Nate Bausch wins Double S Extreme bullride event
Results from last week’s Double S Extreme bullriding, brought by the Plainview Chamber of Commerce, were released this week, with a contest involving 31 riders from mainly across the Midwest.
With a high score of 168.5 points, Nate Bausch of Allen, Neb. took first-place and the $2,151 payout.
Sage Vance of Lincoln was second with an 84.5 ride and $1,290.60 payout. Mason Collins of Tiffin, Iowa finished with an 83 and third place to take the $860.40 payout.
All said, the total paid out was $4,302.00.
Other riders and hometowns were:
Enos Swartzentruber of Gilman City, Missouri
Mason Collins of Tiffin, Iowa
Merle Yoder, Zearing, Iowa
Daniel Stutzman, Sidney, Iowa
Sam Reilling, Ida Grove, Iowa
Jett Sjekolcha, Hayes Center
Isaac Wegrzyn, Lincoln
Dylan Sheldon, Gretna
Josiah Chism, Louisville
Dalton Silvey, West Plains, Mo.
Alex Kent, Marryville, Mo.
Kale Viniski, Hugo, Okla.
Nash Moreland, Thurman, Iowa
Evan Tierney, Harlan, Iowa
Cade Smith, Clarinda, Iowa
Tucker Marx, Wisner
Hunter Peterson, Ponca
Corey Poppe, Sutton
Brett Hopp, Tulan, Ill.
Dillion Poppe, Sutton
Evan Lang, Hamburg, Iowa
Cade Lundvall, Wapallo, Iowa
Kolby Lauters, Stanton
Tyson Scheidman, Sutton
Landon Scheidman, Sutton
Ryan Pans, Brownville
Nolan Waters, Atlantic, Iowa
Brandon Ellis, Cenerville, S.D.
Double S Bull company of Sidney, Iowa provided the stock – Shad and Vicki Smith; flankman/livestock superintendent was Cash Smith; Tim Hallie Dessell of Cherokee, Iowa was the secretary; production manager was Ryan Skillet of Hallam, Nebr.; judges were Kevin Dessel and Dustin Fletcher; Mason Shelton and Andrew Mellencamp were bullfighters; Tyler Pettigrew was barrelman and Jacob Wallace was the announcer.
Tradition of the Chuck Ellis Tourney continues into its 50th year
The Chuck Ellis Memorial Tournament was held at Eaton Field on June first and second. Two time Nebraska State Class C High School and American Legion State Champion Malcom claiming the title after rolling through O’Neill, Ponca, and Wakefield’s Post 81 teams. Wakefield finished the tournament 2-1 to take second place.
The tradition of selecting an all-tournament team continued with pull overs with a 50th year logo on the sleeve being awarded to each selection. Those honored this year are the following:
O’Neill: Ryder Porkorny, Blake Henn, and Jake Haburchak.
Malcom: Logan McGreer, Maddox Meyer, Mason Wisnieski, Carson Frank, Garrett Egland, as well as assistant coaches Jason Ensrud and Shawn Meyer and head coach Tanner Soderberg.
Ponca: Zain Stark and Bradley Lentz.
Wakefield: Adrian Flores, Timothy Kaufman, Jesse Lundahl, Cade Johnson, Tanner Thompson, and Johnny Birkley.
Coach Paul Eaton, in his 56th season as a coach of Post 81 baseball, gave a brief history of the tournament, of Chuck Ellis’ final season in 1969 which concluded at American Legion Class B State Baseball Championship held at Paul Brown Field in Broken Bow.
The team for Post 81 was very young that year, consisting of 5 players under the age of 16 and one, Kevin Peters, was 14. Chuck Ellis was one of the two 16 year olds on the team. In order to get there Wakefield had to win a district title against a talented group of teams in the tournament held in Wayne and then after fighting their way back from the losers bracket to upset defending Nebraska State High School and American Legion Class B champion Valley. Wakefield handed Valley their first and second loss that year having to play them twice in order to win, which gave Post 81 its first ever trip to the state tournament.
Coach Eaton remembers fondly a play by Ellis that preserved Post 81s run in Class A Area Tournament. “During the tournament held in Lyons a ball was lined at third baseman Rich Klines left shoe” said Eaton. “The ball continued airborne into the glove of shortstop Chuck Ellis, which he promptly threw to first baseman Dan Lueders for the third out and preserved the one run victory. Sadly all three players are no longer with us, and the number of team members from that team now stands at 8.”
That year would be the last baseball games Chuck Ellis would play with his life being tragically cut short in a car accident in April of 1970. The Post 81 team served as the pall bearers at his funeral.
Car submerged in pond south of Wakefield
By Roxy Ekberg
Republican Staff
Local emergency services responded to a report of a submerged vehicle south of town on Sunday, May 26.
At roughly 4 a.m., Wakefield Fire and Rescue was alerted to an accident in which a vehicle was reported as submerged in a pond near the junction of Highway 35 and Highway 16.
The driver of the vehicle was able to self-extricate and was not found on the scene of the accident, according to the fire department.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department was in charge at the scene. The Republican contacted the department for information and was told there is no additional information at this time.
The fire department, Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, Dixon County Sheriff’s Office, Wayne County Emergency Management, Yankton County Search and Rescue, and All Hours Touring provided assistance.
Divers from Yankton County Search and Rescue searched the pond and did not find a body.
The fire department said the sheriff’s department established contact with the owner of the vehicle.
Highway 35 was closed briefly for a search and clean-up. The search ended around 9 a.m.
Post 81 drops opener to Oakland in close 2-1 game
Wakefield’s Post 81 Senior Legion baseball team opened the season on Monday night against Oakland, ultimately dropping the game with a final score of 2 to 1 as weather threatened to cut the game short.
Though the game was a loss it marked a strong start for Post 81’s top pitcher, Jesse Lundahl, who took the mound and through 4 innings he had 4 walks and fanned 10 batters. Timothy Kaufman came in the game for the last two innings giving up only 2 hits and a walk.
Offense was the weakness for Post 81 with only a single hit in the game coming from a single by Eliseo Sarmiento, and their single run coming from a wild pitch in the fourth. Defensively Post 81 was strong, holding Oakland scoreless through 5 before giving 2 unearned runs in the sixth inning, a score that held up for the last frame of the ballgame.
Dedication held for Adam’s Field
On Sunday, May 19th a dedication was held at the peewee baseball field in Graves Park, changing the name to Adam’s Field in honor of Adam Keim who was killed in a tragic accident in 1987. Family and friends of Adam were on hand to talk about memories of him, as well as reading some of his other classmates memories by his gradeschool teacher at the time Janelle Eaton. Paul Eaton gave a “brief” presentation on the history of the peewee field as well the improvements made over the years.
Those present at the dedication in the picture above are from (l to r): Paul Eaton, Janelle Eaton, Melany Keim, Tom Keim, Heath Keim, Mason Leonard, Blake Leonard, Mike Rischmueller, Lynn Kratke, Wes Blecke, Andrew Blecke, and Jason Fischer.
Lighting project work continues...
The hard work is just beginning for the City of Wakefield’s downtown lighting project, even after the light posts have been removed. The cement footings that held the old street lights in place for decades were being removed and in the above picture Jon Pretzer stands next to one of the footings taken out of the ground on Main Street.
Work has begun on downtown lighting project
Starting on Tuesday, May 7, work began on the City of Wakefield’s downtown lighting project. Replacement of the old light poles with new efficient ones is underway. The project is expected to take between six and eight weeks. With the east side of Main Street being done first.
The City of Wakefield asks residents to be aware of the ongoing construction and the crew working on Main Street and to keep at least 50 feet away and do not park near a construction zone. “Thank you for your help in keeping our workers safe during this project” said Wakefield City Clerk Pam Vander Veen.
Wakefield Spring Concert sings in springtime
Wakefield Community Schools held their annual Spring Concert on Monday, April 15th. The program consisting of performances by the middle and high school choir and bands performed the following songs.
The middle school choir performed “Cantar!” and “Fly Away Home” followed by the middle school band who performed the songs “Awesome Sauce”, “Starfire March”, and “Brain Stew.”
The high schoolers followed with the men’s choir performing “Riversong” and the women’s choir performing “There Was a Time.” The high school band then performed “Alden Bridge”, “Fidelity March”, and finished their performance with “Music from Aladdin.”
The high school mixed choir was the last to perform with “Like a River in My Soul”, “The Storm Passing Over”, and concluded their performance.
Choir teacher Tiffany Lamprecht conducted the choir accompanied by Jennifer Trenhaile on piano, who also conducted both of the middle school and high school band.
A Touch of Brass play Saturday at LRHT
Touch of Brass will be performing live at the Little Red Hen Theatre of Wakefield, Nebraska on Saturday, April 27th at 2:00 PM. The group will be playing a program that features such favorites as as Hoe Down!, Puttin on the Ritz and Viva La Vida. This varied program includes baroque, Latin, jazz, classical, patriotic and popular music and will showcase the talents of all five guys in the quintet. It is certain to be entertaining for all listeners.
A Touch of Brass is a professional brass quintet that has been operating out of Northeast Nebraska since the 1980’s, presenting a regional concert series each spring. A Touch of Brass features David Bohnert and Kevin McClouth, trumpets; Gary Reeves, horn; Randy Neuharth, trombone and Josh Calkin, tuba.
The program is expected to last about one hour. Reservations are not required and seating is open. Call the Little Red Hen Theatre at(402) 287-2818 with questions.
Getting ready for State
In the above picture Mark Lundahl and Steve Greve work on tearing down the outfield wall around Eaton Field. In the recent City Council meeting the Council voted to replace the aging, and some areas damaged, outfield fence in time for the State Senior Legion Tournament being held in Wakefield this summer.
The outfield fence had served Eaton Field since 2004, being built with a donation of funds from the Gardner family as well as time by many of Wakefields baseball fans and players.
Wakefield Fire responds to blaze south of town
The Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department responded to a mutual aid call to a large fire on Thursday, April 11th at approximately 1:30 p.m. at the Brad Krusemark farm southeast of town approximately 10 miles in Pender.
The fire started when embers from a burn pit were reignited by the high winds, which also hampered efforts by firefighters to control the blaze. One firefighter was treated on scene for smoke inhalation.
On hand were the fire departments of Wakefield, Thurston, Pender, Wayne, Emerson, and Winnebago.
Adam Ulrich, Jake Rahn, Scott Wageman, Brendan Nicholson, James Felt, Lyle Ekberg, and Nick Ekberg responded to the call from Wakefield, taking two water tankers and the department’s equipment truck.
Calie Cockburn elected FFA State VP
At last week’s FFA State Convention, local Emerson-Hubbard FFA President Calie Cockburn made it through multiple rounds of interviews, and was named a State Vice-President to represent the Nebraska FFA program for the coming year.
Each Nebraska Chapter is allowed to submit one name to be considered for a state office, and with 186 Chapters possibly sending in names, the competition is wide and varied.
To be named a State Vice-President, Cockburn had to go through multiple rounds of interviews by the State committee, typically made of up of former State officers, to survive the application phase in February, then move forward to interviews in March and then a host of committee interviews during the FFA State Convention week.
There are 186 FFA Chapters in Nebraska, and each Chapter is allowed to submit just one name each year for consideration to become a state officer.
As a State Vice-President, Cockburn will serve the Nebraska FFA State Chapter by attending leadership training all year, visiting other states to promote FFA, visiting with donors and other special honorees for the State FFA and even possibly traveling to other countries to promote agriculture and FFA.
Other E-H Members that attended and competed in the Career Development Events included:
Hunter Heikes, Farm and Agribusiness Management, blue ribbon
Brianna Novak, Farm and Agribusiness Management, red ribbon
Kaylynn Novak, Farm and Agribusiness Management, red ribbon
Myleah Mackling, Farm and Agribusiness Management
Ashlynn Jacobsen, Agriscience, white ribbon
Jayda Stallbaum, Agriscience
Emily Mitchell, Agriscience
Briley Anderson, Agriscience
Rhyanne Mackling, Ag Issues
Rylinn Mitchell, Ag Issues
Brianna Novak, Ag Issues
Rachael Bousquet, Ag Issues
Emily STamm, Ag Issues
Emelia Harral Ag Issues
Makayla Horak, Ag Issues
Parliamentary Procedure Team: Silver
Extemporaneous Speaking: Codi Olson
Miguel Ibarra to perform on Nebraska Public Media April 21st
A Wakefield speech student will be featured on Nebraska Public Media’s “Speech Best of the Best” program airing on Sunday, April 21.
Miguel Ibarra from Wakefield Community Schools was chosen by Nebraska Public Media to deliver his Humorous Prose performance to represent Wakefield and Class C1.
According to Speech Coach Donna Johnson, Ibarra has worked hard and is gaining the reward from his dedication to his performances and schooling. “Miguel works hard and isn't afraid to come in early or stay after for practice. In One Act this year, he played Hades. He was given awards at Lewis Conference One Act and C-1 District levels for his portrayal,” said Johnson.
“Miguel has been in speech for 2 years and One Act for 4 years,” said Johnson. “He is also in his 2nd year in NHS. Miguel has been in Wakefield all of his school career, starting in preschool. He is an amazing student and each teacher here at Wakefield is excited to see him shine!”
The “Best of the Best” students will attend a special taping of their speeches in Lincoln on April 10 and the performances on April 21 will be at 2 p.m. on Nebraska Public Media.
From the Nebraska Public Media’s site:
“In March of 2024, students from across Nebraska traveled to Kearney, NE to compete in the NSAA State Speech Championship. From that event, students from each of the 10 categories were selected to present their award-winning speeches for Nebraska Public Media along with a special State Speech Spotlight performance. "Best of the Best" is a showcase of talent and includes interviews with winning students and coaches.”
Ibarra was chosen to represent Class C1 with his performance, and competed at the state level with Katie Hogancamp of Humphrey, Olivia Radney from Tekamah-Herman and Robert Dugan from Neligh-Oakdale. There will be 10 other students performing in the “Best of the Best” event from across the state in at least the other nine state speech categories.
Ibarra will be performing “Graduation” by Jerry Rabushka – a selection summarized with: “Forget those boring end-of-year speeches—graduation reveals exactly what's on the speakers' minds! With three distinct characters for the talented actor: the class valedictorian who reveals the dirt on classmates and teachers; the "popular kid," who spent a lifetime acquiring and manipulating data on who's "in" and who's "out;" and the very sorry principal who's all too happy to see these students graduate—whether they deserve to or not.”
He performs as three main characters: the valedictorian; the popular kid; and the principal.
As the Humorous Prose category allows – the speaker must have one to many characters presented, and a responsive use of the body, as well as appropriate and physical presentation to aid to the audience’s interpretation of the prose.
This years Springfest will feature auction to benefit Johnson family
Wakefield Evangelical Covenant Church will be holding its annual Springfest celebration on Thursday, April 11th, starting at 5:00 p.m. and running through 7:00 p.m.
On the menu for this year’s Springfest is smoked pork loin, cheesey potatoes, baked beans, salad, and desert. There are options for eating in, carry out, or delivery in Wakefield by calling 402-287-2692.
At this year’s Springfest there will always be a silent auction to benefit Couy and Taylor Johnson.
The auction will run from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and will include nearly 60 items such as the follow: Guns, JBL Bluetooth Speaker, Socket Set, Amazon Echo Dot, boys and girls beach baskets, round of golf at Wayne country club, pounds of hamburger, radio flyer trike, Nebraska Baseball Tickets (5), Red and White Spring Game Football tickets (4), Nebraska Softball Tickets (4), Zekes Auto Detailing Gift Cerfiticate and more.
Solar eclipse happening over Nebraska April 8th
On Monday, April 8th, 2024 there will be something special in the skies above Nebraska starting at 12:40 p.m. when the Earth’s moon will eclipse the sun. Though Nebraska doesn’t get to enjoy the total eclipse that it did during 2017 it will still be approximately 75% blocked during the peak of the eclipse which should take place around 1:53 p.m. Though it’s only been 7 years since the total eclipse over Nebraska the next one won’t take place across North America until August of 2045.
Viewing an eclipse is dangerous to the eyes without protective equipment or specialized glasses. The Republican has such glasses left over from the 2017 eclipse if anyone would like a pair stop by the office and pick some up so you don’t miss it!
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” begins at LRHT April 12th
The Little Red Hen is deep into the rehearsal process for their upcoming production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, an award-winning play based on the international best-selling novel of the same name by Mark Haddon. The story centers around Christopher, a 15-year-old boy with an extraordinary brain. Christopher is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his street, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Christopher’s story begins at 7 minutes after midnight, with the discovery of the neighbor’s dog Wellington who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington. His detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world.
Guest Director Melissa Derechailo says the play illuminates “themes of love and family, the consequences of secrets, and how we as human beings communicate, handle difference, and work towards acceptance.” As the action of the play unfolds, we see how Christopher views and reacts to the world around him and how the world, in turn, reacts to Christopher. As his investigation takes goes down unexpected roads, family secrets are brought to light that upturn Christopher’s world. “The action of the play is from Christopher’s viewpoint,” says Director Derechailo, “which is a world that can be scary, but is also exciting, energetic, full of big dreams, humor, and hope.” To bring Christopher’s world to life the play features an ensemble of actors playing multiple roles, special lighting, projection, and creative movement.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is being directed by Guest Artist Melissa Derechailo with assistance and choreography work by Lexi Kalpana. The play features Katelyn Pommer as Christopher, Barb Farup as Christopher’s teacher Siobahn, T. Adam Goos as Christopher’s Father Ed, Buffany DeBoer as Christopher’s Mother Judy, and Benjamin Bjorklund, Sharon Boeckenhauer, Zach Chromy, Meg Engel, Charity Potter, Dawn Reimers, Kristalyn Sievers, and Amanda Stuhr as a multitude of characters.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time performs April 12 – 14 at the Little Red Hen Theatre in Wakefield, Nebraska. Tickets are $8 for students/seniors and $11 for adults and can be purchased online at littleredhentheatre.com or by calling (402) 287-2818. Due to adult language the show is not recommended for anyone younger than 14. 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.
Winter Academic All-State Awards announced...
The 2024 Nebraska Chiropractic Physicians Association Academic All-State Awards for the 2023-24 winter sports season have been announced.
Since 2006, the NCPA and NSAA have recognized students who meet the criteria for nomination by their schools for their individual academic excellence, leadership, and significant contributions to their NSAA activity.
Wakefield had five students nominated and accepted for the award in three different activities in the 2023-24 winter sports season.
Wakefield Academic All-State Winners in the above picture are from (l to r): Katie Borg for basketball, Jordan Metzler for basketball, Sam Chase for wrestling, and Timothy Kaufman for basketball. Not pictured is Jesse Lundahl who received the award for basketball.
14th annual BIG Show held at Wakefield Community School
Wakefield School’s High School Art Club hosted the 14th annual Big Show on March 19th in the activity center. High school and junior high artists showed off their talent from Wakefield as well as area schools Pender, Bancroft-Rosalie, Stanton, Osmond, Dakota Valley, Homer, Ponca, Allen, Emerson-Hubbard, Wausa, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Wynot, Crofton, Bloomfield, Scribner-Snyder, Clarkson-Leigh, Howells-Dodge, and Winside.
Many more pictures from this year’s show can be found on the Republicans Smugmug page at the following link: https://paperandink.smugmug.com/Wakefield-Republican/BIG-Show-2024
City Office finishes renovation
By Amanda K. Sindelar
Wakefield Staff
The Wakefield City Office recently went through a $30,000 renovation that included new furniture, lighting, carpet, and ceiling tiles.
According to the City Clerk Pam Vandeer Veen it had been more than 30-40 years since the office had been updated.
“The front door was moved so now when someone comes in it is more streamlined and safer,” she said.
Those entering the office are now greeted by a reception desk. Each department, such as the clerk, administrative clerk and administrative coordinator have their own office as well as door.
“We also share an office with the Sheriff’s Office, so it is nice that everyone has there own door now,” she said.
The city plans to host an open house, but no date has been set.
Bob Hansen recognized for 50 years of membership to the Legion
On Monday, March 4, at the Wakefield Senior Center, Bob Hansen received a certificate of continuous membership from the American Legion in honor of his 50 years of being a member.
The presentation was made by Lorence Johnson.
Hansen joined was drafted into the military in 1953, after having been deferred previously. Hansen had lost his father at a young age, and had to work the family farm to help support his mother and sister since he was 13 years old.
“I went to Fort Leonard Wood for basic training, and there was a guy that knew me real well. His wife had been in high school when I was” Hansen said. “I had the option, I could take cooks school, or automotive mechanics, or clerk typist. I figured if I take clerk typist I probably won’t get the front lines! Well when I got out of school he tried to keep me here in the states.”
“I can get you Germany, that’s better than going to Korea!” Hansen said, laughing.
He spent his service in Germany and was discharged in 1956 but had to serve another four years in the military reserve.
“I had a top secret clearance, I worked at the United States Army Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany, I could have stayed on with the federal government but I wanted to get back to farming,” said Hansen. “I got tired of all the typing! When you’re a farmer you are your own boss, you can get up when you want to and go to bed when you want to, so that’s what I did”
Upon his return to Wakefield his wife, Elaine, joined him on the family farm.
“My wife while I was in the service taught kindergarten here in Wakefield and after I got back home she came out there and ended her teaching career. My son Dale was born while I was in the service so he was two years old before I got to see him” he said.
“It was a challenge, it was good but I tell you what I think I was in 10 different countries. Europe, Spain, French, Luxembourg… so I was in a lot of different places over there!”
