Methodist Church Receives $6K For After-School Program

The Dorchester United Methodist Church has received a grant for $6,000 through the Nebraska Community Foundation. The grant will fund an after-school children's program at the church during this school year.  

Funds will be used to finance a program director and two additional employees at the church. This includes busing youth after school to the church, which will provide a safe place with after school activities until the parents pick them up after their work.  

The grant was facilitated through the Dorchester Community Foundation Fund with matching funds.

Special recognition goes out to the foundation's Carol Olson for recognizing the opportunity and applying for the grant, according to Dale Hayek, the foundation's president.

Dorchester Volleyball Serves Up New Season This Week

Bump. Set. Spike. 

The Dorchester High School volleyball team is ready to begin its 2024 campaign.

This year's DHS squad will likely be among one of the better teams in Class D-2. The Lady Longhorns, who finished at 16-11 last year and 15-13 in 2022, will return some key starters this season.

One insider who follows high school volleyball closely told the Times that this year's team will need to foster younger talent in order to overcome some of the tougher teams on the schedule. 

"On paper, they should win the majority their games," our source told us. 

"But the senior leaders will need to work hard to ensure their younger teammates contribute to their full potential."

DHS fans will know in short order how the 2024 Longhorn team stacks up. The team is scheduled to play four contests by Sept. 10, in addition to an unofficial "jamboree" contest versus Wilber-Clatonia at 5:30 p.m. this Tuesday, Aug. 27, at home.

The official season begins this Thursday, Aug. 29, with a 7 p.m. home contest against East Butler. A JV game will start at 6 p.m.

Here is the 2024 DHS volleyball schedule:

Meanwhile, the volleyball team is conducting its driveway painting fundraiser. It's a great way to demonstrate your Longhorn pride and support the volleyball team at the same time. See this Facebook post for more details or contact Coach Clouse or Coach Tachovsky.

Living History Day At Saline County Museum, August 24

We now have it from official sources. The annual Living History Day festival will be held at the Saline County Museum in Dorchester on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This free, family-oriented event has become a favorite in southeast Nebraska. It features roughly 25 historical demonstrations and a showcase of old-timer skills. Food will be available, including homemade ice cream. 

The food court will be serving from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their family members, friends, and lawn chair. Donations will be accepted.

Don't miss the end-of-summer highlight. 

In the meantime, the museum is open every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Crete Solar Project Part Of $30M Government Giveaway

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has just announced the agency is sending nearly $30 million in taxpayer money to a Nebraska company, which is planning a solar energy project in Crete as well as seven other Nebraska communities.

SE Municipal Solar LLC, based in Omaha, is receiving the money through the Powering Affordable Clean Energy program, which is part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act. The program is essentially a grant in the form of "forgivable loans" if used for renewable energy projects powered by wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, or biomass, as well as for renewable energy storage projects.

The company plans to build eight solar photovoltaic generation facilities totaling 18.72 megawatts, about enough electricity to power 1,700 homes. Projects will be located in Alliance, Gering, Sidney, Imperial, Ansley, Pender, Crete, and Stuart.

Last summer, the Crete City Council voted to authorize citing the eight-acre solar farm near the intersection of highways 33 and 103, south of the former Schwan's facility.

Keep in mind that China owns the vast majority of the world’s solar panel supply chain, controlling at least 75 percent of every single key stage of solar photovoltaic panel manufacturing and processing. That makes the United States over 3 times as dependent on China for solar power than the United States was ever dependent on the Middle East for oil, according to experts.

Longhorn Football Kicks Off August 30

It's time to break out your orange and black! 

Dorchester High School's 2024 football season kicks off next Friday night, Aug. 30 in Sterling. 

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

This is the seventh year of six-man football at Dorchester in the modern era. In recent years, DPS revamped Nerud Field with a new lighting system. Last season, a new field box was added to the friendly confines.

After last year's 1-7 record, insiders say this year's DHS team seeks to start a new chapter of Longhorn football as numbers begin to return. 

 

Sources say DHS' experience in coaching and game planning will start to pay dividends.

Here is the 2024 schedule:

 

 

Dorchester's football program has shown signs of strength after returning to Nerud Field seven years ago and going to six-man. DHS was 4-4 in its 2019 campaign and 3-5 in 2018.

 

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. 2022 was another tough sled with a 2-6 record.

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

 

Looking Back: Dorchester's Main Street, Circa 1910

Today, let's go back in time -- way back to 1910.

Thanks to a loyal reader who sent us an image via e-mail (you may do the same at dorchester.times@gmail.com), we were provided this glimpse of the Bank of Dorchester and corner drug store just after the turn of the 20th century.

The image is from a vintage postcard. (Click on the pictures for a closer view.)

Notice the patriotic display in drug store window. A postcard rack can be seen through the storefront window.  

Much different times indeed.

According to our research, and some help from the 1981 Dorchester centennial book, the two businesses were housed on the southwest corner of 7th Street and Washington Avenue (Main Street).

Notice the windmill behind the building. This supplied water since it sat where Dorchester's old water tower stood prior to its removal in 2013.

Today, First State Bank resides at this location, but the building has long had a much newer front.

The Bank of Dorchester operated from 1913 through 1930, when it fell victim to the Great Depression. To the south of the bank was Randall's shoe shop, owned by William Randall from 1888 through 1917. The space separating the bank and the shoe store -- the public library today -- was there even in the early 1900s.

It is unclear which former Dorchester drug store is pictured, since Dorchester had at least a half-dozen drug stores from 1900 through 1920. Our best guess is that the pharmacy pictured belonged Dr. J.E. Waller, who owned and operated this store from 1909 through 1915. 

The Times would love to hear about any history our readers can share regarding these businesses.

$10K In Funds For New DHS Shot Clocks

It's the final countdown as the shot clocks go up this season in Nebraska Class D high school basketball.

And thanks to donations from the Dorchester Community Foundation Fund, Nebraska Community Foundation, and Farmers Co-op, there's funding to pay for those clocks.

The three entities raised a combined $10,000, according to social media.

While the clocks are supposed to speed up the game and put an end to the type of stall tactics that took down the best-ever Dorchester High School basketball team in 1987, there are concerns about their availability and costs -- especially at a time local school boards and officials are under the gun for spending. 

Also, finding a dedicated person to operate the clock could be a challenge at small schools. 

The estimated costs of the clocks run between $3,500 and $7,100, plus installation costs.

Like them or not, the shot clocks are coming. Get ready for the biggest change to high school basketball since the implementation of the three-point line in the late 1980s.

House For Sale: 712 Stephens Avenue

Dorchester's real estate market remains strong. This despite that easy, cheap money -- following several years of money printing due to massive government spending -- are coming to a close.

Many homes in large cities and rural properties have become unaffordable for the average buyer. Dorchester looks even more appealing now to most folks in the market for a home. Consider what Dorchester has to offer:

• TOP-NOTCH SCHOOL: A newer K-12 school with smaller class sizes and some of the state's best educators. This means individualized attention for your child.

• A SAFE AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY: With an upgraded water and sewer system, and a surplus of funding at Village Hall.

• LOWER COSTS: Affordable living costs with lower property taxes compared to surrounding school districts.

• KEY BUSINESSES AND PRIME LOCATION: Headquarters for one of the nation's largest agri-businesses (Farmers Cooperative) and situated on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line and along two major highways.

• GEOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE: A quick drive to employers in Crete, Milford, Friend, and Seward. Just 30 minutes to Lincoln and 12 minutes to I-80. Yet all the advantages of a small, close-knit community.

Here's a Dorchester home that just hit the market:

712 Stephens Ave.: Built in 1900, this charming 2 bedroom, 1 bath home offers plenty of room with 1,025 square feet. It has been fully renovated offering a large kitchen with island, open concept dining area, and modern living. All in one level living, modern features, colors, carpet and tile flooring in the kitchen and dining. Each bedroom and living room have its own mini split for climate comfort. Turn-key, you will enjoy your new home and all the gorgeous fixtures, and natural light from the new windows and throughout. Main floor laundry area, corner lot and one detached garage with a new door. See the listing.

Dorchester's Rib Cook-Off Contest Is August 17

Get ready to end the summer in style -- Dorchester style!

On Saturday, Aug. 17, the Dorchester Community Foundation Fund will host its first annual rib cook-off.

This fun event, which will be held at the Dorchester American Legion building, will feature some of the area's best cooks as they vie to be named the rib cook-off champ.

It will start bright and early at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. Dinner will be served beginning at 5 p.m.

Best of all, there will be a Legion beer garden following the cook-off. The beer garden will be open well into the evening.

This is a free-will donation event.

For to-go orders, call (402) 641-7050.

Looking Back: 43 Years Ago, Dorchester Celebrated Its Centennial

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).

Community Development Financing Tool In Danger, Sources Say

In recent years, the Village of Dorchester has advanced plans to redevelop portions of our community and its infrastructure. Relying on cost-benefit analyses and tax increment financing, also known as TIF, to goal of village leaders has been to make the new development and upgrades financially viable.

TIF is an economic development tool frequently used by cities, counties, and authorities to encourage developers to invest in under-performing, blighted areas. TIF financing is only available in TIF districts, which are designated by city or village council members.

However, now TIF is in danger in Nebraska, according to insiders. Nebraska Examiner reports that as the Nebraska Legislature considers property tax relief, TIF projects are in the crosshairs.

Why does that matter?

As the Examiner explains, TIF allows a developer, with approval from city officials, to use the increased property taxes generated by the improvement on a blighted property (the so-called increment) to help finance a redevelopment project -- often times for the infrastructure that is needed to make a project actually happen.

“Tax-increment financing is, frankly, the dominant tool municipalities have for economic and community growth,” said one municipality expert.

Currently, TIF is widely used across the state, in 67 Nebraska counties and 136 cities. Numerous projects representing billions of dollars in investment have tapped into the financing mechanism.

Southeast Nebraska As Earthquake Country? You Bet

An attempted assassination to take the life of a former U.S. president. The Democratic Party's ouster of a current president in exchange for a chameleon. A federal government spending so much your dollar's value is plummeting every second (it's called inflation).

Could it get any worse? Yes it could.

Southeast Nebraska lives under a minor threat of earthquakes. The Humboldt Fault Zone is a normal fault or series of faults that extends from Nebraska southwestwardly through most of Kansas -- all the way to Oklahoma City.  The Humboldt line is close enough to the Saline County that we would certainly feel the impact of a major quake.

Most of the impact of a quake in southeastern Nebraska would likely do the most damage in southeast Nebraska up north to the Platte River area in Cass County, according to historical records.

Keep in mind that Nebraska (and Kansas, for that matter) is not particularly earthquake prone, ranking near the bottom of the 50 states by damage caused.

When it comes to potential for damage, northwest Nebraska claims the highest probability in our state.

But also remember this: The Humboldt Fault had the largest earthquake in Kansas history with the 1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake. It happened near the town of Wamego and was estimated at about 5.5 on the Richter scale. Reportedly it was felt as far away as Dubuque, Iowa. 

Had Dorchester been around then, we're quite certain residents then would have felt it, too.

During the 1800's, Nebraska was the sight of some rather strong quakes, with one in 1811 in New Madrid, which registered an 8.1 and produced thousands of aftershocks. The earthquake was felt as far away as Washington, D.C. In strength, this quake superseded an 1877 quake, which is considered the largest quake on record and did serious damage in Lincoln and Omaha.

An article in "Nebraska Life" magazine reports that the New Madrid Fault Zone "is at greater risk of earthquakes that any location east of the Rocky Mountains."

There is speculation among experts that there is a connection between the Nebraska plates and others in the U.S. -- even in Alaska.

In March, 1964, there was a 9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska. This was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the U.S., measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale. Merriman, Neb., on the same day, had four quakes, each about four minutes apart, which registered at 5.1 and impacted a 90,000 square mile area. This same scenario has occurred several times.

This information is being shared just as the super-volcano at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is showing signs of becoming active again. This is a much bigger threat to the survival of humans than asteroids, earthquakes, nuclear war, and certainly so-called "man-made global warming."

If the volcano at Yellowstone blows, who is in the White House won't matter.