The Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated “Lexington, A Better Life,” at their annual banquet Friday evening. The joint chamber/ag banquet honored individuals and businesses with five special awards and in the ag portion of the program three awards were given out.
The Friend of Tourism Award was the first presented at the awards ceremony. Given to an individual or tourism entity that has worked hard to promote Lexington and the Dawson County area this year the chamber saluted the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles.
Formed by veterans Terry Lauby, Chris Larsen, David Smith and Al (Albert) Martin in 1986, the museum preserves historic military vehicles and is dedicated in honor and memory of those who served.
While the museum includes a wide variety of vehicles, most were acquired within a 150-mile radius of Lexington. Many pieces were surplus military equipment used by farmers shortly after World War II when tractors were in short supply.
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The Presidential Award recognizes a person who has shown extraordinary leadership within the community in the past year. Recipient of the award was Tara Naprstek, chief compliance officer and director of finance at Lexington Regional Health Center.
She was recognized for her extraordinary leadership, not only within the Health Center, but also within the community. Since 2011 Naprstek has served on the Lexington United Way board and has been president since 2012. She has been a Lexington Community Foundation board member since 2021 and is secretary-treasurer for the Council of Economic Development.
Next was the Jim Kelly Memorial Award given to a person or organization that has worked tirelessly to serve the community and area. Named for longtime Lexington resident and newspaper publisher Jim Kelly, it reflects on his responsibility of being in business and giving back to the community.
This year’s recipient was Barb Batie, well-known for her reporting, particularly on agricultural issues. She has reported for five area weeklies and dailies, along with the Midwest Messenger, regional farm magazine.
Her statewide service has included serving on the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commissioner and traveling with then-Gov. Pete Ricketts on a Nebraska trade mission to Germany. She is active in Trinity Lutheran Church, serves on the Majestic Theatre board and is an assistant leader for the Horseshoe Bend 4-H club. She has also been active in Dawson County and Nebraska Farm Bureau and is a 43-year member of both Nebraska Press Women and the National Federation of Press Women, where she was named runner-up in the 2023 NFPW Communicator of Achievement Contest.
Madeline’s Café & Bakery received the Business of the Year award. Opened in 2008 by Kellie Rieke and named after Kellie’s grandmother, the business has changed hands several times. In 2018 Mataya Schwarz bought Madeline’s and in 2023 the business celebrated 15 years of operation, five under the current ownership.
The fifth award was a new one, the “Rising Star,” designed to honor community members beginning a lifelong journey of leading and serving in their community. Stephanie Navoa is currently a part-time child care coordinator with Lexington Community for Kids and is a full-time real estate agent at Co Home Realty.
She is an active CASA volunteer, serves on the United by Culture and the Orthman Community YMCA boards, and serves on the chamber’s business-education committee.
Recipient of the Ag Employee of the Year award was Rick Esslinger, who is the Lexington Car Care manager for Country Partners Cooperative.
He started as a station attendant at the Cozad location in 1991, eventually moving into the manager’s position. He worked in Gothenburg for a few years before being named the Lexington Car Care manager in 2018 where co-workers and customers note he always goes out of his way to help customers.
The Agri-Service Award is presented annually to a business or individual for outstanding effort and commitment to agriculture and the Lexington community. This year HAR Transportation, a family-owned heavy haul trucking company was honored. Owned by brothers Tim and Dan Heinemann, HAR operates a growing fleet of specialized trailers which make delivering bulk products quick and easy. They serve customers primarily within a 250-mile radius of Lexington and are the preferred distillers trucking company for Lexington’s Chief Ethanol Fuels plant.
Concluding the evening was presentation of the Farm Family of the Year award to the Don and Joan Burks family, whose story ran in the Saturday edition of the Lexington Clipper-Herald.
