre

Jack and the Beanstalk, Missoula Children’s Theatre

Auditions: June 10, 10AM

Camp: June 10-15, time varies

Performance: June 15, 3PM and 6PM

The Missoula Children’s Theatre Camp is a free camp open to all students entering grades 1 through 12. Students get a chance to learn all of the pieces of a working theatrical production from props and costumes to songs and dances, behind the scenes and on the stage – they get to do it all! No preregistration or RSVP is required.

To join the fun, come to auditions on June 10th at 10:00 am. Everyone involved with the production will then come back all week to rehearse and prepare to finally present their show twice on Saturday the 15th.

Have questions or want more information? Check out the FAQ on our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/949460939375023

Get tickets at lofte.org/tickets or call 402-234-2553

Club 50, become a member today!

Did you know that by being a member of Club 50 you get all kinds of goodies from the Lofte for FREE? It’s true! Free popcorn at every show, free pop at every show, a free treat EXCLUSIVE for Club 50 members at every show! Plus the longer you’re a member the more free stuff you get including tickets , drinks, reserved seating, your name on one of the seats in the theatre, and even entry to our 50th-anniversary gala! Want to know more about free stuff? Keep reading…

The goal of Club 50 is to raise enough money to pay off 50% of our mortgage by our 50th season. To accomplish this goal we are asking patrons to donate $50 per month through the end of our 50th season in 2026. Ideally, we’d have at least 390 members – one for each of the seats in the Lofte Theatre!

Club 50 members can join today by donating $50, but if they want to receive the full possible benefits, you’ll want to donate $83.50 a month to have donated enough in time to receive the 2 free tickets to the gala! Not interested in long-term donating? No problem! You can instead donate $600 a year for 5 years, or a one-time minimum donation of at least $3,000 to qualify (please note that if a one-time donation is made, additional donations of at least $50 must be made every year to maintain your Club 50 membership).

Want to sign up? Visit https://www.lofte.org/club-50 to read all of the official information and to Join Club 50 with a recurring donation. Interested in a one-time lump sum donation? Contact the box office at 402-234-2553 or send an email to office@lofte.org, and someone will help you get your membership set up.

Thank you for your contribution and for supporting The Lofte’s continuous efforts to Bring the Arts to Rural Nebraska – and welcome to Club 50!

Review of Radium Girls, Lofte Theatre

Andrew Garey

Radium Girls is a stage production that tells the story of female workers who in the 1920s painted watch dials using paint laden with radium.  The women ‘pointed’ the tips of their brushes each time by puckering their lips and swiping the brush in between. This caused the women to ingest the paint which contained the radioactive element. These workers inadvertently absorbed enough radium to have acute radiation syndrome and the girls began to experience loss of teeth and jaws and ultimately left many girls dead.

The story follows Grace Fryer (Amanda Charles) who works for the factory.  She and other women sued the U.S. Radium Cooperation. Grace struggled not only in acquiring a lawyer but from lack of support from her friends and family alike. Though taught to do as she was told, this coming of age story shows how Grace turned from a young obedient teen to a brave, strong, intelligent woman capable of taking on the international giant supplier of radium. Amanda’s portrayal of Grace had audience moved, shocked, saddened and angry on her behalf. Amanda was Grace, only one hundred years later.

On the other side, the play tells of the true tactics the corporation used to discredit the women and delay the litigation. From internally hiring physicians and scientists, to paying many girls to settle and forbidding them to speak on the settlement, the audience felt the injustice served to the women. The plant manager, turned company president, Arthur Roeder (Chris Berger) showed the true human nature of the responsible party. Though consuming the radioactive products himself and being witness to the glow he would carry through his home at night, he could not bring himself to believe the element responsible for shrinking tumors could be killing his dial painters. Even when he could see it was the radium killing the girls, he was “in too far to quit” and had a “fiduciary duty” to the company.

Amanda Charles and Chris Berger both bring a sympathetic ear to their standout characters. The viewer sees how Grace suffers and deteriorates from the poisoning, but her fortitude allows her to stay the course of justice.  At the same time, Mr Roeder deteriorates from being too loyal in his product and refuses to see the truth.  Instead of a typical good-vs-evil tale, it demonstrates real human characters with complex feelings.

All 14 cast members were well suited to the multitude of roles they played. From the cringe worthy salesmen, guilt ridden scientist, scummy lawyers and competitive reporters the cast selection of director Kevin Colbert was phenomenal. As the story progressed the huge glowing green clock face reminded viewers that time does, and will, run out. From acting and direction to music and lights, Radium Girls was a masterpiece on the small stage in Manley, Nebraska. Bravo!

Cass County 4-H News

Register Each Year

Registration for the 2024 4-H year is now open. Participants must register annually. Email tcavanaugh2@unl.edu with questions. Make sure to register by June 15, 2024 in order to participate in any contest or county and state fair. Visit 4-H Online to register below.

Around the Village

Manley Spur Clean-Up June 1, 2024

Several members of the community joined together June 1, 2024 to clean up the highway, spur, and roads leading into Manley. The event was sponsored in part by Keep Cass County Beautiful. Thank you to everyone who pitched in to help Manley sparkle!

Speed Bumps: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Madison Garey

In less than 36 hours, speed bumps were installed and removed on 160th street in Manley. Although the issue of traffic control has been a topic at every village board meeting for the past 15 months, no citizen has attended a Village of Manley Board of Trustees meeting to state their rebuttal to having the speed controlling devices installed. As far as board members knew, the only concern was that of citizens in support of slowing down and managing the speeding cars.

Without the input from those refuting the need, the village responsibly took the concerns of the citizens attending board meetings and installed the speed bumps over Memorial Day Weekend. The devices worked. All observed traffic did in fact, slow down when approaching the bumps. An effective solution was found in controlling the traffic. 

That is, until citizens then rose to action and complained not only to the Chairman of the Village Board of Trustees, but the volunteer installing the devices. Hours later, the bump to the north was removed from Broadway Street. The issue will again be discussed at the Village of Manley Board of Trustees meeting, June 13, 2024 at 7PM. Troubled citizens should attend the meeting to voice their concerns. 

Speed bumps present a multi-faceted problem. There are both pros and cons to having them installed. On the plus side, vehicles do regularly slow down to maneuver over the bumps. This slowing of traffic increases the safety of citizens living on these busy thoroughfares. They reduce risk, prevent accidents, and reduce reckless driving. 

On the other hand, the bumps can cause damage to shocks, exhaust systems, tires and steering systems if a driver does not slow down to an appropriate speed to go over a speed bump. (Do Speed Bumps Damage Cars, 2023)These detrimental effects can be avoided by drivers simply slowing their vehicle when approaching speed bumps. Speed bumps can also interfere with response times for emergency services, reduce property values, increase air and noice pollution and increase fuel consumption of vehicles.(RadarSign, 2019)

Yet another consideration is the specific device used to slow the traffic pattern. Speed bumps cause a significant jolt to the vehicle and passengers inside if the vehicle has not slowed to a near stopped pace. Speed humps, on the other hand, with their longer travel distance allow for vehicles to drive 15-20 MPH. Speed humps effectively reduce speed and do not cause the vehicle to stop (Reliance Foundry, 2024). Perhaps this is the answer Manleyians have been seeking?

In the end, speed bumps seem to be a question of inconvenience vs. safety. Is keeping pedestrians, bikers, children and pets safe more important than an individual’s minor inconvenience? Is slowing down all traffic, reducing the risk of injury or death to all using the public street worth the risk of slowing a fire truck down potentially up to ten seconds? To full discuss all of the issues surrounding the installation of speed bumps on 160th Street/Broadway Street in Manley, please attend the June 13th Village of Manley Board of Trustees meeting at 7PM at the community center.

Pillage the Village

If you are interested in volunteering sign up here for the time slot that works best for your schedule.

Want to see the most recent updates? Follow Pillage the Village of Facebook.

Village of Manley: Maintenance Technician needed. Email clerk@manleyne.com or call Denise at 402.677.2587

All is not lost. There is still opportunity for those who have yet to register to do so before the election in November. I dare you Cass County. Get the number of registered voters over 20,000 and help change the political landscape in America.

To find your Nebraska Polling location visit:

Voting in the United States is not simply a right Americans have. It is part of the democratic duty of citizenship. Register to vote today!

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