July
Those recently taking an afternoon to help work on the new restroom at the fairgrounds were (l to r) Tyler McNaught, Rylee Hofmann, Allie Howell, Lynn Hofmann (back), Peyton Hofmann, Logan Lindsley, Richard Boruch, Tom Hofmann,Eric Lindsley, Wendell Lindsley.
The Shelby Fire Department and EMS crew were on hand to receive the check for $14,593 presented by the Shelby Senior Center. Members included back row (l to r) Devin Alt, Brian Gabel, Odin Velasco, Nathan Luchsinger, Dustin Miller, Justin Eller, Perry Miller, Steve Stewart, Ethan Stevenson, Alexa Stevenson, Nathan Kracl, Sean Wacker. Front row ( l to r) Pat Teig rep-resenting the Senior Center, Denise Humlicek, Jon Eller, Anita Smith representing the Senior Center, Roger Smith, Natalie Eller, Cody Turpit.
The Polk County Fair will be held July 21 through the 25th in Osceola. On Saturday, July 24, Cody Hicks and the Emmett Bower Band will be the opening acts for Jameson Rogers at the Party in Polk County!
Congregates of the St. Paul Lutheran church are thrilled to welcome Pastor Raleigh White as their new Senior Pastor.
June 10th - 12th, Baylynn Nuttleman, age 6 of Stromsburg, NE, competed as a State Finalist for Nebraska at National American Miss in Des Moines, Iowa.
Could livestock be the key to re-invigorating rural Nebraska?
A recent tour of livestock facilities hosted by the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (AFAN) visited three locations in the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District to discuss the importance of live-stock operations for keeping young people in rural areas and stimulating the economy through new market activity. They visited producer Kevin Peterson of CBA Farms, Tuls Butler County Dairy and Sterup’s Poultry Farm.
The Bargains For You On 92 Association is proud to announce it is hosting the Bargains For You On 92 event for its inaugural year, to be held August 26, 27, and 28, 2021.
Central Community College and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) have announced a new education partnership, which will allow CCC nursing graduates to complete a bachelor of nursing (BSN) degree through UNMC.
The CAIN trio is scheduled to perform Sunday, August 1st, at the Twogood farm just south of Stromsburg. The group is being sponsored by the Stromsburg Baptist church.
Over 900 Polk County property owners will be receiving in the mail this week a new Notice of Valuation Change by the County Board of Equalization. The change of valuation notice is being re-issued to correct a procedural error. The assessed valuation of the property did not change from the valuation notice sent in June of 2021 for most property owners.
Champions named at the 4-H Fashion Show were front row (l to r) Declan Gabel, Alexa Stewart, Halee Peterson, Alayna Gabel, Lily Cramer. Back row (l to r) Ella Cramer, Ava Cramer, Courtney Carlstrom, Rachel Wacker, Rebecca Wacker
Annie Jeffrey Health Center has invited Anna Street Trolley to come to their facility on Wednesday, July 28th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Anna Street Trolley offers premium ice cream from the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company of Madison, Wisconsin.
The Polk County Fair will officially begin Thursday and the evening is sure to draw a crowd with the free barbecue and the free carnival rides. All carnival rides are free every day of the fair from 6-11 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and are sure to be a hit with all fair goers.
Darla Winslow (center) Polk County Health Department Director along with some of her staff (l to r) Jordan Siegel, Jenni Osborne and Kim Winslow accept their Heart for 4-H Award from Polk County 4-H Council members (l to r) Jeff Ingalls, Angie King, Nicci Kropatsch, Tiffany Carlstrom, Rachel Wacker, Torie Jelinek, Courtney Carlstrom and Stacy Stewart.
Receiving the 4-H Award are the Ott family, front (l to r) Emersyn Ott, Mya Stewart, Alexa Stewart, Gary Ott, Aislin Ott, Hannah Ott. Middle (l to r) Angie King, McKenna Stewart, Stacy Stewart, Blake Schmidt, Carolyn Ott. Back (l to r) Bonnie Ott, Cora Stewart, Steve Stewart, Jeremy Ott, Jordan Ott, Jason Ott.
4-H’er Blaike Bryan presented the Quilt of Valor to Lee Boden.
The Demolition Derby was held on Thursday night of the Polk County Fair and drew 36 cars to the event along with 1300 spectators entering the gate along with those working in the pits with the drivers.
At the beef show held on Saturday morning Grand Overall Champion Market Steer was awarded to Collin Vrbka (right) with Reserve Champion Overall Market Steer honors going to Myah Sanley.
August
The Polk County News is under new ownership. John and Anna Sterup have purchased the newspaper. They are pictured with one of their children, Theodore.
The 100 year old Bandstand in the center of Polk is in need of repairs. Over the years it has been the center for many events and photo opportunities. As a cherished piece of Polk history, a fundraiser has been organized for Saturday, August 7th at the Polk Park Picnic Shelter to raise funds to aid in the repairs. A generous Polk resident will match funds up to $1,000 to get this project off the ground.
Pinnacle Bank – Osceola hosted its 8th Annual Pinnacle Bank Fun Run on July 24, 2021. There were 154 registered participants this year. Included in that number was a total of 26 teams that competed against the Pinnacle Bank team to raise money for local charities/organizations. Each team that finished the race received $200.00. The teams that beat the bank team received $250.00. In total, Pinnacle Bank donated $5,500.00 to 17 different charities/organizations.
Dr. Brett Eimermann of York has opened PROGRESSIVE CHIROPRACTIC and Rehabilitation Clinic in the former Overland office building in Stromsburg. He graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in 2008. Originally from Wisconsin his family moved to York to be closer to his wife Nicky’s family in McCool, she is also a chiropractor and they have four boys.
At the Farmers Market last Wednesday, the Osceola FFA Petting Zoo was a big hit with the children. They enjoyed all the animals including a ram lamb, red fox, bunny, turtle, horse, miniature cow, duck, goats, kittens, and a hedgehog!
Saturday, August 7th was the scene of a fundraiser in Polk. The “Save the Bandstand” project had live entertainment to raise funds for the remodel and repair of the bandstand in Polk. Marshall Anderson, Allen Peterson, Dan Cramer, and Steve Ozentowski were the headline band. Weather did not cooperate with the evening but, rain did not stop patrons from watching the show. Approximately 75-100 people came out to soak in the rain and help the fundraiser. To date, $12,700 has been raised for the bandstand project.
Tucker Tejkl is the new superintendent at Shelby-Rising City Public School. He is pictured with his family, wife Kylie, boys Weston age 7, Cohen 5 and Jack 2 years.
Sheriff Dwaine Ladwig was presented an award for Excellence in Detention Facility Administration for the Polk County Jail.
The familiar sign on 81/92 north of Stromsburg or west of Osceola, sometimes referred to as the big corner or the 4-mile corner, has seen significant deterioration over the years. It was first put up 60 years ago on August 23, 1961. The sign told travelers that Stromsburg is four miles south. The Stromsburg Chamber is grateful to the Stromsburg City Council for partnering with them to complete this restoration project.
Heather Thompson has taken the helm as the Principal of Shelby-Rising City Public Schools. Heather has a diverse background fit for the school Heather’s educational journey started in the military. She was enlisted for nine years where she took many of her core classes.
The 13th Annual Consignment Auction was held last Sunday, August 22 at the Polk County Fairgrounds in Osceola. The sale is sponsored by the Osceola FFA Alumni and supporters with all proceeds donated to the Osceola FFA Chapter.
Stromsburg Chamber Ambassadors Cinda Koinzan and Sherry Oberg visited one of our newest business owners, to welcome her to our community. Devyn Palik, a licensed Massage Therapist, opened her clinic in her home at 605 Wall Street in October 2019.
September
Nebraska 4-H has selected 12 individuals, as well as one multigenerational family, as recipents of a new statewide awards program that honors outstanding contributions of 4-H volunteers. Inaugural award winner from Zone 7: Barb Mentink, Polk County
Nebraska State Fair to Livestream Agriculture Events During Fair State Fairgoers encouraged to follow CDC COVID guidelines during the 11-day fair.
The results of the 2020 U.S. census are complete and out. Nebraska as a whole saw growth of 7.18%. An overwhelming amount of that growth occurred in urban areas. The State of Nebraska also maintained population growth with the country as a whole. Nebraska’s population per the 2020 census now stands at 1,961,504. Polk County’s total population is down 3.5% to 5,214.
The 2021 Polk County News Football Contest is underway with a record amount of entries to kick off the season. One entrant stood out from the crowd only missing two games. Lois Burke stayed loyal to Nebraska, as did 90% of the entrants, with her other miss John-son-Brock over NE Lutheran.
Five Quilts of Valor were presented to five Noyd brothers on Sunday, September 5, 2021 to honor their service to our country. Pictured are ( left to right) Gary, John, Perry, Terry and Larry.
Everyone is invited to the Osceola Center to pay tribute to our fallen heroes. Our condolences go out to the Craig Page family at the loss of their nephew Daegan. Please stop in for coffee and fellowship, the cent from 8:30 - 3:00.This is Corporal Daegan Page—one of thirteen American service members killed in the terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was 23 years old.
On September 13th, the Nebraska legislature began its special session to determine various voting boundaries in the state. The two that will have the biggest debate are the legislative districts and congressional districts as well. Per the 2020 census Nebraska will retain its’ three congressional seats.
Effective Thursday, Sept. 9, all patients and visitors need to enter our facility through the ER entrance on the southwest side of the building. Reminder you MUST wear a mask while in our facility.
School is nearly a full month in. Brent Breckner has begun his first year as the Principal of Osceola Public Schools.
Kim Beran began the 2021-2022 school year as superintendent of High Plains Community Schools.
Cross County Community School celebrated their Homecoming last week including the crowning of the 2021 royalty. King is Tatum Baker and Queen is Hannah Linn. Tatum is the son of Owen and Kari Baker. Hannah is the daughter of Joel and Teresa Linn.
Grady Belt and Zoe Kuhnel were crowned 2021 Shelby-Rising City Homecoming King and Queen at last Friday night’s game. Grady is the son of Tony and Jenny Belt and Zoe is the daughter of Jeff and Julie Kuhnel.
Polk County RPPD customers enjoyed an experience of a lifetime as they took a tethered ride on the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Hot Air Balloon at the Polk County RPPD Customer Meeting. Customers had an opportunity to say THANK YOU to someone in PCRPPD’s Let’s Get Carried Away Contest. Nominees then received a unique birds-eye view of Polk County in the 80 football balloon.
Osceola Public School celebrated their Homecoming last week including the crowning of the 2021 royalty. King is Carter Girard and Queen is Mae Valish. Carter is the son of Blaine and Danielle Winslow and Jay and Michelle Merry. Mae is the daughter of Richard and Kim Valish.
Lane Urkoski and Aliyah Dietz were crowned 2021 High Plains Homecoming King and Queen at last Friday night’s game. Lane is the son of Kevin and Shelly Urkoski. Aliyah is the daughter of Brad and Stacy Dietz.
The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce will host the 80th Annual Harvest of Harmony Parade, sponsored by Tom Dinsdale Automotive, on Saturday, October 2, 2021. Contestants from Polk County are Hanna Linn of Cross County, Gordonna Howell of High Plains and Jayde Kuhn of Osceola.
McLean family members, staff, local and state leaders face the cameras to snip a ribbon officially opening McLean Beef’s new business venture in York. Shown (front from left) Brian Kurth, Stephen Postier, Nebraska Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, Max McLean, Jeanette McLean (with scissors), Amanda McLean, Alice and Jim McLean, Lisa Hurley and Jim Ulrich. Back (from left) Morgan Glause, Char Mae Glause, Dan Crawford, Tanya Crawford, Chance Crawford, Tiffany Arnold and York Mayor Barry Redfern.
October
At Tuesday’s meeting the County Commissioners appointed Jodi Krance as the new County Assessor to replace Shelia Cermak who resigned September 28.
Carson Rathje, Taylor Steager, and Jayce Vrbka, members of the Shelby-Rising City FFA chapter in Shelby, NE, will be awarded the American FFA Degree at the 94th National FFA Convention & Expo Oct. 27-30.
Inventory and supply in the United States is still struggling because of the pandemic after-shock.
Speaker Laureen Riedesel will present a program “Swedish Pioneers in Nebraska” on October 25 at 2:30 pm at The Viking Center, 118 E. 3rd in Stromsburg. This presentation is made possible by Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and the Stromsburg Woman’s Club as part of the HN Speakers Bureau.
The Sweatbox Boxing Club in association with USA Boxing present Masters of the Universe at the Polk County Ag Hall in Osceola on Saturday, October 16th. Doors open at 1:00 p.m., fights start at 2:00 p.m. General admission and ringside tickets available.
The special session has ended in the Nebraska Legislature for redistricting. The changes proposed in the special session were signed into law by Governor Pete Ricketts on September 30th. Making Nebraska the 3rd state to complete redistricting from the 2020 census. As previously reported, Polk County was at risk of moving into a different legislative district. However, Polk County will remain in district #24 under the representation of Mark Kolterman.
Baylynn Nuttelman (Little Miss Nebraska First Runnerup) recently visited York General and dropped off some handmade blankets for the nursing staff to distribute to children who are in the hospital here.
Nebraska is number one in the nation with the 2% unemployment rate but is also ranked nationally at number one with Nebraska’s employment to population ratio at 67%
November
The Stromsburg Volunteer Ambulance squad is asking for your help so they can help you. When you need to call 9-1-1 the most vital things are time and knowledge. They need to get to you as quickly as possible and knowledge to know how to assess the situation in the best possible way. You can imagine how difficult it can be for them as they fight against time to learn as much about you as possible. A program called “Vial of Life” offers the help they need.
Four Corners is launching a new option for free COVID testing beginning November 1st. Testing will be offered at Four Corners on 2101 N. Lincoln Avenue in York. Arrive between 11AM to 1PM on Mondays and Thursdays. Please park in the east parking lot. Testing will be done in your car.
On Tuesday November 9 at 7 p.m. at the Stromsburg Library, the Polk County Historical Society will sponsor Nebraska Humanities Speaker Renae (Burke) Hunt. She will speak on “Overland Trails: The Children of the Trail”. This presentation is made possible by Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and Polk County Historical Society as part of the Humanities Nebraska Speakers’ Bureau.
Polk County has received another membership dividend, this time in the amount of $10,946, from the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association (NIRMA), the county’s property, liability and workers’ compensation coverage and risk management services provider.
Terry Noyd named 2021 Stromsburg Legion Honored Veteran. Terry was drafted into the regular Army and left for boot camp at Fort Lewis in Washington State on April 23, 1968. He completed 9 weeks of basic training and another 9 weeks in advanced individual training. After these two sets of 9-week training sessions, he was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for another 9-week training session called NCO, which was ranger training. He served as a Drill Sargent for another 9 weeks in Georgia at the rank of Staff Sargent, E6.
Each year the National Rural Health Association honors out-standing individuals and organizations in the field of rural health who have dedicated their time and talents to improving the health and well-being of others. This year’s event was held virtually. Annie Jeffrey Memorial County Health Center was named one of the top 20 critical access hospitals (CAHs) for quality in the country.
Last Friday, head coach Hayden DeLano’s team finally made it to their desired destination by virtue of a 56-20 victory over Hitchcock County (10-2). The Cross County Cougars football team will now play for the state title at Memorial Stadium on Monday, November 22 and will face Howells-Dodge.
Osceola Legion Post #91 held their Veterans Day program on November 11, 2021 at the Osceola High School. At the program, 7 veterans were awarded a Quilt of Valor. Quilts of Valor recipients are: front (l to r) Alan Russell, Richard Ekstrom, Jimmie Laycock, Louis Schott. Back row: Donald Watts, Don Fuhr, Lewellen Nielsen.
An explosion from propane happened late Thursday after-noon at the elevator in Osceola. Workers from an outside company were switching out a valve on the vaporizer for the grain drying system. A leak occurred and the propane reach the ignition source causing the explosion. Two workers were badly injured, and flown by helicopter to St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Lincoln. The state Fire Marshall investigator’s division has ruled it as accidental.
Class D1 State Runners Up Cross County Cougars Roster Cameron Graham, Lucas Jacbosen, Jackson Lindburg, Thatcher Hanson, Shayden Lundstrom, Jacob Manzanares, Tony Dewitt, Tanner Hollinger, Ashton Seim, Dylan Fanning, Haiden Hild, Tyler Shoup, Dalton Noble, Brayden Schmidtberger, Treven Nienhueser, Noah Sandell, Cory Hollinger, Damon Mickey, Andrew Dubas, Izaac Dickey, Hayden Allen, Rafe Peterson, Tobey Waller, Carter Seim, Ty Racek, Trevor Bolton, Channer Marsden, Tyler Richardson, Leighton Nuttelman, Alex Noyd, Colby Bolton, Jentry Lovejoy, Conner Jones, Owen Renken, Cooper Sundberg, James Elgin, Brock Allen, Wyatt Hengelfelt,and Ethan Brehm. Coaches Hayden DeLano, Matt Carroll, Mitch Boshart, Todd Connelly, and Quinn Peterson.
Quilts of Valor were presented at the Veteran’s Day programs at Shelby-Rising City and Osceola. Stars, Stripes, and Stitches Quilts of Valor group, based in Shelby, was in charge of both QoV ceremonies during each school’s Veterans Day program. Quilts of Valor recipients in Shelby are Hillary Rasmussen and Sean Wickham.
The Polk County News would like to welcome Beth Sparrow to our staff. She will be a great addition and we look forward to all of you meeting her. Beth lives in Stromsburg with her husband, Alan and her two kids, Kirk and Atalissa. In her spare time, Beth researches family history and walks cemeteries taking photos. She is familiar with typesetting and computers, and we think this will be a great fit for her at the newspaper. Welcome Beth.
December
In 2016 Hunter Miller of Stromsburg installed a 9-hole disc golf course in Buckley Park of Stromsburg. Hunter was a senior in 2016 and did this project as part of his Eagle Scout project. Since then people have enjoyed the 9-hole course. Recently Hunter’s brother, Levi Miller, of Stromsburg and a Scout with Stromsburg Troop 241 took on the project of making this an 18-hole disc golf course. He planned, organized, and mapped out the additional 9 holes.
The Shelby United Methodist Church is giving $10,000 to the Shelby Legion for ceiling and other building improvements. The church uses the legion for funeral dinners and other occasions. It was due to the motion of Dave Rosenberry that the church was led to give to this local mission. Last year they donated to St. Jude’s Research Hospital. Pictured are Legion members Ronald Smith and Jim Krumbach receiving the check from United Methodist Church members Burdette Berck, Bill Brigham, Roger Moon, Yvonne Bennett, Sid Dunn and Pastor. Pure Nebraska’s Jon Vanderford came to Osceola last week and visited with Roxanne Page. Part of the clip may be viewed on their website www.1011now.com/community/pure-nebraska Roxanne initially contactedPure Nebraska and arranged the visit. She also carried camera equipment, introduced him to townsfolk and did a great job representing Osceola. Another episode just on the Gathering Grounds coffee shop is going to be shown Monday, December 13 at 9 a.m. on channel 10/11. Be sure to tune in or set your DVR.
Dennis Pogue of Yutan, was the lucky winner of the $100 final prize money to culminate the 2021 season of The Polk County News Football Contest. “I look forward to getting my paper every week because I’m proud to be from Stromsburg and it’s good to keep up with what’s going on in the community. But I especially look forward to The Football Contest”, stated Dennis.
Senior Grady Belt of Shelby-Rising City achieved his 100th win over the weekend at the North Bend invitational. Grady has been involved in wrestling since preschool, coming from a wrestling family. His father and uncles wrestled, so it just came naturally.
Osceola held their “Christmas in Downtown” last Tuesday evening. Visiting Santa was Atleigh daughter of Nick and Taylor Boruch.
The West Side Bar and Grill’s “Christmas Miracles” Project started in November when they teamed up with the employees from Fagen Inc to raise money in hopes of helping families in the Stromsburg area at Christmas. They also received generous donations from Mudd Jockies Inc and Boulder Earth and Pipe Inc, both from Grand Island. When it was all said and done they raised $10,179!!!
An unseasonable bout of weather caused swaths of damage across the state of Nebraska on Wednesday, December 15th.
