Looking Back: The Holidays In Dorchester -- 78 Years Ago

Christmas decorations on the third floor of the old school.

At this time 78 years ago, World War II had recently concluded and America was experiencing the beginning of a new era of prosperity. And during the holidays in 1946, it was a busy time for several organizations in Dorchester.

The Dorchester Times examined Christmas-time issues of The Dorchester Star from December 1946. Here are some of the activities we found on the community calendar the week before Christmas:

• Dorchester Activities Club:  The Dorchester Activities Club, which met once a month, had 68 residents attend the December 1946 meeting to share a turkey dinner prepared by "the ladies" and then to hear from a guest speaker discuss the future of "atomic energy."

• American Legion: On Dec. 15, 1946, the Dorchester American Legion Post 264 held a trap shoot for the public at the J. Owen Potter farm. Pheasants were at "such a high premium" that year that it was decided shooting at clay pigeons made more sense than a hunt.  On Dec. 19, the Legion and Auxiliary held a Christmas covered dish supper for the community (just as they did this year).

• Dorchester Quilting Club:  The Quilting Club enjoyed a Christmas party at the home of Mrs. Lillie Arnold.

• Friendly Nabor Club:  The 20 members of the Friendly Nabor Project Club met at the home of Mrs. Sabina Potter on Dec. 11 for lunch and had a exchange of homemade gifts.  They announced the January meeting would be hosted by Mrs. Hans Weber and Mrs. Jay Younkin.

• Triple A Club:  Mrs. John Freeouf was hostess of the Triple A Club.  It was reported that "Miss Myrtle Briker was high at bridge."

• Dorchester Bridge Club:  The Bridge Club met Dec. 17, 1946, at the home of C.C. Whitcomb.

• Dorchester School:  Dorchester's fifth and sixth graders decorated their classrooms for Christmas with posters of Christmas scenes, as well as poinsettias and candles and a Christmas tree. Jack Bruha brought a new 1947 calendar for his classroom. In high school, the DHS Pep Club girls decorated the hallways and student assembly, and they "dressed a tree placed in the upper hall."

• Dorchester Library:  The Dorchester Public Library was open on Saturdays in December 1946 from 7-9 p.m. on Saturdays and from 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

• Methodist Church:  The Dorchester Methodist Church's young people went caroling around town on Dec. 21, 1946. The "Junior Department" of the UMC Sunday School held a pageant, titled "A Little Child," on Christmas Eve. The adult choir practiced on Dec. 19.

• L.M. Club:  The weekly L.M. Club (we don't know what L.M. stood for) met at the home of Mrs. William Sehnert, as Madames Earl Moser and Henry Andelt received traveling prizes.

• Women's Club:  The Dorchester Women's Club held their weekly meeting on the afternoon of Dec. 18 at the Community Hall.

These were just some of the holiday events we found taking place in Dorchester nearly 80 years ago.

It's Jingle Bell Bingo Time, Dec. 23

Having a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit? We have an answer for that.

On Monday, Dec. 23, the Dorchester American Legion Bar and Grill will play host to Jingle Bell Bingo, according to social media reports.

That's right. You can show off your bingo skills just before celebrating the birth of our lord and savior. 

And for those of you with real confidence and self-esteem, be brave enough to sport a downright nasty ugly Christmas sweater.

Prizes will include turkey, ham, pies and ducks.

Doors open a 5 p.m. Food will be served at 6 p.m. 

Bingo begins at 6:30 p.m. 

Merry Christmas!

Long Overdue: Keystone XL Oil Pipeline (Or Something Like It)

In the first of many disastrous decisions, President Joe Biden killed the Keystone XL oil pipeline permit on his first day in office nearly four years ago. 

As a result, Americans -- and Nebraska workers -- have paid a heavy price in higher fuel prices and fewer private-sector jobs. Biden's politically motivated action has had significant consequences for Saline County's area economy.

In the Dorchester area, economic losses included lost construction jobs along with a dramatic reduction in use of local services and businesses -- including restaurants, hotels and retailers.

The move was not only unfair to a company that had invested billions of dollars and followed the rules, more than 1,000 jobs -- the majority unionized -- were eliminated. 

Nebraska property owners also took a major hit without the existence of a second Keystone pipeline that would have helped relieve the tax burden. See the Dorchester Times' previous reporting on this matter.

With the election of former President Donald Trump, there's now wide speculation that the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline -- which would carry roughly 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast -- could still become a reality.

As reported by national media, Chris Wright, Trump’s pick for energy secretary, has said restarting the pipeline was one of the most important things the government could do to boost energy supplies. But restarting the venture could be extremely difficult and costly, several media stories point out.

Three years ago, TC Energy, the Canadian-based sponsor of the Keystone XL Pipeline, said it was calling it quits. TC Energy recently spun off its pipelines business to a new company, South Bow, which hasn't indicated whether it will attempt to restart the Keystone XL, Fox Business reports.

Fox Business adds: Regardless of whether Keystone XL is ultimately restarted, there are likely to be more pipelines built crossing the Canada-U.S. border in the years ahead given the dynamics of the oil market.

"If you look around the globe, the supplies of diesel are relatively tight and the world needs more of it," said one oil executive. Pipelines like Keystone XL would allow Canadian oil to flow into the U.S. "in a more efficient, safe way" to alleviate the global supply shortage.

Developing...

Cool Dorchester-Themed Gifts Available Online

If you're still looking for Christmas gifts for family and friends, it's not too late to get your Dorchester-themed goodies.

Thanks to online shopping, it's possible to have these items shipped right to your door.

Amazon.com offers Dorchester Christmas tree ornaments and coffee (or hot cocoa) mugs. 

Or check out these cool Dorchester t-shirts. Or Dorchester bumper stickers.

All are under $20.

This is just a small sample of the online Dorchester-themed items that your loved ones and friends will appreciate. 

Hurry! Christmas is just days away.

Support Your Local Community This Holiday Season

As the Christmas shopping season continues, readers are urged to consider buying locally to support their friends and neighbors.

We suggest purchasing gift certificates or locally produced items instead of items made in China, which continues to prepare for war with the U.S. and its citizens by using the money it receives from the goods we import.

One e-mail that circulated throughout the country just a few years ago put it this way:

"Christmas shouldn't mean draining American pockets to help China build and retool its military arsenal or capture more land for its communist rulers. Christmas should be about caring, helping our neighbors, and encouraging America's small-business owners to keep following their dreams. When care about our communities, we invest in our shared future. The benefits come back to us in ways we cannot imagine."

Here are some suggestions on how you can be a part of the effort to help the local economy:

• Buy locally made products whenever possible. Local business provide local revenue and local jobs.
  
  
• Give gift certificates for local restaurants and service providers. 

• In Dorchester, think about getting gift certificates for The Well spa and health products; Donna's Hair Creations; R&K Styles; Farmers Cooperative service station; City Slickers Bar and Grill; Eastside Bar and Grill; Barley's Specialties; Spring Creek Repair; and others. 

• To support nearby businesses, consider gifts from Blue River Meats in Crete; Frank's Smokehouse or Karpisek's Market in Wilber; or a number of service providers or retailers in Crete, Wilber, Friend or Milford.
  
  
• Consider gift certificates from Rico's Mexican Restaurant in Friend or Carniceria San Fernando Grocery, owned by Rico and Vanessa Perez of Dorchester. Or perhaps Pizza Hut, Burger King, or Casey's.

Leave us your ideas in the comments section of this post.

Dorchester's Tom Scheffert Passes At 70

UPDATE: Tom Scheffert's celebration of life ceremony will be Jan. 18, noon until 3 p.m. Lunch will be served.

Thomas Leroy Scheffert ("Big Tom"), 70, left this world Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in his
home in Dorchester after a 24-year battle with congestive heart failure. He was telling his wife what to do right to the end.

He is survived by his loving wife and companion of 32 years, Patricia (Skutchan) Morfeld, his loving sister, Gayle (Scheffert) Beals, and her husband, Patrick of Lincoln, his niece Kimberly (Beals) Luzum, her children Chandler and Kaden Lukert and Emma Kasl, great-grand nieces Aleah and Emerson, nephew Ryan Beals and his wife Kara, and their son Charlie of Omaha, his aunts Jane Scheffert and Loretta Pape, as well as numerous cousins, his stepsons, Shon Morfeld and girlfriend Tonia Sutliff of Tempe, AZ, and Michael Morfeld and children of Chandler, AZ.

He was preceded in death by his father, Glen “Jack” Scheffert and his mother, Darlene (Rosekrans) Scheffert, his grandparents, several uncles, aunts and cousins.

Tom was born June 18, 1954 in Lincoln and lived by Centerville until his parents moved to the farm south of Dorchester in 1963. After graduation in 1972, he worked at the Crete Mills and the Dorchester Coop for many years and Peterson Vise-Grip in Dewitt for eight years. He owned and operated a salvage yard in Dorchester for four years. He owned and operated a semi for 20 years. In 2020, he had to retire to town as he could no longer maintain the farmyard due to his health.

He always said he loved the life he lived. He was a life-long farmer and enjoyed visiting with friends about farming and learning about farming in Arizona. For the last seven winters, Tom and Patricia snow-birded in Arizona, buying a place near Casa Grande, AZ.

Tom loved dirt track racing. He owned and drove stock cars and IMCA modifieds, starting in 1976 until after 2001. He made a multitude of friends over the years, both in racing and everywhere he went.

He will be greatly missed by everyone he touched in his life.

Tom’s ashes will be spread on the farm he loved. There will be no service but a celebration of life will be held at a later date in Dorchester.

Christmas Gatherings In Dorchester

Dorchester has Christmas spirit.

Christmas lights are on all over town, with more than a quarter of the village's homes having lights.

What's more, several Christmas gatherings are planned over the coming days and weeks.

Here's the lineup: 

- The first Christmas event will be Sunday night's (Dec. 1) Dorchester American Legion Family Christmas Party. Join friends and family for food, drinks, presentations from the Jr. Auxiliary, and even Santa. Doors open at 5 p.m. with food being served around 6 p.m.

 

- On Monday, Dec. 2, Dorchester High School will host its Christmas concert, which will begin at 7 p.m. at the school. This is always a seasonal favorite in the community.

 

- The Dorchester Elementary School Christmas concert will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 at the school. Get there plenty early; this will draw a large crowd.

- On Saturday, Dec. 14, the traditional Morning With Santa will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Community Building and Legion Hall. A free-will donation breakfast will be hosted by the community foundation fund starting at 8:00 -- everyone of all ages is invited. Santa arrives at 8:30 a.m. This gathering will feature special events for the kids!

- The Saline County Historical Society will host a free old-fashioned holiday gathering on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Saline County Museum in Dorchester from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

- The Dorchester United Methodist Church's Christmas Eve service will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome. (Children's program will be held during the regular service on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 9:30 a.m.)