The Salem Mennonite Church is pictured at sundown last week. The steeple/bell tower at the church is a familiar symbol in the East Freeman community. It was built when the church was erected in 1966 has survived a fire that destroyed the rest of the structure in 1985. The South Church is located two miles south and four east of Freeman.

Players from Canistota/Freeman stand at attention for the singing of the national anthem prior to their semifinal showdown with Howard Friday night, Nov. 6. The Pride outlasted the Tigers 12-7 in what one coach called a "street fight." C/F will play for its third-straight state 9A championship against Warner next Friday night at the DakotaDome. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Craig Wollman and students from Freeman Academy unload rakes out of the bed of a pickup to tackle a leaf-raking job in Freeman — their fourth house of the morning. The private, Christian-based school serving students in grades K-12 is today canvassing the town for its annual Community Service Day in which students and staff rake and haul leaves for residents who have called in and scheduled the work. It's a full day and a big job that goes back to the 1970s; watch for a story in the Nov. 12 edition of The Courier.

The parking lot at Freeman Public School is largely empty after administration decided to end in-person instruction for students in grades 5-12 for the remainder of the week. Students in the fourth grade were already learning remotely because of a positive COVID-19 case. The development this week comes after a teacher tested positive for the virus; most students in grades 5-9 are considered close contacts and, per guidelines of the CDC, are quarantined through Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Cara Maske and the Freeman High School volleyball celebrates its first-set win over Irene-Wakonda in the second round of the Region 5B Tournament Tuesday night, Nov. 3. The third-seed Flyers beat the Eagles 25-19-25-13, 26-24 to advance to Thursday's showdown with Gayville-Volin — the region's No. 2 seed — in Gayville. Freeman (16-6) lost to Gayville-Volin (16-3) in a five-set thriller earlier in the season. The winner moves no to the SoDak 16 on Nov. 10.

Emily Stern casts her vote in the 2020 general election Tuesday morning, Nov. 3 inside the Freeman Community Center. Poll workers reported strong crowds Tuesday morning, with the line out the door early on and a steady stream of voters thereafter. A host of safety precautions are being taken; a plexiglass shield separates voters from workers at the table, workers are wearing masks and each polling station is disinfected and wiped down after each ballot is cast.

The 2020 general election is set for tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 3. This public notice, which was published in The Courier last week, shows polling places for local and area voters. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

One morning after the first full moon on a Halloween since 1944, a spectacular sky ushered in the first day of November Sunday morning. Chilly and quiet, the morning of Nov. 1 preceded an active Oct. 31 night that included a host of children out and about collecting candy. 

The moon rises in the eastern sky on Friday night, Oct. 30 — Halloween eve. The following was taken from space.com.

Canistota/Freeman head coach James Strang visits with the team after the Pride took care of Philip 50-0 in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs in Canistota Thursday night, Oct. 29. Strang's comments focused on next week's rematch with Howard, the state's No. 1 team and top-seed in the playoffs. The Tigers beat the Pride in triple overtime during the regular season and spoiled their chance to play for a conference title. “You know how important that is,” he said. “They took that from us; you’re going to hear me yapping about that all week. We have the chance to take it back.