Starting Saturday, July 1, Fensel's Electric located on the northeast corner of the Freeman community will be under the ownership of Kleinsasser Heating and Cooling. The Freeman-based business will close Fensel's Electric for at least the new two weeks for inventory. Current owner Don Beier will remain involved.

Fensel’s Electric, the store that has operated at the corner of Highway 81 and the North County Road (278th St.) since 1963 and specializes in hardware and electrical and plumbing supplies, has been sold to Kleinsasser Heating and Cooling.

Menno businessman and owner of Ken's Electric, Ken Steponik, helps take down senior banners from the light poles on Fifth Street Thursday morning — just in time for the American flags to go up in anticipation of next week's Fourth of July celebration in Menno. The senior banners, which were hung for the fourth year, are being given to families thanks to the sponsorship support that helps make the project possible and may be picked up inside the main entrance to Menno Public School.

This was the scene in the basement of Pioneer Hall Wednesday morning as Michelle Pepper, a driver's education instructor out of Sioux Falls, leads this year's class of learners at Freeman Academy. More than 30 young men and women from the area are taking the class, which includes four full days of lecture Monday though Thursday of this week, with driving beginning on Friday and continuing through July 20. Each student will be required to pass a written test and the six hours behind the wheel that is required.

The Freeman amateur baseball team evened up its season record at 6-6 with a 6-2 win over Renner at Renner Sunday night, June 25 behind a complete-game effort from starting pitcher and team manager Jake Weier. Weier had good control all night long; of the 111 ptiches he threw, 84 went for strikes. The two earned runs he allowed came on eight hits and he struck out nine in the strong outing.

“Constantly improving since its inaugural event in 2018.” Those were the words of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as she announced the winner of the state’s Peter Norbeck Excellence in Tourism Innovation Award earlier this year. Saturday, July 29, 2023, will mark the fifth in a series of festivals that have managed to attract state, regional and national media attention while drawing thousands to the small, southeastern South Dakota town of Freeman.

Youth baseball and softball will take center stage starting at 11 a.m. Sunday morning, July 2; Merchants State Bank is once again sponsoring a baseball player-operated chislic stand throughout the afternoon; and the traditional amateur game between Freeman and Tabor will start at 7:30 p.m., followed by fireworks once again being made possible thanks to CorTrust Bank. All of it will mark another Independence Day celebration at the baseball/softball park complex in Freeman. A complete schedule is printed in the advertisement on page 2B. Menno’s big bash

EDITOR’S NOTE: For those hitting the links at Valley View Golf Course Monday, June 26, it was just another beautiful day to enjoy the wide fairways and large greens that help define Freeman’s 9-hole recreational destination located a mile south of town. But in reality it was more than just another day.

A city of Freeman garbage container sits curbside following the weekly pickup for properties north of Sixth Street. Residents and businesses living on that side of Freeman should note that next week's Tuesday collection will be moved to Wednesday instead because of the Fourth of July holiday.

Lavender, one of the schoolchildren attending Crunchem Hall, declares classmate Matilda her best friend during a scene in the Freeman Area Children's Choir's production of "Matilda, Jr.!" presented Sunday night, June 25. Lavender and Matilda were played by Hannah Bradley and Ella Lewter, respectively, who are the daughters of FACC directors Amber Bradley and Iwona Lewter. They were part of cast of 32 young actors in grades 4-8 to present the popular children's story to a large and appreciative audience following a two-week rehearsal schedule.