Two Wedding Days - Eureka and Chamberlain
We didn't play a lot of basketball growing up because it wasn't paved in the '60s.
Eureka Lake. View towards Eureka on the East.
We lived on the "edge" of town. Looking east from the road near the garage.
Eureka City Park...looks like the tank in the distance.
Eastward view to downtown. Auditorium on the right & town park on the left.
Tim found these photos recently, and thought our family would be interested. I remember coordinating with Tim to fly into Bismarck, North Dakota; as this was the least expensive and nearly the closest airport to Eureka. When I look at the old photos and videos, I think to myself, "how young we were back then."
The last "Smith" wedding in Eureka before Wendy's nuptials was nearly 10 years earlier when Barb and Mike exchanged their vows. Both weddings were memorable, but the thing I noticed during this 10 year span was how so many things had changed. The town seemed a little more worn down than I remembered...and remarkably smaller.
While the Smith's always enjoyed each other's company, we also knew that it "could" be one of the last times we would visit the town we grew up in. While its a feeling both Tim and I shared, I've personally only visited Eureka once since this occasion, and that was in 1991.
Fortunately we have a lot of videos of the wedding and reception, and we have talked about this time quite often in family conversations. So, long-hidden memories seem to "pop up" during these family discussions.
The wedding was an evening ceremony at the Lutheran Church in Eureka. And the weather was nice. Afterwards, we headed down to the reception at the VFW. I'm not certain how long we stayed that evening, but do recall that we listened to POLKA.
Her wedding day was a long one for me -I do recall staying up "way too late." We made our way to someone's house where Arnie played piano till the wee hours of the morning. At some point, I went out to the car and fell asleep while the rest of our friends and family continued to "whoop it up."
The following day, we found ourselves at the Smith household (including the new bride). We knew that mom was going to move to Rapid City, so our visit was somewhat sentimental. We knew that it would be one of the last times we would call our "home" home. After we left the house,Tim and I drove around the town photographing and video taping our visit to Eureka. Some of these photos are reflected on this page, although we have other videos and photos that can be accessed through this site as well.
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As for Steve's wedding, this was the first time I met Stana, and honestly, I think it was only for a few minutes. She was busy with friends & family - but we were as well. The Smiths didn't have an opportunity to see other often, so we spent long hours "catching up" with family events. As for Wendy & Tom's wedding, everyone already knew Tom. He was one of the "neighborhood kids" - he lived on the same block as the Smith family.
Steve's wedding was very different - it was held in the local park in Chamberlain along the Missouri River, festive in dress and ambiance, and the only thing we were told was to dress "colorful." Click on the FAMILY PHOTOS to enlarge.
A familiar street for the Smith children. Looking up the road, south, towards the Reformed Church.
Wendy and Mom on her autumn wedding day. Eureka, South Dakota.
