As we ring in a new year, we at the Courier wanted to take a moment to remind you of some of the stories that made our headlines in 2023. It was a big year in Callaway with lots of exciting things happening.

This week we will reflect back on the first half of 2023, and conclude our look back in next week’s edition.

JANUARY:

For the past 12 years, Seven Valleys Health Mart has operated in Callaway under the ownership of Marge Trythall. Callaway District Hospital CEO Brett Eggleston said there has always been a pharmacy in Callaway, and the pharmacy has always had a close working relationship with the hospital and clinic.

Therefore, it seemed like the next logical step was to maintain pharmacy services here - which led to the decision for Callaway District Hospital to purchase the pharmacy from Trythall.

After nearly an hour and a half of discussion, voting and re-voting, the Callaway Board of Education finally elected a president for 2023. The officers are Mike Reiff, president; Rhonda Pandorf, vice president, and Jim Phelps, treasurer.

Custer County, and Callaway in particular, made the news last week; however, it wasn’t in a way many would have wanted to see. The NWS official storm reports list Callaway with a total from the Jan. 18 Snowmageddon of 17.5 inches of snow. However, many local residents reported measuring between 20-24 inches.

FEBRUARY:

The South Loup Bobcats boys basketball team entered the new year ranked in the top five teams in the state in Class D1, and as the went on a 6-game winning streak the team was able to capture the Mid-Nebraska Activities Conference (MNAC) Championship trophy.

It was standing room only at the Callaway Board of Education’s Feb. 9 meeting, as more than 30 people crowded into the school library. One particular agenda item was at the forefront of the discussion - the pansion of the district’s preschool program. The preschool expansion discussion occupied nearly 90 minutes of the two hour meeting. When it came time to vote on approval of adding a preschool position to accommodate the expanded program, board member TR Anderson shared that he did not feel comfortable voting on the item at this point when there are still so many questions from the public. The rest of the board agreed, and the vote was tabled until next month’s meeting.

After sitting out the entire last season due to a shoulder injury, junior Dawson Doggett punched his ticket for this year’s state wrestling tournament in Omaha at 195 pounds at the District D1 tournament in Pender.

MARCH:

On Sunday evening, Feb. 26, the local Chamber took an opportunity to thank the businesses and individuals who not only support the Chamber, but who make Callaway such a great community. Christie Pitkin was honored as Callaway Citizen of the Year at the Celebrate Callaway Chamber event.

The South Loup boys basketball season came to an unceremonious end Saturday morning, with the update of a website. As the Class D1 wildcards were assigned and the district finals were announced, the top four wildcards were drawn, but the Bobcats sat in fifth place.

After discussions at both the January and February meetings, and an open community forum on the issue, the Callaway School Board has elected to not move forward with plans to extend the existing preschool to a full-day program. The proposal came before the board once again at the March 13 regular meeting, with about 20 community members present. After some discussion among the board members, Jim Phelps moved to approve the proposed expansion. The motion died for lack of a second, and the issue is laid to rest.

APRIL:

A delegation of Callaway High School FFA students traveled to the State FFA Conference in Lincoln March 29 - 31, under the leadership of Chapter Advisor Amanda Chytka. Receiving their coveted State Degrees were Jocelyn Bailey, Grant Hrupek, Matthew Mannon, Kaden Paulsen, Taylor Ross and Abby Stallbaumer.

Tessa Keeney got the idea to start a youth soccer program in Callaway earlier this spring. The first thing she did was contact someone she knew was already running a successful youth program, the Arnold Rotary. The response to the program has been phenomenal, and Keeney said she could not be more excited. They be- gan practice in late March with 70 - yes, 70 kiddos!

On Monday night, April 17, the Callaway American Legion Post 59 and the Callaway American Legion Auxiliary donated funds to the Callaway Pool fund. Mary Ann Boldt, representing the Auxiliary, presented a check for $1,300 to Christie Pitkin, Vice-President of the Callaway Community Foundation Fund.

It’s been a long, wet, and windy spring for the South Loup Bobcat track team, yet these talented thinclads continue to dominate the track and field. On April 18, the teams traveled to Overton for the Eagles annual invitational meet. The Lady Bobcats brought home the team title with 112 points, nearly 20 points ahead of the runner-up team. The boys team were runners up with 129 points, just four points behind Axtell.

MAY:

In the final regular meet of the season, the Bobcats track teams each brought home runner-up honors at the Dave Blevins Memorial Track Meet, hosted by Sandhills Valley at Arnold last Thursday. Both the boys and girls finished behind North Platte St. Pat’s teams, but garnered quite a few individual honors.

South Loup student-athletes, coaches, and their families gathered in the Callaway Schools gym last Thursday to celebrate the successes of each sports season in the 2022-23 school year. The Outstanding Senior Athlete awards were given to Ava Pandorf of Callaway and Lance Jones of Arnold for their contributions to South Loup athletics during their four years of high school.

The 2023 graduating class of Callaway Public Schools turned their tassels and started a new chapter in their lives on Sunday, May 14, as they received their diplomas and said goodbye to their high school days. Class salutatorian Taylor Ross and valedictorian Abby Stallbaumer both addressed the crowd.

It was a gold-medal, record setting type of weekend May 19-20 - the sun was shining, the haze had left the sky, the winds were (mostly) calm, and the South Loup track teams were ready to compete. At the end of the weekend, they had claimed three medals and broke six co-op records.

JUNE:

The recent closing of a daycare facility in Callaway left several parents scrambling to try to find someplace to take their children so they could continue to work. That is when two moms decided to take matters into their own hands, and began researching the process of starting their own program. Kendra Meyer, Haylea Rynearson, Chelsea Williams, Christie Pitkin and Julianna Jenkins joined forces to form the new 7 Valley Kids Daycare set to open this fall.

While most other 16 and 17-year-olds are enjoying their summer break from school with fun days at the lake, camp-outs, or maybe working a few hours a week for a bit of spending money, two Callaway High School students have opted for a different route. Brady Brestel and Dylan Pandorf have decided to answer the call to serve their country, and the two young men are spending the summer before their senior year of high school at, of all places…basic training.

This year marks the 90th year of the Callaway Pioneer Picnic. The first Pioneer Picnic was held in 1933, in conjunction with the dedication in Morgan Park of the first Custer County Courthouse. With the exception of the World War II years, the community event has been held annually ever since.

After a thorough review and discussion, the Callaway Village Board has awarded the bid for the new aquatic center to Hackel Construction of Ord.

The village received two bids for the new pool, which were opened and reviewed at the June 13 meeting. Tanner Hackel, president of Hackel Construction, was present at the meeting to provide further information or answer any questions the board might have. The company brings a lot of experience to the table, having been the contractor for new pools in Cozad, Cambridge and Blue Hill.

We will conclude our 2023 Year in Review next week. Happy New Year!