Memorial Day Services Set For Monday

It's Memorial Day weekend. Let's not forget the reason behind the holiday, especially as further military action appears imminent in the Middle East to prevent a radical regime in Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

We should all take time this Memorial Day -- Monday, May 25 -- to pay homage to the true meaning of this special day of remembrance.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, between 1775 and 1991, the U.S. military recorded 651,031 battle deaths and 539,054 non-combat deaths, totaling 1.2 million fatalities. From 1980 to 2022 alone, there were more than 10,000 recorded deaths related to military activities.

Dorchester's Memorial Day program is a tradition in our area that we are proud to honor. It is a heartfelt tribute to our fallen military heroes who have sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom. The Dorchester American Legion will host two Memorial Day services:

• 10 a.m. at the Dorchester Cemetery; and
• 11 a.m. at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery

State legislative candidate for District 32 Mark Schoenrock, an Army veteran, will be the featured speaker. A potluck luncheon follows services at Dorchester American Legion Hall on Dorchester's Washington Ave., expected to start around noon.

In case of rain, please meet at the Dorchester Legion at 10 a.m.

 

The Dorchester Legion Bar and Grill will be open most of the day, from noon to 8 p.m., if this year follows patterns of the past.

NEWS ROUND-UP: State-Bound Longhorns; State Gets Much-Needed Rain

Over 3" of Rain Cover Dorchester Area: Some relief from the ongoing drought as much-needed precipitation fell on the Dorchester area over the past three storm-filled nights, May 16-18. Dorchester itself received around three inches in total, with most of that rain coming Saturday evening. Despite pea- and bubble-gum-sized hail and high winds, Dorchester emerged without significant damage. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for other parts of the state as tornadoes struck populated areas in central and southeast Nebraska. 

DHS Sending Four Girls to State Track and Field: Four Lady Longhorns are headed to Omaha this week to represent DHS at the 2026 Nebraska Track and Field State Championships at Burke Stadium. Bailey Theis will compete in both the shot put and discus; Kaitlyn Bolton in discus; Micaela Loarca in the 3200 meter run; and Brennaly Vazquez in the 200 meter dash. See the schedule for the May 20-23 events here. These are some serious athletes as DHS girls continue to shine in athletics. The track and field state championships will be live-streamed, including all track events May 20-23 live from Omaha.

DHS Excels at State Journalism Contest: Congratulations to the DHS journalism students who placed fifth as a team in Class C out of 27 schools competing at the NSAA State Journalism Competition held in Norfolk on Monday, April 27. Dorchester also had one individual state champion, Max Novak in the Yearbook Sports Feature Writing contest. Other top-four finishers included Lyberty Bartlett (4th in Yearbook Feature Writing), Briana Tellez (4th in Newspaper Feature Writing), and the team comprised of Emilia Perez, Briana Tellez, and Lyberty Bartlett (2nd in Yearbook Theme Development). The students are advised by Mrs. Severance. 

 

Annual DHS Alumni Banquet Set For Saturday

It's alumni time in the Big D.

On Saturday, May 23, Dorchester alumni -- young and old and in-between -- will gather to recall the good times and celebrate the school that gave them their start.

The 2026 Dorchester Alumni Banquet will be held at the DHS gym.  

Doors will open at 5 p.m. and the banquet will start at 6 p.m.

To register or for more information, call the school at 402-946-2781. Cost to attend is $20 per person.

Classes ending in "6" will be honored, with the DHS Class of 2006 hosting the event. 

May 13 was the RSVP deadline, but spaces are still be available we are told. Dinner will be beef tri-tip or smothered chicken.

Guest speaker will be longtime DPS educator and principal Mr. Terry Gautreaux.

For those who'd like to carry on their conversations beyond the banquet, the Dorchester American Legion has traditionally been open after the banquet. East Side is another option.

For those who cannot attend but would like to contribute to the Dorchester Alumni Association, send donations to: 

Dorchester Alumni Association

P.O. Box 7

Dorchester, NE  68343

May 15 Deadline To Register For DHS Alumni Golf

Proud Dorchester alumni will hit the links at the end of May for the annual DHS Alumni Golf Tournament. 

Some will be great golfers. 

Some will be OK duffers. 

Others will be just trying to survive on the course.

The tourney is set for Saturday, May 30, 2026 at the Friend Country Club.

Four-person teams are asked to register by this Friday, May 15.

Captains of each four-man team should contact Dorchester Schools Athletic Director Brent Zoubek at brent.zoubek@dorchesterschool.org or 402-946-2781.  

For more information, see page 7 of the most recent school newsletter.

Cost is $70 for 18 holes (includes cart and meal), $20 for a t-shirt, and $280 per foursome.  

Check-ins will start at 8 a.m. 

 Shotgun starts at 9 a.m. T

And, yes, there will be pin prizes.

Players must be DHS alumni. (Sorry, Tiger.)  

NEWS ROUND-UP: Dorchester Junior High Boys Track Keeps Setting Records

Dorchester Junior High Track Just Keeps Winning (and Setting Records): Dorchester's junior high tracksters are raising some eyebrows as more DPS junior high records fall. Last month, we reported on a new junior high record in the 4X400 meter relay set by teammates Brenden Bergmeyer, Harrison Vyhnalek, Payton Zoubek, and Hunter Sherwood. The fab four broke their own record this month with a time of 4:04:02. In the 800 meter relay, Bergmeyer and Sherwood joined Mason Vyhnalek and Legend Smith to break the 1985 record with a time of 1:50:84. Then in the 3200 meter relay, Sherwood, Bergmeyer, Boone Smith, and David Loarca broke the record set in 2003. The stars are shining bright at DPS this spring.

Theis Will Represent DHS at All-Star Volleyball Game: DHS senior Bailey Theis Centennial Classic volleyball all-star game. The event, which features recent graduates, has quickly become a premier summer showcase for Nebraska high school volleyball athletes. 

Skeeter Howlett Passes at Age 70: Dorchester native William “Skeeter” Wesley Howlett, a 1970 DHS alum and a lifelong music buff, master tinkerer, proud grass-mowing enthusiast, and unofficial encyclopedia of songs, passed on May 1. His obituary may be read here.

Dorchester School Season Winding Down: With graduation over, the Dorchester Public School season is coming to a close quickly.  Monday, May 18, is the final day of the school year for DPS preschool, while Tuesday, May 19, will be the last day for K-11 students. May 23 is the annual Dorchester alumni banquet. May 30 is the annual DHS alumni golf outing.

Tire Recycling Collection at Saline Center: Need to dispose of your old/used tires Saline Center will be collecting them June 5, 6, and 7. 

Historic Drought Gets Worse: Nebraska's historic drought -- which, in many areas of our state, is the worst drought in modern history -- keeps bringing bad news. Little to no rain has fallen this spring. Here's the latest Drought Monitor map. Meanwhile, this interesting comment was left on our recent story on the drought: "(B)ack in the day, they planted trees every mile to the half-mile lines on farm ground; that's what stopped the wind from blowing away the top soil. Well, in this day and age, they have taken out every windbreak for as far as the eye can see. So its a pretty easy fix, but convincing people that might fix it is harder today. Actually I'm betting if you had a tree line every mile, you probably wouldn't see many wind generators lining the countryside."

DHS Class Of 2026 Graduates May 9

 

 

The caps, tassles, gowns, and Kleenex were in full effect Saturday, May 9, at the Dorchester High School gymnasium. 

 

That's when graduation ceremonies were held for 10 Longhorn seniors and their friends and families.

 

Here are the members of DHS' Class of 2026 and their post-graduation plans as detailed by DPS social media. (We're noticing more graduates statewide choosing to enter the skilled trades as AI promises to replace basic white-collar office skills in the near future. This year's DHS graduating class presents a clear example of that.)

• Hunter Wake: Hunters' guardians are Hannah and Jake Railsback. He will attend SCC, studying to become a Physical Therapy Assistant.
   
• Chase Tachovsky: The son of Dawn Zoubek and Scott Tachovsky, Chase will attend Concordia, majoring in Exercise Science while competing for the Bulldogs in football. 
   
• Bailey Theis: Bailey is the daughter of Beth and Mike Theis. She plans on majoring in Exercise Science at Concordia in Seward and competing for the Bulldogs in track and field.
  
  
• Moises Alexander Lopez Tercero: The son of Mario Lopez Lucas and Maria Concepcion Tercero Lopez, Moises will attend SCC, studying Automotive Technology.
  
  
• Micaela Loarca: Micaela is the daughter of Dominga Lopez & Miguel Loarca. She will attend SCC, majoring in Criminal Justice and Business, with the goal of becoming a paralegal. 
  
  
• Savannah June: Savannah is the daughter of Spencer and BJ June. Savannah will attend SCC to major in Nursing.
  
  
• Justin Dixon: Justin is the son of Jesse and Sabrina Dixon. He plans to attend SCC, studying Agriculture - Livestock Management and Production.
  
  
• Carter Cerny: The son of Amanda and Bret Cerny, Carter will attend SCC to study Auto Body/Electrical Technology.
  
  
• Caden Axline: Caden is the son of James and Tina Axline. He plans to attend SCC to major in Welding.
  
  
• Adrian Alcaide Rodriguez: The son of Juan Alcaide and Reina Rodriguez, Adrian plans to attend SCC, majoring in Electrical Technology. He also wants to serve his country by joining the Army.

Our heartiest of congratulations to the accomplished Longhorns in the Class of 2026. The sky is the limit for all of you. Remember your roots and your Dorchester foundation.

 

Saline County Museum Is Open For 2026 Season

It's that time of year again. The Saline County Museum will be open for the summer season beginning Sunday, May 3, according to social media posts.

 

The museum (located in south Dorchester) will be open every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. 

 

Admission to the museum and its numerous buildings is free, although donations are welcome. 

For those who don't know, the museum's roots can be traced back to the 1950s, when Dorchester's own Rosa Dusanek had a dream of building a Saline County museum to house the history of our area's people. 

Here's how it went down:

In 1957, the Saline County Historical Society was established. In 1960, the Saline County commissioners gave the society a one-tenth mill levy. The museum's first building -- the teal colored structure you see from Hwy. 33 -- was built in 1964.

Today there are more than a dozen buildings.

1. The Kaspar Memorial Building (white and blue building near Washington Ave.) features antiques automobiles and farm equipment.
   
   
2. The Research Building (gray and red building near Hwy 33) now features a old-fashioned General Mercantile Store as it would have appeared in the early 1900-1920s.
   
   
3. The Weidner Building contains turn-of-the century horse equipment, wagons, and old-time printing presses.
   
   
4.  The Chapel was refurbished in 2025 and contains “In Loving Memory” funeral displays, an altar and wedding dresses and suits. A nearby memorial pays tribute to Dorchester's Charlie Havlat, the last American killed in the European Theater at the end of WWII. 
   
   
5. The Memorial Building has an 1800s bedroom, a 1950s living room, a parlor and an old-fashioned kitchen. There is a textile room, dentist office, doctor’s office and a beauty shop. It was recently upgraded to include air conditioning, we're told.
    
6. The Machinery Building has implements from the past centuries. In recent years, it has been re-organized with items labeled to explain how old-timer equipment was used.
   
   
7. The Voting Building is original. This building was only used for voting.
   
   
8. The Buckingham School is a one-room country school from 1871. It is a building where present day children can go to school to see how their great grandparents were educated. 
   
   
9. The Burden Home belonged to the first black homesteader in Saline County. Seven children were born and raised in this tiny two-room home, built just after the Civil War.
   
   
10. The Cizek log cabin, which dates back to 1866, is in the white building north of the Burden home, along with a large, fascinating collection of barbed wire and other items.
    
    
11. The Dorchester Railroad Depot houses fascinating train and railroad-related memorabilia, giving visitors a look at how Americans traveled to distant locations before planes and modern reliable automobiles.
    
    
12. The Main Building contains a wide variety of items, from John Palky's pre-historic tool collection, to military displays, to items showcasing Pleasant Hill's history.
    
    
13. And the Plato Post Office building is a traveling post office, a tiny building that moved from farm to farm.

The Saline County Museum is operated strictly by volunteers. The Saline County Historical Society Board consists of several individuals who meet quarterly. And the museum volunteers say they are working on new displays.