Angels
Amoung Us
by Denise Poss
I believe there are angels among us.
Those words, made popular by the country music group "Alabama"
in the 1990s, also mimic the thoughts of Ernie Mohr of North Platte.
Mohr, often referred to as "The Angel Man," firmly believes angels
walk among us and that without angels, "we would all be long gone."To
that end, Mohr has collected thousands of angels from all over the world.
"I lived in Grand Island when I first started," he said. "After
we moved to North Platte, I started decorating in 1973, before my wife died."
Mohr's wife, Mary Ann, died in 1974. He said he received a great deal of
criticism for his holiday display in 1973 because the country was facing
a severe energy crisis, but it pleased his ailing wife, so it was well worth
it.
Mohr and his 11 children continued to adorn their home with angels for many
years. It soon became a tradition for people to drive by "The Angel
Man's" house during the holidays to view the elaborate display.
Ernie Mohr, also pictured below,
aka “The Angel Man,” is surrounded by his 11 children in this
1995 photo. Mohr received national acclaim that year for his elaborae display
of 1,200 angels and 12,000 lights.
In 1995, the last year he decorated
his own home, Mohr said he received national acclaim for his display of
1,200 angels and 12,000 lights. He also placed an angel atop a 20-foot antenna.
In recent years, Mohr said the operation has become a family affair, with
his sons, Sam and Mike Mohr, becoming increasingly involved in the elaborate
angel display. He said the decorating now takes place at a home owned by
Sam Mohr on the corner of Third and Eastman streets in North Platte.
"I'd say we use a thousand or more angels now," he said.
Mohr not only believes in angels and decorates with them, but he has also
become somewhat of an "angel" himself by volunteering with the
Salvation Army.
Mohr said shortly after he began decorating his home, he became aware the
Salvation Army was running short on donations. He offered to help raise
money by placing a red donation kettle in his yard and ringing the familiar
bell.
The effort was an unqualified success and Mohr has used his display to benefit
the Salvation Army ever since.
The Angel Giving Tree
Contrary to popular belief, all "angels" do not reside in heaven.
Some of them take the form of Retired and Senior Volunteer Program workers
who volunteer to help with the Salvation Army's "Angel Giving Tree"
at the North Platte Mall each year during the holidays.
"They really are angels," said Capt. Kris Wood of the North Platte
Salvation Army. "They give an awful lot of time and they don't receive
anything for that."
Wood said the "Angel Giving Tree" could not take place without
the help of the RSVP volunteers and he is extremely grateful for their help.
"A lot of them feel like they can't do what they used to do anymore,
but they sure can help with this," he said.
According to Wood, each year the tree is set up and dozens of tags are placed
on it. Each of the tags has the first name and age of a child who needs
gifts to open at Christmas.
Some tags on the tree are just labeled with "boy" or "girl."
This provides gifts for those children whose parents may not have applied
in time. Wood noted that all applicants are screened to ensure there is
truly a need for help.
Individuals who would like to buy gifts for the children can take a tag
from the tree, sign the register book, and then buy as much or as little
as they want. The gifts are distributed to the families in mid-December.
Wood said one of the best things about the "Angel Giving Tree"
program is that there are no administrative costs associated with it.
"It's really a great thing because it allows people to give a direct
gift that nobody's going to take a percentage out of. It all goes to the
kids," he said.
He also noted that the North Platte Wal-Mart and Alco stores both have "Giving
Trees," which are manned by store employees.
"The employees are volunteering their time to do that and they are
vital because we get a lot of gifts through those other trees," Wood
said.
It seems there truly are angels among us in North Platte.
NPTHoliday 2003 Issue
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