Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 16

NEBRASKA Lincoln Journal Star Sunday, June 29, 2003 Reality sets in for weary Deshler residents Orange fi Sti ii 2 05 Flavored k'Jt QStl'-'ilO Oil? A COMPOUND rOR MAXIMO brinks. The Associated Press DESHLER It took nearly a week, but reality is hitting home in this Thayer County town ravaged by at least four tornadoes Sunday night The storms killed one, injured seven and destroyed many homes and businesses. Mayor Alan Holle said cleanup should be finished soon. While people are willing to expend the energy to rebuild the town, he said, many finally paused late this week to get a grip on the disaster. "It is very emotional, and people are trying to figure out where to go from here," he said.

"I think the adrenaline finally wore off Joyce Zucker, 74, was among the town residents assessing the damage during cleanup this week. Her two-story brick house was among those hit by the twisters. Only some walls still stand. With a tear in her eye, she said she would like to tear those walls gf J'JKT ADO SUQAff ANO COU3 WArS MakeS-10-GiaSSeS JKLICIOU8-RKFKfCmtlNO WILLIAM LAUERLincoln Journal Star Chuck Fintel of Omaha clears the basement of a destroyed home in Deshler earlier this week. Fintel lived in Deshler.

said, city officials hope to call a meeting with local business owners to decide where to focus business rebuilding efforts. For the first few days after the storm, residents fished through piles of rubble that once were their 7 Rich-1 5mooth ion u.r mo torn lvou toHw rooo. cwtot cM cum, uCt. MctMH. MO WK-i.

MM UUCM MIS FUOCM61. I'KKKINS iMJCMHCTS CO. This is a package of Kool-Aid from 1 931 when the product was called "Kool-Ade." Kool-Aid's roots grew in Nebraska ETHAN ALLEN homes and businesses. Volunteers gathered wood, shingles, dishes, pictures and whatever was left Flatbed truck drivers hauled away piles of rubble, trying to erase reminders of the tornado's path on the south edge of town. Power was restored to nearly all residents by Friday as the city began a move closer, inch by inch, to what life was before the storm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency toured the city Wednesday, documenting the extensive damage that has been conservatively estimated in excess of $3 millioa Holle said it remains in doubt whether Deshler will qualify for federal dollars to assist in rebuilding because the disaster may not qualify under minimum damage requirements. The latest FEMA numbers, however, show most property in Deshler sustained some level of damage. A If; arched panel bed $839 table salo SAU ENDS JULY 5, 2003. i II- mini rc down so people can start to forget what happened. She is ready to start anew, she said, and hopes the rest of Deshler will do the same.

Holle said that by Thursday, reality set in for the tired residents. Sometime in the coming weeks, he Accent Save Erf ZL' Save Although there are few products as ubiquitous or brands names as well known as Kool-Aid, many do not realize it was developed and originally made in Nebraska. Edwin Elijah Perkins was bom Jan. 8, 1889, in Lewis, Iowa, and moved to rural Furnas County, in 1893. About 1900, his father traded his farm for a general store in Hendley, a town less than 10 miles from Kansas on the Burlington Missouri River Railroad midway between Beaver City and Wilsonville.

In 1905, the new D.M. Perkins Co. store was constructed with son Ed working for his father. One of the products that captured Ed's imagination was Jell-0 and may have been one of the reasons he answered a mail-order ad from an Iowa company offering instructions on how to manufacture household products. The kit included not only formulas but labels bearing the name Perkins Products, which could be affixed to the concoctions.

The primary products turned out were spices, flavorings, liniments and perfumes. At 13, Perkins expanded by buying a mail-order printing press, enabling him to print cards, labels and even a catalog. At this point sources disagree. One says, "It was here Perkins developed 'Fruit a liquid fruit drink concentrate that led to the development of Another says that Perkins'Truit Smash" was made in six flavors. The company's first commercial success, however, was "Nix-O-Tine," a mixture of herbs and chemicals Perkins invented in 1918 that was aimed at kicking the cigarette habit.

Two years later, Ed and his wife, Katherine, or "Kitty," moved to Hastings, thinking distribution would be easier from a larger town. The pair rented rooms above the I.O.O.F. hall, where they set up housekeeping and the manufacturing facility for Onor Maid products, which advertised 125 different items in its catalog. A short time later, Perkins Products Co. moved to 508 W.

First St, just across from the Burlington depot It was in this location, a more reliable source says, that "Perkins developed Kool-Aid's predecessor 'Fruit It is also this storefront that carries the sign proclaiming it as the birthplace. Wherever it was developed, Fruit Smack or Fruit Smash was not the well-known powder of today. The concentrate was a liquid sold in 4-ounce corked vials and then diluted with water. It was difficult to ship and not economical to boot Perhaps Perkins again thought of Jell-0 and ultimately was able to dehydrate the syrup, put it in 1- osVelye COURTESY PHOTO JIM McKEE For the Journal Star ounce envelopes and rename it "Kool-Ade." By 1928, the new drink mix was on the market, and Perkins began to develop new ways of marketing it. The result was a heretofore unknown counter display he called a "self-selling silent salesman." In a short time, virtually the entire family was pressed into measuring out the magic powder and sealing it in envelopes.

In 1931, Kool-Ade moved to Chicago, where shipping, materials procurement and production costs were considered more favorable. With the Great Depression still hard on his heels, Perkins made the decision to drop the retail price from 10C to 5t per packet It worked! It was also in the early 1 930s that Kool-Ade was renamed Kool-Aid. By the late 1930s and '40s, the early home products had been abandoned, but new products in a similar vein to Kool-Aid were introduced, including gum and bottled soft drinks, while Kool-Aid also was marketed as a potential ingredient in sherbet, jelly, ice cream, candy, pie filling, cake and suckers. By 1950, the Chicago plant was said to cover three acres and employ more than 300 people. With sales at a peak, Perkins decided to trade Kool-Aid and its support businesses for 250,000 shares of General Foods, which, interestingly, also owned Jell-O.

In 1988, the same year Kraft took over General Foods, Hastings established Kool-Aid Days, complete with the world's largest Kool-Aid stand and crowds estimated at more than 5,000. If you would like to learn more about Hendley, where the 1905 Perkins Store building still stands, and the rest of the Kool-Aid story, don't miss the vast display on the lower level of the Hastings Museum. On the way out you can even vote for your favorite Kool-Aid flavor (grape, by a mile) Historian Jim McKee, who still writes with a fountain pen, invites comments or questions. Write in care of the Journal Star or e-mail: leebooksradiKs.net Norfolk-Denver flights. The decision was based on passenger numbers that have dropped below federal limits under the Essential Air Service program.

The letter noted recent increases in passengers, a schedule change and lower fares as reasons why 90-day postponement should be granted. "While we continue to seek a more long-term solution to the loss of subsidies in Norfolk, the transportation department should give the community an appropriate time to make their case for continued funding," Nelson said "Applies to new purchases made belwsen April 1 and Jufy 6, 2003 on your Bhan ABen finance Plus Cori $2000 minimum purchase required. 2.99 APR finorxe charges oppfy to ofl promotional purchase amounfc from the billing date through the end of sixth (6th) full billing period. Thereafter, finance charges on any balance of the promotional purchase will be assessed at 9.99 APR. if minimum monthly payments on your account on not paid when due, oil promotional terms may be terminated.

Stondard account terms will apply la oN norvrxonxirioncil purchases. Varioble APR 21.0X as erf March 1, 2003. Mninuim finana charge is $1. Fmandng availobJe to U.1 residents only, subject to terms and andirions and credit approval by MCCBG. At retailers visa Complimentary Design Service Clearance Sale 20 off ALL accents throughout the entire store.

40 to 80 off Congressmen urge delay in cutting Norfolk air subsidies ALL Accents in Ethans Attic aavtdsons I I i- 4 The Associated Press NORFOLK Norfolk is getting congressional help in its effort to keep federal air service subsidies for commuter flights to Denver. Rep. Doug Bereuter and Sens. Chuck 1 lagel and Ben Nelson sent a letter Friday to Norman Mineta, head of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The letter asks for a 90-day postponement of a decision by the DOT on whether to eliminate the subsidies. The department recently announced a tentative decision to eliminate subsidies for Great Lakes Aviation of Cheyenne, Wya, for its An Authorized I ETHAN ALLEN' Retailer 70th Van Dorn, LINCOLN 489-8881 Thurs. Fri. 10-6; Sat 10-5; Closed Sundays so our employees can spend that time with their families.