The history books will note that there was no Schmeckfest held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic that took its toll on that festival, along with a host of other spring and summertime activities. The history books will also note that Schmeckfest and Freeman Academy officials made the best of an unfortunate situation, as is evident in the second Schmeckfest-inspired drive-thru event this Friday, June 26. 

The public is invited to the Menno Junior Senior Prom Grand March on June 19 starting at 6 p.m. The grand march will be held outside around the Menno school. Students will exit the old gym doors and head south around the school grounds. They will walk all the way around and end back at the old gym doors.

When the Freeman School Board meets for its monthly meeting Monday, June 15, it will be the last one for Kerry Hofer, who first took a seat on the board in 2005 and spent four of his 15 years as president.  Hofer was defeated by challenger Cody Fransen in last week’s June 2 election. Fransen won 294-233, earning 55.7% of the vote. He will take office at the July meeting and join Slade Ammann, Corey Gall, Mark Miller and Kyle Weier on the five-member board.

It’s a new-look Freeman City Council. Twenty-eight years and two weeks after first taking the oath of office as Freeman mayor, Michael Walter is back in the chair after winning election over Terry Waterman in last week’s June 2 election. The 64-year-old was sworn in as the city’s highest elected official as the council reorganized at the Freeman Community Center meeting room for a new year Monday night, June 8.  Blaine Saarie also joined the council Monday night after running unopposed for the expiring Ward 2 seat held by Russ Becker.

To accurately and completely realize the impact the Freeman Community Foundation has had on local non-profits, all you have to do is look at the numbers: • $8,000 for the Freeman Public Library’s building project in 2004; • $2,000 to the Freeman Baseball Association to help with start-up costs for four new teams in 2006; • $2,000 to the Freeman Regional Health Services Auxiliary for a new stove in the dietary department at Oakview Terrace in 2008; • $5,000 for a new play system at Freeman Elementary in 2010;

We are put on this earth to serve. It is that closely-held conviction that has led Sam Sorensen to active work in his church and other causes he believes in: to a management role with his wife, Linda, at the Bethany Food Pantry; to the organizer of the Freeman Fishing Derby; and to volunteer with the Freeman Lions Club, of which he is finishing his term as president.

Michael Walter will be Freeman’s next mayor.  The local businessman won the seat over Terry Waterman in the Freeman City/School Election held Tuesday in conjunction with the June 2 Primary Election. Walter drew 259 of the 400 votes — about half of which were filed by absentee voting — for 64.5%. He will take office next Monday, June 8. Voter turnout for the city election was at 45.5%, with 403 of the 886 registered voters living in the city of Freeman weighing in.

When the cast of “Matilda the Musical” gathered for rehearsal on Thursday night, March 12, absent was the star of the show, Sonora Myers, the 14-year old cast in the title role. She had fallen ill and was running a fever and her parents, Aaron and Consuelo, made the decision to keep her home that night from practice for the 2020 Schmeckfest musical. With concerns about COVID-19 mounting, Consuelo said she proceeded with an abundance of caution. “I guess I’m a rule follower,” she told the Courier. “I was trying to be respectful and trying to keeping the rest of the cast healthy.”