Home Improvement Award Winners For 2023

Readers may remember the Dorchester Times in the past has named properties throughout town as recipients of our Home Improvement Awards.

We last did this in 2018, when we bestowed our Home Improvement Awards to properties on Dorchester's east side. So it has been a while.

Earlier this week, members of the Dorchester Times staff took a long walk through our village and added to our list of improved homes that stand out -- homes owned by property owners who deserve to be recognized for their investment in our community. 

Here are the Times' Home Improvement Award winners for 2023:

Large House Category - 600 W 9th St.: Over the past year, this has become one of Dorchester's most notable homes. The owners continue their mission to improve our community one house at a time. Simply said, this isn't their first rodeo. Their eye for detail is complemented by impeccable taste. As this stately property continues to undergo its impressive transformation, we say kudos to the hard-working owners who are renovating this standout home. At this time, we are not certain whether this house will be occupied by the owners or if it will soon be listed.

Smaller House Category - 201 Washington Ave.: This renovation deserves recognition because the owners have established a model for how to make the most of a smaller property and grow its value to the maximum. Not only has the home been improved and the living space been expanded, but this property boasts one of the best gardens in Saline County. The home is a Sears and Roebuck house, according to our records, built in the early 1900s -- so it has an interesting history as well. A big Times thumbs-up for these owners.

If you feel we should consider other properties for the Times' Home Improvement Award, email us at Dorchester.Times@gmail.com.

NEWS ROUND-UP: Dorchester's Construction Boom Continues

Construction Boom Continues: Dorchester's construction boom of 2023 continues as more improvements are occurring on Dorchester's main street. This week, major renovations were completed to the former Sehnert's Ford Garage on the corner of Washington Ave. and East 8th St. The large windows were replaced and a second overhead door was added. The last time the building was used in active commercial activity was 1975, according to our records. Current owner L.J. Barley, owner of Barley's Specialties, is reportedly planning to use the building as part of his operations.

DHS Football Kicks Off With 59-26 Win: The Dorchester football team opened its 2023 campaign with an emphatic statement, posting a 59-26 victory over St. Edward at Nerud Field on Aug. 25. DHS opened the floodgates with 32 points in the third quarter, demonstrating that they know the six-man game. The Longhorns get a week off before heading to Red Cloud on Sept. 8.

Lady Longhorns Open Season With Two Victories: The DHS volleyball team has earned its first two wins of the season, defeating St. Edward and East Butler this week. The Orange and Black Attack beat St. Edward in three straight sets, while beating East Butler 3-1. On Thursday, Aug. 31, Dorchester travels to Weeping Water for a triangular that includes the host and Palmyra, both of which are Class C teams.

Big Rain Hits Saline County: There are reports of some area rain gauges overflowing as northern portions of Saline County and southern Seward County received between 3 inches to six inches in the past 24 hours. See these precipitation maps. There are reports from Dorchester with rainfall exceeding five inches since Friday night. This latest round of rain is likely to make a big dent in the next drought monitor report.

Longhorn Journalism Students Take Broadcasting Honors: DHS' Jacob Cerny and Ariana Tellez received gold honors for best public service announcement video in the high school division of the Nebraska Broadcasters Association’s Pinnacle Awards held Aug. 9 in in LaVista. Watch the video here.

Dorchester Times Nears 50,000 Visits in 30 Days: Over the past 30 days, this modest little blog has attracted 47,595 visits. Thank you readers.

BBQ Food Truck Coming Monday: The Pork's Done BBQ food truck will be downtown to serve Dorchester on Monday, Aug. 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Here's the menu.

DHS Football Season Kicks Off This Friday

It's time to don your orange and black! 

Dorchester High School's 2023 football season kicks off this Friday night, Aug. 25 at beautiful Nerud Field. 

The mighty Longhorns will do battle with the Beavers beginning at 7 p.m.

This is the sixth year of six-man football at Dorchester in the modern era. Just a few season ago, DPS revamped Nerud Field with a new lighting system. This year, a new field box will greet Longhorn fans.

Insiders say this year's DHS team is short on numbers but strong on experience. Expect a smart game plan for every contest, our sources say.

Here is the 2023 schedule:

Dorchester's football program has shown signs of strength after returning to Nerud Field six years ago and going to six-man. In 2020, DHS finished the year at 6-3, making the state playoffs. But in 2021, the Longhorns stumbled, going 1-7 due to injuries and low participation numbers. Last year was another tough sled with a 2-6 record. (DHS was 4-4 in its 2019 campaign and 3-5 in 2018.)

To be competitive, DHS will need to stay healthy. Stand by for season six of Longhorn six-man ball.

Dorchester's Missing Yearbooks

For alumni and former students of Dorchester Public School, the online collection of DPS yearbooks -- available at dorchesterschool.org -- is a great resource.

At the school's website, visitors will find nearly 75 years of school annuals, each filled with the names, faces, and memories of yesteryear. 

Unfortunately, since the creation of the online yearbook section in 2013, there has always been a missing era, with no sign of the 1940-46 editions.

Of course, from 1941-45, the nation was largely focused on World War II, but we are confident that some type of publications were produced to recognize the senior classes of those years. 

The fact that many alumni from these missing years served in WWII would make the addition of materials from 1940-46 a noteworthy tribute.

When the Dorchester Public School and the DHS Alumni Association teamed up to put all the DPS yearbooks on the school website, they had assistance from older alumni. It was a huge undertaking -- and expensive, costing around $4,000, according to our research. Also online is the 1981 Dorchester Centennial history book.

We're certain that every effort was made to find yearbooks or other publications from the 1940-46 yearbooks. But perhaps with the help of the Dorchester Times readership, the alumni association and school staff can put something online to recognize the DHS graduates from these years.

If you know of any publication -- yearbook or otherwise -- that recognizes the DHS senior classes 1940-1946, please contact the school at (402) 946-2781 or touch base with DHS Alumni Association leaders (Brad and Donna Havlat). 

Honoring the classes of 1940-46 would be a nice touch to a great online collection of DHS history.

The Truth Is Out There: Dorchester's Bigfoot Sightings

Readers who are new to this blog might not be familiar with the so-called Bigfoot sightings in the Dorchester area.

Today, we are going to fill you in.

Several years ago, the Times published a controversial story about what are thought to be local sightings of a Bigfoot -- the elusive forest-dwelling man-ape, also known as a Sasquatch.

In the early days of this blog, a longtime Dorchester-area resident -- now deceased -- told a Times staff member he had clearly seen a creature resembling Bigfoot. While his family dismissed the accounts, the elderly resident insisted the creature existed. 

According to the resident, the Bigfoot-like creature was spotted in the woods of Turkey Creek near Pleasant Hill in the mid-1980s. It was seen for less than a minute as the gentleman drove his pickup along what is now Saline County Road II south of Pleasant Hill. 

Described as nearly 10-feet tall, the creature disappeared into the thick vegetation surrounding the creek and down the creek bank, according to the witness' account.

Years later, the Times was informed of another Dorchester-area resident, a World War II veteran, who had seen what has been called "the Johnson Creek monster." 

In the early 1970s, this individual and his son claimed they saw the creature several times at their residence, which was near Johnson Creek, north of town. Johnson Creek, north of Dorchester, is a tributary of the Big Blue River.

This individual's son reported that the entire family once saw it in their yard. The details made it sound as though the specimen resembled a traditional Bigfoot as depicted in popular culture, but smaller. It was described as a miniature upright ape-like creature.

To be clear, the Dorchester Times staff is skeptical of the existence of Bigfoot or any similar creatures, regardless of the size of their feet. For decades, people have done their best to prove the creature's existence, but no solid evidence exists -- even in this era of mobile recording devices, drones, and other advanced technology.

Nonetheless, we can't dismiss the sincere accounts we have heard claiming the existence of Dorchester-area Bigfoot creatures. We will let our readers make up their own mind.

DHS Volleyball Set To Launch 2023 Campaign

The Dorchester High School volleyball team is ready to begin a new season. 

And there's talk that this year's Lady Longhorns could be a serious contender for the state volleyball tournament in Class D1.

Following a 15-13 finish last year, Dorchester volleyball is returning all of its 2022 starters. The team is loaded with upperclassmen talent, as well as strong talent from the sophomore class. 

One insider who follows high school volleyball closely told the Times: "This Dorchester team has the talent, the experience, the heart, and the depth to go far this year. On paper, they should win 70 percent of their games. Frankly, I'd be shocked if this group isn't among the best teams in Class D. The sky is the limit."

DHS fans will know in short order how this Longhorn team stacks up. The team is scheduled to play four contests before Sept. 1, with the first match taking place at East Butler next Thursday, Aug. 24.

Here is the 2023 DHS volleyball schedule (home games in bold):

08/24/23 @ East Butler (Class D1)

08/25/23 St. Edward (D2) 

08/31/23 Palmyra (C1)                 Triangular (host: Weeping Water)

08/31/23 Weeping Water (C2)     Triangular (host: Weeping Water)

09/05/23 College View Academy (D2) 

09/07/23 Hampton (D2)                 Triangular (host: Giltner)

09/07/23 Giltner (D2)                 Triangular (host: Giltner)

09/07/23 Giltner (D2)                     Triangular (host: Giltner)

09/08/23 @ Red Cloud (D1) 

09/12/23 Cedar Bluffs (C2)            Triangular (host: Nebraska Lutheran)

09/12/23 Nebraska Lutheran (D2) Triangular (host: Nebraska Lutheran)

09/15/23 @ Harvard (D2)

09/19/23 @ Osceola (D1)

09/21/23 Shelby/Rising City (D1)    Triangular (host: Shelby/Rising City)

09/21/23 High Plains Community (D2)     Triangular (host: Shelby/Rising City)

09/23/23 Omaha Christian Academy (D2)     Triangular (host: Nebraska Lutheran)

09/23/23 Nebraska Lutheran (D2)     Triangular (host: Nebraska Lutheran)

09/23 (To Be Determined) Nebraska Lutheran Tournament (4-Team Round Robin)

09/26/23 Sterling (D2) 

09/28/23 Diller-Odell (D1)            Triangular (host: Diller-Odell)

09/28/23 Meridian (D2)                Triangular (host: Diller-Odell)

10/05/23 Cross County (C2)

10/09/23 @ Parkview Christian (D2)

10/10/23 McCool Junction (D1)    Triangular (host: Dorchester)

10/10/23 BDS (D1)                         Triangular (host: Dorchester)

10/14-10/17  To Be Determined - Crossroads Conference Tournament in York

NEWS ROUND-UP: Foundation Pork Feed This Sunday, Aug. 13

Community Foundation Pork Feed, Aug. 13: Readers should note that there's been a change in venue for the Dorchester Community Foundation Fund's annual pork feed this Sunday, Aug. 13 with serving beginning at 4:30 p.m. The feed will be held at the Dorchester American Legion Hall and Community Hall, not the city park, due to a strong chance of storms. Get ready for pork ribs and pulled pork sandwiches, pork and beans, coleslaw, and more! It's a free-will offering meal. Read more at News Channel Nebraska.

Tellez Appointed to Dorchester Village Board: Nancy Tellez has been appointed to the Dorchester Village Board. She was sworn in Monday, Aug. 7, filling the seat of Eric Bird, who resigned from his term last month. Tellez brings good experience when it comes to municipality operations; she is the acting city clerk for the City of Crete and the former director of community assistance.

Survey Finds More Young People Want Small-Town Life:  A new survey of rural Nebraska young people reveals that a sizable majority (64%) say they want to live in small towns. At the same time, many (76%) say they also feel like they don’t play a role in the communities they live in. The survey’s positive feedback shows that participants desire the aspects of what Nebraska already offers: small towns that provide safety, good schools, and proximity to family. Read more in the Omaha World-Herald.

Looking Back: Dorchester's Secret Organizations Of The Past

A while back, the Dorchester Times received a scathing e-mail from a critic who had issues with our blog's anonymous nature.

"I don't like the secretness [sic] of your publication," the writer said. "If your [sic] so proud of your blog and you have so much to say, come out and let us know who is behind the Dorchester Times."

The six staff members (one has passed away) of the Dorchester Times have been anonymous since the blog's founding in April 2007, although not all the original staff members are with us -- and as of summer 2023, we are in talks with two more individuals who may take over blog operations going forward. The Dorchester Times has done just fine, thank you, despite being cloaked in secrecy. 

Dorchester's history is rich with groups whose members remained anonymous while staying focused on the community's greater good.

One such group were the Dorchester Freemasons, who were active during the early 1900s. The Dorchester Freemasons met on the second floor of the building that now houses City Hall and Donna's Hair Creations. (It's rumored that second floor is haunted, but we will let someone else investigate that charge.)

According to the Masons' website, "the Freemasonry is the oldest and largest worldwide fraternity dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being."  

When the old Dorchester school building was razed in 2008, Dorchester's residents received a history lesson on the Freemasons, who laid the cornerstone of the 1927 building. Click here for our story on the opening of the 1927 cornerstone.

Another organization with ties to Dorchester's early past is the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), which was concerned with local civic and political matters. Dorchester's I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 74 was founded May 13, 1879. While not as secretive as the Freemasons, the Odd Fellows didn't exactly publicize their membership.

The purpose of Dorchester Odd Fellows' lodge was to "care for the sick, bury the dead, and care for the widows and orphans." Dorchester's I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 74 was active until 1973.

The staff of the Dorchester Times is not to be confused with the fine members of the Freemasons, the Odd Fellows, or any of the world's elite secret organizations. But in our own way, this blog continues to serve a purpose and do some good. We will stick with the formula that is working.

Dorchester's Construction Boom Of 2023

In 2007, Dorchester experienced a construction boom.

Then just seven years later, in 2014, the village experienced another one.

Now, in 2023, it's happening yet again.

The lesson here: Never give up on Dorchester. Never.

The construction boom of 2023 is a sound combination of public and private projects. (We always raise our collective eyebrows when elected officials call taxpayer-funded public projects "economic development.") 

Moreover, the projects are aimed at enhancing Dorchester's main street, athletics program, and first-responders' capabilities.

Fire Department Expansion

After decades of no exterior changes or additions to the Dorchester Fire Hall, the fire and rescue department will be nearly doubling their facility space as a new addition is going in as we write this report.

Village taxpayers are funding the construction, which should not only boost the capabilities of the volunteers, but will also enhance the appearance of south main street (Washington Ave.). 

The site of the new project has been vacant since the early 1990s when a residence that once stood there was torn down.

Nerud Field

A fresh new look will greet those who attend Dorchester Longhorn football games and other activities at beautiful Nerud Field this fall. Dorchester Public School has replaced the old "crow's nest" with a very large field box on the west side of the field. 

Dorchester-based BZ Construction is erecting the new project, which comes after other improvements in recent years such as new lights and a new scoreboard. The large structure will not only house announcers and media during games, it will also provide an ample amount of storage for the football program and grounds crew.

In addition to the new field box is new fencing on the south end of the field, just beyond the long jump strip. This welcome addition will not only help parents ensure kids don't escape the confines of Nerud Field, the fencing will also keep trespassers out of neighbor's property. A common-sense and long overdue project. 

Main Street Building

As reported by this blog, the old Dorchester Telephone Building was torn down last fall to make room for a new building -- one that could potentially house up to four businesses, according to inside sources. 

However, progress on the building was delayed for nearly 8 months for unknown reasons, and passers-by saw only a framed structure on the site.

This week, progress on the new building has resumed with a flurry of activity. At this pace, the new building should be finished in no time, adding a place for new commerce and jobs on the village's major thoroughfare. 

This blog does not have any details to offer about what business may be inhabiting the new space.

Readers with updates on any of these projects should feel free to leave comments below.

Developing...

NEWS ROUND-UP: DHS Fall Sports Preview, Aug. 17

Fall Sports Preview, Scrimmages are Aug. 17: Dorchester Public School kicks off a new school year on Wednesday, Aug. 16. And that means Longhorn fans are already flashing their Hook 'em Horns hand signs and breaking out the orange and black attire. On Thursday, Aug. 17, DHS will host its annual Fall Sports Preview, with a free-will donation meal at 5:30 p.m. and an introduction to the football and volleyball team members at 6 p.m. The DHS volleyball scrimmage will take place at 6:15 p.m., with the football scrimmage following at 7:30 p.m. (Fans are encouraged to bring sports drinks or water to donate for the kids' seasons.)

Information Packet for New School Year: If you haven't already, parents need to read this 46-page information packet to prepare for the new school year. It includes school supply lists, information on school lunches, key dates for the school year, and more.

16 Acres for Sale South of Dorchester: Looking for some country land to build your dream home? South of Dorchester and west of Pleasant Hill, 16 acres are for sale for $150,000 at the intersection of County Roads 1300 and I. See the listing.

Foundation Pork Feed, Aug. 13: The Dorchester Community Foundation Fund will hose its annual pork feed on Sunday, Aug. 13 at 5 p.m. in the Dorchester City Park. Get ready for pork ribs and pulled pork sandwiches, pork and beans, coleslaw, and more! It's a free-will offering meal. 

Wednesdays are Cards Night at Eastside: Ready to cut the cards? Five-point pitch games take place every Wednesday beginning at 7 p.m. Be sure to brush up on your game and get ready for good times with Dorchester-area friends.