Forty-three years ago -- July 24-26, 1981 -- Dorchester celebrated its centennial. For those old enough to remember, it was quite an event. Highlights included a new bandstand (a duplicate of the one destroyed by fire in 1956), a centennial pageant, ice cream social, parade, barbecue, street dance, horseshoe tournament, quilt show, and morning worship service.
At the time, you could buy Dorchester Centennial memorabilia at the downtown Centennial Headquarters Building. Caps were $5, top hats were $4, adult t-shirts were $6, and dinner plates were $10. You could even get a Dorchester Centennial spoon for $2.50 (now $12.99 on eBay thanks to Joe Biden's inflation).
There was a months-long build-up to the actual celebration. For example, the nationally known Roger Welsch told tales of pioneer spirit at the Dorchester Centennial grand opening Feb. 15, 1981.
On April 22 of that year, the centennial committee hosted an Arbor Day tree planting event, planting more than 100 Scotch Pine seedlings at the Dorchester Cemetery. U.S. Rep. Doug Bereuter (R-Neb.) was in attendance. Meanwhile, every Dorchester elementary school student was provided a shrub seedling to take home to plant.
On June 23, 1981, a group of Dorchester residents -- young and old -- met at the Saline County Courthouse. Byron Panter, grandson of S.G. Panter (one of the original signers of Dorchester's original charter), handed Bonnie Stehlik Dorchester's incorporation papers from 1881. Stehlik was the first in a team of several Dorchester youth who ran the papers to Dorchester, relay style. (Other runners included Lee Anderson; Time and Julie Axline; John, Joel and Doug Weber; Lenny Gish; Andy and April August; Matt Bolton; Tiffany Slepicka; Sean and Nicole Kremer; W.J. Plouzek; Sharon Axline; and Larry Gish, who organized the run.)
When the three-day centennial celebration finally arrived, there were many highlights -- far too many to recall in this short space. But many Dorchester residents and natives still have their copies of the Dorchester Centennial history book and centennial cookbook (compiled by Evelyn Novak and her team).
Thanks to Biden's inflation on those spoons they are now worth a considerable amount of money. Good deal for me should I decide to sell my collection. Too bad the village doesn't have some rat holed someplace so they could sell them to replace the lose in TIF funding that the legislature is contemplating. Thanks again, Joe. Go Kamala, you, not Trump will make America great.
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