The Grand Island
BYU
Nebraska
EST. IN 1870
33
28
Huskers fall
to BYU with lastsecond Hail Mary
See Sports, Section C
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015
Courthouse
weddings
not always
routine
Firefighter Challenge
By Jeff Bahr
jeff.bahr@theindependent.com
Just because couples get married by
a clerk magistrate doesn’t mean the ceremony will be in a courthouse. Clerk magistrates often preside over banns in more
scenic settings, such as a nearby gazebo
or bandstand.
Sometimes, the ceremony might even
include a few bells and whistles. Nance
County Clerk Magistrate Angela Lewandowski will let the bride and groom include their children in the ceremony. She
has also allowed music in the courtroom.
One couple hired a floral shop that decorated the courtroom.
Sometimes, the clerk magistrate will
even leave town to officiate at a ceremony.
Lynne Nylander of Hamilton County did
a wedding for a friend’s family at a nursing home in Omaha. She also has presided over a wedding in Lexington.
But the clerk is not the only one who
gets out of town.
“I’ve had couples come from other
counties or cities because they didn’t want
their family to know they got married,”
Lewandowski said.
That’s one reason why people might
choose a courthouse wedding.
A more common reason is the bride
and groom might not have church ties.
“A lot of the comments that I hear is
they don’t belong to a religion,” said Reynalda Carpenter, Hall County clerk
magistrate.
It might be a second marriage for both
of them.
“They’ve already gone through the big
wedding, and this is something just to
get them married,” Carpenter said.
The bride and groom might like the
convenience of a courthouse wedding,
or they might not want to spend a lot of
money.
“They don’t want all the hoopla,” Nylander said.
Some couples say, “We’ve been together
10 years, and we just want to get it done,”
Carpenter said.
A trip to the courthouse might be in
conjunction
with
a
destination
wedding.
Some couples get married and have
the reception down the road.
Plans sometimes change. Lewandowski
has married couples who turn around
and have a church wedding.
For an occasion that can be a formality, some opt for formal wear. Others are
more casual.
“I’ve had the full gamut, from shirts
and flip flops to wedding dresses,” said
Tom Hawes, Adams County clerk
magistrate.
Sherman County Clerk Magistrate
Janelle Mostek has also seen the full range,
from couples in T-shirts to people in “wedding gowns and tuxes.”
Independent/Matt Dixon
Grand Island Firefighter Tony Nissen competes in the individual portion of the Scott Safety Firefighter Combat Challenge Saturday
near the Nebraska Building during the Nebraska State Fair.
Facing the toughest two minutes in sports
By Lauren Sedam
Today’s State Fair
Highlight
lauren.sedam@theindependent.com
They say the Scott Safety Firefighter Combat Challenge is the
toughest two minutes in sports, and
on Saturday, the crowd at the State
Fair found out why.
At the sound of a siren, competitors wearing about 50 pounds of gear
each rushed up a five-story tower
carrying a 42-pound hose pack.
At the
top, they
hoisted up a
42-pound
hose roll
before
running
back down.
They then
had to hammer a 160-pound beam five
feet, a motion that mirrors what it
would be like to forcibly enter a
building. Next, they ran a 140-foot
course before picking up a charged
hose, dragging it 75 feet and shooting
water at a target. With friction, the
hose can feel like anywhere from 140
to 240 pounds. Finally, the competitors had to drag a 175-pound rescue
7:30 p.m., Jake Owen
Concert, Heartland
Events Center
It’s a “Barefoot Blue Jean
Night.”
mannequin 106 feet across the finish
line.
At the end, some of the firefighters nearly collapsed into the arms of
volunteers, who rushed to get their
gear off. Others took several minutes
to cool down in a tent. Some didn’t
finish.
“It was brutal. It was very taxing,” said Minden Fire Chief Tom
Brown, who completed the course. “It
definitely pushed all my limits.”
Seth Boshart, a Grand Island Fire
Department firefighter who also
finished the course, agreed.
“It was probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done,”
Boshart said.
Although the course was certainly not easy, organizers Lonnie
Mitteis and Jared Stockwell said
having the challenge at the State Fair
was a great opportunity for both the
competitors and the public.
“We like the interest,” Stockwell
said. “Crowds have been great.
People have been really supportive.”
Both Stockwell and Mitteis are
firefighters and paramedics with
GIFD, and both have competed in
challenges before.
Mitteis said he wanted to bring
the challenge to the area to share the
experience with others.
■ turn to FIREFIGHTER CHALLENGE, page 3A
■ turn to COURTHOUSE WEDDINGS, page 2A
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