Dorchester Times: Annual Church Auction This Sunday, Sept. 21

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Annual Church Auction This Sunday, Sept. 21

Dorchester United Methodist Church’s 21st Annual Community Auction will be held this Sunday, Sept. 21.

All Dorchester area residents are strongly encouraged to join the fun, which will be held on the church grounds. Sunday's activities begin with a beef and pork barbecue from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The auction starts at 1 p.m.

According to Carol Olson, there will be numerous auction items that will be of special interest, including a kids' Husker Bench; Nebraska Football package; and a children's picnic table. A full list of auction items can be found at any of Dorchester's local businesses.

Those who would like to place a bid but are unable to attend may still take part in this important fundraiser by calling Vicky Parks (402-946-4691) or Carol Olson (402-946-3531).

Some more highlights planned for this Sunday:

* Chain saw artist Nick Jensen from Garland will be demonstrating his carving skills from 10:30 am until 12:45 p.m. The items he carves will be auctioned. Come watch "Papa Bear" Jensen create his unique wood sculptures, which make great rustic yard art or home decor.

* Youth Cake Auction: Community youth will be bringing cakes and other sweet treats that to be auctioned off.

* Farmers Market: Fresh produce from local gardens will be offered at a free will offering.

* Book Exchange: Bring a book to exchange for a new read or purchase any available.

Cash donations of all amounts are also being accepted. For those who would like to make cash donations, please contact Parks or Olson at the phone numbers above.

We hope all Times' readers will enjoy the first weekend of fall by supporting the community's church and the good work of its members by contributing generously at Sunday's auction.

4 comments:

AnonymousSeptember 17, 2008 at 8:50 PM
This is a wonderful event for a great cause. Now more than ever we need to forget about all the crap that is on tv and remember the message of the church. Hope to see you all there on Sunday.
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AnonymousSeptember 18, 2008 at 5:13 AM
This should be a nice diversion from all that is going on in the world and even in our own county. I noticed that the Lutheran Bishop for the state of Nebraska paid a recent visit to DeWitt and Wilber to discuss the closing of Vise-Grip. The church can play a big role when it comes to community outreach.
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AnonymousSeptember 18, 2008 at 12:55 PM
This is going to be a nice auction, its to bad the people across from the chruch, couldn't pick up their mess. Why won't our village board do something about this. This is such a nice event, but to have to look at that mess, is a disgrace.
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AnonymousSeptember 18, 2008 at 3:28 PM
To the comments above, I can only say one thing. Amen!
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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."