A blast from the past: Colacino's

Ask almost anyone who grew up in northwest Nebraska in the mid-20th century about Colacino’s, and you’ll see a smile emerge – along with lots of memories!

Really old-timers will recall when the place was known as Kelso’s Pavilion. It was located along U.S. Highway 20 about two miles east of Chadron.

No one seems to know for sure when the pavilion was built, but it was likely sometime between World War I and the Great Depression of the 1930s by Art and Nels Kelso. And it wasn’t just a single-story, frame dance hall. There once was a swimming pool, a bath house, observation deck, and even a boat pond!

We first remember the popular dance hall from the late 1940s, when Tony and Nancy Colacino bought the pavilion, according to their son, Dick, who now lives in California. By that time, the pool and pond were gone, but the pavilion was still a jumping place with lots of live entertainment – bands that came from all across the region, and eager patrons that would drive in from across the panhandle, Wyoming, and South Dakota.

“A lot of soldiers came up from Fort Robinson,” remembers Colacino.

Nancy and Tony Colacino had operated the White Lunch café in downtown Chadron for several years after World War II. That business was located on the west side of First & Main Street, just south of where a Safeway store had once been located. H & R Block bought the café building in the 1950s, and Colacinos opened up a supper club adjacent to their dance pavilion east of town. This is an aerial photograph of the supper club, taken in 1953.

In its day, the supper club was a one-of-a-kind in the area, and it was a very popular place. Among their regular customers was prominent banker C.F. Coffee and his wife. We’re told that sometimes the club would open early, just for them. In any event, Colacino Supper Club established its own large clientele – somewhat different customers than those who showed up on weekends for a good, sometimes even rowdy, time at the pavilion!

We’ve posted a few additional photographs in our Early Chadron gallery. Our thanks to Dick Colacino and his daughter and son-in-law, Tina and Kevin Stopper, for giving us access to the aerial photograph of the old Colacino business.

After her mother died, young Mary Colacino operated the supper club with her father, and the business continued uninterrupted until the summer of 1965.

That’s when Colacinos sold the business to Harold and Norma Miller, who had previously owned the 120 Bar in downtown Chadron. They later tore down the supper club but continued having dances and other events at the pavilion. According to a 1985 news story in the Chadron Record, the building was later sold to the Nixons.

In later years, the pavilion was painted pink and was popularly-known as the Pink Panther. It continued to be a site for weekend dances. By the mid-1970s, Gil and Roger Nitsch owned the property, and they converted the venerable old hall into a pig barn.

Alas, in 1985, the roof collapsed and the structure was tore down. Colacinos was no more.

No more dancing, no more squealings;
we’re left with just nostalgic feelings.

Radio guys had impact on AFRTS

For some 70 years, the Armed Forces Radio Service -- now known as the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) -- has provided information and entertainment to U.S. military personnel around the world. Technology, of course, has remarkably reshaped the service, which in 2009 delivers programs on a variety of platforms with greater technical sophistication. But its audience has always valued AFRTS, even when it was a scratchy AM radio service in the gloomy, early days of World War II. From crude mobile stations in Europe to small makeshift operations on isolated islands in the south Pacific, Armed Forces Radio brought music, comedy, culture and news to military personnel. Back then, it was about the only real method for giving GIs overseas a taste of home.

Given its longevity and rich history, It’s no big surprise that thousands of broadcasters over the years gained their first real experience in radio and television with AFRTS.

We had the privilege of working with two men who had a big impact upon AFRTS. And both had strong ties to KCSR in Chadron, Nebraska.

Bill Finch – in the years following his selling KCSR to the Huse Publishing Company (licensee of WJAG in Norfolk) in 1959 – eventually landed in Colorado Springs, where he produced and hosted a local big band radio program. We don’t know how the program came to the attention of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, but by the late 1960s, Finch was flying to Hollywood periodically to produce a big band music program called “Finch’s Bandwagon.” This photo shows him visiting with an unidentified Army officer (at left) in an AFRTS production room. Finch's shows were tape recorded and then pressed to audio discs for distribution to stations around the world. These programs aired for a several years on AFRTS and were quite popular with G.I.s around the globe.

The other photo (below right) shows Finch during a recording session with band leader and entrepreneur Lawrence Welk, one of dozens legendary musicians he interviewed for the program.

Unfortunately, we don’t know what’s happened to Bill Finch. A few long-time Colorado broadcasters say they remember him, and they think he moved to North or South Carolina. Alas, efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful.

We remember Finch as a laid back guy with loads of talent. He seems to have vanished from the broadcasting world, and we're not certain he's even still alive.

If Finch was laid back and creative, Bob Thomas was probably a better businessman -- someone who was conservative and paid attention to details. Bob was General Manager of WJAG in Norfolk, Nebraska for many years. In 1958-59, he orchestrated the purchase of KCSR in Chadron for the Huse “Beef Empire Stations.”

During World War II, Thomas was assigned as Officer-in-Charge of the Armed Forces Radio Service shortwave branch in San Francisco, beaming programs to G.I.s across the South Pacific and other regions of the world. It was impressive that the top brass picked a small market Nebraska broadcaster to take on this huge task – a decided compliment to Bob and his achievements at WJAG.

In this photograph, Thomas is seated at his desk in San Francisco. The other two gents are not identified. Thomas once recounted for us how the War Department, at the end of World War II, planned to close down the AFRS operation in New York City. Although his hitch in the Army was about to end, Thomas was sent to New York to begin the closure process. he was soon discharged and went home to Nebraska, only to learn some months later that the War Department actually closed down AFRS San Francisco instead, keeping the New York operation open for several more years. Such are the ways of the military.

It’s been many years since we’ve visited with Bob Thomas. In the 1970s, he was instrumental in helping us write a history of AFRTS as an MS thesis at Iowa State University. Last we knew, he had re-located to the warmer climate of Arizona in retirement. Finch and Thomas had distinctly different approaches to broadcasting and management, but each -- in his own way -- left an indelible mark on this broadcaster and, we believe, on the radio business.

Many memories...

In preparing for a class reunion next summer (July 2010) we’ve been chatting with lots of old classmates – some of whom we’ve not seen for about a half a century. While each of us has memories of specific incidents that may not connect with others, it’s always fun when we happen across common ground. Like the “walkout” of 1961.

Almost everyone remembers it, but each of us remembers slightly different versions. Therein lies the fun…..in trying to connect the dots….er, years……in a way that makes some sense of those diverging memories.

Another bit of common ground is found when we talk about teachers and administrators. Fortunately, many of us tend to forget the poor or nondescript teacher -- there were a few -- but we have more vivid memories of the ones who impacted our lives in some positive way.

And everyone remembers Mr. Schroeder.

Superintendent of Chadron Public Schools for some 20 years, there’s lots we never really knew about H. A. Schroeder – or “Heinie” as he was known to all the grown-ups. Oh, sure, a few knew about his legendary office paddle, and most of us -- at least the boys -- were impressed with his ability to kick a football to the top of the school building. But we really didn't know much about the man.

After he retired from public education and moved back to eastern Nebraska in 1971, most Chadron High School graduates from his era were off making a living in esoteric places like Rawlins, Alliance, Hyannis, Oelrichs, Rapid City, and even Denver and Omaha!

So by the time Con Marshall wrote an excellent story about Schroeder for the Chadron Record, most of us weren’t around to enjoy it. Let’s correct that here.

With Con Marshall’s blessing, we’re pleased to offer you this news feature from 1982, Schroeders...Many Memories.

A few radio memories...

KCSR Radio had been on the air for only about one year when they placed this display advertisement in the Chadron Record. It included the full weekly program schedule for the 250-watt AM radio station, the first in the far northern reaches of the Nebraska panhandle.

Many of the same programs were still on the air four years later when the Community Service Radio Corporation -- owned by Bob Fouse and Bill Finch -- sold the station to the Beef Empire Stations owned by the Huse Publishing Company out of Norfolk, Nebraska.

You'll find a larger, easier to read version of this schedule, along with a collection of photographs from some of the earlier days of KCSR Radio, by visiting our KCSR Gallery.

Ex-KCSR GM honored in Colorado

We’re not the swiftest of messengers, but we do like to share good news about folks who’ve been a part of the Chadron community over the years.

Many of you will remember Jack Miller, a native of Norfolk who moved to Chadron in 1959 to be manager of KCSR Radio. His wife Connie was a nurse for many years at the Chadron Community Hospital, and they both had a big impact on Chadron for the decade or so that they were in the community.

So it was with pride that we wrote a note on our Radio-TV Journal site about having lunch and visiting with Jack and another KCSR veteran, Don Grant, while we were in Fort Collins earlier this year.

Both Jack and Don had come out of WJAG Radio in Norfolk, the oldest licensed radio station in Nebraska. Don returned to Norfolk in short order, but Jack remained in Chadron, becoming involved in a wide range of civic activities, including a long tenure on the hospital board.

Jack and Don were only two of several ex-KCSR staffers who migrated to KCOL radio in Fort Collins in the 1970s. Veteran newsman John DeHaes and programmer Wil Huett both landed there, too. DeHaes had worked for the Chadron Record before switching to broadcast news with stints at KCSR and later at KMMJ in Grand Island. Huett – if memory serves me correctly – had come out of southeast Iowa, perhaps the Keokuk area – before arriving in Chadron.

Of course, they’re all gone from the Chadron scene, but Jack Miller – no relation to yours truly – made quite a splash with Colorado broadcasters. Two years ago, he was named to their Colorado Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Hence, my opening apology for a long delay in acknowledging that recognition.

Jack Miller and Don Grant are retired in Fort Collins, as are – I believe – John DeHaes and Wil Huett. Both John and Wil are widowers. John married a bit later in life to Lorraine Ford, mother of JoAnne and Laurie Ford, Chadron High graduates from the early 1960s.

This posting was spurred by the video tribute to Jack Miller that we found on the worldwide web. We've archived it below. Simply click on the arrow at the bottom left of the image box to see the video. If you watch closely, you can catch a glimpse of John DeHaes, too.

A belated tip of the hat…again…. to Jack Miller!

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Take me back to the ball game

In the early 1950’s around Chadron – and lots of other communities, I suspect – town kids spent lots of time every summer on baseball diamonds.

That baseball was the American pastime there was no doubt. When we weren’t on the field playing Ward, Midget, or Junior Legion ball, we were gathering for afternoon scrimmages on any lot big enough to accommodate the game. One of our favorite spots was an empty field immediately east of what is now the Miller Building on the Chadron State College campus. These days, that field is occupied by the Reta King Library.

Occasionally, we’d retreat to backyards and improvise a bit with practice golf balls and makeshift bats. We called it “cotton ball,” although it was known by other names, too. Big city kids called it “stick ball.” I remember two types of balls used: one was a foam rubber sphere; the other was a hardened, perforated plastic ball. I preferred the foam rubber ball, which could be more easily manipulated for a wide range of strange pitches from exaggerated curves to drastic dropballs!

Summer evenings were especially fun when there was a Chadron Elks baseball game. The young men and old-timers who comprised this team in the 1950s was a diverse group of guys who shared one common love: baseball. That team deserves a separate story at a later time! From pre-game music over the speaker system to the public address announcing by Walter Hampton – baseball was in the air, rich with the smell of freshly-popped popcorn - and baseball!

Perched on outfield fenceposts, we kids bided our time, waiting to retrieve the frequent foul balls or homeruns. This was not only a way to see the game – but we were also providing something of a service to team. After all, baseballs didn’t grow on trees, and the 10 cents reward for returned balls could net an industrious kid a buck or two! Few kids who were as adept at chasing and finding foul balls as Kenny Connors, a Prepster whose achievements in the realm of foul-ball chasing were almost legendary. As he confided to me some decades later, it was also a way to occasionally replenish one’s own supply of baseballs. After all, we had to have something to play with when we gathered for our afternoon games.

Another baseball-related cottage industry that kept us off the streets and out of trouble, usually, was collecting and trading baseball cards. Of course, this was a hobby in which anyone could participate, and it was great fun. These were chewing gum cards -- popular long after the tobacco card collectibles of the early 1900s.

I was fortunate enough to team up with Lawrence (Larry) Denton, an older friend, who was a savvy collector and shrewd enough to effectively negotiate the swapping of two Bob Keegan cards for a more valuable Jim Hegan card.

Our big year in the baseball card game was 1953. I was 10 years old. Lawrence and I had bought lots of Topps chewing gum at the Newsy Nook that summer, parlaying a formidable inventory of cards. For each 5 cent-package, the purchaser got five cards – and some really bad gum. Those were the days before parents and merchandisers got into the game, selling and buying entire collections in one fell swoop – snatching from kids the joy we found in collecting and trading cards.

Like so many other things in life, new generation parents want their kids to have everything now, rather than working for it over time. Is it any wonder we’ve seen a whole generation of kids grow up who want and expect to buy a new home while still in their 20s!

With the promise that I would never sell or give away the fruits of our 1953 labors, I kept our card collection neatly tucked away in a cigar box (probably belonging to an old Denton family boarder named Jim York) for decades. In recent years, I’ve moved the cards to a binder that allows me to occasionally revel in the collection, remembering the many happy hours we spent buying, selling, and swapping cards. But our collection is still not complete.

Anybody have a #46 Johnny Klippstein?

Dale Butler tapped for Hall of Fame

~

Frequently, as I struggle across the golf course and mumble a few curses at my ineptness at the game, I resort to a bit of weak humor.

“They should call this game “If,” I proclaim.

“If only my slice had kicked in, I’d still be in the fairway.”

“If my putt had been just a tad longer, I’d have had a par.”

“If Jim hadn’t interrupted my concentration, that could’ve been a nice drive.”

If, if, if, if.

It’s often a crutch we use to escape the reality of the situation – but it’s not all bad.

Perhaps its real strength is when we use our minds to conjure up possibilities – and then muster the fortitude and commitment to accomplish something. And, doing it without mourning the circumstances of our situation.

I think Dale Butler epitomizes this.

A classmate of mine, Dale was born with just one full arm and a “stub” for the other. I suppose this was a defining fact when I first met Dale as a kid growing up in Chadron, Nebraska. But that limited view didn’t last long.

Kids seem to have a knack of quickly getting beyond the small stuff and focusing on what counts. And for those of us who loved sports, it wasn’t which neighborhood you lived in, or the color of your skin, …or how many arms you had. It was: can you play the game?

Dale was an exceptional athlete. And while I suppose it’s natural to speculate about how great he’d have been with two arms, I’m here to tell you he was great with one arm! And I don’t think any of us who grew up with Dale thought of him as “handicapped” in any way. We thought of him as, well, Dale. In sandlot baseball “workup” games, I remember Dale being among the first choices for a teammate.

Each of us is motivated in different ways. As a kid, I was competitive and worked hard to be as good a basketball player as Larry Matthesen, one of the best ball handlers and shooters ever to come out of Chadron High. I suspect Dale may have been motivated in his own way to achieve excellence.

Perhaps the most important factor in shaping our character is our parents. Dale was blessed with a nuturing home life. I’m certain that parental vision, strength, and commitment helped Dale Butler and his brothers to succeed – not just in sandlot baseball and neighborhood basketball games – but in life.

And Dale has certainly done that.

While many of us have been sports spectators perched in front of our television sets after work, Dale has been active officiating basketball, football, and baseball games over the past four decades. Good friend Con Marshall has crafted this excellent story about Dale’s recent selection to the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame. It’s just one measure of Dale’s success. We’re happy to have been a part of his early years, and we’ve admired his many accomplishments in education, business, and life!

Warm congratulations are due Dale for his accomplishments. Well done, good friend, and best wishes to you, Carol, and your family!