JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER The tiny town of Olivet nestled in the James River Valley 5 miles west of Menno doesn’t experience much hustle and bustle. Sure, it’s home to the offices, chambers and courtroom for Hutchinson County — has been since 1871 — but other than those coming and going with county business, Olivet doesn’t have a lot to say for itself. And the population of 64 (2020 census) and outlying area probably prefer it that way.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER Ever since her freshman season, when the points really started pouring in, Jada Koerner has wondered if she would reach a milestone that doesn’t happen to most basketball players — the 1,000-point mark. Fast-forward through her sophomore and junior seasons and into her senior year and, sure enough, the scoring she had done in those high school years had her on the brink of 1,000 points by the second week of January.

JEREMY WALTNER - EDITOR & PUBLISHER The one-act team from Menno is taking its spellbinding story of Nazi Germany and the Jewish persecution told through the eyes of two sisters to O’Gorman High School this week after qualifying “Dark Road” for the state festival at the region competition last week. The 13-member cast was scheduled to present its short play Thursday, Feb. 2 at 1:45 p.m. as part of the three-day festival.

This week, students from Menno High School were scheduled to take part in the Region 1B One-Act competition with their play, “Dark Road.” The cast and crew of 19 includes junior Kaelie Derby, who plays the leading character in the show that offers a hard look at life in Auschwitz in the 1940s. The story revolves around Derby’s character, Greta, who is sympathetic to the Hitler-led effort to torment and execute the Jewish population despite pleas from her sister, Lise, who ends up a victim. Here’s Kaelie’s reflection in her own words.

JEREMY WALTNER - EDITOR & PUBLISHER The lights inside the Freeman Community Center were lowered, a large illuminated sign saying “Care” sat on the stage, attendees in formal wear enjoyed food and drinks, auctioneer Ken Wintersteen brought his trademark blend of humor and wit to the live auction and acclaimed inspirational speaker V.J. Smith had the full attention of the room as he shared stories about generosity and gratitude.

JEREMY WALTNER - EDITOR & PUBLISHER Theater students from Freeman Public and Menno were scheduled to travel to Sioux Falls Lutheran Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 25 for the Region 1B one-act competition, with a trip to the state festival the following week on the line. Five students from Freeman Public were to take the stage in “The Tale That Wagged the Dog,” a 30-minute comedy by Tim Kelly; and 13 students from Menno were set to perform “Dark Road,” a short drama by Laura Lundgren Smith.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER A local event that was exceedingly and overwhelmingly popular out of the gate received statewide recognition last week when the South Dakota Chislic Festival (SDCF) was honored with the Peter Norbeck Excellence in Tourism Innovation Award at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Pierre.

This photo was taken in Dead Man's Alley — which connects the south end of Cherry Street with Poplar Street — over the weekend following an overnight fog that turned the landscape into a spectacular winter wonderland. It's been that kind of a winter thus far — a snowy inconvenience and beautiful all at the same time.

This is this week's "Mondays on Main" Facebook post made by Heritage Hall Museum & Archives. Here's the accompanying information: 

Tabitha Schoenwald, who is the marketing and foundation director at Freeman Regional Health Services, assists auctioneer Ken Wintersteen during the live auction at Saturday night's FRHS Foundation Gala — a major fundraiser for the organization that provides financial support to the local health care service. Saturday's formal event also included a meal, silent auction and keynote address from inspirational speaker V.J. Smith, who spoke of the importance of gratitude and appreciation.