NEWS ROUND-UP: Dorchester Legion Bar and Grill Gains Loyal Following

Six Apply for Village Maintenance Position: At least half a dozen individuals have applied for the Village of Dorchester's assistant utilities superintendent. The position was most previously held by Bret Cerny, who resigned last month for another career opportunity. Village board members are reviewing the candidates' credentials now and a new hire is expected to be made shortly. The village board will hold its next meeting March 7.

Dorchester Taking Census of School-Age Students: If you live in the Dorchester school district, and have children 21 or under, and those children don't attend Dorchester Public School, you are asked to fill out a one-page census form. See page two of this newsletter.

Dorchester Legion Bar and Grill Gains Loyal Following: Dorchester is already one of the top towns under 1,000 for food and drink, thanks to City Slickers and Eastside. But now the Dorchester Amercian Legion Bar and Grill, which fills a service gap on weekend mornings and Monday evenings, is gaining a strong following and lots of fans. On Monday, Feb. 28, the Legion will be hosting a Mardi Gras special for all area residents. It will include seafood boil and drink specials. Food starts at 6 p.m., while the bar opens at 5 p.m.

Dorchester Steak Feed is March 19: The Dorchester Community Foundation's Annual Steak and Hamburger Feed will be held Saturday evening, Saturday, March 19 from 5-9 p.m. at the Dorchester Legion and Community Hall. For those who don't want to dine in, to-go orders will be available by calling 402-641-1921 and 641-4075. Those who have been to this event in the past know it's some of the best beef available anywhere, and in a small-town, friendly environment. Funds raised will help support Nerud Field's new ball field bleachers and shade system. 

DHS Alum Bernard Belka Passes at 97: Bernard “Bernie” Belka, 97, died Jan. 28, 2022. He was born Nov. 21, 1924 in Dorchester to Bert and Alice (Tenopir) Belka, and was the youngest of three children. After graduating from DHS, Bernie served in the Navy during World War II, then returned to Nebraska to farm, and learned the electrical trade from his brother-in-law. He met Louise Havranek in Crete, and they were married in 1948. Bernie worked at Goodyear in Lincoln for 30-plus years as an electrician, supervisor, then foreman. Bernie also had his own electrical business, “Bernie’s Electric.” A celebration of life will be Sat., March 5, at 2 p.m. at Lincoln Memorial Park.

Looking Back: The Mills Of The Dorchester Area

Nowadays, the rivers and creeks of Saline County are used mostly for irrigation and fishing. But in days gone by, mills located on Turkey Creek (pictured above) and the west fork of the Big Blue River (pictured below) played an even more substantial role. (In fact, Dorchester's first electricity was generated by a dam on Turkey Creek.)

In Dorchester's pioneer days, the milling industry was a staple of the area's economy -- and the 1880s saw rapid growth of the milling business on Turkey Creek, just south of town.

In fact, Turkey Creek became recognized as "the Old Mill Stream," according to the Nebraska State Historical Society. 

Of the five mills on Turkey Creek in Saline County, two predominately served the Dorchester area. 

One was Amity Mill at Pleasant Hill. Constructed in 1870, the Amity Mill produced flour and meal -- and later provided the first electricity for Dorchester. 

The other Dorchester-area mill, Lawrence Mill, was located near the current Gilbert Cemetery.

A trip to the nearest mill, with a team and wagon loaded with grain, occupied most of a farmer's day back in those early years -- and when the weather was pleasant, such a trip often provided a holiday for Saline County settlers. This allowed farm families to picnic, as well as taking in the sights and sounds of water pouring over the log dam. 

The dams also provided excellent havens for large catfish.

The Amity Mill at Pleasant Hill was destroyed by a fire started by lightning and was not rebuilt. In 1934, the dam was removed by dynamite. 

No specific details are known about the demise of the Lawrence Mill. However, the millstones from the Amity Mill can be seen at the Saline County Museum located at Dorchester.

NEWS ROUND-UP: DHS Basketball Seasons Wind Down; Deryl Sysel Passes at 74

DHS Girls Conclude 2021-22 Campaign: The DHS girls basketball season has come to a close as Dorchester lost a disappointing contest last Thursday to the Heartland Huskies -- a team that had only four wins coming into the Class D1-4 Subdistrict. As reported by the York newspaper, the Huskies outscored the Longhorns 11-2 during the game’s final eight minutes and pulled away for a 37-29 win. Freshman Baylor Behrens led DHS with nine points, while sophomore Addison Lehr added eight. The Lady Longhorns finished with an 8-14 record, but the young squad has its hopes high for next season. Some have speculated the team could be a state contender next season or in 2024.

Dorchester Boys Prepare for Subdistrict: The DHS boys basketball team, which has struggled this season with a 3-17 record, will take on Meridian this Monday evening, Feb. 21, at the Class D2-2 Subdistrict in Davenport. See the tourney bracket here. Observers say BDS or Friend is favored to advance to district play.

Deryl Sysel Passes at 74: Rural Dorchester resident and DHS alumnus Deryl Lee Sysel passed away Feb. 16. He was born on Sept. 20, 1947 to George and Elsie (Kraus) Sysel. He married Karen Kay Hagelstein on Nov. 16, 1974. To this union they had one daughter, Debra Kay. He lived in Saline County, Monroe precinct all of his life. Funeral service is 11 a.m. this Monday, Feb. 21 at Dorchester United Methodist Church. Visitation is Sunday with family receiving friends from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete. See the full obituary.

DPS Preschool Now Accepting Applications: Dorchester Public School's preschool program is accepting application for enrollment for next school year. The preschool is free for children to attend since it is supported with state aid and taxpayer dollars. For more information, call 402-946-2781, or see the application form on page 2 of the latest school bulletin.

DHS Alumni Basket Tourney Approaching Quickly: The annual DHS Basketball Tourney, a longstanding tradition since 1994, is set for March 18-19. The deadline to enter for teams or players is Friday, March 4. For an entry form, see pages 10-11 of the latest school newsletter.

A Look At The History Of Crete

Today, let's take a few minutes to explore the history of next-door neighbor Crete, the largest community in Saline County -- and the oldest.

Crete quickly rose from the prairie in 1869 and 1870 when the railroad was extended to our area, bringing many settlers.  In 1871, two rival towns merged to form a new town, which was named after Crete, Illinois, the former hometown of an early settler.  In those early days, Crete was a contender for county seat.

According to Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska, written in 1882, in just a 10- or 12-year span, Crete had been "transformed into a splendid city teeming with a thrifty population, bustling with busy marts of trade, resounding with the measured stroke of industry and manufacture, wherein the sound of the millstone is ever heard and the grinding is never low."  Andreas wrote: "The marvel is, not that Crete exists at all, but that in so short a time, it should have attained so much and such splendor."

Here is more on Crete's founding according to Andreas' History:

The first settler to locate on and near the town site was J.C. Bickle, who staked off his place in the summer of 1863. Others, attracted by the beauty and auspices of the place, came in, and soon the valley of the Blue became dotted off, here and there, with the rude habitations of numerous settlers. Those who owned the lands afterward selected as the town site, were Bickle, Mary George, Samuel Bingaman, G.W. Bridges and O.W. Baltzley. The town, or rather two adjacent towns were laid off in the summer of 1870; one by Bickle, on a 40-acre tract lying in the bend of the river, and called Blue River City, and one by the town company of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company, lying just back of and adjacent to the one laid out by Bickle, and named Crete. A rivalry was thus engendered between the two parties as to which should control. The town company, backed by the railroad, had both the capital and influence; but, that Bickle held the commanding site, secure against the world and superior to any along the line between the Mississippi and Platte rivers, was patent to all. The company knew this, and exerted themselves strenuously to obtain possession of the land, which Bickle very independently refused to grant. 

To such length the matter ran, in the attempt of the company to freeze Bickle out, which he in turn vehemently met, as with fire against fire, that they gratuitously gave lots to those who would take them. This game foreshadowed no benefit to the company, who, seeing they had clenched holds with the wrong man, resolved to select a better location than they now had, and by the strategems practiced by railroads, to bleed Bickle's town to death. However, before this move was made, a compromise of the matter was effected, and the two places became united into the present town of Crete.

By the early 1880s, Crete had blossomed into a city of 2,500 inhabitants, with stately business blocks hedging her streets, 50 business houses of varied sorts and sizes, 16 manufacturing establishments, three grain elevators; three large lumber yards, two extensive coal yards, eight physicians, and as many lawyers, and six churches, two banks, the united capital stock amounting to $225,000, a fine opera hall, and three hotels, one of which, the Cosmopolitan, under the proprietorship of H. Code, excels, by far, anything of the kind in the State, outside of the cities of Lincoln and Omaha.

Aside from its industrial base and booming business sector, Crete had something else that made it a shining star in a new state of the union: Doane College. Andreas wrote, "Long before Nebraska became a state, efforts were put forth which had for their object the founding of Christian schools. At the General Association of Congregational Churches gathered at Omaha June 7, 1872, the Committee on Education made an earnest plea in behalf of a Christian College. The outcome of the action of the Association was Doane College, located at Crete, 75 miles west of the Missouri. A Preparatory Department was at once opened -- September, 1872 -- and in one year the first Freshman class was entered."

Crete has always been the most populated community in Saline County dating back to the county's founding. Industrial growth, including the expansion of The Crete Mills, nurtured Crete to 3,692 by 1950.  Once Alpo and Farmland built large facilities on the edge of town, Crete's population skyrocketed to 4,444 by 1970.  Another surge of population growth came in the 1990s and early 2000s, pushing the population to around 7,000 people.

Crete's ethnic makeup has changed greatly over the years, due in large part to the large number of jobs in meatpacking. As of the census of 2020, there were 6,806 people residing in the city.

You can check out pictures of Crete's early years by visiting the Crete Heritage Society's website.

At A Glance: Dorchester Public School's Performance

In Dorchester, we are fortunate to have a great school with first-rate facilities, caring educators and administrators, and involved parents. We wouldn't trade our school for all the Class A or Class B state aid money in the world.

That said, there's always room for improvement. (And ensuring K-12 school improvement is much more important than the stuff you're looking at on Facebook or Twitter.)

Over the years, taxpayer-funded public schools have shifted some of their focus from the difficult stuff (math, science, problem solving, reading, and writing) to more feel-good social-based learning. Some of this is due to state and federal mandates; some because of our changing society and poor parenting practices, including failure to discipline children or pass on traditional moral standards.

Here are the results of that shift in educational priorities: Based on 2018-19 school year data (prior to the China-produced pandemic), Nebraska students were only:

• 52% proficient in English (reading and writing);
• 52% proficient in math; and 
• 66% proficient in science. 

Just over half of Nebraska students who took the ACT achieved a passing grade that school year. This after Nebraska taxpayers pumped $4,000,000,000 into the K-12 system in just one year.

According to the Nebraska Department of Education's assessment of Dorchester Public School for that same school year (the agency's yearly assessments have taken a pause during the pandemic), DPS' middle school "needed improvement," while the high school test scores indicated things were "good" -- but not "great" or "excellent." 

Meanwhile, DPS students in the 2018-19 school year underperformed their state peers in English (reading and writing), with only 43% testing at the required proficiency level. That number was 44% in science and 29% in math. The good news is DHS students who took the ACT easily outperformed the state average -- an indicator that Dorchester's best and brightest are indeed learning a lot inside the classroom.

School district taxpayers are urged to keep an eye on these statewide assessment scores as they are updated in post-COVID-19 school years. Keep in mind that when the state's education department says "needs improvement," that burden falls equally on educators, administrators, school board, and parents.

NEWS ROUND-UP: DHS Girls Basketball Set For Sub-District Competition

DHS Girls Basketball Sub-District Set: The DHS girls basketball team has concluded the regular season, finishing 8-13 -- a respectable mark considering the team is comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores. Now the Lady Longhorns are focused on the Class D1-4 sub-district tourney, which will be held at McCool Junction High School. The sub-district will feature four teams with top-seed McCool taking on Harvard at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, followed by No. 2 Heartland and No. 3 Dorchester. The championship game will be played Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Sad Story Out of York: What a strange, sad story from York this week, where Hampton Public School teacher and basketball coach Kyle Ediger was killed by a maniac who -- while on the run from police -- intentionally rammed Ediger's stopped vehicle into to a moving train. Ediger coached his last game at DHS the same night, Feb. 9, that he was killed. The Times sends its condolences to the family and Hampton community.

Dorchester Area Now in Moderate Drought: It's only February, but Saline County and the surrounding area are now in moderate drought, according to the national drought monitor, administered by UNL experts.

Nebraska's Polka Masters Honored at Tabor Hall: Last month, six Nebraska musicians were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame during the 22nd annual ceremony, accordion jamboree, and dance held at Tabor Hall south of Dorchester. 

Our Take on ESG, CRT: We keep reading about corporate America's worship of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) gauges and critical race theory (CRT) -- especially among financial firms and national media (and taxpayer-funded academia). In our opinion, ESG and CRT are PC BS. Tired of race-obsessed virtual signaling, climate-related scare tactics, and constant efforts to twist traditional views on gender, sexual-orientation, and the necessity of work? Then push back against this propaganda by calling it out and voting with your wallet.

OUR VIEW: How Badly Do You Want Your Small Town To Succeed?

Several years ago, this blog featured insightful comments made by the Charles Schroeder, director of the Nebraska Rural Futures Institute. 

Schroeder was talking about developing the state’s small, rural towns. The biggest challenge in doing that, he said, was changing a community’s low confidence level. 

According to Schroeder, a town's perceptions about the years to come were the key to its success or failure. He noted that 85% of people would agree they would like to see communities of 500 and fewer population survive and thrive going forward. Yet when were asked if they believe those towns of 500 would still be around 20 years from now, only 35% said yes.

Schroeder added: Each community faces challenges -- and they vary from one town to the next. Issues include education, youth engagement, health care, transportation, housing, infrastructure, and immigration. The one fundamental issue critical to a town’s growth and development is that the leaders have confidence in tomorrow.

"It was teachers and farmers and students" who must possess that confidence, he noted. "It was young people and old people, librarians, business leaders who had a vision for that community.”

Fast-forward to 2022. How does Dorchester (and other rural communities) build the necessary confidence in its residents so they contribute to building a brighter future?

Once possible answer resides at UNL.

The University of Nebraska, for all of its shortcomings, provides an excellent taxpayer service in its Rural Nebraska Prosperity initiative. Readers can check it out here. The initiative of focuses on key areas, including:

• Community engagement;
• Attracting and retaining population; and
• Community economic development.

Dorchester leaders (including educators) would be wise to share the initiative's findings and resources with residents, especially those in our school. Also, Dorchester residents may wish to consider attending the "Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities" conference in Columbus on April 27-28. (Information will soon be posted on the initiative's site. 

The time to start planting seeds of confidence is now.

Deadline For Saline Center Consignment Sale Is Approaching

Hard to believe, but some folks around these parts are already gearing up for spring.

And with the nearing of spring comes one of the biggest events in Saline County -- the annual consignment sale at Saline Center.

This year will mark the 38th consecutive year for this event, which will be held Sunday, March 20 at Saline Center, beginning at 9:30 a.m. 

For those unfamiliar, Saline Center is three miles west and nine miles south of Dorchester on Highway 15.  A map of Saline Center can be found here.

Everything and anything can be sold at this consignment auction. Tractors and miscellaneous machinery, hay, trees, guns, coins/currency, livestock, livestock equipment and fencing, vehicles, tools and much more. Six rings will be selling at once.

If you have items you'd like to cosign, it is time to contact organizers to let them know what you'll be placing on the auction block.

Call (402) 641-1357 or (402) 947-2236 or e-mail at salinecenter@gmail.com ASAP.

NEWS ROUND-UP: City Slickers To Celebrate Nine Years Of Business

City Slickers to Celebrate Nine Years March 19: City Slickers Bar and Grill will celebrate nine successful years of business in Dorchester next month. The establishment will host a celebration on Saturday, March 19 from 9 p.m. to 12:55 a.m. (This is the same weekend as the DHS alumni basketball tournament.) Music will be provided by Homegrown Band. Enjoy the dink and food specials. And best of all, there will be no cover charge. 

Jaki Acosta Garcia is UNL Resident Assistant: Resident assistants at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are an essential part of the residence hall experience, building a community among the students who reside on campus. According to university news sources, Dorchester's Jaki Acosta Garcia, a marketing major at UNL, is among the 2022-23 resident assistants.

New Dorchester Detailing Business: According to sources, a new vehicle detailing service will be offered through Tyser Auto Sales. The detailing service, doing business as KK's Detailing LLC, will be available Mondays through Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., as well as Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 402-418-8608 for details.

Rev. Wegehaupt Ponders Community Kolache Event: Dorchester United Methodist Church Rev. April Wegehaupt says she is thinking about a week, day, or morning at both the Dorchester and Friend congregations to invite the communities to make kolaches, play games while dough is rising, and have a soup-and-kolaches lunch. She asks for feedback regarding who's interested and what day of the week would work best —along with, if you would attend at Dorchester or Friend. 

School and Village Boards Meet Next Week: It's a busy time for village and school leaders -- and they count on the input and civic participation of fellow residents. The Dorchester school board meets again Monday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Dorchester Public School Library. The Village board will also meet Monday at 7 p.m. at the community building.