The gazebo that accents the Freeman Prairie Arboretum is pictured through a pair of birch trees near the interpretive center on a sunny Tuesday morning. The arboretum was quiet early this week but will be a popular spot in a matter of days as the 2023 South Dakota Chislic Festival unfolds on Saturday. Watch this week's Courier for all you need know about this year's popular event.

The 16U Sticks took their first step toward a state tournament berth with an 11-1 win over Parker in the first round of the Class B Region 4 Tournament in Freeman Monday evening, July 24. The Freeman/Marion ballclub took a 2-1 lead in the second inning and led 4-1 after three before blowing the game open with a seven-run fifth inning to end the contest early via the 10-run mercy rule.

Merchants State Bank Field in Freeman will be alive with activity each of the next four nights as the VFW 16U Region 4B tournament comes to town. Action begins at 5 p.m. with Tyndall facing Salem followed by Freeman/Marion taking on Parker. Games continue at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday, 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (if necessary) on Thursday. In addition to the four teams playing Monday night, Region 4B includes Scotland/Menno, which will play its first game at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

A bidder holds up her number at the live auction portion of the South Dakota Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale held in the Pioneer Hall dining area Saturday, July 22. A nice crowd filled the space for the activities of the day, which in addition to the live auction featured a silent auction, several venders and a lunch that featured something for everybody. Watch for a full report in the next issue of The Courier.

Beth Bontrager prepares fruit for the fruit salad that will be one of the optional sides at Saturday's South Dakota Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale being held in the dining area of Pioneer Hall. Action will pick up around 11 a.m. when a host of activities begin, from vendors and a silent auction to the spread of foods for the meal. And the sale will feature a live auction beginning at 1 p.m. All activities are taking place in the lowest level of Pioneer Hall.

Dustin Tschetter, a coach with the Freeman/Marion Sticks, is tossed a ball as the team warms up prior to Friday morning's game against Corsica-Stickney in the first round of the South Dakota VFW 14U State Tournament. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. A win moves the Sticks to the semifinal round Saturday at 4 p.m., and a loss would put them in the consolation bracket Saturday at 11 a.m. The other two teams on Freeman/Marion's side of the bracket are Baltic and Mt. Vernon/Plankinton. The other side of the bracket features Parkston and Selby and Clark Area and Platte-Geddes.

This monument at the Menno City Park, near where the railroad once ran, offers one of the explanations of how the towns of Freeman and Menno were named. While the inadvertent mistake by the rail company has never been verified, it is widely regarded as the reason Freeman is not named Menno - a reference to the large Mennonite population they settled in the community. 

This monument at the Menno City Park, near where the railroad once ran, offers one of the explanations of how the towns of Freeman and Menno were named. While the inadvertent mistake by the rail company has never been verified, it is widely regarded as the reason Freeman is not named Menno - a reference to the large Mennonite population they settled in the community. 

With the evening sun casting shadows across the landscape, Valley View Golf Course is pictured on Tuesday, July 18 — the 30th summer it has been in operation since its construction in the early 1990s. This week's Courier carries the final installment of a four-week series on the construction and operation of the course.

With the evening sun casting shadows across the landscape, Valley View Golf Course is pictured on Tuesday, July 18 — the 30th summer it has been in operation since its construction in the early 1990s. This week's Courier carries the final installment of a four-week series on the construction and operation of the course.