A group of young actors involved with the Freeman Area Children's Choir rehearse a scene from "Matlida Jr!" which is the focus of a June 12-23 musical theater camp being led by FACC directors Amber Bradley and Iwona Lewter. The 10-day camp is being held during the mornings, and "Matilda Jr!" will be presented Sunday afternoon on the Pioneer Hall stage.

There's a slight haze in the air but the sun is shining on a beautiful Sunday morning in Freeman. This picture features Sixth Street — the primary roadway into Freeman from Highway 81 — running diagonally through the center-right portion of the image. The Freeman Missionary Church is pictured in the lower left, with the St. Paul Lutheran Church and Freeman Regional Health Services further toward the top.

Ryan Sorensen and sons Nash (left) and Hayes head for a fishing spot at the Freeman Prairie Arboretum Saturday morning, June 17 in the minutes leading up to the 9:30 a.m. start of the 17th Freeman Fishing Derby. Temperatures were comfortable for the family-friendly, catch-and-release event — which was scheduled to conclude at 11 a.m. — but turnout was light.

Bertha Preheim was born on May 4, 1937 to Herbert and Annie (Engel) Mehlhaff in Hutchinson County, South Dakota. Her younger years were spent growing up in the Kaylor, S.D. area where she learned how to be a very hard worker at a young age.

The Photo of the Day on Wednesday showed the new stop sign that faces west at the corner of Cherry and Fifth Street. This is the other new stop sign that has gone up in Freeman and faces east at the corner of Cherry and Sixth Street.

Freeman was a busy place Wednesday night with the farmer's market (pictured) at the Swimming Pool Park, baseball and softball games across the road and a bike rodeo/light meal downtown that included participation from the Freeman Community Development Corporation, Freeman Regional Health Services and Pink Ladies. The evening also included a bike donation to community "bike doctor" Dennis Ries, who fixed up the rides for those who might be in need.

Drivers navigating the familiar Cherry Street jog that connects Sixth Street with Fifth Street will notice two new stop signs that have been placed at two intersections — this one facing west at Fifth and Cherry and another facing east at Sixth and Cherry. The signs are there to help control traffic at what is a busy connecting point for areas around town. 

Children and their families are invited to visit the Freeman Prairie Arboretum this Saturday, June 17 for the 17th annual Freeman Fishing Derby. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with catch-and-release fishing taking place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Prizes will be awarded to all registered guests in three different age groups: 1-5, 6-10 and 11-15 years old. Those with questions may call derby organizer Sam Sorensen at 605-925-7772.

The set was sparse compared to the familiar Broadway-inspired musicals that have been popular fare in Freeman over the years. A pair of chairs and tables, two music stands, a few nondescript boxes and a hall tree draped with colorful fabric helped make up the performance space — a simple sea of black on the Pioneer Hall stage.

This week's Courier is being produced by Publisher Jeremy Waltner from a charter bus on the way home from the Freeman Music Department's trip to Florida. This photo was taken from the front seat of the bus taken in the overnight hours of Monday into Tuesday as the group passed from Tennessee into Kentucky. The students and adult chaperones and music teachers are due to arrive back in Freeman Tuesday afternoon between 4 and 5 p.m. Waltner accompanied the group as a parent, chaperone and community journalist to report on the trip.