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!”
Fundraiser being held this Saturday at Sacred Heart for Haleigh Victor
A fundraiser will be held this Saturday, March 9th, to benefit Haleigh Victor and her family through her multi-level dual leg surgery and inpatient therapy. The event takes place at Sacred Heart in Emerson starting at 4:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. The benefit consists of a spaghetti supper, for which takeout is available, as well as a silent auction.
Starter money for the event was donated by Thrivent, the meat was donated by Tyson Foods, and the ice cream by Hiland.
Any questions or donations may be directed to Beth at 402-841-6289, Kendra at 402-404-0231, or Stacey at 712-204-8702. Monetary donations can be sent to Dennis Victor, 601 West Front Street, Emerson.
LRHT sells out murder mystery event
The Little Red Hen Theatres latest event, “Murder in Margaitaville” was another great success playing to a sellout crowd of 208 dining theatregoers on Friday, February 16th at the Wakefield Civic Center.
Guests were invited to come in their best “tropical” wear for the evening catered by Crazy Jacks of Wakefield and also had a limited bar menu.
The show itself was a “clever concoction of chaos, crime, and cocktails in the Caribbean” consisting of a murder mystery set in the titular “Margaritaville” where the audience helped to uncover a murder having taken place during the evening.
“We are incredibly grateful to our audiences and volunteers who helped make the event such a success - and so much fun!” said Little Red Hen Theatre director T. Adam Goos. “We love planning a good murder every now and then, and will continue to do so as long as the community wants to attend, and we have some creative people willing to commit murder with us.”
Additional pictures of “Murder in Margaitaville” can be found on the back page of this edition of the Republican.
Mimi Ruvalcaba is back to back Dixon County Spelling Bee champion
The 2024 Dixon County Spelling Bee was held at Allen Consolidated Schools on Monday, January 29th. Nineteen top spellers from four schools participated in the contest. Mimi Ruvalcaba, a student from Wakefield Public School out spelled everyone to be declared the 2024 Dixon County Spelling Bee Champion. This marks her second consecutive Dixon County Spelling Bee win after winning the 2023 event as well.
Mimi will compete in the Omaha Sports Commission Spelling Bee on March 9th in Omaha. Second place winner Chloe Peters from Emerson-Hubbard will act as an alternate. Along with Mirella and Abrahm, trophies were awarded to third place winner Brooks Kephart, Ponca Public School, fourth place winner, Cheyenne Sullivan Allen Consolidated Schools, and fifth place winner Kole Krusemark Ponca Public School.
The Dixon County Spelling Bee was sponsored by Allen Consolidated Schools. John Street of Ponca Public School selected and pronounced the words. Mike Pattee, Superintendent of Allen Consolidated Schools and Dustin Nielsen, principal at Emerson-Hubbard Community School served as the contest judges.
Students participating in the spelling bee were:
Wakefield: Mirella Ruvalcaba, Matthew Metzler, Madelyn Herting, Annabelle Armenta Reaves, Asher Geiser
Ponca: Luke Jackson, Kole Krusemark, Abrahm Krusemark, Skyler Pick, Brooks Kephart
Emerson-Hubbard: Ty Nielsen, Chloe Peters, Keegan Hightree, Abe Mueller, Kaydance Perez
Allen Consolidated Schools: Cora Ridenour, Ellise Niemann, Emma Waldo, Cheyenne Sullivan, Sam Johnson
Wakefield Community Club is hosting “First Friday After 5” networking event this Friday, Feb. 2.
The event is meant to provide community members with an opportunity to network outside of the office/business in a casual environment. The event is open to the public, and participants do not have to be a member of the Wakefield Community Club to attend.
“Because it is open to the public, we hope people that would not traditionally attend a Community Club meeting will come and socialize,” said Megan Weaver, economic development director with Wakefield Progressive. “I'd love to see some new faces that have maybe just moved to Wakefield or started working in Wakefield.”
Wakefield Community Club is providing one free drink to the first 50 people to come through the door. Attendees will also have a chance to enter a raffle for $25 Wakefield dollars that can be spent at any current Wakefield Community Club businesses. Appetizers are being provided by local businesses.
“We have two more dates on the calendar including April 5 and May 3 so we are hoping it goes over well, stay posted,” Weaver added.
Teammates holding recognition night Tuesday, Feb. 6th
The local chapter of the statewide Teammates mentoring program is holding a mentor recognition night at Wakefield Community Schools on Tuesday, February 6th during the Trojans basketball game versus Winnebago. Mentors, and their mentees, will take to the court to be recognized for their participation in the program. The organization wants to highlight the importance of mentoring in our community, and also reach out to other community members who may want to “give back” by being a mentor.
Teammates is a school-based mentoring program that was developed in 1991 by UNL Head Football Coach Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy. It began with a small group of athletes meeting with middle school students, but the program has grown considerably in impact and scope since then, having served for 46,000 youth across multiple states since its inception. The mission of TeamMates is to “. . .positively impact the world by inspiring students to reach their full potential through mentoring.” It’s a big mission, but the program meets it in a relatively simple way – just by “being there”.
Mentors who take part in the program are matched with their “teammate” through common interests. Throughout the school year mentors meet weekly with their matched student at the school, doing various activities of their choice. Matches work on craft projects, some play games, read, shoot hoops, or any other activity that encourages interaction. The goal is to just “be there,” as a consistent presence and positive influence. Mentors and students are “matched” for the entire duration of the students’ school career, beginning in elementary school through graduation – and the impact of just “being there” over time can be transformative.
The Wakefield Chapter of TeamMates currently has 50 matches participating in the program, but also has 14 students who are waiting to be matched with a mentor. The program encourages community members who are interested in the program to fill out a mentoring application at teammates.org, or to reach out to program coordinators Timarie Hansen and Tiffany Lamprecht. The chapter is also currently fundraising to help cover costs associated with the program and is holding a “2024 Super Bowl Squares” raffle. You can buy squares at the game this Friday or reach out to a board member of the local chapter; Ben Donner, T. Adam Goos, Kari Rooney, Sophia Sebade, Kelsy Thomas, Matt Farup, Timarie Hansen, or Tiffany Lamprecht.
Hassler family starts pet supply donation campaign
A local family has started a campaign to help Wakefield and surrounding areas furry friends, called the “First Annual Kenzo’s Kindness Campaign”.
The Hassler family: Tara, a nurse at Wakefield Health Care Center; Mike, a teacher and coach at Wakefield Community Schools; and daughter Laura, are collecting pet supplies to help pets in need.
“We love animals and love to give back to the community. We both feel it's important to teach our daughter this and to help her learn that some are not as fortunate as she is,” said Tara Hassler.
The Hassler family has experience with the joys that come from pet adoption, having adopted their first dog a Schnauzer Scottie from the Siouxland Humane Society, and the current furry member of their family, Kenzo, from Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue in Sioux City. Local food banks can help pets as well, but donators aren’t always aware they can donate pet supplies.
“When people donate to the Food Banks I don't think that pets are often thought of as being in need, too,” said Hassler.
Items donated will be divided between the Wakefield Food Pantry, the Wayne Food Pantry, and the Animal Shelter of Northeast Nebraska in Norfolk. Donations may be dropped off at the Wakefield Health Care Center, Wakefield Community School at Mr. Hassler’s room, Canine Design in Wayne, or sent to the Hasslers at 600 Oak Dr. in Wayne.
Items needed include: Non clumping cat litter; Diamond Naturals dog food; Purina One dry kitten or cat food; canned food; tri-fold paper towels; Kleenex; 55 gallon heavy duty trash bags; dryer sheets; Dawn dish soap; liquid laundry detergent; Swiffer dusters and refills; pill pockets; squeezy cheese; Kong toys; Nyla bones (medium and large); heavy duty dog leashes; and collars.
The donation campaign is on now until Wednesday, February 7th. Questions can be directed to Tara Hassler at 402-469-1651.
“We love our furry pets and consider them family. We want to teach our daughter the importance of taking care of our furry friends too!” said Hassler.
Storm cleanup continues
Throughout this past week of winter weather, temperatures have dropped well below zero, and the snow has fallen. While nearly the entire state of Nebraska got a taste, some areas received more than others.
Northeast Nebraska was one of the main targets of the storm, with some areas receiving over a foot of snow, causing school and community cancellations and postponements of activities left and right.
It has been estimated that the Wakefield area received around 7.5 inches of snowfall, enough to cause disruption in the community.
While Wakefield was definitely affected by this recent storm, they didn’t receive the worst of it. Areas south of Norfolk were reported to have anywhere from 12 to 13 inches.
The result of this heavy snowfall caused numerous breaks in resident’s regular schedules. This snowstorm also caused numerous traffic incidents across the state, leaving everyone with a reminder of just how dangerous the roads can be in the wintertime.
Wakefield Community Schools were closed on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 8 and 9, before the kids were able to return to classes with a late start on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
After returning to classes, the students and faculty were asked to stay home again with another cancellation on Friday, Jan. 12, with the students having an E-Learning day.
On Saturday, December 2nd the holiday season kicked off in Wakefield with a pair of events at the Wakefield Civic Center.
First was the annual Covenant Church’s CROWN program fundraiser “Breakfast with Santa.”
In addition to breakfast there were holiday activities and Santa was on hand to greet everybody as well as take pictures with the kids.
Second was the Wakefield Holiday Market. Like the regular markets
held throughout the year there were a variety of vendors on hand selling various wares but there was a distinctly holiday twist to the event as well as the offerings on hand.
