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Is Nebraska’s oldest schoolhouse really haunted? Two reporters check it out
Crackling static filled the dark room.
It was around 2012, in the early fall, after midnight. Dean Jacobs stood inside the old Valentine schoolhouse.
As a kid, he climbed the worn wooden stairs to kindergarten and grade school. As an adult, he bought one house, then another, on the street facing the brick building.
Centennial Hall peers out across a neighborhood on the east side of Valentine, Nebraska on Oct. 24. The historic school building is considered by some to be the oldest — and most haunted — in all of the state, rumored to be home to the spirit of a student who died in 1944.
Supposedly, a spirit haunted this schoolhouse. Teachers swore they heard footsteps after hours.
Jacobs was ambivalent. But when a pair of ghost hunters came to town, he was assigned to tag along as the head of the county’s tourism board.
The crew heard rhythmic knocks in the walls from an unseen hand. They saw lights flicker on command. Now a radio swept through frequencies, supposedly to create an invitation for spectral transmissions.
“Dean,” the device said.
Jacobs looked at the ghost hunters.
“Dean,” it repeated.
His scalp tingled.
“Dean.”
“Dean.”
“Dean.”
Jacobs rushed outside. The ghost hunters chased after him.
“Someone is trying to communicate with you,” they said. But Jacobs wasn’t interested.
“That was it for me,” he said. “They knew too much.”
‘Do you believe in ghosts?’
The amber prairie rushed past our car windows as we sped toward town. Lines of telephone poles and fence posts, splintered from years in the sun, stood like toothpicks in the vast Nebraska Sandhills.
The upper vestibule of Centennial Hall is filled with relics of Cherry County’s past on Oct. 21. Old paintings, ventriloquist dummies, medical equipment, vintage clothes and a scale model of the town’s old mortuary adorn this hall on the second floor of the historic schoolhouse.
A roadside hotel ad told us to “keep it simple in Valentine,” a ranching community of 2,600 people known for Wild West roots and natural beauty.
But something else brought us here.
“Do you believe in ghosts?” Pierce asked Chris as Halloween drew near.
Tales of an old schoolhouse circulate around Valentine, stories about unexplained sights, sounds and shadows. In 1944, a 17-year-old schoolgirl named Lila May Benham died of “heart trouble” in Valentine, newspaper clips confirm.
What can’t be corroborated is the rumored cause: a clarinet reed poisoned during music class at the schoolhouse.
Built in 1897, the two-story, red-brick structure sits atop 20-inch thick foundation walls cut from local white stone. Area press declared Valentine had built a school that “fire, wind, water or even time will be unable to destroy.”
The building functioned as a school until 1981, and today operates as a thrift store and museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest standing schoolhouse in Nebraska.
It can be creepy. The basement is dank. Rooms are set up to resemble an old schoolhouse or chapel. Others contain novelties such as a collection of over 1,700 bells. A glass case displays handmade dolls of America’s first ladies. Mannequins model military uniforms and ball gowns.
The idea was simple: Spend the night. See if anything happens.
Valentine, Nebraska: Oct. 21, 2026. 1:30 p.m.
The wind blew through the streets of Valentine, rustling autumn leaves.
At first glance, the old schoolhouse is a beautifully preserved example of turn-of-the-century architecture. But the sign outside is chipping. Fire escapes are rusting and missing steps.
The building has dozens of imposing windows with thin, white lace curtains that keep the contents of their rooms a mystery.
Phyllis Ohlmann, the treasurer for the nonprofit that maintains Centennial, met us at the front door. She’s a proud skeptic.
Phyllis Ohlmann, Centennial Hall’s primary caretaker, stands outside the building on Oct. 21. Ohlmann volunteers as Centennial Hall’s treasurer, keeping track of its finances and frequently running the museum and thrift store inside. She says she’s never seen or heard a ghost wandering the halls.
“I’ve never seen or heard anything,” Ohlmann said. “The only ghost I believe in is the Holy Ghost.”
Past leaders had mixed feelings about their museum’s status as a vessel for the undead when the ghost stories began spreading in the 1970s.
They took pride in Centennial Hall, raising $8,500 in 1982 through bake sales and coin drives to save the building. They wrote their names on a poster still hanging in the old school’s entrance.
But most of those people have died or moved away, local historians said. Community events once held in the space have largely stopped. It’s been years since a ghost hunter came to town or the building hosted a haunted house. Most days now it sits empty, outlasting generations of students who walked its halls.
‘I’m goosed’
The sun began to set, painting downtown Valentine in a deep orange glow while casting tall shadows over streets and alleyways. We walked into the Draw Bar, a popular downtown watering hole, and scanned the room for potential subjectt the thought of interrupting someone’s dinner to discuss ghouls felt gauche.
The tombstone of Lila May Benham, a student at the Valentine Public School who reportedly died of heart trouble in late 1944, sits in the Mount Hope Cemetery outside town on Oct. 21. Benham’s death has since been used to fuel rumors that the schoolhouse, today known as Centennial Hall, is haunted.
We told the bartender our assignment. His eyes widened.
“That place is haunted,” Preston Stoeger said. He described people hearing screams, footsteps and doors slamming with no explanation. He stuck his tattooed forearm in front of us. His hair was standing straight up. “I’m goosed,” he said.
Stoeger said the gym, the structure next to the old schoolhouse, was the real haunted building. But the basics — Lila and her poisoned clarinet reed — endured in his telling.
“I don't know of any kid that doesn't know the story,” he said of Lila May Benham.
Stoeger asks when we’re staying at Centennial Hall.
“Tonight,” we told him.
“That’s gonna be good,” he said, flashing a grin.
A surprise encounter
A nearly full moon hung in the cloudless prairie sky as we returned to Centennial Hall.
Outside, a wailing filled the air, a bellowing that sounded to two city boys like an orchestra of cellos droning on one note.
Assorted keepsakes line the cabinets and shelves of the “Dukat Room” in Centennial Hall in Valentine on Oct. 21. The local history museum charges visitors $5 to tour its 12 rooms, each themed to a different part of the area’s past.
At our first stop of the night — the next-door gym — we realized the sound was cows, possibly the sound of separated mothers and calves bawling as they search for each other in the dark.
Once inside, we climbed a central staircase toward the dark second floor gym. Our shoes squeaked on the polished wood floors as we listened for the slightest noise.
A commotion stirred downstairs.
“Hey, who’s there?” Chris called.
“Hello?”
A 12-year-old boy with a black bicycle stood there. He said he was waiting on a friend before a nighttime hang.
“Don’t you have school tomorrow?” Chris asked.
The boy shrugged.
Our compatriot had his own stories to tell. He felt bad energy here; people came to play basketball but got into fights. He heard there were two poisonings here a long time ago.
The boy tagged along with us in our exploration, but then someone else arrived to play basketball, and we parted ways.
We walked to Centennial Hall and stood waiting for the school’s caretaker.
As we stood staring up at the old schoolhouse, the ghost stories we heard earlier from locals replayed in our minds: the blood-curdling screams, doors slamming and distant music carrying through the night.
Ohlmann appeared minutes later. We were relieved to see another person.
“Well, good luck,” she said as she unlocked the double doors. “I’m interested to see what kind of experience you two have.”
Alone in the schoolhouse
We set up our base camp on the second floor. From our sleeping bags, we could see two supposedly haunted rooms and a model of the town’s old mortuary, which earlier hadn’t felt that out of place but now peered out at us like a bad omen.
We unpacked our borrowed ghost-hunting equipment. They included: a radio like the kind that spoke Jacobs’ name; a bell that supposedly dings when spirits are nearby; a thermal sensor to detect abnormal temperatures; and a small device that says random words or phrases. Neither of us had ever used them before.
We set the bell near the mortuary model.
It began to ring.
“Hello?” Chris asked.
“Is there anyone here right now?”
Ding.
“Are you mad we’re here?”
Ding. Ding.
Unsure if this was really a sign from beyond, we took the devices into a room that honors the area’s athletic history — the place reputed to be the music room where Lila’s reed was poisoned.
“Is anyone in here?”
“Do you want us to stay in this room?”
No response.
“Oh, no,” Pierce said.
As we looked out the window, we saw six school-age boys walking under a streetlight toward the school.
“Can we join your ghost hunt?” the kids called as they banged on the front door.
After no response, they climbed the fire escape and rapped on the glass. We — two grown men and professional journalists — cowered behind trophies and letterman jackets. Eventually, Chris walked downstairs and opened the front door.
“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked the boy we met in the gym.
“We were wondering if, maybe,” the boy hedged, “we could stay the night, too?”
We signed contracts and made promises, we told them. Our hands were tied.
We told him he could read the story online.
The boy and his friends accepted that and receded into the night.
We make contact
We inched through the building in darkness, Pierce manning the flashlight while Chris recorded video.
The flashlight caught a mannequin’s awkward pose at the end of the long hallway. Old portraits of railroad workers stared out at us with sunken eyes. Massive collages of antique baby photos lining the stairs seemed to watch our every step.
The first and second floors yielded nothing. Our stomachs knotted as we began our descent into the basement, each step creaking underfoot.
Against a far wall stood a simple sign on a white door: “Furnace room.”
Some claim to have seen the ghost of a little girl here.
Chris unfastened the lock and released the clasp.
“Oh, God,” Chris said as he put his shoulder against the door.
With a heavy push, the door creaked open. The beam of our flashlight swept the room, revealing rickety shelves against a brick wall. Exposed pipes hung overhead.
We took our first step.
Something streaked across the room.
Chris gasped. Pierce screamed.
“Close it!” Chris said. “We gotta make sure it’s closed!”
‘Weird dreams’
We woke the next morning to the dolls, mannequins and mortuary model, which greeted us like familiar friends.
The night passed without incident.
The furnace room did not have a ghost. The furnace room had a bat.
“Have any weird dreams?” Chris asked.
“Yeah, actually.”
Pierce dreamt we were awoken by a commotion downstairs. We sprang from our cots and crept down the steps to investigate.
As we rounded the corner, we spotted a middle-aged man in a sportcoat and freshly shined shoes. He looked lost.
“Who are you?” we shouted.
The man silently turned and walked into an old classroom. When we followed him into the room, he was gone.
That morning, friends, family and locals began asking us the same question:
“Did you see anything?”
It was hard to answer.
A final development
A few days later, Pierce returned to Centennial Hall to take pictures.
The cows were silent.
Pierce snapped his photos and headed home. While developing the film, he noticed something peculiar.
There, above the room where Lila May Benham was allegedly poisoned, was an object.
“Is that a floating orb?” Chris asked, like a ghost hunter would.
“I’m telling myself that’s a reflection on the lens,” Pierce said.
Could it be a sign from beyond? A camera trick? A hoax orchestrated by two enterprising journalists who want to tell a good story?
“Makes you think,” Chris said.
The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska's first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
See our best Omaha staff photos & videos from October 2026
Around Town
The Around Town section of the Clipper-Herald is to notify the public of upcoming events and to publicize pertinent information from individuals, groups or service organizations.
PEOPLE
Edgewater Insurance will host a drop-in open house retirement for Mary Reed Tuesday, Nov. 17, throughout the day. Address: 525 N. Washington St., Lexington.
LEXINGTON HAPPENINGS
Feed the Need canned and non-perishable food drive Nov. 1-30. Join the YMCA this November and they will waive the $50 joining fee if you donate 5 non-perishable food items for the local food pantry. Current YMCA members are encouraged to participate by donating food items.
Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles Veterans Day Wednesday, Nov. 11. Schedule of events: 9:30 a.m.: Coffee and donuts; 10:30 a.m.: Sandoz Shining Stars Honor Choir; 11 a.m.: Eleventh Hour Ceremony; Noon: Traditional Bean Soup Lunch; 4 p.m.: Veterans Parade downtown Lexington.
Clerical Cookoff Thursday, Nov. 12 during Give Big Lexington from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Orthman Community YMCA.
Christmas on the Creek 2026 Friday, Nov. 6 from 3-7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 7 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mac's Creek Winery and Brewery. Santa, drinks and shopping local.
Lexington Mobile Food Pantry at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 at Dawson County Fairgrounds.
George A. Wyman Waypoint Dedication at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8 at Dawson County Historical Museum.
ESL Conversation Club at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Lexington Public Library. Registration required.
Strings Attached band will be performing Saturday, Nov. 14 at Strike and Spare Bowl from 8 p.m. to midnight. Get tickets for $10 at Strike and Spare Bowl. Tickets at the door are $15. Limited reserved tables - tables of six for $100 and tables of four for $75. 21 and over show.
Stuffed Animal Check-up Night at Lexington Public Library in partnership with Lexington Regional Health Center Thursday, Nov. 19 from 5:30-7 p.m. Free supper included. Bring your favorite stuffed friend to Family Fun Night and let our healthcare team provide a special check-up.
Dale and Elaine Mooberry Family Memorial Thanksgiving Dinner Thursday, Nov. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Crossing at Lexington (1006 N. Airport Road). Dinner is open to the Lexington Community.
Orthman YMCA Turkey Trot 5K Saturday, Nov. 21. Register by Nov. 10.
11th Annual Holiday Craft and Vendor Show Saturday, Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Orthman Community YMCA.
GriefShare Support Group meetings will be held on Thursdays until to Nov. 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church (201 E. Eighth St.). Enter at the east sliding doors. For information contact Luann McBride at 308-325-4148 or by email: luannmcbride@hotmail.com
Parkview Baptist Church holds a food pantry every third Saturday of the month at the Refuge Building (1105 Park St.) in Lexington.
The Dawson County History Museum is hosting “Coffee with Carol” the first Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Lexington Lions Club meets at 7 p.m. every fourth Monday of the month at the Lexington Grand Generation Center.
Lexington Rotary Club meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at Dawson County Annex Building at noon. For more information or to join call 308-325-7006.
The Dawson County Democrats meet at 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at the Los Jalapeños Restaurant.
American Legion in Lexington meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles.
WIC Clinic Sites, Dawson County: Lexington – Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska Building, 931 W. Seventh St., Tuesday through Thursday the first 4 full weeks for each month.
RYDE Transit — Public Transportation is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule a ride in Dawson County or Lexington call 308-324-3670. Public Transportation is easy to ride and open to everyone.
COZAD HAPPENINGS
Community Chat: at noon Wednesday, Nov. 4 at Wilson Public Library with guest speaker Pastor Robert Litzenberger, member of the Cozad Association of Churches.
Author Chet Hardin to visit Wilson Public Library at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7.
Second annual Wedding and Quince Expo Sunday, Nov. 8 from noon to 4 p.m. at Meridian Events Center.
Turkey Trot drive thru/dine in dinner Thursday, Nov. 12 from 5-6:30 p.m. at Cozad Grand Generation Center.
Second Annual Hearts and Arts for the Holidays Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cozad Elks Club.
A Biodiversity event: See the Forest Through the Trees at Wilson Public Library Thursday, Nov. 12 from 1-2:30 p.m. for fourth- through eighth-graders. Register by Friday, Nov. 6 at the library.
Mingle on the Meridian Saturday, Nov. 14 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Cozad.
Holiday Food and Gift Festival 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 at Cozad Grand Generation Center.
Cozad Grand Generation Center Flu and Covid Vaccine Clinic Tuesday, Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to noon. For questions call 308-233-3100.
Holiday Food and Gift Festival Saturday, Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cozad Grand Generation Center. Lunch available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Writing Society meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Wilson Public Library. Open to all writers of all levels and genres.
Blood Pressure Clinic at the Cozad Grand Generation Center the third Tuesday of every month at 11 a.m.
The Cozad Grand Generation Center has Home Delivered Meals to the Community Monday — Friday. If you would like to receive Home Delivered Meals or would like to pick up a Curbside Meal at 410 W. Ninth St. from 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m., please call us at 308-784-2747 by 9:30 a.m. that morning, so we can arrange everything for your convenience.
The Cozad Grand Generation Center Bus is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule a ride in Cozad call 308-784-2747.
GOTHENBURG HAPPENINGS
Beef and Wine Luau for scholarships Saturday, Nov. 7 from 6-9 p.m. at the Impact Center, 902 12th Street.
Thankful Run 5k Saturday, Nov. 21 from 8:30-10 a.m. at the YMCA at Gothenburg Health. Fee: $25 for adults and $15 for kids. Register by Nov. 21.
FARNAM HAPPENINGS
Thanksgiving Lunch at Farnam Senior Center Thursday, Nov. 19 at noon. Please call 308-569-2369 for reservations.
ON THE BIG SCREEN
LEXINGTON
Majestic Theatre, 615 N. Washington St.
Ticket Pricing: Adult $6, Students/Senior Citizens $5, Child $4
SHOWTIMES:
"Heart of the Beast" (PG-13) - Nov. 4; Wednesday at 7 p.m.
"The Cat in the Hat" (PG) - Nov. 6-8, 11 and 13-15, 18; Fridays/Saturdays at 7 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
"Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reapings" (PG-13) - Nov. 20-22, 25; Friday/Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. and Wednesday at 7 p.m.
COZAD
Fox Theater, 100 E. Eighth St.
Ticket Pricing: Adult $9, Student/Seniors/Military $8, 5 and under $6.50, Matinee (all ages) $6.50
SHOWTIMES:
"You Can See Everything" (R) - Nov. 3-5; Tuesday-Thursday at 7 p.m.
"Clayface" (R) - Nov. 3-5; Tuesday-Thursday at 7:10 p.m.
"Going for Two" (PG-13) - Nov. 3-5; Tuesday-Thursday at 7:20 p.m.
GOTHENBURG
Sun Theatre, 404 10th St.
Ticket Pricing: Adult $5, Child (12 and under) $3, Senior Citizen $4
SHOWTIMES:
"The Cat in the Hat" (PG) - Nov. 6-8 and 13-15; Fridays/Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES
The Lexington Public Library hours are: Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m. — 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. — 5 p.m., Sunday: Closed. Watch for lots of fun programs and activities this summer. Also, we are continuing curbside services; call the library at 308-324-2151 for information.
Novel Stitchers meets on Tuesdays from 3-5 p.m. in the Board Room of the Library.
Storytime meets at the Library on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
The Wilson Public Library normal hours are: Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m. — 6 p.m., Friday: 9 a.m. — 5 p.m. and Saturday: 9 a.m. — 1 p.m. Public and private meetings have resumed, with 24-hour notice appreciated. Limits to how many attendees based upon room need, what equipment is available and other restrictions can be found by calling us at 308-784-2019 or stopping at the front desk. Normal policies about room rental can be found under Policies at wilsonpubliclibrary.org.
LEXINGTON GRAND GENERATION CENTER
The exercise room is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
TUESDAY
8 a.m. - Polling Place
12:45 p.m. - Pool
1 p.m. - Bunco
2:30 p.m. - Hot Cookies
WEDNESDAY
8 a.m. - Miracle Ear
12:45 p.m. - Cards
1 p.m. - Frog
THURSDAY
12:45 p.m. - Farkle
12:45 p.m. - Pool
1 p.m. - Bridge
FRIDAY
12:45 p.m. - Cards
1 p.m. - Frog
LEXINGTON GRAND GENERATION CENTER MENU
Homemade bread every day. Choice of skim, 2% or chocolate milk. No reservations are needed except for large groups. Serving time: 11:30 a.m. Please call 308-324-2498 by 10 a.m. for delivery or carryout meals.
TUESDAY
Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy, Potato Casserole, Peas and Carrots, Mixed Fruit
WEDNESDAY
Monterey Pork Chops, Boiled Potatoes, Butter Cabbage, Applesauce
THURSDAY
Swiss Steak, Red Diced Potatoes, Mixed Veggies, Pineapple
FRIDAY
Taco Bar, Meat Sauce, Tater Tots, Beans, Apple Slices, Tortilla, Dessert
COZAD GRAND GENERATION CENTER
When Cozad schools are closed due to inclement weather, the center will also be closed. Check KRVN or the TV for weather related closings.
TUESDAY
Noon - Rotary
1 p.m. - Bridge
1:15 p.m. - Foot Clinic
5 p.m. - ESL Class
WEDNESDAY
10 a.m. - Free Groceries
COZAD GRAND GENERATION CENTER MENU
Salad Bar is available daily with meals served from 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Meatloaf, Baked Potato, Broccoli, Jello Fruit Salad, Pears, Ice Cream
WEDNESDAY
Tuna Noodle Casserole, Peas, Mandarin Oranges, Dessert
THURSDAY
BBQ Pork, Cheesy Potatoes, Baked Beans, Apricots, Dessert
FRIDAY
Hamburger Bake, Tater Tots, Hominy, Peaches, Brownies
FARNAM SENIOR CENTER
The center will be closed on Fridays until further notice. When Eustis-Farnam Schools are closed due to the weather, the Senior Center will also be closed. Call ahead by 9:30 a.m. to get a meal 308-569-2359.
TUESDAY
Oven Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Peaches, Dinner Roll
WEDNESDAY
Beef Enchiladas, Lettuce Salad, Cabbage Au Gratin, Pears
THURSDAY
Hot Dogs, Chili, Potato Wedges, Carrot Salad, Fruit Cocktail
GOSPER COUNTY SENIOR CENTER
All meals are served with vegetables, fruit and a sweet item. All meals are subject to change without notice. Please call by 10 a.m. for your reservation 308-785-2500. Suggested meal price is $8 for 60 and above and $9 for under 60.
TUESDAY
Ham Steak
WEDNESDAY
Fried Chicken
THURSDAY
French Dip Sandwich
FRIDAY
Lasagna
ORGANIZATIONS
It Works Group: AA meetings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. at 303 E. Sixth St., in Lexington.
First Christian Church NA: meets Sundays at 7 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m. 1206 N. Erie St., in Lexington.
Westside Group: AA/NA: open meeting on Monday and Friday nights from 7-8 p.m. Meetings are held at Grace Lutheran Church, 105 E. 17th St., Lexington, use the south door.
Women's Group: meets every Tuesday from 7-8 p.m. on the second floor lounge at the Dawson County Courthouse (700 N. Washington St.)
Celebrate Recovery: Meetings at 7 p.m. on Fridays at Parkview Baptist Church’s Refuge Building (1105 Park St., Lexington) Contact: 308-324-4410.
Four Roads Group AA: meetings are held on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m., Fridays from 7-8 p.m. and Sundays from 7 p.m. at 1801 W. 18th St., in Lexington.
Grupo Lexington AA (Spanish Speaking): open meetings on Saturdays from 8-9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon at 114 W. 6th St. in Lexington.
Group Nueva Vida Lexington (Spanish Speaking): open meetings on Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m. at 114 W. Eighth St., in Lexington.
Full of Grace: Meetings from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Nazarene Church at 919 H St., in Cozad.
Southview Group: Meetings from 8-9 p.m. on Wednesdays at 1804 Papio Lane in Cozad.
SMART Recovery meets at St. Peter’s in the Valley Episcopal Church, 905 East 13th St., Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m., Saturdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Sumner AA Group: meets Sundays and Tuesdays from 8-9 p.m. at 205 E. Fifth Avenue, in Sumner. For more information call 308-325-5827.
Bertrand Thurs Night Group: Meetings from 8-9 p.m. on Thursdays at Hope Lutheran Church, 74094 Road 436 in Smithfield. Call 308-785-3567 or 308-472-3376.
Odie Group AA/NA: meetings at 8 p.m. on Sundays in Elwood at 501 Calvert Avenue.
Pony Express Group AA: meetings are held from 7:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays at the Gothenburg Evangelical Free Church (515 18th St.) in Gothenburg.
Thirsty Thursday by the Cemetery: Meetings held on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church (2002 27th St.) in Gothenburg.
Parkinson’s Disease Support Group meetings are held the second Thursday each month at 2 p.m. at Lexington Regional Health Center (1201 N. Erie St., Lexington). For more information contact Dixie Menke at 308-325-5350.
Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska Immunization Clinic, first and third Mondays every month: Open 10 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. by appointment at 931 W. Seventh St., Lexington. Previous vaccination records required. Contact 308-325-3436 or 308-325-3169.
Dawson/Gosper County CASA: seeking Volunteers. CASA Volunteers are everyday people from all walks of life, who advocate through the court system in the interests of children. Contact 308-324-7364.
News
Top Story Spotlight
Ministerial association hosts Mooberry Memorial Thanksgiving Dinner, seeks volunteers
The Lexington Ministerial Association is sponsoring the Dale and Elaine Mooberry Family Memorial Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 26 and is seeking volunteers and food donations.
The dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day at the Crossing, 1006 N. Airport Road, and is open to the Lexington community.
Pastor Rob Kuefner of Trinity Lutheran Church helped restart the dinner after a hiatus. He said Lexington had hosted a community Thanksgiving dinner before he arrived in 2012, but the event had not been held for several years. While serving as president of the ministerial association in 2014 or 2015, he was approached by a community member who asked him to help bring it back.
“It was a cooperative effort by the Ministerial Association and our congregations and volunteers,” Kuefner said.
A couple of years later, the Mooberry family offered to help cover expenses in memory of Dale and Elaine Mooberry. The event moved from the Grand Generation Center to the Crossing.
“There were a couple years because of Covid and two years where I was unable to coordinate that we didn’t have the dinner. Last year, I was able to help again, and Tish Doughty is helping coordinate again this year,” Kuefner said.
Doughty’s husband, Larry Doughty, and Benrita Brin have served as the dinner’s main cooks.
“The Mooberry family continues to help with the event, though a few other family members have also died, so now it is the Dale and Elaine Mooberry Family Thanksgiving Dinner with the Lexington Ministerial Association,” Kuefner said.
In addition to the Mooberry family’s financial support, the association relies on donations of money and food. Kuefner uses a Thrivent Action Team donation to purchase 15 turkeys, each weighing 12 to 15 pounds, for the approximately 200 guests served each year.
“One of our good challenges is that we often have so many volunteers it’s hard to find a place for everyone to help,” Kuefner said.
Churches, individuals and local organizations contribute to the meal. The Crossing provides support, the Knights of Columbus usually debone the turkeys, and Coffee Cottage donated coffee last year and plans to do so again.
Kuefner said the Tyson plant closure could increase attendance this year. Last year’s dinner took place after the closure was announced but before it took effect.
“It's a real community effort and I think with the Tyson plant closing, we may see an increase in attendance this year,” Kuefner said.
The dinner also offers companionship for people who spend the holidays alone and gives volunteers a rewarding opportunity to help others, he said.
Any proceeds from the dinner will go to the Ministerial Benevolent Fund, which pastors use to help community members in need.
Organizers are seeking volunteers to donate their time or provide salads, desserts and pies.
To donate, volunteer or learn more, contact Kuefner at 308-324-4341 or rkuefner@tlclex.org, or Tish Doughty at 308-537-6077 or Shalomtish@yahoo.com.
News
Top Story Spotlight
Commissioners vote against vacating Road 425
The Dawson County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0, with PJ Jacobsen absent, Oct. 31 to deny a request to vacate Road 425 after considering the issue over two meetings.
Vice Chairman Rod Reynolds presided with Jacobsen's absence.
Reynolds said evidence presented to commissioners showed that vacating Road 425 was not in the public’s interest and that the requirements for vacating the road could not be met.
The board voted to deny the request, keeping the road available for public use.
The board also discussed an interlocal agreement between Lexington Public Schools and the county. Speaking on behalf of the building and grounds department, Brian Woldt said the school district wanted to rent a county building for wrestling season.
The agreement covers four months this year. With an additional month and a higher monthly rental fee, the district would pay $9,000 to use the space. Reynolds said the total was approximately $2,500 more than in previous years.
The board voted 4-0 to approve the interlocal agreement and an accompanying resolution.
The board also approved a resolution submitted by Treasurer Kaitlyn Woltemath to increase pledging.
Before the commissioners’ meeting, members convened as the Dawson County Board of Equalization. Their only agenda item was a tax acceleration request submitted by County Assessor Nic VanCura.
VanCura was unable to attend, but a representative said Pedro Aguirre-Leon wanted to demolish his trailer. The assessor’s office requested that his 2026 taxes be accelerated so he could pay them before demolishing the trailer and having it removed from the tax rolls.
The board voted 4-0 to approve the request.
