DHS Volleyball Goes To 13-4; Conducting Fundraiser

The DHS volleyball team has continued its winning ways in recent days, defeating High Plains Community, Omaha Christian Academy, and Sterling in recent days. 

But the team also lost two contests to inferior opponents in Shelby/Rising City and Nebraska Lutheran. 

Based on records alone, Dorchester, now 13-4, is a top 10 team in Nebraska's Class D-1 at this point in the season. 

The final quarter of the 2023 season begins tonight, Sept. 28, and the quality of opponents will be enhanced. 

On Thursday evening, DHS is on the road to take on Diller-Odell (12-7) and Meridian (11-2) in a triangular. 

Next week, on Oct. 5, the Lady 'Horns face Class C2 Cross County (13-5).

Meanwhile, the volleyball team is conducting a fundraiser. Get a bright orange longhorn design painted on your driveway to show your Dorchester pride. Cost is $25 per longhorn. Orders may be place through Friday, Sept. 29. See details here. Or call (402) 946-2781.

Looking Back: Dorchester's Old Church Was Left To Rot In Field

"And on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

That verse from the book of Matthew reminded us of a Times story from years gone by and the photo at the right of the old Dorchester Methodist Church (circa 2005).

As many of our readers know, Dorchester's original United Methodist Church building was moved in the from Pleasant Hill to the east side of Dorchester, on Lincoln Street, where it stood for more than 110 years. 

As the 20th century came to a close and a new building to house Dorchester's Methodist Church congregation was erected, the old church was taken to a location north of Wilber -- its final resting place. The building had been purchased by a collector whose dream of a museum never reached fruition.

The last we knew, the building had been reduced to a pile of rotting wood. 

Dorchester's current Methodist Church is one of our community's strengths. The church's forward-looking leaders favored reconstruction in the 1990s, which was a practical move, much like the construction of the current school building in 2008.

However, it saddened us to witness the long good-bye of Dorchester's old church. It was not the dignified end we would have envisioned for a building that served the town and its faithful so well for a century.

“...I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…” 

                                                                                              - Philippians 3:13.

Forecast: First Frost Won't Hit Until Oct. 19

For those of you excited for the season's first frost, you have a long wait.

According to the Dorchester Times forecasting formula and research, the first frost won't hit Saline County until Oct. 19. 

That's still a month away.

If our prediction holds true, it will only be a few days later than the average first frost date for our area, which is Oct. 12.

The first "killing frost" won't hit until late October, according to forecast models. This is especially relevant to farmers. In both corn and beans, a killing frost occurs at 28 degrees. Once a killing frost hits, plants can no longer move carbohydrates from the leaves, where photosynthesis occurs, to the grain. 

Of course, that also means we will be mowing for several more weeks.

The current record for the latest first frost in our area is Nov. 7, 1956, as some of our readers might recall. (Note: The first frost record for Omaha is even later, occurring on Nov. 13, 1915.)

While night-time lows will drop into the 30s before then, our long-range predictions (using AccuWeather and a few other forecasting services) show that the Dorchester area is going to be much warmer than average this early autumn.

Enjoy the warmth before winter!

NEWS ROUND-UP: Homecoming Week At Dorchester

DHS Homecoming Week Is Here: This is homecoming week in Dorchester. Students are celebrating with their spirit week themes, while DHS' football and volleyball teams are preparing to win for the generations of Orange and Black pride. The homecoming football contest will feature a match-up between DHS (1-2) and Meridan (0-3) on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. Ironically, none of this week's volleyball contests are at home. Check out Dorchester Public School's spirit week schedule

Hailey Schweitzer Records 1,000 Assists at DHS: Dorchester's Hailey Schweitzer has recorded 1,000 career assists as a Dorchester volleyball player. Schweitzer reached this astounding benchmark Friday, Sept. 15, in DHS' contest against Harvard. The Lady Longhorns went on to win, bringing the squad to 9-2 on the season.

DHS Volleyball Cruises to 9-2: The DHS volleyball team continues to add to its win column, knocking off Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska Lutheran, and Harvard in recent days. Based on records alone, Dorchester (9-2) is a top 5 team in Nebraska's Class D-1 at this point in the season. The week, DHS will travel to Osceola (6-4), then to Shelby to face Shelby/Rising City (7-4) and High Plains Community (6-5), then to Waco to face Omaha Christian Academy (4-4) and Nebraska Lutheran (2-9).

Saline County Museum Fall Festival This Weekend:  Living History Day is set for this Sunday, Sept. 24, at the Saline County Historical Museum in south Dorchester. The fun and learning will begin at 11 a.m. and last through 3 p.m. This is a free family event with interactive demonstrations of historical skills going on during the day on the grounds. Food and drinks will be sold on museum grounds. Learn more. 

Church Lunch, Fundraiser, Oct. 1: The Dorchester United Methodist Church is getting ready to host a community lunch and fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 1. The fundraiser will support the church's after-school program, which is utilized by numerous families in our community. See this flyer below for more details.

Community Clean-Up Set for Oct. 9-16: Dorchester's Community Fall Clean-Up will be from Monday, Oct. 9 through Monday, Oct. 16. That week, the village dump site will be open Monday thru Friday 3-7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. No excuses to get your place looking like the pride of all Dorchester.

Dorchester's Best Football Teams Of All Time

A while back, the Dorchester Times ranked the best high school football teams our school has ever produced. What made our effort credible is we relied on the expertise, input, and collective memories of former athletes and long-time DHS sports fans.

To be sure, this was no easy task. There have been some very solid teams produced by DHS over the past 70 years or so.  

Also complicating our effort is the fact that DHS football has come in three different formats over six decades. In the early 1960s, Dorchester went from six-man football to eight-man. In 1969, DHS converted to the 11-man game, which it played for 22 seasons; in 1991, the school reverted to eight-man; and in 2018, after several seasons without a DHS football team, the school revived the six-man game.

Let's not forget that in the fall of 1949 DHS' football program was restarted after years of not playing the game -- idled by the death of a player in the 1930s.

Despite the challenges, we did our best to fairly rank the Longhorn football teams of the past by paying special attention to the the talent of opponents they faced and the class of ball in which they played. Below is our top 10 list. (NOTE: The years we cite are the autumns of that school year. For example, 1961 represents school year 1961-62, not the graduating Class of '61.)

Beginning with the best two DHS football teams of all time, here's our list:

1.)  (tie) 1961: Undefeated and perhaps the most talented bunch at every position.  Names like Tesar, Guggenmos, Axline, Sysel and August dominated the opposition with stellar offense and defense.

1.)  (tie) 1979: Also undefeated, this team was touted as one the best Class C-2 teams in Nebraska by many, including Lincoln and Omaha sportswriters. The group certainly claimed the best skill-position players DHS has ever seen on one team. The DHS scoring explosion!

3.)  1971: This DHS team was also undefeated. Many in the area still claim this was the best Class D team in all of Nebraska that particular year. (As a side note, former DHS coach Jack Guggenmos' four years at the helm produced a 29-5-2 record.)

4.)  1977: Ranked No. 7 in Class C-2 by the Lincoln Journal and No. 5 by the Omaha World-Herald at season's end, this group claimed the Pioneer Conference champion trophy. "The hardest hitting team ever to wear the DHS uniform," one local expert said.

5.)  1986: This team was ranked No. 8 in Class C-2 by the Omaha World-Herald at season's end. State qualifier. Also, the only DHS team we know of who had a member, Bob Zoubek, shatter a helmet on an opponent. Led by the classes of 1987 and 1988, both blessed with skill and size.

6.)  1987: The group was ranked No. 9 in Class C-2 by the Lincoln Journal and No. 5 by the Omaha World-Herald at season's end. State qualifier. Led by the classes of 1988 and 1989, two classes with deep talent.

7.)  1978: Ranked No. 5 in Class D by the Omaha World-Herald at season's end, the group was champions of the Pioneer Conference. This group gave fans a preview of the successful 1979 team.

8.)  1958: This was one of DHS' first great football teams according to every Longhorn fan who saw them play. The squad finished the season ranked No. 2 in six-man by the Omaha World-Herald. Older fans say DHS never looked better than in the fall of '58.

9.)  1976: Ranked No. 5 in Class D by the Lincoln Journal and No. 7 by the Omaha World-Herald at season's end, this group was in the midst of the mid-to-late 1970 glory days for DHS football. Pioneer Conference champs.

10.)  1999: This team had a 7-1 regular season record, with the state's second-leading rusher in Jed Burkey, and was ranked much of the season. A late season injury at QB likely prevented this team from reaching at least the quarter-finals in the Class D-1 playoffs.

***** Honorable Mention *****

• 1959 -- Ranked No. 8 in six-man by the World-Herald.
• 1994 -- State qualifier. Only team to lead No. 1 Falls City Sacred Heart that season.
• 2006 -- State qualifier in eight-man.

NEWS ROUND-UP: Dorchester's Biar Applying To Be State Treasurer

DHS Alum Applies for State Treasurer Position: Rachel (Rezabek) Biar of rural Dorchester has applied to become the state's next treasurer. Biar, a 1990 graduate of DHS, is one of 10 Nebraskans seeking the treasurer position. The treasurer slot is one of just a handful of prominent statewide elected positions. Biar is currently an assistant treasurer for Nebraska. Gov. Jim Pillan will appoint the next treasurer since current State Treasurer John Murante is resigning Sept. 18. Read this story.

DHS Volleyball Continues Winning Ways: With about a quarter of the season completed, the DHS volleyball team now sits at 6-2. The Lady Longhorns have won four consecutive contests after dropping two against Class C opponents. Despite the two losses, Dorchester has established itself as one of the top tier teams in Class D-1. Next up for DHS is another Class C opponent, Cedar Bluffs, and well as Nebraska Lutheran at a Tuesday, Sept. 12 triangular in Waco, and a Sept. 15 contest at Harvard. All three opponents have losing records so far this season.

Longhorn Football Loses at Red Cloud: The Longhorns lost their first football game Sept. 8, falling to Red Cloud 66-14. The Warriors controlled the contest from the beginning, maintaining a 38-0 lead at halftime. Next up for DHS is a contest at Harvard (2-0) this Friday, Sept. 15.

Homecoming Is Sept. 22: Dorchester High School's homecoming will be Sept. 22. Here's a look at the themes for Spirit Week.

Living History Day Set for Sept. 24: Living History Day at the Saline County Historical Museum is set for Sunday, Sept. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There's no charge to attend this amazing event, which will feature interactive demonstrations of historical skills throughout the day on the museum grounds. Food will be available for purchase. This will be a big event that you won't want to miss.

Polka Night at Eastside, Sept. 17: The Leo Lonnie Trio will be playing Sunday, Sept. 17 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Eastside Bar and Grille in downtown Dorchester. A Czech dinner will be the special which will include pork, kraut, dumpling, dressing, gravy, veggies, and rye bread. Get ready to polka!

The Truth Is Out There: Our Area's UFO Sightings

Lately, there has been a lot of talk in the news about UFOs. 

This reminds us of the time when the Dorchester Times staff received an e-mail and photo from a reader ("Cathy") who lives a couple of miles outside of Dorchester.  

At the time, Cathy told us just before capturing a photo with her cell phone, she "saw a very bright, reflective object in the afternoon sky" and that the object "was just floating in the same spot for about 60 seconds and then suddenly vanished. 

Cathy told the Times she was "positive" she saw a UFO that was "not of this world."

Over the decades, Nebraska has its share of "out of this world" stories, perhaps because of its lack of artificial light pollution. 

Among the most interesting stories is one that took place on Highway 6 near Ashland. According to a site called UFOevidence.com, it is one of the "best-documented close encounters" ever noted.

On Dec. 3, 1967, Ashland police officer Herbert Schirmer was on his routine late-night and early morning patrol. Around 2:30 a.m., he noticed a group of lights near the ground and thought he could make out a semi-trailer off the road. 

When Schirmer approached to investigate, he watch the object take off and disappear in the night sky. When he returned to the police station at 3 a.m., he wrote in his log: "Saw a flying saucer at the junction of Highways 6 and 63. Believe it or not!"

According to the account, Schirmer went home that morning with a splitting headache and an inexplicable red welt on the side of his neck. Though only 22 years old at the time, Schirmer was so respected in Ashland that he was named chief of police a short time later. Two months later, he resigned from the force. He said he couldn't get the UFO encounter out of his mind. 

Investigators learned of Schirmer and found that 20 minutes seemed to be unaccounted for in his log of Dec. 3, 1967.

After Schirmer agreed to undergo hypnotic regression to see if he could remember more details of the incident, Schirmer told investigators that several "humanoid beings" got out and approached him and he was taken aboard the craft. 

Schirmer described the beings as 4.5' to 5' tall, with heads somewhat narrower and longer than an average human. He was told these beings had been watching the human race for a very long time and were engaged in what he called a "breeding analysis program."

Schirmer was ridiculed by some of the townspeople, his car was dynamited, and his wife left him. You can hear audio accounts of his "abduction" in Schirmer's own words by visiting this YouTube site.

The truth is out there.