Happy Easter From The Times

The staff of the Dorchester Times wishes all our readers and area residents a happy Easter. 

May you and your families enjoy together the blessings and forgiveness bestowed upon each of us and our community.

Take time today to remember the reason for this special day. 

“He is not here; he has risen!” - Luke 24:6

NEWS ROUND-UP: Spring Clean-Up Time In Dorchester

Spring Community Clean-Up, April 6-13: Dorchester Community Spring Clean-up will be from Saturday, April 6 to April 13. For Dorchester residents only, the village dump site will be open that week from Monday through Friday from 1-7 p.m. and Saturday 9-5 p.m. Accepted items: Furniture, televisions, carpet, mattresses, metal, appliances, batteries, wood without nails. (No pallets, wet pain or hazardous waste, or you will be fined. Also no tires or garbage.) The attendant on duty has authority to accept or reject items.

Volunteer Fire and Rescue to Host Brisket Sandwich Meals, April 6: On Saturday, April 6, from  4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Dorchester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department will have brisket sandwich meals to go at the fire station. Drive-thru or pre-order. Free-will offering. Proceeds to support Dorchester Fire and Rescue expenses and equipment. Order by phone at 402-946-4641 or you can text: 402-826-7346.

Hoffman Set to Appear in District Court, April 3: Matthew Hoffman of Dorchester will appear in district court Wednesday, April 3, after a Saline County Court judge ruled earlier this month that the state had met its burden of proof for charges that Hoffman stole more than $22,000 as an employee of Fritz's Bar and Grill in Wilber. Hoffman, who has had legal troubles before, faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

DeWitt Woman Charged After Contraband Found in Inmate's Feces: Straight from the "Ewwww!" files, a 23-year-old DeWitt woman, Aubree Vculek, has been charged for attempting to pass drugs to a Lincoln penitentiary inmate, according to court documents. Vculek passed the narcotics onto the inmate via a kiss; the drugs were later found inside the inmate's feces. Like Johnny Cash, that stash has been everywhere, man.

Dorchester Easter Egg Hunt Is Saturday, March 30

Hey, kids! The Easter Bunny will soon be dropping by Dorchester. 

It's time to train your eyes and practice your egg hunting.  

The Dorchester Easter Egg Hunt will take place 2 p.m. Saturday, March 30. 

And it's going to be a hopping good time. 

Here's where to report (we suggest getting there by at least 1:45 p.m.): 

• Ages 3 and under, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, and first and second graders meet at the football field northwest of the school. 
• Third and fourth graders meet at the practice football field two blocks north of the school.
  

Make sure your children are part of this special holiday tradition in our community.

The hunt is sponsored by the Dorchester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department.

For those kids who want to have fun getting Easter eggs ready for the big hunt, all children are invited to help color the eggs tonight, Friday evening, March 29, at 7 p.m. at the Dorchester Fire Hall. Prepared to get messy (that means don't wear nice clothes).

FLASHBACK: Salute To Miles Nerud, Father Of SFS Baseball

A few years ago, Dorchester High School alum Jack Guggenmos -- a former athletic standout -- wrote on Facebook: "It’s so great to see the legacy of Mike Nerud continue and grow! He is the true father of SFS League baseball. Believe me, he would be so proud. Congrats to the coaches and players on their championship! The tradition continues in Dorchester!"

In October 2007, the Dorchester Times reported the passing of Miles J. Nerud, one of Dorchester's favorite sons and a local baseball hero. Here's what we wrote at the time:

"Miles Nerud, 91, passed away at 12:10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007 in Friend. Born April 2, 1916 to John and Anna Nerud, survivors include nieces, nephews and friends, including special friends and neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Sehnert.

"Nerud brought organized little league baseball to Dorchester in the 1950s. He served as one of the founding fathers of the Seward-Fillmore-Saline (SFS) League in 1957. Despite some changes from the original town teams, the SFS League remains strong today, half a century later.

"Prior to Nerud's work with Little League ball, he organized the first Dorchester Legion baseball team in the late 1940s.

"According to the Dorchester Centennial history book, Dorchester was known as a baseball town as early as 1905. Miles Nerud played a vital role in securing that reputation. He helped to grow the town's love for the game and produced some of the finest ball players in the region. 

From an early age, Nerud recognized that baseball was more than a game for our area community, but a social network that brought families together regardless of age, ethnicity or social standing. 

 

"Around these parts, he will always be remembered as Mr. Baseball -- by players past and present. And we will be reminded of his contributions whenever we see a game played on Dorchester's Nerud Field, named in his honor."

NEWS ROUND-UP: Nearly 2,000 Visit Dorchester This Weekend

Big Turnout for Dorchester's Annual Spring Activities: The 30th annual DHS Alumni Basketball Tournament, the Dorchester Community Foundation's annual steak feed, the 11th anniversary of City Slickers Bar and Grill, and karaoke at East Side Bar and Grill brought tons of visitors to Dorchester this weekend. At any given time Saturday evening, there were between 100-200 vehicles down town. Based on headcounts and car counts conducted by Times staff, we estimate nearly 2,000 people were either at the school to watch the tournament or to participate in downtown activities. Impressive numbers for the village.

DPS' Ridpath Named Teacher of the Year: Dorchester educator Karma Ridpath has been selected as the 2024 Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association (NRCSA) Outstanding Elementary Teacher of the Year, according to social media reports. Recognized at the March 14 NRCSA conference in Kearney, Ridpath was awarded the honor for playing "a major part in creating an intervention time for K-6 students to receive what they need to improve their reading skills.  She continues to spark discussion for change to benefit our students in the best way possible." 

DHS Quiz Bowl Teams Take Third: Dorchester's junior high and the high school quiz bowl teams recently placed No. 3 at the Crossroads Conference Quiz Bowl held at Meridian Public School. Coached by longtime DHS educator Sandy Severance, the high school team was comprised of Gabby Theis, Bailey Theis, Addison Lehr, Owen Vyhnalek, Andrea Pavlish (Captain), Ashton Jirsa, Amber Kotas, Victoria Leavitt, Madison Theis, and Baylor Behrens. The junior high team was comprised of Lyberty Bartlett, Ella Vyhnalek, Kendall Kasl, Blake Cerny, Max Novak, Troy Dawes, Faith Elkins, Thor Nerud, Trevin Steuk, and Josh Gordon.

East Side Unveils 2024 Polka Lineup: The East Side Bar and Grill has posted its schedule for this year's polka shows. See it here. Things kick off today, March 17, with a fantastic polka show by Kenny Shuda from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Dorchester Community Foundation Seeks Intern: The Dorchester Foundation and Nebraska Community Foundation is looking for an intern who would be an employee of NCF, and funded by the Dorchester Foundation Fund. This intern will work primarily with the village and be supervised by Jen Kasl. The intern won’t necessarily work 40 hours a week, and they most likely will help us on research for Dorchester's 150th birthday (about seven years away), the community's 4th of July celebration, among many other things. Jen and the intern will attend a day idea sharing/orientation workshop. For more information, call Dale Hayek at (402) 641-4075 or email dhayek@farmersco-operative.com.

NEWS ROUND-UP: Alumni Tourney Time Is Here

It's Alumni Basketball Tourney Time: It's Dorchester's "big dance" -- the DHS Alumni Basketball Tournament, set for Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. This year marks the 28th year for the popular event, missing only 2020 (thanks, China virus!) over the past nearly three decades. Watch for participating alumni to be in town on Friday and Saturday with action taking place at the DHS gym.

Annual Steak and Burger Feed Is March 16: On Saturday, March 16, the Dorchester Community Foundation Fund's Annual Steak and Hamburger Feed will be held in conjunction with the Dorchester High School Alumni Basketball Tourney. The feed will take place from 5 p.m. until roughly 9 p.m. Read the Times' full story.

Celebrate City Slickers' 11th Anniversary: Come celebrate the 11th anniversary of the regionally famous City Slickers Bar and Grill in downtown Dorchester on March 16, beginning at 8:30 p.m. Live music will be provided by Cole Younger and the Renegades. Drink specials and giveaways, all coinciding with the equally famous Dorchester Alumni Basketball Tournament.

Hailey Schweitzer Earns Statewide Honor: DHS' Hailey Schweitzer was recently honored by the Nebraska School Activities Association when she was presented the NSAA's "Believers and Achievers" award at the Nebraska Girls State Basketball Championships. The Believers and Achievers award was designed to reward high school students for their excellence in academics and participation in NSAA activities. These winning students are involved in both school and community activities along with a commitment to citizenship.

Know of Students Wanting to Transfer to Dorchester?: If you know of any high school students wanting to transfer from another school district to Dorchester for next school year, they should file by March 15. Option Enrollment applications can be submitted after March 15, but after March 15 permission from the student's home district will be required. If students are accepted after March 15, they would still have to meet a May 1 deadline to be immediately eligible for activities in the fall. For more information, call Dorchester Public School at 402-946-2781.

Roesler Is Dorchester Utility Superintendent: Village of Dorchester employee Trent Roesler has been named the village's utility superintendent by the village board, according to the minutes from last month's board meeting. The board meets again Monday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Farmers Cooperative meeting room for its regular monthly meeting.The meeting is open to the public.

Happy 93rd Birthday, Bob Kasl: Dorchester's Bob Kasl is celebrating his 93rd birthday this weekend. Be sure to tell him happy birthday when you see him.

Looking Back: Russell Freidell Captured Dorchester Images More Than A Century Ago

Every now and again, we come across old photos of the Dorchester area that will take all of our readers back to a time that no one alive today can remember. But we can all imagine what it was like thanks to the imagery.

Today we wanted to share a few such photos taken by Dorchester's early photographer Russell Freidell.

Russell Freidell was the son of William Freidell, the well-known dry goods store owner and retailer who ran his business in Dorchester for more than 50 years. The Freidells resided in a beautiful Victorian home on the corner of Washington Avenue and 10th St. (The home was renovated in the late 1990s and today it looks nothing as it once did.)

The Freidell's dry goods business also managed to survive a 1896 fire that destroyed a portion of Dorchester's business district, when the buildings were mostly wood.

In 1890, William Freidell was a key decision-maker in the construction of the community's first dedicated high school, which cost of $10,000. That same year, Russell was born.

Seventeen years later, Russell was a proud 1907 graduate of Dorchester High School. In addition to his Sunday School service and work with the Masons, he would also go on to become known for his photography.

Russell was drafted during World War I, and he was around Dorchester as late as the 1940s. He lived to age 97 and was buried in Houston, Texas in 1987.

Nearly 117 years after his high school graduation, we're still talking about Russell's photos. 

All of his images are worth a long look, whether it was the 1908 photo that Freidell took of the Big Blue River north of town or images of an area country road -- with no road signs and certainly no wider than the width of a Model T or a horse-drawn carriage. (Click on any photo here for a better view.)

One of our favorite Freidell photos shows Dorchester's Independence Day in 1908 (pictured atop this story). It gives viewers a front row seat at the village's celebrated Fourth of July parade, which continues to this day. The theme of Dorchester's 1908 Fourth of July Parade was "Comic Parade."

Another favorite photograph by Freidell illustrates a clear, crisp view of the 1909 Dorchester baseball team. Back then, games were often played south of town in the space now occupied by the Saline County Museum, or in a cow pasture northwest of town called Grant Horner's pasture. Yet another location was Bankson's pasture, just on the outskirts of Dorchester. Most games were played during free time on Sundays, according to old-timers quoted in the Dorchester Centennial history book.

Freidell's postcards are occasionally available for purchase online and make a fine gift for any Dorchester native or resident who enjoys studying our area's history.