Dorchester Times

Monday, March 31, 2014

Zahourek, Donohoe Named To All-State Honor List

Three Dorchester High School basketball players have been awarded Class D-2 all-state honors this past weekend.

The March 30 issue of the Lincoln Journal Star listed Dorchester seniors Riley Zahourek and Kevin Donohoe in in its boys' all-state honorable mention rolls.

We salute both both of these outstanding Longhorn players for their accomplishments on the court.

The Dorchester Times staff is glad to see the hard work of these players pay off in the form of deserved recognition.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Severe Weather Workshop Today At Saline Center

Our area is in the heart of Tornado Alley. That is why the Times recommends that area residents consider attending the 20th annual Regional Severe Weather, set for 12:30 p.m. today, March 29, at Saline Center Hall, just southwest of Dorchester at the intersection of County Road M and Hwy. 15.

Storm-chasing videos, severe weather safety, communications, mass casualty and emergency management and displays will be part of the seminar.

Special presenters will be experts from the National Weather Service, Dr. Ken Dewey of UNL, and 10/11 News meteorologist Brad Anderson and Channel 8's Luke Dorris.

This afternoon's keynote presentation will be given by the Twister Sisters, also known as Peggy Willenbeg and Melanie Metz, who will recognize the 10th anniversary of the Hallam tornado.

More information is available by calling (402) 821-3010 or emailing at scema@diodecom.net.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Saline County One Of Nebraska's Growing Counties

Population loss has plagued rural Nebraska since the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years of the 1930s. But recently, the problem has become worse in many counties due to agriculture's rapid technological boom.

Fortunately, Saline County is one of 24 Nebraska counties that grew in population in the first decade of the 2000s.

Now comes a report that Saline County is one of 31 Nebraska counties that have grew in the first three years of the 2010s.

A report by the Omaha World-Herald says the latest estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau show that 61 of Nebraska's 93 counties have lost residents since the official 2010 Census.

Meanwhile, eight Nebraska counties — Cass, Douglas, Sarpy, Lancaster, Hall, Buffalo, Adams and Seward — set all-time population records last year.

Lancaster County will probably hit 300,000 next year. And the Omaha metro area, which is made up of eight counties in Nebraska and Iowa, now has more than 895,000 residents.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

MVPs For Alumni Tourney Weekend

Another DHS Alumni Tournament weekend has come and gone. Unfortunately, none of the Times staff was able to see the tournament action this year, but we heard there were several exciting games, including a few buzzer beaters that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

Alumni weekend is an important weekend that brings together the DHS alumni brotherhood (and sisterhood) for fun, laughs and conversation. It also is important to our main street and business community, as well as the DHS athletic program.

So this year, we are naming the 2014 DHS Alumni Tournament MVPs -- the sponsors of the tournament:

Ben's Iron Grill 2

Heath Sports and Tees (Crete)

Stutzman Digging

Farmers Cooperative

First State Bank

Spring Creek Repair and Farm Supply

Runza (Crete)

BZ Construction

Clark's Lawn Service

City Slickers Bar and Grill

Papik Seeds

Holly Well Drilling

Barley's Specialties

Rains Simmentals

Weber Feedyards, LLC

Velder's Taxidermy

Novak Auction Service

Without these sponsors, the tournament would not be possible. Nor would adequate money be raised to benefit current and future Dorchester students.

Be sure to thank these sponsors and patronize their businesses.

We also want to name the volunteers of the Dorchester Community Foundation as MVPs due to their hard work. This year's steak and hamburger feed -- held Saturday night -- was the most successful feed yet. All the Times staff were there, and we know firsthand that this event was made possible by selfless volunteers who gave up their Saturday to benefit our community. We even heard reports of Foundation volunteers cleaning up the community hall and Legion building after midnight on Sunday morning. That's dedication!

Congratulations to all the players, fans and alumni who made it back for this year's tourney. We're grateful for your dedication to Dorchester.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Big Weekend In Dorchester Begins Tonight

The 19th annual DHS Alumni Basketball Tournament begins tonight and continues through Sunday at the school gymnasium.

This is typically one of the year's biggest weekends in the village.

Several teams are registered for this years tourney, according to DHS Activities Director Brent Zoubek, who assumes management duties following Scott Pohl's retirement last year.

The first game tips off at 6 p.m. tonight, and the championship game is slated for Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday night, March 22, the Dorchester Area Community Foundation is planning a steak and hamburger feed at the Community Building and Legion Hall from 5-9 p.m., giving DHS alumni and their families plenty of time to dine and catch up.

Diners can choose a 12 oz. ribeye, along with salad, potato or chips, bread, drink and dessert -- all for $16. Or choose the hamburger meal for $8.50, which includes all the aforementioned side dishes. Or just get a hamburger and chips for $5.

This event has been one of the most popular in Dorchester for the past five years. And the food always gets top-notch reviews.

Friday Is Dorchester Elementary's Excellence Rally At 8 A.M.

Get ready, Dorchester students and parents. Tomorrow -- Friday -- is the big day.

Friday, March 21 is Dorchester Public School's Elementary Excellence Rally.

This is a popular event that is back by popular demand.

The event starts at 8 a.m. in the school gymnasium. Everyone is welcome!

Last year's event featured a "tunnel walk" of sorts that recognized every student of Dorchester Elementary School.

This is an excellent morale booster that also serves as a reminder of the importance of doing well in school -- not only academically, but also socially and in the realm of physical fitness.

Come be a part of this special event that pays special tribute to Dorchester's future.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Dorchester Resident Pleads For Puppy's Return

The Times' staff recently read a heartbreaking post on Craigslist from a fellow Dorchester resident who lost her puppy.

It reads: "HELP!! My puppy was taken from our yard and we cannot find the one responsible! He's an Australian Shepherd, six months old. We've looked everywhere but if you have seen him or know of anyone who has recently 'gotten' a puppy that is like this one, LET ME KNOW."

The puppy's owner continues: "We would really love to have him back home! I know his ID marks so it wouldn't be a problem for me to tell if it's him. He's very friendly and I'm sure he misses his puppy sister and his family. Please e-mail me! I check everyday!"

If you have seen this dog, e-mail the rightful owner simply by clicking on this link, then click the "reply" button at the top of the Craigslist page.

Let's get this puppy back home.

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."