“Bright Star,” a musical that opened on Broadway in 2016 and was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best New Musical, has been selected as the 2026 Schmeckfest musical. The Schmeckfest Program Committee has named Will Ortman as artistic director for the production, part of the annual ethnical...

She started at Freeman Academy before settling in at Menno. With one year left, she is now the SDCTE Teacher of the Year. Betsy Knodel knew she wanted to pursue a career in a field that would lend itself to helping others, and she initially thought that would be nursing. So, after graduating from Al...

SD MCC Relief Sale featuring new generation of poppy seed roll-makers Wide variety of foods will be available starting at 11 a.m. Saturday Over the years, Alice Graber has supplied the South Dakota Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale with a mountain of poppy seed rolls to be sold at the bake sal...

The Freeman community and volunteers from the surrounding area — known as “The Chislic Circle” — are once again making plans to welcome thousands to the family-friendly South Dakota Chislic Festival (SDCF) later this month. The admission-free event will take place Saturday, July 26 from 10 a.m. to 9...

American pride again on full display as thousands flock to Menno for the biggest small-town Independence Day celebration around Mettler Implement showcased its fleet of equipment that reflects the agricultural impact Menno’s family-owned operation has had on the area since it was founded in 1963. Dr...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story will appear in print in the July 9 issue of The Courier. Three individuals have been arrested and are facing state felony charges that include possession of stolen property after a UTV was recovered from their property northwest of Freeman last week. Officials have not publ...

Menno's Fourth of July baseball game between the Mad Frogs and Freeman — and the fireworks to follow — has been moved to Saturday, July 5 because of rain. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m. Baseball personnel gathered on the infield of the Lily Pad made the decision at 7:38 p.m., as another round of h...

Forty-two years ago, his Grandpa Ted took over Ferd’s Market and renamed it Ted’s Market. Ten years after that, his dad, Bob, took over Ted’s Market and renamed it Bob’s Clover Farm. Today, Brett Pidde is the man in charge at Jamboree Foods, and nobody would have it any other way. JEREMY WALTNER - P...

Nearly two dozen people from across the United States, as well as a newspaper editor from Wales, will get an up-close look at some of what the Freeman community has to offer next Monday and Tuesday, July 7 and 8. Most in the group are active or retired journalists, members of the International Socie...

Beginning next week, The Courier will move from a Thursday to a Wednesday print publication, with the online edition going live every Tuesday. To accommodate that change, the deadline for news and advertising copy moves from Monday at noon to Friday at noon, beginning this week. Local city and rural...