Dorchester Times

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Lawver Captures Gold At State -- Again

Dorchester's Karmen Lawver has again captured gold at the Nebraska State Track and Field Meet.

At the state meet held this past weekend, the DHS senior successfully defended her Class D discus title with a winning toss of 131'-4".

(Correction: Last year, Lawver made history by becoming the first DHS athlete to win a gold medal at the state meet since 1976, winning the discus event with a toss of 124' 6".)

In the shot put contest, Lawver fell only 10 inches short of repeating as state champion. Lawver took third place with a toss of 39' 1". Aundrea Jorgensen, Medicine Valley,won the gold with a throw of 39' 11". Last year, Karmen was crowned state shot put champ after her throw of 41' 7", beating the second place participant by nearly two feet.

Thanks to Lawver's two medals, DHS finished No. 12 in the the Class D team standings at the state track meet, beating conference rivals McCool Junction (No. 15) and Exeter-Milligan (No. 18). Lindsay Holy Family was No. 1 in team scores.

(FLASHBACK: In May 2007, Lawver placed 16th in the Class D discus event at the state track meet. In the hours after her performance, Dorchester track coach Joshua Vacek told The Crete News that Lawver has "all the attributes a state champion needs" and that "she will win the girls state discuss before she is done here" at Dorchester. "I'd almost bet on it," Vacek said. For the second year in a row, we say good call, Mr. Vacek.)

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Bricks Help Fund New School Landscaping

Bricks from the 1927 Dorchester school building are now helping to beautify the 2008 school, the Times has learned.

As many area residents know, DPS art instructor Stacy Lutjemeyer has been busy in her spare time painting bricks pulled from the remnants of the old school building after it was razed in May 2008. For the past two years, Lutjemeyer painting images of the old school building, longhorn logos, and other designs on the red bricks, charging $20 per brick.

When she started painting the bricks, Lutjemeyer wanted to donate half of the proceeds from sales towards the new school or a scholarship. She chose to donate the money to pay for landscaping in front of the school, so that everyone in town could benefit from the money.

The landscaping project came to fruition after DPS guidance counselor Diane Fisher conducted a service learning project with the eighth grade class in agriculture and landscaping. This allowed the eighth grade class members to do the landscaping themselves and take some ownership in the project.

Area residents are asked to drive or walk past the school to see the great landscaping work. For those who would still like to purchase a brick -- as a souvenir from the old school -- Lutjemeyer reports that there are still plenty left. Contact her by e-mailing sschelbi@esu6.org.

CLASSIFIEDS: May 2010

Whether you're searching for a new home, promoting your business, looking for help on the farm, or selling your kitchen table -- the Times is the right place to advertise locally. Best of all, posting ads is absolutely free as a service to our readers.

To post your ad, simply click on the "comments" link at the end of this post and then, in the "Leave Your Comments" box, enter the details and information you want people to see -- including your phone number or e-mail, if you wish. Browsing the classifieds is easy, too. Just click on the "comments" link below and scroll down to view the ads in the left-hand column. If you sell your item or no longer want your ad to be seen, simply e-mail us at Dorchester.Times@gmail.com and we will remove your ad. Local businesses should also feel free to submit classifieds to promote new products, specials or events.

Friday, May 21, 2010

URGENT: Consider Joining Our Volunteer Fire Department, Chief Says

The Dorchester Volunteer Fire Dept. is looking for a few good individuals to join the ranks of this dedicated grou

p of first responders. As our readers know, a small

community depends heavily upon its volunteer firefighters and medical technicians.

According to DVFD Chief Zech Williams, the department's numbers are down and the current staff of volunteers are hoping fellow residents will help fill the shortfall by joining. Williams says the current DVFD staff includes only eight EMT’s and about 15 total members.

"We really need daytime coverage," Williams said, "but we will take the help if the individual works during the day."

Those interested in joining the Dorchester Volunteer Fire Dept. questions should call Williams at (402) 525-4770 or e-mail zechwill@yahoo.com.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Funds Available To Update Community Buildings

According to a communication sent to the Times, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has awarded $2,900 to the Elba, Neb. Community Foundation. Leveraged with $5,437 from the Elba Foundation, the funds will purchase community center appliances and equipment to make the center more functional and operational for community functions. USDA funding for this project was provided through the Community Facility Grant program.

We urge Dorchester's leaders to look into this grant program to update our own community building. For more information contact USDA's Glen Gatz at (308) 237-3118 ext. 1121 or glen.gatz@ne.usda.gov.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Dorchester Public School Gets New Website

A couple of years ago, Dorchester Public School received a new home. Now the school has a new home page.

The website is still a work-in-progress. But when completed, it will provide parents and students a plethora of information, right at their fingertips.

The new site is sharp, clean and easy to read. Hit the "refresh" button on your Internet browser and you will see a new photo atop the DPS website, which contains links to staff information, the school calendar, lunch menus, handbooks and policies, and information on the DPS Board of Education.

One option that is certain to be used often is the "classroom websites" link found in the site's left column. Parents and students can go the classroom of their choice and learn the latest. For example, go to Mr. Rut's 5th Grade classroom and you will be able to see the latest announcements, discussion topics, quizzes, files, etc.

That means when Junior gets home, he can no longer say he did nothing in class today. Also, parents will no longer be able to say they can't get more involved in their children's academic work, assuming they have Internet access.

Check out the new website by clicking here.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Large Number Of Czech Names Land Dorchester On National Rankings

In case you had any doubts, a recent national study has found that surnames of Czech descent are the most common in the Dorchester area. However, two of the top five names are of German origin. According to the National Fire Incident Reporting System, the most popular last names in the Dorchester zip code are:

Nerud
Sehnert
Stehlik
Mariska
Weber
Krivohlavek
Parks
Duchek
Bruha
Novak

The large number of Czech names have also landed Dorchester on some national lists. According to information compiled by City-Data.com, Dorchester is No. 55 on the list of "top 101 zip codes with the largest percentage of Czech first ancestries."

Moreover, Dorchester is No. 97 on the list of "top 101 zip codes with the largest percentage of Czechoslovakian first ancestries." And the 68343 zip code is No. 101 on the list of "top 101 zip codes with the largest percentage of Slavic first ancestries."

Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."