This undated photo was taken inside Huber Motor, which was located in downtown Freeman for much of the 20th century, and appears on the website freemansdhistory.com. It is accompanies by a brief description of the business and identifies those pictured as follows: Don Mick, Harlan Dubs, Bill Lukens, Orville Huber, Lavern Dubs and Delmar Walter.

“If Freeman didn’t have a team, I’d be playing somewhere else. I can’t imagine a summer without baseball.” That’s what Jake Weier, player/manager with the Freeman Blacksox, told me when I visited with him about his team’s run through the District 6 Amateur Baseball Tournament and upcoming trip to Mitchell for the Class B state tournament. It’s also all you need to know about Jake’s love for — and commitment to — America’s Game.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER They play each other every Fourth of July in Menno, often square off in the District 6 Amateur Baseball Tournament, and now two old South Central League rivals find themselves in the same place yet again — this time in Mitchell.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER The former Shanard’s Elevator that has stood at the corner of Main Street and Railway since at least 1914 — with roots that go back even further — came crashing down Monday, Aug. 1.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER There was something in the air Friday night, July 29. Paul Wynia could just feel it. “You could sense this excitement; the town was just abuzz,” said Wynia, who next month will mark 40 years as a resident of Freeman. “There were a lot of people out and about and you could tell that something special was going on. There was this feeling of electricity.”

Big-time congratulations are in order for the organizers of this year’s South Dakota Chislic Festival, the outstanding event that once again unfolded on the grounds of the Freeman Prairie Arboretum on Saturday. An ability to safely and comfortably handle that many people converging on one spot in that amount of time is no small feat, and the fact that they pulled it off speaks to the kind of people who are in leadership.

What had been an abandoned elevator in disrepair was reduced to a pile of rubble Monday afternoon after Kelly Knodel and Knodel Contractors took down the structure that has been known as Shanard's Elevator since at least 1914. Actually, the Shanard's operation was established in the late 1800s when George H. Shanard entered the grain-handling business in Yankton before quickly expanding across Eastern South Dakota.

Wynot came away with the District 6 championship after defeating Freeman 4-2 in amateur baseball action Friday night, July 30 in Freeman. The Expos and Blacksox both move on to the South Dakota Class B Amateur Baseball Tournament in Mitchell that starts Aug. 3, Wynot as a district champ and Freeman as Rep. No. 1 coming out of the South Central League.

When soccer players report for their first practice at 7 a.m. Monday, Aug. 1, it will signify the start, not just of a new prep sports season, but of a new school year.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER For those who like chislic and beer, the grounds of the Freeman Prairie Arboretum will be a haven this Saturday, July 30 when the fourth South Dakota Chislic Festival returns to the community.