Stay safe and still do a good deed

Hi neighbors.

I hope everyone has good fans or air conditioning! Or at least lots of water to drink and stick your feet in (well, not both activities from the same container!)

Keep popsicles handy and other cold treats. Jell-O is always good, furnishes good flavor, water intake and helps cool you down.

If you run out of options, go somewhere cool. The public library is always a good place to escape the heat. Go read a book!

You can also go to local stores and take your time shopping. Go inside a restaurant and sit for a while. The water is usually cold, good and free. You might buy something though, just to help pay for the air conditioning. Ice cream is a good choice.

Go visit your friends who have cooler homes than you do. If your friends understand your need, they may invite you to stay the afternoons just to help you avoid heat stroke. What are friends for?

The main thing to remember is to stay cool. If you are using fans to cool yourself, be sure to drink lots of water and don't have the fans blowing directly at you.

Early mornings are usually the coolest time of the day, so take advantage of that. Either sit outside, or open windows until the temperatures start climbing. If your house is insulated, cooling it off at night or in early morning and then closing it up before the afternoon heat, should keep it a few degrees cooler than outside.

It is always difficult to stay cool during several days of continuous heat. If you need help, don't hesitate to call Nevada City Hall or the chamber of commerce office to see if any relief efforts are available to you. Contact your electricity provider.

Be careful and be wise. Don't risk your life!

If you do have air conditioning and want something to do in your cool house; you might grab some old photo boxes out of the closets and go through them. In particular look for photos or newspaper clippings involving the Nevada Police Department's history.

In response to my email, the current Nevada Police Chief, Graham Burnley, explained his interest in completing his history research on the development of the Nevada Police Department.

"As a longtime history buff," he explained in his email, "I was impressed with the rich history of Nevada and Vernon County. When I first arrived in Nevada and began my new job as Police Chief almost four years ago, I was given a tour of the Public Safety Building. I discovered that the fire department had a display of old photographs along with equipment.

"Unfortunately the police had nothing of that nature. I decided to ask the community to help us retrieve items of historical importance along with PD photos. We have been very successful in securing several old photos, with the oldest being from 1900. We also had a family donate a badge that their father wore as the Police Chief in the 1960s."

He indicated that a big boost to his search came from Cottey College intern Katherine Kerbs, who incorporated research she collected into a report as part of her course work. (A copy of that report is available in the genealogy room in the Nevada Public Library.)

Chief Burnley requests help from the community. He said, "Donations of old police equipment and copies of old photos would be greatly appreciated. We are especially looking for anything from the 1800s. We were able to return all original photos to the owners after making a copy.

"We currently have the police station hallway full of old pictures," he added. "My hope is to establish an historical display in the new police station and even perhaps provide a display for the Bushwhacker Museum. The administrative phone number at the police station is 417-448-5100."

Until the next time friends, remember that if you have time and energy, look through your belongings to see if you can assist the NPD in finding their history. This can be a great community effort to preserve a vital part of our history.

And please! Stay cool and safe!