Playing in the first year of a football cooperative, not only has Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy qualified for the postseason, the Phoenix are hosting a game. F/M/FA will entertain Florence-Henry next Thursday night, Oct. 20 in the first round of the 9AA playoffs, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. The Phoenix are the No. 7 seed and take a 6-2 record into the postseason while the No. 10 Falcons are 4-4.

Freeman Academy/Marion junior Tavin Schroeder and sophomore Finley McConniel finished second and third at Wednesday afternoon’s Region 3B Cross-Country Meet in Burke to lead the Bearcats to a narrow win in the team standings. Sophomore Hayden Schmidt and junior Jayson Allison also turned in top-20 finishes for FA/Marion, which edged Mitchell Christian 20 to 21. Gregory was third with 22 points.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER “It’s time to sing again.” That comment from Dan Graber is at the heart of the decision to bring back the Swiss Choral Society, a musical tradition in the Freeman community that dates back nearly 100 years and historically features a sacred oratorio presented the evening after Thanksgiving. Swiss Choral rehearsals for Handel’s famous work, “Messiah,” are set to begin this Sunday evening, Oct. 16 at the Salem-Zion (North) Mennonite Church starting at 7 p.m.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER Anyone who is familiar with Heritage Hall Museum & Archives most likely knows about The Deckert House — that classic 1880s home that is part of the collection of outbuildings adjacent to the Freeman museum.

Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy lost for the second time this season, falling to Corsica-Stickney 48-18 in Corsica Friday night, Oct. 7. The Phoenix dropped to 5-2 while the Jaguars improved to 6-1. Corsica-Stickney is ranked No. 3 in Class 9B.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER Even though the Jim River Trappers have concluded their regular season — they have a bye this week in the ninth and final week of play — they’re still practicing this week. That’s because there’s a chance the Menno/Scotland football cooperative will sneak into the postseason.

Workers are continuing to prepare the side streets for a new roadway in the downtown Freeman area. This is Fourth Street to the west of Main and one of the four blocks adjacent to Main Street that has yet to get a new concrete surface. Meanwhile, work continues north of Railway Street as the new roadway is extending toward the North County Road.

The bell atop the historic Diamond Valley School building is outlined by the rise of Sunday night's Hunter's Moon — the first full moon following the Harvest Moon. The Diamond Valley School building is located on the campus of Heritage Hall Museum & Archives in Freeman.

A successful soccer season at Freeman Academy came to an end in Rapid City Tuesday evening, Oct. 4 when the Bobcats fell to St. Thomas More 7-0 in the opening round of the playoffs. St. Thomas More was the No. 3 seed with a 9-4 record while Freeman Academy entered the postseason as the No. 6 seed and with a 6-3 record.

JEREMY WALTNER  - PUBLISHER The Menno Marching Band will lead the way and will be followed by 14 others as another Menno Band Day unfolds Friday morning, Oct. 7. The host band will march simply as an exhibition and will not be included in the competition. The parade of bands begins at 10 a.m. Those taking part in the battle will be Dakota Valley, Armour, Centerville (high school and middle school), Avon, Canistota (high school and middle school), Colman-Egan, Gayville-Volin, Irene-Wakonda, Parkston, Bridgewater-Emery and Yankton Middle School.