Following the March 11 meeting of the Dorchester Area Community Association, it appears Dorchester's annual Fourth of July celebration and fireworks display will not take place this year, thanks in large part to a lawsuit stemming from an incident nearly three years ago.According to DACA president Carol Olson, eight members attended Tuesday's meeting. One of the main issues on the agenda was whether to again organize the July 4 activities and finance the evening fireworks.
Olson reported that "the start-up funds that would normally be used to kick off the Fourth of July celebration have been consumed by attorney fees related to a July 4, 2005 incident."
"Therefore, the $2,500 that the DACA normally provides Jeff Stilwagon for the evening fireworks would all have to be raised prior to July 4, a daunting task for a small community," said Olson. The eight members attending the meeting voiced concern that too much for too long has fallen on too few shoulders & the question was raised if they were “up to the task?" The answer came in a vote of 7 against and 1 for moving forward with the celebration.
Other agenda items included scheduling the Great Nebraska Trash Off for Saturday, April 12th at 1 p.m. All were in agreement to join Friend and possibly Exeter in a community garage sale event for Saturday, June 14.
It was also decided that DACA would host a “Meet the Village Board Candidates” forum at the next DACA meeting, April 8 at 7 p.m.
Who sued? Give us the name so we can counter sue for pain and suffering caused by the ninkumpoop.
ReplyDeleteis there any way the town could donate money? This is a big deal the 4th of July brought in alot of people from surrounding communties
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that this event will not take place. Events like the Fourth of July celebration are absolutely necessary for a small community to come together. Without such events Dorchester is just a place where people live, not a cohesive community. These events provide shared experiences and the ability to enjoy others company within the village, not to mention bring those who have moved, home for a day or two. I'm sure all these things were discussed at the meeting to vote on this issue and I understand why the vote went the way it did. But I am surprised as important an issue to the community as this is it wasn't dealt with much earlier when there may have been time to raise the money. The truth is that $2500 is only about $4.00 per resident. Money that could probably be made back during the event if it took place.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that the Fire Department could get $50 a piece from 50 or more individuals/families and raise the 4th of July money in less than a month.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone on the Fire Department tell us if we could send fireworks money directly to them?
Iam sure if daca, would write something in the crete news, we would get a overwhelming response. We have people that come for crete, exeter, wilber, friend, seward, and lincoln, and many more ohter towns. If they were informed about this, you would not believe, the amount of money that would come in. DACA please dont give up on this, Dorchester is known for having the greastest fireworks, PLEASE dont let this die.
ReplyDeleteA very concerned citizen
It appears that the lack of funding was only one component to DACA's decision, foregoing their involvement with the celebration. Also included was a plea for more involvement from other citizens in the organization and the running of the events of the day. Although I suspect that a $2500 fundraiser would be successful with relative ease, garnering enough organizational support prior to the celebration may be more difficult. Due to my time and travel constraints, I can only show my support financially, but perhaps for some people, the biggest thing they can give is their time.
ReplyDeleteCan we make our donation to the community foundation, earmarked for the 4th of July celebration?
If you miss one year, it will be hard to get everyone to come back. I understand the reasons but if you stop you're done.
ReplyDeleteA couple of comments on the cancelation of our 4th of July Celebration.
ReplyDelete1) Why is this person suing? It was an accident. It was truly unfortunate and I am sorry for this person but no one "forced" them to attend. The activity was sponsored by volunteers who were trying to provide fun entertainment for a festive occasion. What would happen if I were attending the Alumni Basketball Tourney and one of the players ran up on the bleachers trying to retreive the ball, knocked me over and I broke my arm--would I sue the player, team members and the school? I don't think so.
2) Why isn't our village supporting our volunteers in this lawsuit? I don't know..I'm just asking a question. Many people volunteer their time, most of these volunteers hold full time jobs, and volunteer for the betterment of our community. Why isn't our village stepping up and helping?
It is truly a shame that such a great event cannot continue. DACA and the Fire Deptment have done a FANTASTIC job providing a great display. The best around in my opinion. Thanks to all of them who have contributed their time and hard work. I hope things work out. It is a sad day when the enjoyment provided for so many has to be cancelled because of the actions of one person.
I do agree that there is so much to be done in our community and only a few shoulder the effort. It is difficult enough to try to encourage people with their busy schedules to volunteer and now they have the fear of lawsuits added as another obstacle. I appreciate all that our volunteers do and regret that they have to be going through lawsuits as their reward.
Yes, what about the guy that ended up with his life changed forever because of the "accident"? Has anyone ever looked at his side of the whole situation? Maybe someone should ask him sometime. I'll bet that everyone would be really surprised at his side of the event.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the village should stand behind what is going in our town. I am soooooo looking forward to the vote for the new village board members. We need some new blood in the office for sure, and some old blood out. There is a lot of "power" in the office, and we need to bring the "power" back to the village board or god forbid, the people of Dorchester.
This is terrible news ............. just more evidence of what happens in a sue happy society .......... everyone pays the price for a guy who's looking to win powerball by another means..........
ReplyDeleteI visited with Jeff Stilwagon after reading comments on this post. He is asking for a few days to confer with the individuals who help him put together the fireworks display.
ReplyDeleteIf they were to decide to move forward, they will most likely need to visit with Village Board members to get approval, decide when they would need the $2500 to purchase the fireworks & who would be in charge of the funds. They invest a lot of personal time & energy into their presentation and only they can decide if its in their best interest to continue or walk away. Let's be supportive in whatever their decision.
What about the person, that was push out of the way, so that they wouldnt get hurt. And what about the persons, or persons that were driving, not a thing has been said about that. Lets not condem someone for saving someone else. Lets ask why it wasnt settle a long time ago. Lets ask the lawyers and the insurance about that, you cannot judge this unless you have all the information. Iam sure whoever it was, wasnt there to get ran over on purpose.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your proactive attitude, Carol Olson. You are working to make this community better, unlike like some who have trial attorneys on speed dial!
ReplyDeletethis was just one of those things that people think that it was cool, until someone got hurt.
ReplyDeletecome on, put two people in a golf cart blindfolded, with beer, and dont think someone might get hurt.
geeze.........that would be tough to figure out
i would sue the drivers for all the money they had.........
To Anonymous: A couple of years ago in Milligan someone was injured during a parade. Was it in Crete where a child broke his arm in the Bounce House? They are accidents (lack of intention) no one involved wanted to see this happen, least of all the guys in the golf cart...your remark about suing them for everything they have..will you feel the same way when you or your family are responsible for an unfortunate accident? I bet your tough talk changes in a hurry. And where's this beer thing coming from, there was no beer being served.
ReplyDeleteWould someone consider talking with the Nebraska Czechs of Wilber? I'm wondering how they handled their liability issues since the Czech festival started in 1962. Sometimes a little pivo can be helpful during negotiations.
ReplyDeleteI have talked to two of my fellow shooters Todd Axline and Dennis Pracheil. We need everyone to please be patient with us. There are several different things to look into and lack of capital is something we need to deal with. We need to talk to the village board and our vendors. Permits and re certification are also needed. I'll let people know whats up as things develop. There are alot of people behind the scenes of our shows so again please show us some patience.
ReplyDeleteI hope that people understand that this lawsuit is taking money out of your pockets. Lets not forget that the money raised for he fireworks was community donations. This is the money that hard working people of this community gave in order to bring something positive to town and be able to stay home and enjoy ONE HELL OF A GOOD SHOW!!!
ReplyDeleteI know one place I'd like to stick a Roman Candle, but he'd sue me like he has everyone else.
ReplyDeleteDid the DACA make this person get in that golf cart? When will people start taking responsablity for there own actions. The village has a good thing going. Why does it take one person to mess it up.
ReplyDeleteanonymous said Lets ask the city of dorchester why they have not settled 2 years a go.
ReplyDeletewhy didnt the citys ins pay lets ask them why?
ReplyDeletewhen is the next village meeting Iwould like to ask the city why are they passing the buck on other people why they did settle with him before now.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens to the guy that got ran over by a golf cart to do when his life has been changed for every and alot of medical bills, and other bills to pay. We need to think how would we live if this happen to us when there is no suport. He did not asked for this to happen to him. I think we as a small town should be more look out for our people. What do you think if other towns read this think of our little town of dorchester ne dont stand to geather.
ReplyDeleteI have just learned of this web site and I know the man that was hit by the golf cart taht day and I think you should all be ashamed
ReplyDeleteFirst, If I responded to every wrong statement made I would be here all day.As far as the village claiming that the money was used towards the lawsuit then people should be pissed at the village because they don't know how to manage money.They lost the money by holding an event that they could not insure so maybe you should redirect your anger to were it rightfully belongs and leave this poor family alone
The Times will no longer publish comments on this post related to the civil case stemming from the July 4, 2005 celebration.
ReplyDeleteComments regarding developments on this year's event are still welcome.