Welcome

October 23, 2007 - Going from North Platte to Nashville
October 19, 2007 - Nominees dedicated to NP
September 28, 2007 - Deadline for Women of Achievement nears
September 11, 2007 - Recipe Contest to Feature Cookbook
September 4, 2007 - Humorist looking for ‘Men’s Secret Camp’
August 30, 2007 - Award honors outstanding women

Going from North Platte to Nashville
Jennifer Nelson - North Platte Telegraph - 10/23/2007

As Kristina Marie Craig prepares to sing her heart out at the Head 2 Toe Women’s Expo on Nov. 3, another important event is just around the corner.

In about a month, Craig will be packing up her possessions and moving to Nashville to begin pursuing her dream of a full-time career as a music star.
Craig is originally from Whitman, population 15. However, this small town gal is not shy.

“I love singing in front of a crowd,” she said.

However, before she goes, Craig has volunteered to sing during the Head 2 Toe Women’s Expo. Craig said she felt honored to be asked to sing at the event.

“I like the fact that I can give back to the community after they’ve really helped me out,” she said. “I’m really glad they’re doing something for women in North Platte.”

Earlier this year, Craig was one of the top three finalists on ABC’s “Six Degrees of Martina McBride.”

Since the show, Craig has been busy preparing for the next chapter in her life. She received a six-month contract with Sony, has pitched a song to radio stations and has been building a fan base in Nebraska.

“You really need to build a fan base where you come from first,” she said.
Craig has also been working many hours to help pay expenses, something she expects to be doing once she gets to Nashville, too.

After Craig moves to Nashville she plans to begin working with some songwriters she met while on the show. She hopes to do some demo singing to get her music out there and begin building a band. She expects her debut album to come out some time in 2008.

“(My family), they’ve been very supportive, I couldn’t do it without them,” Craig said. “After my brother graduates, my parents might move down to Nashville, they really want to be a part of this.”

The songs that Craig writes are mainly about her and her siblings and what they’ve gone through over the years. “I really want to write songs that people can relate to,” she said.

Craig began singing when she was a small child and although she feels she wasn’t that good at that time, she didn’t give up. Beginning her freshman year of high school, she began singing at every opportunity, including singing in a number of competitions.

While Craig knew she wanted to go to Nashville, she didn’t expect it to be this soon.

“God really opened some doors with this show (Six Degrees),” she said. “I’m going to do it, I’m really excited.”

Nominees dedicated to NP
Diane Wetzel - North Platte Telegraph - 10/19/2007

This year’s nominees for the Women of Achievement award bring years of talent, experience and dedication to the North Platte community.

“We received a total of 28 nominations,” said Pat Snyder, business manager for the North Platte Telegraph, which is sponsoring the event. “There are a lot of women doing a lot of great things in our community.”

The panel of judges had a difficult task selecting the winners, Snyder said.

“These women in our community do what they do because the love what they do,” Snyder said. “I am in awe of what these women have done, and what their efforts have meant to North Platte.”

The winners of the 2007 Women of Achievement award will be announced at a banquet Nov. 3.

The banquet will feature inspirational speaker Sue Kirby, author of “Men’s Secret Camp: Timeless Traditions and Tribulations of Family Life and Love.” One reviewer called Kirby, “The wise and witty aunt we all wish we had. The harried housewife, the muddled mom, the wacky friend who takes time out from life to celebrate the ordinary.”

The Women of Achievement will be announced in seven categories, including social services, business, youth, government, volunteer, education and cultural arts.

Crowning the 2007 Women of Achievement winners at the banquet will be the culmination of the first Head 2 Toe Women Expo at the Quality Inn & Sandhills Convention Center Nov. 3.

Entertainment will be provided by Kristina Marie, one of the top three finalists on “6 degrees with Martina McBride.” Also performing will be Job, Peter and Chuck, a local group that features music from the 1960s and 1970s. 

Tickets for H2TWE are $10, or two for $15, available at the North Platte Telegraph. Vendor booths, shopping and demonstrations covering fashion to financial planning are scheduled.

Tickets for the WOA banquet are $30 each or two for $50, also available at The North Platte Telegraph.

More information is available at www.womenshead2toeexpo.com.

The 2007 Women of Achievement nominees are:

* Social services — Brenda Brooks, Jacque Amweg, Melissa Smith, Kim Seelmeyer

*  Business — Cindy Bradley, Katherine Rounsborg Hall, Christine Sommer, Kathy Bourque, Sharon Owen, Teresa Sweeley, Darlene Albrecht, Sharon Skinner, Lisa Dominisse

*  Youth — Diane Finch, Kimberly Stewart, Catherine Brittenham

*  Government — Karin Lange, Judy Pederson

* Volunteer — Molly O’Holleran, Doris Davis

*  Education — Midge Mougey, Carol Norgaard, Trudy Merritt

*  Cultural Arts — Wava Best,  Mary Beth Dodson, Janice Bachman, Anne Schmit, Rajean Luebs Shepherd

 

Deadline for Women of Achievement nears
Jennifer Nelson - North Platte Telegraph - 9/28/2007

The presentation of the 2007 Women of Achievement Awards is just around the corner.

In fact, the nomination deadline for those awards is even closer, with nominations needing to be postmarked by Sunday to be considered.

The awards will be presented as part of the Head 2 Toe Women’s Expo, sponsored by the North Platte Telegraph, on Nov. 3. The Women of Achievement nominees are women who have enriched the community in a variety of ways and who are outstanding in their chosen field.

Nominations are being accepted for the following categories: Business, Cultural Arts, Education, Government, Volunteer, Social Services and Youth. So far nominations have been received for each category.

The Women of Achievement was once an annual awards program sponsored by a committee of the North Platte Area Chamber of Commerce.

There is a lot of excitement with the awards being brought back, especially now being featured in the Women’s Expo.

“It’s going to be a fun day,” said Pat Snyder, chairwoman of the Women of Achievement awards event. “We’re just going to be celebrating women that day.”

On Oct. 24, there will be a luncheon and the nominated women will be asked to attend. Each individual will give a short bio. The winners will be announced at the Nov. 3 event.

“I think it’s kind of an honor for someone, just to be nominated,” Synder said.

The judging will be done by individuals outside of the Telegraph.

All nominations must be postmarked by Sunday. Anyone within the North Platte Telegraph readership area is eligible to be nominated.

For information and nomination forms, go to www.womenshead2toeexpo.com or pick up a form at the North Platte Telegraph. Send completed forms to: Pat Snyder, Business Manager, North Platte Telegraph, PO Box 370, North Platte, NE 69101-0370. 

Recipe Contest to Feature Cookbook
Jennifer Nelson - North Platte Telegraph - 9/11/2007

It’s time to get your recipes submitted. The North Platte Telegraph’s annual recipe contest is just around the corner.

The contest will be a little bit different this year. The recipe contest, “Holiday Feast: Five Course Meal,” will be part of the Women’s Head 2 Toe Expo on Nov. 3, 2007.

Also featured in the recipe contest this year will be a cookbook. The cookbook is being put together with the winning recipes from the last 10 years as well as family favorites of the employees from The Telegraph, said Chris Linn, co-chairwoman for the recipe contest.

Chelsey Lehl, North Platte Telegraph creative services representative, designed the cover for the cookbook. Lehl’s design was chosen after The Telegraph sponsored a competition in the creative services department to design a cover for the cookbook. Lehl spent several hours designing the cover she entered into the competition.

“I just wanted as many images as I could get on it, to show the variety,” Lehl said. The cookbooks will be available at the expo.

“We’re excited it’s (recipe contest) part of the expo this year,” said Linn. “People will get to meet the winners.”

There are hopes that because the recipe contest is part of a larger event, the women’s expo, it will possibly bring in more participation. Even though the recipe contest is part of the Women’s Expo this year, the contest isn’t just open to women.

“I hope this does not deter the men from entering the contest since this is the women’s expo,” said Julie Murrish, a coordinator of the contest, who served as a judge last year, “They’re (men) more than welcome to enter.”

Youth can enter the contest as well.  “We have a kid’s section and they get some pretty creative recipes,” Murrish said. The children’s categories are different than the adult’s categories to allow more creativity.

“We’re hoping to get a lot more people involved,” Murrish said. “It’s just a lot of fun for the community.”

There are five courses in which participants can enter their recipes: Appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes and desserts, or participants can enter a recipe in each course category.

Judges will pick three recipes from each category and then contact the winners. Those chosen will then prepare their recipe and bring the food to the women’s expo. Judges will taste the recipe and pick a top winner from each category, Linn said. The three winners from each category will win a prize and then the overall winners chosen during the Women’s Expo will win a prize as well.

Although judges have not been chosen yet, they will be three local individuals, Linn said. The prepared recipes at the expo will be judged on presentation and flavor as well as eye appeal.

After the expo, the winners will be published in a special addition of the Telegraph along with their recipes and photos, as well as all recipes entered in the contest, said Linn.

Participants need to send or bring recipes they want entered in the contest to The Telegraph by Oct. 1.

Humorist looking for ‘Men’s Secret Camp’
Diane Wetzel - North Platte Telegraph - 9/4/2007

Sue Kirby is looking forward to her first visit to Nebraska. The inspirational speaker will be featured at the Women of Achievement banquet on Nov. 3, as part of the Head 2 Toe Women’s Expo sponsored by The North Platte Telegraph.

“What’s Nebraska known for?” she asked during an interview from her home in the Seattle area.

Corn, cows and trains, she was told.

“Ah,” she said. “Perhaps the Men’s Secret Camp is nearby.”

One of Kirby’s life goals is to find the Men’s Secret Camp. The mythical place where men go to learn about being men exists, Kirby says.

“For example, not a woman I know has ever said ‘pull my finger,’” Kirby said. “Men learn that at the secret camp.”
Kirby is so convinced that she wrote a book about it.

The author of “Men’s Secret Camp,” has been compared to humorist Erma Bombeck, a comparison Kirby says is an honor.

“I’m delighted to be visiting your city,” Kirby said in an interview from her home in Seattle. “I’m bringing relief to the distressed women of North Platte.”

Women can’t take a breath these days, Kirby said.

“I’m a humorist,” Kirby said. “A comedian would stand up there and tell jokes that people may or may not remember. A humorist can use their own experience, their own lives to tell stories that others can relate to.”

Kirby was living in Orange County, Calif., when her first husband left her with three children to raise.

”It was a huge thing to be the only one in my community who was divorced,” Kirby said. “It was a huge thing to have no money coming in.”

Then a friend said something to her that helped change her life.

“They said, ‘you’d better have a stiff upper lip, because you are going to land on your feet. You are going to be alright and we are going to help you,’” Kirby said.

They helped with money to stake Kirby in her own business, “Out of the Woods.”

“Their energy and their belief in me totally changed my life,” Kirby said. “I was busy making wreaths and little bundles of twigs when someone asked me if I would speak at an event at their hospital. I told them I had children to feed and couldn’t do it for free. They said, okay, we’ll pay you, but you had better be good.”

More than 300 women attended that first event.

“After I finished speaking, one of them came up to me and said, ‘ditch the wreaths and write a book,’” Kirby said.

Now, Kirby builds a wreath while she speaks, and one member of the audience will get to take her creation home.

“It’s women’s turn right now,” Kirby said. “And you must take care of your turn.” 

Award honors outstanding women
Diane Wetzel - North Platte Telegraph - 8/30/2007

Nominations are needed for the 2007 Women of Achievement Awards, honoring women who have enriched the community and who are considered outstanding in their chosen fields.

Women of Achievement awards will be presented as part of the inaugural Head 2 Toe Women’s Expo, sponsored by the North Platte Telegraph, on Nov. 3, 2007.

Originally established by the Community Improvement Committee of the North Platte Chamber of Commerce, past Women of Achievement award winners include Pat Birge, Rose Klemm, Jo Ann Blackledge, Rhonda Seacrest, Marilyn McGahan, Ella Ochoa, Nancy Whitaker, Willa Brinkmeyer, Cecelia Lawrence and Kim Schroll, among others.

CIP disbanded after membership dwindled, according to Chamber president David Bernard-Stevens.

The last WOA awards were presented in 2004.

“We wanted to bring Women of Achievement back,” said North Platte Telegraph business manager Pat Snyder, who is coordinating the event. “I think it is a terrific way to honor the women of our community.”

Nominations should include women who have shown social responsibility, ethical and outstanding leadership, and a commitment to service to the community, and are being accepted in seven categories: business, cultural arts, education, government, volunteer, social services and youth.

All nominations must be received by Sept 30, and will be accepted from within the North Platte Telegraph readership area.

For information and nomination forms, visit www.womenshead2toeexpo.com or pick up a form at the North Platte Telegraph. Send completed forms to: Pat Snyder, Business Manager, North Platte Telegraph, PO Box 370, North Platte, NE. 69101-0370.