Throwback Thursday

 

08/14/2011

The Exeter Aquatic Center extended their summer hours until September 4^th.

Exeter St. Stephens Celebrates Heritage Mass

The church has been in the community longer than the community has been around.

Exeter was established in 1879 but the first Catholic mass was celebrated in the rural Exeter home of F. McTygue in 1870.

This past Sunday, August 8, St. Stephens Catholic church observed a heritage mass to commemorate the 150 years the church has been celebrating mass.

The bells rang for the special service at 4 p.m. and the greeters presented each parishioner and guest with a special laminated prayer card honoring St. Stephen, their patron saint.

The service began with beautiful music accompanied by piano, organ and violin as the congregants were led in song by an “all-star choir” of beautiful voices from Exeter, Milligan and Lincoln.

Father Brendan Kelly, the pastor at St. Stephen’s gave a brief history of the beginnings of the church. He talked about Father Kelly, the first priest ordained in Nebraska, who covered the entire area as far west as Hastings including officiating the first mass in Exeter.

Father Kelly talked about the significance of “Father Kelly in 2021 reading about Father Kelly of 1871.”

In his sermon Kelly talked about the Old Testament prophet Elijah who was sustained by food from God to walk for 40 days and nights. He “travelled a long way in the strength of the food God gave him.  We, in our parish, have traveled as part of that journey.  Who sustained us?  Jesus gives us himself to sustain us.”

He noted that the parish will celebrate 150 years of existence in seven years. “We have been here for 150 years but are still in the same place.  We do the same things they did.  It’s a different language and a few different things but it’s still the same Mass.”

Kelly acknowledged that the mass was in memory of deceased parishioners of St. Stephens.  Father Robert Barnhill who served the church from 1998-1999 also celebrated the heritage mass with Father Kelly.

After the mass, celebrants and parishioners gathered together in the parish hall for a catered meal and fellowship.  Father Kelly was thrilled to “see the hall full and everyone eating together.”

He hopes to see the church begin planning for the 150^th celebration of the parish and the erection of the church in 2028.

 

 

 

Highway 6 Resurfacing

 Construction crews have spent the last few weeks grinding off Highway 6 from Fairmont to the west county line.  This has been a much needed project as the road between Exeter and Fairmont had become quite unsafe, especially in heavy rain.

Exeter-Milligan Summer School

 

Taking Home the Gold!

By Marla Weber, Exeter-Milligan Elementary School Instructor

 

Students at Exeter-Milligan won gold medals by competing in the 2021 Mini-Olympics! The Olympics was the culminating activity and a celebration for participating in summer school these past ten weeks. Events at the Olympics included the plastic straw javelin throw, cotton ball shot put, paper plate discus throw, right-handed marble grab, left-handed sponge squeeze, and big foot. At each of these six events students estimated how well they thought they would do and then measured the actual outcome. The difference between these two numbers their score for that event. These activities provided practice with estimating, measuring, subtracting and loads of fun and laughter. Facts about the history of the Olympics was shared and a story called “Olympig” was read.

 

Summer school at EM was open to all kindergarten through second grade students this year. EM summer school has been quite popular through the past years. This year, 89% of these three classes attended the weekly program. During summer school students rotated through four sessions including reading comprehension, reading fluency, writing and math. The intent of this free program was to practice skills learned during the school year while making it fun for the kids!

 

Pictured are:

Kneeling: Landri Johnson, Saydee Kassik, Kora Havel, Archer Engert, Tommy Kallhoff, and Brooklyn Lawson

Standing – Avery Hankins, William Lock, Easton Schlegelmilch, Knox Becker, Layne Zelenka, and Reed Wince

Sitting: Kolsen Kahlandt, Kyler Oldehoeft, Kollins Johnson, Kenleigh Sudrla, Charlie Verjraska, Kyson Lindberg

Throwback Thursday, August 6, 2011

 

08/06/2011

For six weeks this summer the Exeter United Methodist Women's group opened the Garment, Gadget Giveaway store on Friday and Saturday mornings and gave everything away. Donations of clothes and household goods were also accepted and were graciously received.

Roma Rhodes who spearheaded the group's efforts was overwhelmed with the outpouring of generosity of the community, "The tables were piled high, over a foot deep with clothing for all sizes."

 

Francis E. Stride, 43, of Exeter, passed away at home in Exeter on Monday, August 8, 2011

Exeter Village Board Recommends Liquor Licenses

 

The Exeter Village Board met on Tuesday, August 3 in the village office.

After the minutes and invoices were approved the board welcomed new owner of the Twisted Wrench Bar, T J Slezak, to talk about his application for a liquor license.

The board recommended to the state that the liquor license be approved. Also, Slezak applied for a keno license transfer from John Graham to himself.  The board accepted the transfer.

The board also recommended the liquor license for new corporate manager for Casey’s General Store in Exeter.

The board reviewed the one and six year road plan.  Clerk Becky Erdkamp noted that she has contacted JEO to make several corrections on the map.

The board didn’t discuss the plan much but Michl reminded them, “The six year is our wish list.”

The board discussed librarian wages. The board set the starting wage for all three of the librarians at $12.00 an hour.  They discussed a possibility of raising wages for those who attain accreditation.

The board discussed the possibility of redoing the other trap house at the gun club.  Board member Justin Harre noted that it cost around $2000.00 to do the other trap house last fall and the gun club pitched in and paid the labor. 

The board approved replacing the trap house.  Harre commented,”We have a lot of use out there so it’s a good deal.  Thank you for letting us do it out there.”

Maintenance Supervisor John Mueller presented a photo of batting cages that he saw in Deshler.  The board was very interested in updating the batting cage area in Exeter.

Erdkamp gave her report with sales tax for May at $10856.80 and June Keno at $293.12. Erdkamp reported that they received the first half of the CARES act funds, $46,193.80 and it was deposited into a village savings account.  She also reported that the pool will close August 7 as the managers and staff goes back to school. The board set the next meeting for Wednesday, September 8.

 

 

Exeter Volunteer Fire Department Golf Tournament