JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER It was the summer of 1976 — Ron Baker’s first year playing amateur baseball in Freeman. The Scotland native had spent the previous seven seasons playing for his hometown team and helped lead the Highlanders to a Class B state championship the summer before.

The Freeman High School volleyball team and its fans gather for a photo following its SoDak 16 win over Potter County in Chamberlain Tuesday night. The Flyers beat the Coyotes in three sets and will be the No. 8 seed at state; they will face No. 1 Warner in the opening round Thursday, Nov. 17 at 11:30 a.m. in Sioux Falls.

For Freeman High School seniors Kate Miller and Erin Uecker, their high school volleyball careers aren’t over quite yet. No, they’ve got a trip to Sioux Falls to make first.

Ron Baker and the late Warren Scherschlight, both of whom have ties to Freeman baseball, will be inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Hall of Fame during a banquet scheduled for Saturday night, Nov. 5 at Beseda Hall in Tabor. A social hour starts at 5:30 p.m. and a roast beef dinner and induction ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by calling 605-661-4889.

The Freeman High School girls are going to their fifth SoDak 16 in a row. Playing in the third and final round of the Region 4B Volleyball Tournament, the top-seed Flyers bumped, set and killed their way past the competition, ousting fourth-seed Scotland 25-12, 25-20, 25-19 at home.

Dirt work to bring the Westward View Housing Development to its final elevation has been intensifying in the past week as Knodel Contractors has been on site of the 14-acre project west of the water tower to see it completed before winter. This photo was taken Thursday morning. "This is the highest land in Freeman and it has been built up even more," said Carol Eisenbeis, the city's marketing and development coordinator.

JEREMY WALTNER - EDITOR & PUBLISHER In an effort to provide a continuity of care and strengthen its commitment to the larger Freeman community, Freeman Regional Health Services (FRHS) and the Salem Mennonite Home have announced plans to merge. A date has not been finalized, but FRHS CEO Courtney Unruh said the Salem Home will become an extension of FRHS after the final agreement has been signed — a formality — and that she is hopeful that all resources can be combined by the first of the year.

From left: Freeman High School's Cami Fransen, Erin Uecker, Emily Mendel and Zenovia Butler and ready for the return serve in their Tuesday night Region 4B game against Irene-Wakonda. The No. 1 Flyers showed a little rust early but hung on for a 25-19 win in the first set before dominating the No. 8 Eagles the rest of the way, winning the next two sets 25-11, 25-12. Freeman moves on to face No. 4 Scotland Thursday night in Freeman for a spot in what would be their fifth SoDak 16 in as many years.

After a three-year hiatus due to Covid restrictions, the Schmeckfest musical is returning to the stage in Pioneer Hall on the Freeman Academy campus. New to the Schmeckfest stage, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “State Fair” is under the direction of Kris Carlson. 

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