Dorchester Times: Schedule for Dorchester's Fourth Of July Celebration 2020

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Schedule for Dorchester's Fourth Of July Celebration 2020

As we reported earlier, Dorchester has been unable to escape the COVID-related cancellations impacting Independence Day celebrations nationwide.

But town leaders and volunteers have decided that America's founding -- and the principles contained in its founding document -- are far too important to be sidelined by a virus that China's communist government failed to contain.

In a special meeting held June 25, the village board approved Dorchester's July 4 fireworks show.

According to a social media post by the Dorchester Fourth of July Committee, the display will take place at its usual time of 10 p.m. on the north side of town. (We assume this means north of 12th Street.)

Those who gather to watch the show can "enjoy the show from the comfort of your vehicle," the committee notes, adding that "there will be no fireworks or seating on the football field or baseball/softball field."

The committee urges: "Please practice social distancing and follow the recommended guidelines."

Because this show would not be possible without generous donations, donations (checks made payable to "Dorchester 4th of July Committee") can be dropped off at First State Bank in Dorchester, or mailed to the bank (P.O. Box 264, Dorchester, NE 68343).

Here is Dorchester's Independence Day schedule for 2020 as we know it:

10 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. - Dorchester's Official Fireworks Stand: Fireworks sales will take place this year in the trailer south of the fire hall. We suggest you buy as many fireworks as you can fit in your budget. Blow off some extra to show you're proud of our nation and its constant efforts to form a more perfect union.

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. - Saline County Museum Open for First Time in 2020: Admission is free. According to a social media post, visitors are asked be considerate of others and follow the CDC's recommended safety practices: use of masks/face coverings when near others, social distancing of at least 6 feet, and frequent hand washing. Please do not visit if you have a fever or any other signs of illness.

4:00 to 9:00 p.m. - Pork Ribs and Sandwich Feed (Take-Out Only): The Dorchester Community Foundation Fund will be hosting a pork ribs and sandwich feed at the Dorchester Legion Hall from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. This take-out-only event features pulled BBQ pork sandwiches or pork ribs, cole slaw, pork and beans, and a drink. Just show up or call in advance (402-641-0564) to ensure your order will be ready.

Late afternoon through early evening - Independence Day Cruise on Main Street: Several readers have told us via email that a cruise is planned for Dorchester's main street, late afternoon through early evening.

10 p.m. - Dorchester's Famous Fireworks Show. North side of town. (No fireworks or seating on the football field. Observers must watch from their vehicles or socially distanced seating along the streets of Dorchester.)

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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."