Kristi Hofer waters the plants that decorate the planter in front of her place of employment, First Interstate Bank, Friday morning. While rains have been timely this summer, a week without moisture has prompted the need for manual attention to plants, flowers and gardens. Additional rains and/or thunderstorms, however, are in the forecast through the weekend.

The Freeman Area Veteran's Memorial on Sixth Street is pictured on a beautiful Thursday morning. The memorial was built by a force of local veterans and was dedicated in the summer of 1999 — a dedication that featured an address by Gov. Bill Janklow.

The following was written by Amy Bennett Smolik, who lived in Freeman and worked as the news editor for the Courier in 1998-1999. Today she lives in Tea with her son and daughter and works at Lake Lorraine in Sioux Falls. She was a first-time guest at the July 29 South Dakota Chislic Festival, and these are her thoughts.   

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER As has been the case at each of the past five years, Kerry Kepplinger and his gang at Kepp’s Chislic served up mutton per tradition at Saturday’s annual South Dakota Chislic Festival. But the Scotland-based business also had a secondary option — chicken chislic, which featured a lower per-dozen price point than sheep. The reason for the chicken, Kepplinger said, is because he wanted to offer something that was more affordable to accommodate those concerned about spending. In other words, he wanted to accommodate everybody.

JEREMY WALTNER - PUBLISHER In one of his first big moves as the new chief of police in Freeman, Jay Slevin is helping spearhead an effort that he hopes will lead to the establishment of a Freeman Neighborhood Watch program. Slevin, who was named chief of police last month and replaces Scott Brewer — who took a job with county law enforcement — met with the Freeman City Council about the idea at its July 18 meeting. He also recorded a short video explaining the idea that was shared on the city’s Facebook page on July 26 and drew favorable response.

  My goodness ... where to start? Because of a unique opportunity I was blessed to experience, I now know that we’re only a three-hour bus ride and an even shorter plane ride from Freeman to our nation’s capital. That’s a small amount of time to travel for an immense amount of history. And when you make the trip with an enthusiastic, engaging and friendly group from your community, it feels like an even shorter amount of time.

This shows the stage at the Freeman Prairie Arboretum Prairie Rose Amphitheater on the evening of the 2023 South Dakota Chislic Festival. This week's Courier includes coverage of the July 29 event, as well as news from the Freeman chief of police about his plans to start a Freeman Neighborhood Watch Program.

This club basketball team sponsored by Huber Motor Company of Freeman poses for a photo with the signature Ford emblem — the car company the Freeman dealership specialized in during its operation beginning in 1940 and continuing into the 20th century before closing in 2005. Pictured are, top from left: Harry Lee Smidt, Keith Ellwein, Harris Hofer, Reiny Mutchelknaus, Winnie Haar; front from left: Eddie Schmeichel, Ted Morgan, DuWayne Lippelt, Melvin Schmeichel and Ted Pidde.

With a partly-cloudy sky behind it, the Monday morning sun hits Freeman's water tower as a new work week began with a lovely summer morning. Another shot of overnight rain made the morning air feel crisp and fresh and a nice week of weather is expected.

A steady stream of people and a well-populated tent was evident on the grounds of the Freeman Prairie Arboretum — particularly early in the day — during Saturday's fifth annual South Dakota Chislic Festival. Starting around 11 a.m. and continuing well into the afternoon, hundreds mingled throughout the festival grounds for food and fellowship in a relaxed and enjoyable setting that has come to help define the event. Watch for a recap and photos in the upcoming edition of The Courier.