Just like old times

When Ruby Genrich scooped her first bag for a customer, she got paid 25 cents per night and all the popcorn she could eat.

Now 91, a lot has changed since she worked at Traubels Popcorn Stand in downtown Beatrice in the late 1930s, but the Kensington resident got a blast from her past Thursday.

Residents of the Kensington operated the new Traubels Popcorn Stand for the day on Thursday, an experience that brought back great memories for Genrich.

It was across the street then and Mr. Traubel was a very good boss, she explained. When the weather was bad or something, he would pick us up and take us home. We worked until 9 oclock sometimes.

Other things have also changed with the stand, like the modern heater and employees being required to wear gloves.

To provide extra assistance, Genrichs sister, Janice Edeal, stopped by the stand.

Edeal, 71, also worked at the popcorn stand in the late 1950s.

Its cool, because it was quite a novelty back then, she said. It meant a lot to us and I think they did a very good job on the stand. Its been very popular.

The popcorn stand was opened in 1937 by John and Stella Traubel and served the public at the northeast corner of Fifth and Court streets for 50 years until its closing in 1987.

Today, the stand is in a nearby location on North Fifth Street. The stand was one of the final additions to an overhaul of Fifth Street that changed the traffic flow to two way and added a historic clock, brick mural and colored concrete to the street.

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Just like old times