North Platte, Neb. (May 19, 2014) – Belle Edwards has “unusual” house guests every June.
For the past twenty years, she’s been opening up her North Platte home to sailors, members of the USS Nebraska submarine crew.
Each year, NebraskalandDays celebration in North Platte invites the Commander and several sailors from the submarine named after the Cornhusker State to spend several days in town, and to house the men, local volunteers are called upon.
Belle and her late husband, Clayton, got the call from Ron Brooks in 1994 and were glad to help. Every year since then, they have had one to two sailors from the USS Nebraska in their home.
The sailors spend four or five days in North Platte, and are the honorary guests at lots of NebraskalandDays activities, from the pancake feed to the beef barbecue, the art show, the parade, the rodeo, and everything in between. The sailors bake one of the cakes during the cake auction, and it’s often one of the higher selling cakes. Each year’s crew tries to outdo last year’s cake bakers for money paid for the sailors’ cake. “It’s important to them, that their cake auctions for a lot of money,” Belle said.
The sailors wear their Navy uniforms everywhere they go, and are greeted warmly. “They are feted everywhere they go,” Belle said. “The patriotism of the people of North Platte is unparalleled, starting with the Canteen (from World War II). It seems like we’ve gained a reputation of really welcoming the military.”
The sailors are transported to each day’s activities, and each night, come home to their hosts’ house. Belle usually leaves the door open for them, and there are snacks and drinks on hand when they come home to relax. After Clayton died in 1999, she moved from Indian Hills to a condo, and now the sailors stay in the “west wing,” of her home, with their own bedroom and bathroom. “We encourage them to make themselves at home.”
She has become friends with several of the sailors, including Commander Dittmer and his wife Lauri. Commander Dittmer has been one of the few men who have come to NebraskalandDays twice, and when the USS Nebraska came into port at King’s Bay in Georgia in 2000, Belle was invited to go on the tour with the families of the crew. It was the first year after her husband’s death, and she was concerned about traveling to Georgia, staying at a hotel, and finding the port. But the Dittmers took care of her, having her stay in their home. She got to go out in the sub as it took a brief trip. “I even sat down at the controls!” she laughed.
She loves the sailors who visit. “They are all respectful and wonderful, just wonderful. It’s my honor and privilege to have them here, my opportunity to give back.”
Belle will celebrate her thirtieth year as a real estate broker next year. She doesn’t plan to retire, and she doesn’t plan to quit hosting sailors, either. “As long as I’m needed, I’ll certainly be available. It’s little enough to do, considering the huge responsibility they take on to keep all of us safe.”
NebraskalandDays takes place June 18-28 in North Platte with a variety of activities, from parades to the Buffalo Bill Rodeo June 18-21. Lady Antebellum is in concert onJune 27, with David Nail opening, and Billy Currington closes down NebraskalandDays with a concert on June 28. For more information, visit the website at Nebraskalanddays.com or call 308.532.7939.