Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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There will never be another Rita. My first memories of the Orchard elementary teacher are from 2008, when I filled in during maternity leave for Kortney Sayers. Rita Shabram was one of the first people to welcome me. We’d stop to chitchat when we had a few moments. Occasionally, our lunch times would overlap and we’d talk about education and current events. The best times, though, were after school, when we’d venture to one another’s classrooms and spend an hour or two, talking about and bon...
A funeral service for Rita Jean Shabram, 73, of Orchard, will be at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 24, at the Orchard United Methodist Church. Pastor Janene Reynolds will officiate. Burial will follow in the Orchard Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be on Tuesday, April 23, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., at the Orchard United Methodist Church. Rita died on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Antelope Memorial Hospital in Neligh. Arrangements are entrusted to Ashburn Funeral Home. Rita Thelander was born on Dec. 24,...
The 2024 Orchard AAU Powerlifting Meet was held last Friday and Saturday, April 5 and 6. Organizer Jeff Shabram said "an awesome lineup of 170-plus registered lifters from across the Midwest competed." "This year's meet was a national meet, so two days of competition were required to accommodate the crowd of lifters striving for state, American and even world records," Shabram said. "It was the 17th year for the Orchard meet and the largest one ever." Eleven Summerland powerlifters competed...
The annual Orchard Amateur Athletic Union Powerlifting Meet will have a new look this year. Organizer Jeff Shabram said the event is now a national meet, with competition spread over two days. Lifters from across the U.S., including members of the Summerland powerlifting squad, will compete in squat, bench press and dead lift events, beginning this Friday at the Orchard Community Center gym, at 4th and Rusk. Lifting will begin at 1 p.m., on April 5, while Saturday's competition will start at 9...
The 2024 Class D High School State Powerlifting Championships were held at Harvard High School, Saturday, March 23. The meet featured 135 lifters representing 12 of the top Class D powerlifting schools in the state. "This year's meet was even larger than last year and the largest Class D state powerlifting meet since 2005," said Jeff Shabram. Class D schools represented were Blue Hill, Boyd County, Bruning-Davenport-Shickley, Centura, Doniphan-Trumbull, Fullerton, Harvard, Niobrara/Verdigre, Red...
Seven Summerland powerlifters traveled to Verdigre, Saturday, Feb. 24, to participate in the third annual Verdigre Powerlifting Meet. A total of 206 powerlifters, representing fifteen different schools from around the state, were in attendance. "It was an outstanding day of lifting for the Bobcat competitors," organizer Jeff Shabram said. Mathew Umphress was crowned outstanding male lifter of the meet by strength index, which is total weight lifted divided by body weight. That strength index of...
Some area residents have taken part in the Cornhusker State Games in the past, as well as this summer. Jeff Shabram, of Orchard, has taken powerlifters to compete in the past. In fact, Shabram mentioned he remembers Dave Mlnarik making an appearance when his nephew, Cade, competed in powerlifting. "We'd still be taking participants, but can't since the director changed powerlifting affiliation from Amateur Athletic Union to USA Powerlifting, which has more adults," remarked Shabram. "But it was...
SUBMITTRED ARTICLE The Tri-County Titans finished the junior American Legion baseball season, Tuesday, July 11 at the Class C Area 1 Tournament, in Crofton, with a 12-4 loss to Hartington. Coach Jeff Shabram said, "It was a marvelous game for five innings, with Tri-County actually holding a 4-3 lead over the number-one seed Hartington in the fifth inning." But Hartington would mount a two-out rally in the fifth and rattle off seven huge runs in that inning to completely take the wind out of the...
Mother Nature has been interfering with the Area 1 American Junior Legion baseball tournament. Originally, the Tri-County Titans were slated to play Creighton/Plainview, Friday, July 7, but opening games were moved to Saturday, due to rain. The rain delay may have worked in the Titan’s favor, as they walked away with a 7-6 win over C/P. Coach Jeff Shabram said, “It was a complete team effort, as Ryan Rifer started on the mound, followed by Jake Schroeder and A.J. Hobbs. Wyatt Shabram came in to close out the game.” Tri-County would score two r...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE Pender Post #55 traveled to Orchard, July 5, to play the Tri-County Titans in junior legion baseball action. Pender won the game, 17-9, in the regular season finale. Tri-County would throw a new pitcher each inning - Ryan Rifer, Wyatt Shabram, Jake Schroeder and A.J. Hobbs. “We saw some good things from all four pitchers and were especially encouraged by the third and fourth pitchers' performances,” Coach Jeff Shabram said. “This will help bolster our pitching staff going into the area tournament. Pender is an excep...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE In front of a packed baseball crowd, Tuesday, June 27 in Verdigre, Tri-County lost a close game to Valentine Post #90 juniors by a score of 2-4. "It was another pitcher's duel, this time pitting the Titan's Ryan Rifer against. Valentine's Isaac Cronin," said Titan coach Jeff Shabram. Valentine got on the board first with one run in the first inning but then were held scoreless into the fifth inning. Tri-County did not score until the third inning when Jake Schroeder and Kaiden...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE On Friday, June 30, the Tri-County Titans juniors traveled to Atkinson to take on the Atkinson Post #86 seniors in American Legion baseball action. Tri-County used a balanced, total team attack to come away with an impressive 8-4 win. Wyatt Shabram started on the mound for the Titans and pitched the complete game, ending with 96 total pitches on the night while striking out eight batters. Coach Jeff Shabram said, "He had a very solid defense that he could lean on the entire way." It started with A.J. Hobbs calling a great game...
On Tuesday, June 20, the Stanton seniors traveled to Orchard to take on the Tri-County juniors in American Legion baseball action. Titans' skipper Jeff Shabram said it was a very well-played baseball game on both sides. When the dust settled, the Titans were victorious by a score of 6-4. Ryan Rifer was the starting pitcher, throwing six innings, allowing three runs and striking out six batters. Wyatt Shabram entered to pitch in relief for the last inning to get the save, allowing one run and str...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE In a pitching masterpiece Friday, June 23, in Orchard, O'Neill/Neligh's Kol Otten took the mound against Tri-County's Wyatt Shabram. The Titans lost to the Irish by a score of 0-3. The final stat line in this dual on the mound saw Otten shutting out Tri-County, allowing seven hits while striking out 12 batters. Meanwhile, Shabram maxed out his pitch count, allowing one earned run in the second inning and then two runs in the top of the seventh, including one earned and one unearned. Shabram struck out nine batters. Titans...
On Friday, June 16, the Tri-County Titans traveled to Creighton to take on Creighton/Plainview in junior legion baseball action. In a tight game until the final inning, Tri-County fell to Creighton/Plainview by a score of 0-8. Ryan Rifer took the mound for Tri-County, throwing four outstanding innings, according to Coach Jeff Shabram. Rifer allowed only two runs while striking out four batters. Due to pitch count rules, Wyatt Shabram came in for relief for Rifer, pitching the final two innings....
The Tri-County Titans traveled to Randolph, Sunday, June 11 for junior legion baseball league action. "What a beautiful night for baseball as the Titans won the game in convincing fashion by a score of 9-3," said Coach Jeff Shabram. It was a complete team effort as nine different Titans scored or knocked in an RBI and everyone reached base. Starting on the mound for Tri-County was Ryan Rifer, throwing three innings, allowing two runs and striking out five Randolph batters. Wyatt Shabram came in relief, throwing four innings, allowing one run,...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE The Tri-County Titans continued a busy week of baseball with games at Valentine Tuesday, June 6 and at Orchard, Wednesday, June 7, against the Atkinson seniors. "These were two close, action-packed ball games," Coach Jeff Shabram said. In the contest at Valentine against the Post #90 juniors, Tri-County played "an excellent six and two-thirds innings" only to lose the heartbreaker by a score of 5-6 in the bottom of the seventh after a walk-off hit by Valentine. Wyatt Shabram...
With the official start of summer quickly approaching, The 402 Theater Group offers more opportunities for people of all ages to get involved by providing entertainment for the community. Jillian Henn, of Orchard, is one of the creators of The 402 Theatre Group. "The 402 Theater Group is a community inspired to bring the performing arts to rural communities," she said. The group started in 2022, when Orchard resident Don Lallier posted an ad around town to gather interest in starting a theater...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE The Tri-County Titans traveled to Stanton Tuesday, May 30, for American Legion baseball action. Tri-County came home with the win, 14-9. Starting pitcher for the Titans was Ryan Rifer. He allowed six runs in three innings while striking out four. Wyatt Shabram came in for the save, allowing three runs and striking out seven Stanton batters. The game was tight through four innings. Both teams scored three runs in the first inning. Tri-County runs were scored by Connor Thomson,...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE This past weekend, June 3 and 4, the Tri-County Titans junior American Legion baseball team traveled to Pender for a six-team pool play tournament. Coach Jeff Shabram called the competition "outstanding," with many Class B and C state qualifiers in last year's junior legion baseball tournament, as well as district and state qualifiers in this spring's Nebraska School Activities Association baseball season. "The Titans did not disappoint. We played toe-to-toe with some...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE The 2023 American Legion Baseball season opened Tuesday, May 23, as Randolph traveled to Orchard to take on the Tri-County Titans. Coach Jeff Shabram said Tri-County is in its second year as a legion baseball program and is still a juniors-only team this season, with players from Orchard, Verdigre, Ewing, Page, Center, and Niobrara. The Titans won the game by a score of 13-5. Ryan Rifer took the mound and pitched four solid innings, allowing three runs while striking out eight...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE In a junior legion baseball game that could be called the "Clash of the Titans," played at Orchard Friday, May 26, the Creighton/Plainview Titans defeated the Tri-County Titans, 15-1, in five innings. Wyatt Shabram started on the mound for Tri-County, throwing four innings, allowing seven runs and striking out five batters. “Tri-County was just out of sync all night, committing errors at inopportune times on defense, while offensively just hitting the ball right to Creighton/Plainview fielders,” said Coach Jeff Shabram. Fou...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE The 2023 Orchard AAU Powerlifting Meet was held Saturday, April 1 at the community center. "An awesome lineup of 160 registered lifters from across the Midwest competed," said organizer Jeff Shabram. "This year's meet was the largest sanctioned AAU meet ever in Nebraska, so three lifting platforms were required to accommodate the extremely large crowd in the Orchard gym. It was the 16th year for the Orchard meet." Twelve Summerland powerlifters competed Saturday. "These 12 lift...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE The 2023 Class D High School State Powerlifting Championships were held at Harvard High School, Saturday, March 25. It featured 125 lifters representing 12 of the top Class D powerlifting schools in the state. "This was the largest Class D state powerlifting meet since 2005," said Jeff Shabram of Orchard. Class D schools represented included Blue Hill, Boyd County, Bruning-Davenport-Shickley, Centura, Fullerton, Harvard, Johnson-Brock, Niobrara/Verdigre, Red Cloud, Riverside,...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE Eight Summerland powerlifters traveled to Verdigre this past Saturday, Feb. 25, to participate in the second annual Verdigre Powerlifting Meet. A total of 147 powerlifters representing 14 different schools from around the state were in attendance. "It was an outstanding day of lifting for the Bobcat competitors," said Jeff Shabram. Raina Krebs reset or tied every one of her previously-held school records. Krebs now squats 245 pounds, bench presses 120 pounds and deadlifts 340...
