Wakefield students selected for WSC Honor Choir...
Recently Wayne State College announced their choices amongst area students for it’s Honor Choir.
Wakefield High School students pictured above were selected for Wayne State College’s Honor Choir in the back row from (l to r): Bailey Kai, Joaquin Chavez-German, Mikkie Mogus, and Zoe Craig. In the front row (l to r): Dorothy Sullivan, Kinslee Metzler, and Ruby Boeckenhauer.
According to Music Director Tiffany Lamprecht the students in high school auditioned in December for WSC choir. Mogus and Chavez-German in were selected for Mixed Chorus and the others were selected for Treble Chorus. All groups have been working hard to prepare music for their upcoming honor events.
The Wayne State College Honor Choir Treble and Mixed Choirs will perform at Ramsey Theatre within the Peterson Fine Arts Building on January 31st at 4 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Mogus selected for Honor Choir USA
Wakefield High School senior Mikkie Mogus was selected for Honor Choir USA, taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii this June, based on her participation in Nebraska All-State Choir this past November.
The weeklong event has activities as well as rehearsals throughout the week with several performances scheduled including the Ala Moana Shopping Center, then a performance on the battleship U.S.S. Missouri at Pearl Harbor on Saturday, June 14th.
“I am personally excited to perform at Pearl Harbor due to my great grandfather who was a World War ll veteran and earned two Purple Hearts due to his service” said Mogus.
Following the performance on the Missouri there is a performance at the Polynesian Center Luau that evening, followed by a performance on Sunday, June 15th at Hawaii’s oldest church, Kawaiaha’o Church.
“I have grown so much from having to sing behind a curtain due to nervousness and now having the chance to perform in Hawaii” said Mogus. “If I were to talk to little me, telling her that she was going to sing with a choir in Hawaii, she certainly wouldn’t believe it.”
On Sunday, January 26th there will be a fundraiser held at the Wakefield Legion Hall to help pay for the costs of the trip. Starting at 8:00 a.m. and running through 2:00 p.m. an omelet and french toast meal is being offered for a free will donation.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity and I cannot wait to represent Wakefield High School and the overall Wakefield community” said Mogus. “In the end, I get to do what I love most, which is singing.”
During the Wakefield City Council’s regular meeting for the month of January, which took place last Wednesday, January 8th, Zach Dolen was appointed as the fourth member of the City Council.
In the above picture Wakefield City Clerk Pam Vander Veen swears Dolen early in the meeting so he can take his place on the Council. The opening on the Council was due to Mike Mogus who was due to be elected to the position, taking over as Wakefield City Administrator.
Dolen will be representing Ward 2 on the City Council.
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The recent dry and windy weather has given the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department a busy weekend with multiple incidents. On Wednesday, October 16th Wakefield, Wayne, and Pender’s fire departments responded to a corn field fire south of Wakefield. In addition to the fire departments six farmers were helping with discs as well as Travris Birkley from Nutrien Ag Solutions with a tanker truck.
Then on Saturday 3 ditch fires broke out on Highway 35 and 852 road with Wakefield and Wayne’s fire departments on hand to take care of it. There was also a car fire later that afternoon on 858 road south of Wakefield that the WKVFD was on hand for.
Spooky opportunities available in Wakefield over the next week
Halloween is right around the corner and a spooky good time can be found in Wakefield starting on Saturday at Sidelines with their first annual trunk or treat starting at 3:00 p.m. and running through 5:00 p.m. There will be prizes for the best child costume, best couple costume, and best Trunk as well as Crazy Jacks specials starting at 11:00 a.m.
Anyone interested in decorating a trunk should contact Denise at gdtello@gmail.com
Then next on Halloween Wakefield Elementary will be holding its annual Elementary Costume Parade through downtown. Approximately 210 preschool through third grade students will dress in their costumes at the end of the day and will parade for residents of the Wakefield Health Care Center around 2:30 p.m.
The students will parade down Wakefield’s business district around 2:50 p.m. and will return to school for regular dismissal at 3:35 p.m.
Nature put on a show in Nebraska skies over the last week. On Thursday, October 10 an unusually strong solar storm earlier in the week set off a massive display of aurora. The northern lights could be seen as far south as Florida, and very bright in Nebraska as seen in the upper left picture from just north of Plainview.
The second display is Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS which is currently visible in the western Nebraska sky just after sunset for the next few weeks. This visitor from the outer solar system visits this part of the solar system every 80,000 years. Having just made its closest approach on Saturday it will get higher in the sky each night but also a little dimmer, so take a look while you can! In the above right picture it can be seen over Wakefield.
To see it for yourself look in the western sky just after sunset, find the single bright star in the sky at that time, this the planet Venus. If you turn northwest just a bit on a line with Venus the comet will be in that area, becoming more obvious as the light from sunset fades away. It’s best viewed with a pair of binoculars or a camera but can be seen with the unaided eye before it dips below the horizon each night.
On Saturday, September 28th a Troop 172 Eagle Scout Court of Honor was held for Jaden Sievers at the Wakefield Legion Hall. In front of a large crowd of family, friends, and fellow Scouts.
Sievers took his oath as an Eagle Scout. Jaden is the son of Steve and Lisa Sievers of Wakefield.
Asher Geiser began the Court of Honor as well as lighting the Eagle Trail, with Scoutmaster Zach Wirth presented Sievers journey to Eagle Scout Rank, followed by Rylie Ekberg, Committee Chair, reviewed the criteria for the rank of Eagle.
Scoutmaster Wirth then took Sievers through his Eagle Scout oath before presenting him with his Eagle Scout Award. Tom Eaton of Legion Post 81 then presented Seivers with a flag that flew over the Capitol. John Geiser then presented the Eagle Charge followed by Daryl Milius, Northeast Nebraska’s District Field Director for the scouts.
Assistant Scoutmaster Ed Haglund then gave remarks before it was Sievers gave his remarksbefore the benediction was given by his brother Oliver Sievers and Court of Honor concluded with the retirement of the colors.
Red Riding Hood begins Oct. 5th at LRHT: An interactive experience for younger audiences
By T. Adam Goos
Managing Director
The little Red Hen Theatre
The Little Red Hen theatre has been busy venturing down the forest path with their hilarious and fast paced farce of a fairy-tale, Red Riding Hood! Written by Allison Gregory, this version of Red Riding Hood is a clever retelling of the classic story that features three actors, mad-cap comedy, and plenty of surprises with opportunities for the audience to take part in the story. The production will be presented over three public performances, October 5th at 2 & 5 PM, and October 6th at 2PM.
Written specifically for young audiences, Red Riding Hood is an interactive experience that is most fun to watch with the little ones along for the ride. “We don’t expect our audiences to ‘sit still’ for our Red Riding Hood”, says Director T. Adam Goos, “in fact we expect our audience to become active participants, helping the actors make decisions and tell the story with them”! Playwright Allsion Gregory has infused the classic story with a fast, funny, modern twist that families will love. Red still journeys through the woods to Grandma’s house and the Wolf still has devious dinner plans – but this Red is brave and strong, with clever tricks up her sleeve. And when three actors take on all the roles, anything can happen! The production is recommended for ages 3 and up, although the entire family is welcome to attend.
Red Riding Hood features Mike Pommer as Wolfgang, a.k.a. “The Wolf,” Melissa Derechailo as the delivery person, a.k.a “Red,” and Josie Vilkas assuming various other roles. The production is directed by T. Adam Goos with assistance from Sawyer Brudigam and with technical help from Barb Farup. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.littleredhentheatre.com, or by calling the box office at (402) 287-2818. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $8 for students and seniors. “Babes in arms” are welcome at the performances, but all children ages 1 or older must have a ticket. This production was made possible with support from the Dixon County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Nebraska Arts Council, and by the 2024 Patrons of The Little Red Hen Theatre.
Two Wakefield Fire and Rescue complete EMT certification
The Wakefield Fire and Rescue Department announced that two members have completed their Emergency Medical Technician ceritifcations. The members in the above picture are Carissa Helzer and Dakota Roberts.
Dead tree turned into baseball art
Recently someone might have found a bat and ball near Eaton field, while that might not be unusual this one happens to be over 10 feet tall.
A piece of baseball art, recently commissioned by Graves Park Forever, was completed between the ballfields first base line and the road through Graves Park last week.
The baseball bat balancing on a ball was created by Lea Wilson from Tilden, who spent several days carving it from the remains of large dead pine tree. Though hardly new to this kind of work, she has been carving trees for 9 years, this was her biggest project to date.
The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) has announced the award of $898,139 in grants to support nine projects that will demolish dilapidated commercial properties across the state.
The funds are provided through the Revitalize Rural Nebraska grant program. NDEE received applications from 15 communities during the application period earlier this year.
“The Revitalize Rural Nebraska program gives these grant recipients a unique opportunity to improve their communities,” NDEE Interim Director Thad Fineran said. “Removing these damaged and abandoned buildings will give properties a blank slate for redevelopment and provide a benefit to these cities and villages.”
Among 8 other projects Wakefield was chosen for 106-110 West 3rd Street in Wakefield with a grant of $25,000.
“The CRA Board is excited to improve a downtown property and make it more appealing for a new property owner” said Wakefield’s economic developer Megan Weaver. “These funds will allow the board to remove a blighted property to make it more appearling for a new property owner.”
The Revitalize Rural Nebraska Grant Program was established in 2023 by the Nebraska Legislature to fund the demolition of dilapidated commercial properties owned by a village or a city of the first or second class. This was a competitive grant process. To be eligible for funding, properties have to be owned by the applying municipality, abandoned or vacant for at least six months, and not on or eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Recipient communities must also provide a local match. NDEE assessed applications for eligibility
A full day of fun awaits at Wakefest this Saturday, August 17th
From T. Adam Goos
Wakefield Community Club
Live music, a car show, bouncy houses, laser tag, street festival, parade, cornhole tournaments, beer garden, wings cook-off and more are in store for attendees at Wakefield’s annual celebration, Wakefest, on August 17!
The fun starts running at 8:00 a.m. and doesn’t stop until later that evening after attendees have danced the night away to live music and had their fill of delicious wings. “There really is something for everyone”, say organizers, “whether they want to stroll the streets and shop at our vendor faire, let the kids play the day away at our awesome kids’ activities, or enjoy some great music and delicious wings – a fun time is just waiting to be had”.
Wakefest kicks off with the Michael Foods annual Color Run and the Wakefest free-will donation breakfast starting at 8:00 a.m. Those events are followed by a parade that makes its’ way from Graves Park to downtown Wakefield – just in time for The Wakefest Street Festival which an old fashioned Tractor Pedal Pull contest. Adults can enjoy the food, craft, and small business vendors, partake in the beer garden, check out the Car Show, and participate in the Cornhole Tournament.
At 4:00 p.m.M, while tasting the work of the Wings Cook-Off competitors, attendees can listen to live music from Ted and Alice Miller, Hillbilly Deluxe, Reinvented Wheels and dance the night away to our headliner Xperience from Omaha, performing classic hits by Aretha Franklin, Steve Wonder, Jackson 5, Tina Turner and many more! Tickets for the Wings Cook-off, Live Music, and gated beer gardens are $20 if purchased prior to August 17. (Tickets will be available the day of the event for $25 dollars.) Kids’ Activity bracelets can be purchased for $5, for unlimited access to bouncy houses, laser-tag, and the game truck. No tickets are required to attend the daytime portion of the event.
A full and detailed listing of Wakefest activities, and access to purchase tickets to paid portions of the event can be found at www.wakefieldcommunityclub.com Wakefest is presented in collaboration between Wakefield Community Club and the Wakefield Fire Department, with funds raised going towards the support of the Fire & Rescue Squad. The event is sponsored in part by Michael Foods, Sidelines Bar & Grille, Secuity Bank, Nick’s Wood Shop, The Dixon County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Wayne County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Peitz voted to Academic All American Men’s Track team
From Wayne State College
Wayne State College senior Gabe Peitz was voted to the 2023-24 Academic All-America Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country Team, earning Third Team honors. The award was announced on Wednesday, July 10th, 2024 and is selected by the College Sports Communicators in NCAA Division II, recognizing the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the track, in the field and in the classroom. He is the first Wildcat Academic All-American in track and field/cross country since 2018 and joins Derek Lahm, Mickey Doerr, Alex Timperley and James McGown as Academic All-Americans in the NCAA Division II era at Wayne State.
Peitz, a senior from Wakefield maintained a 3.97 grade point average majoring in pre-med/chemistry. He was ninth in the 800-meter run at the NSIC Outdoor Championships and 11th during the NSIC Indoor Championships in the same event during his senior season. Peitz earned the NSIC Elite 18 Award for men’s outdoor track and field and was the NSIC Elite 18 Award winner in cross country last year as a junior as the top scholar athlete at a Northern Sun Conference Championship event. He was also awarded the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic With Distinction and voted College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
Peitz is the fifth Wayne State athlete to earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-American honors this year, joining volleyball players Taya Beller (First Team), Jordan McCormick (Second Team) and Rachel Walker (Second Team) along with football player Jett Janssen (Second Team).
Wakefield After-School Program hosts second July Summer Camp
In its second year, the Wakefield Community School’s after-school program’s July summer camp features new themes and hands-on activities.
Running from July 8-11 and July 15-18, the camp includes 65 participating students grades 3 to 6. The camp is supported by ESSER grants.
With four main themes — entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM), fine arts, and health and nutrition — students engage in hands-on activities at school and will go on four themed field trips, according to Kari Rooney, 4-6 grade language arts teacher and program director.
In the entrepreneurship theme, students learn about the impact of small businesses in the community. Participating students showed their appreciation for local small businesses by decorating their sidewalks. On a tour of local businesses, students learned from local entrepreneurs and Trojan alumni.
High school groups such as the Future Business Leaders of America chapter, Better Blended, and Trojan Zone visited the summer program to speak about their involvement in the organizations.
For the STEAM theme, students will be divided into small groups to engage in activities allowing them to explore STEAM-related careers. Michael Foods will present about job opportunities in STEAM fields in Wakefield.
A field trip to Robert’s Cave and Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is planned.
In the fine arts theme, students will participate in an art class by Angela Abts with the Nebraska Extension office and learn about floral design with Sarah Ekberg with Lazy Acres Decor & Floral. Students are scheduled to visit The Little Red Hen Theatre to learn about stage productions from Adam Goos.
The final theme, health and nutrition, includes a basketball camp hosted by the Wakefield basketball team and Austin Galles. Students will also receive lessons in nutrition, yoga, and exercise.
The summer program ends with a field trip to Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park in Omaha.
LRHT next production a “tale as old as time”
The Little Red Hen Theatre invites audiences of all ages to be their guest for a spectacular production of Disney’s Broadway musical Beauty & The Beast. The dazzling show features a cast and crew of nearly 60 individuals from throughout Northeast Nebraska bringing the timeless classic to life, who will enchant audiences with wonderful singing, inventive costuming, clever choreography, and incredible storytelling.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast is an international sensation that has been produced in 37 countries worldwide and is based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature. The stage version includes all the wonderful songs from the film along with fantastic new ones. The Little Red Hen Theatre production started rehearsals in late May, and actors and the creative team have been working hard since to bring the magical show to life. “Actors began dancing and singing at our very first rehearsal, and haven’t stopped since” says Director T. Adam Goos, “. . . the amount of talent in the show is incredible and I can’t wait for audiences to the amazing work of our cast and crew. They will be blown away”!
The cast, one features both Little Red Hen Theatre regulars and those making their Little Red Hen debut. Featured performers include Brooklyn Bierbower as Belle, RJ Liska as The Beast, Katelyn Pommer as Lumiere, Mike Pommer as Coggsworth, Natalie Markworth as Mrs. Potts, Meg Engel as Babette, Beau Fleming as Gaston, Sawyer Brudigam as LeFou, Brian Johnson as Maurice, and Kennedy Fischer and Myka Metzler as Chip. The show is directed by T. Adam Goos with assistance from Scott Mead, Musical Direction by Daniel Oldenkamp, Choreography by Lexie Kapanka, Stage Management be Abby Weiss, and specialist design and costume construction by Eve Gilmore.
Beauty and the Beast will be presented over seven performances, July 19, 20, 25, 26 & 27 at 7PM, and July 21 and 28 at 2PM. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students and can be purchased online at www.littleredhentheatre.com or by calling the theatre at (402) 287-2818. Tickets for the production are going fast and audiences are encouraged to reserve tickets early, as the show is expected to sell out.
Beauty and the Beast is appropriate for audiences of all ages but recommended for ages 5+. The Little Red Hen Theatre production of Beauty and the Beast is sponsored in part by the Dixon County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Wayne County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and 2024 Patrons of The Little Red Hen Theatre.
Interim pastor Holthus enjoying his time in Emerson and WSC
By Roxy Ekberg
Republican Staff
Pastor Jim Holthus of Minnesota entered into an interim position at Saint Luke’s and Saint Paul’s Lutheran Churches.
Holthus is also serving as the Wayne State College Lutheran campus pastor. He began both positions in January.
Holthus has served as a pastor for 41 years with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Holthus served as a pastor for 15 years in northern Minnesota, which was his last full time position before he retired and began contracting for part time.
Holthus estimated that Emerson is his eighth interim position; he has worked for churches in and around Omaha, served at a church in South Dakota for a year and a half, and has now returned to Nebraska.
Holthus also worked as the Omaha Metro campus pastor from 2017 to 2022, working with Lutheran students at Creighton University, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the metro colleges. This position gave him connections to the previous campus pastor at Wayne State.
Holthus said once COVID-19 hit, everything went online, and Wayne State lost a large portion of its students who used the campus church services.
“It’s like trying to move a parked car,” he said. “You start out kind of just getting in first gear, and then you try to get to second gear. We’re doing our best to get some momentum and inertia.”
His previous position in South Dakota ended on January 1, and Holthus said he wanted to come back to the Cornhusker State to be near his cousins in Omaha.
“I really enjoy campus ministry, and Wayne State was available and could use somebody to come in and help work with the college students,” Holthus said. “So I have, in some ways, the best of both worlds — halftime working with college students and halftime working with two nice little churches that appreciate each other and seem to appreciate the gifts that I bring.”
Holthus described St. Paul’s and St. Luke’s as very interesting and very unique. He said the demographics of the two churches are more balanced than some of those he has helped in Omaha.
Holthus’ current project with the churches is to create a new picture directory of the members for when the new pastor arrives.
Holthus said he’s helping the churches prepare for a new pastor, and will hold his position until they find one.
Chuck Chinn serves the town of Emerson 40 years
By Roxy Ekberg
Republican Staff
Emerson Police Chief Chuck Chinn marked four decades with the department.
Chinn has served Emerson’s community since 1984, when he joined the department after graduating from the Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island.
Six years later, Chinn was named police chief. Holding the position for 34 years, Chinn said he has been the only officer in town for roughly half of his career.
“I felt I could help people if I became a police officer,” Chinn said. “It’s just kind of a dream I’ve had all my life.”
Chinn said being the only officer means less time away from the job and few days off.
Emerson sits in three different counties — Dakota, Dixon, and Thurston — which, Chinn said, makes the job an everyday challenge. Even with decades of service, Chinn said he still never knows what to expect.
In his career, Chinn has been involved in murder investigations, attempted murder investigations, and said the town of roughly 840 people sees the same crimes as big cities, but not as often.
Chinn said over the years, he received offers to work at other departments, but he rejected them so he could stay with the Emerson community.
“It was more or less looking out for the community,” Chinn said. “If I left, then who else is going to be here? Who’s going to come in here? Are they going to get the same service as what I’ve given? So, yes, I've had several opportunities to go to a larger department or a sheriff's office or something, but I just kind of felt that this was my place.”
Reflecting on his decades of service, a memory that sticks out to Chinn was when he arrested a young kid for driving while intoxicated and received a call from the kid’s father the next day.
To Chinn’s surprise, the father wanted to thank him for getting his son off the roads before he hurt someone.
“It really stuck out in my mind for all these years,” Chinn said. “It's very seldom you get a thank you, but that one really blew me away.”
New scoreboard at Eaton Field records first run...
On Wednesday, June 12th Wakefield’s Legion Post 81 hosted a ballgame with South Sioux City. The game didn’t just represent a big win for Post 81 as they beat SSC 12 to 1 it was also the first time the newly installed scoreboard at Eaton Field was put to use.
In the above picture Post 81’s Cade Johnson, on the left, was the first run tallied on the new scoreboard while Jesse Lundahl, on the right, was the hitter to got the first run batted in.
Metzler and Munter-McAfee play in NEN All-Star Volleyball game
Daveigh Munter-McAfee and Jordan Metzler competed at the 2024 Northeast Nebraska (NEN) All-Star Volleyball Game on Saturday, June 8 in Norfolk.
The duo competed as members of the Light Team at the Cox Activities Center in Norfolk for the prestigious game. To add the cherry-on-top, the duo was coached by head coach of the Lady Trojans Brittany Eisenmann, who was selected as one of the two coaches to lead the Light Team.
As members of the Light Team, the duo competed with the best of the best from Northeast Nebraska, including athletes from Pierce, Clarkson-Leigh, Wynot, Plainview, and GACC.
Both Metzler and Munter-McAfee competed well in the contest, and Eisenmanns gameplan worked to perfection. The trio helped boost the Light Team to a victorious sweep over the Dark Team.
The Light Team defeated the Dark Team 25-9 in set one to set the tone of the contest before winning sets two and three 25-21 to complete the sweep. Both teams also agreed to play an extra set, which the Light Team won 25-19.
With the sweep, both Munter-McAfee and Metzler officially concluded their high school volleyball careers with one last win under their head coach Eisenmann.
Metzler finished the contest with one kill, while Munter-McAfee finished with 11. Munter-McAfee ended the contest with the second-most kills out of everyone on both teams, finishing in second only to Jaya Wachholtz of Pierce, who also competed as a member of the Light Team.
