News

Get ready to laugh, converse, and have fun with the Sutton Stampede Boosters Club, and the staff and students that the recently formed club is aiming to lend a financial hand to, when the organization hosts its first-ever night of entertainment on Saturday, March 16, at the Sutton Community Center.

Plans for the event aren’t fully set in stone, but members of the booster club’s board of directors are ready to start selling tables and individual tickets for the upcoming event.

What’s for dinner you may ask? A nice, fresh hearty ribeye steak, prepared by the boosters, with all the sides being prepared by the Sutton FFA Chapter and the Sutton FFA Alumni chapter.

Entertainment will be priceless for the event, as the boosters have lined up Davenport native Gayle Becwar to entertain the crowd following the meal.

While a large share of the 2023 holiday events are winding down, last weekend a few activities took place. Above: Sherrie Bartell, president of the Argonne Post 61 American Legion Auxiliary, talks with guests that joined the auxiliary during its first-ever Wreaths Across America event. At the left: Kenny Reutzel and Santa Claus share a moment with a family during Harvard Modern Mrs. Club’s “Christmas for Kids” event, held Saturday morning at Harvard Public Schools.

Since its inception in 1991 the TeamMates Mentoring Program, which began thanks to legendary Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy 32 years ago has had one simple driving point, “Our mentors just have to be there.”

That sediment hits close to home, as the Sutton Chapter of TeamMates began celebrating its 20th year as a chapter with the program at the start of the 2023-24 school year.

Current TeamMates coordinator, Kim McElfresh, and co-coordinator, Makyah Wagoner, both shared the same lines as that one strong sentiment by the national office, “You know you always have someone in your corner.”

McElfresh and Wagoner’s happen chance that they coordinate the Sutton chapter together goes deep, as McElfresh has been a TeamMates mentor to Wagoner since Wagoner was in high school, known then as Makyah Calkins.

Sherrie Bartell, president of the Sutton Argone Legion Post #61 Auxilary has announced that a special ceremony will take place at the Sutton City Cemetery, weather pending on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m., in accordance to the National Wreaths Across American Day, that will feature over 3,700 ceremonies across the United States, Puerto Rico, and on foreign soil.

Bartell shared the Sutton Auxiliary originally planned to purchase 200 wreaths, but has since purchased a total of 400 wreaths to honor fallen veterans in Sutton’s public cemetery.

The cost to sponsor one of the wreaths is $17 each, with $5 of each wreath going to the local auxiliary post. In all, Bartell shared that there are 386 veterans buried in the Sutton cemetery.

Wreaths, according to Bartell, will be placed on headstones in the city cemetery following the Saturday morning ceremony. A lunch will be served afterward at the Legion for the volunteers.

Several holiday events will kick off the Christmas season this coming weekend, and early next week.

Events that have been shared with the Clay County News are as follows: THURSDAY, DEC. 14:

•Sutton Middle School, and High School Concert, begins at 7 p.m.

• Sandy Creek concert, grades 6-12 at 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 16:

•The Harvard Modern Mrs. Club will be hosting their annual “Christmas For Kids” event at the Harvard Public Schools from 10-11 a.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 18:

•Sutton Christian School Christmas program at the Hope Reformed Church, beginning at 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20:

•Clay County’s Giving Tree will host their annual Giving Tree wrapping event.

THURSDAY, DEC. 21:

•A Soup and Santa event, hosted by the Edgar Community Club and Edgar Fire Department from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Edgar Community Building. Santa will appear at 6 p.m. during the event.

Members of the Sutton City Council gathered for their monthly meeting Monday, Dec. 11, with several beginning point discussions centered around the Schwab Ground housing development, and the Hickory Street improvement project. Prior to talks centered around the housing development, council members approved, and reapproved several appointments to the council and leadership of Sutton’s city government.

Councilman Mike Newman will take over the presidency of the council for the first time during his tenure on the council.

Reappointments to the city included: Tracey Landenberger, as the chief of police; Kent Rauert, as the city attorney; and Marla Newman, as the city clerk and treasurer.

A large crowd lined South Saunders Avenue Monday night to take in the Sutton Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Parade of Lights festivities

The Christmas holiday season was made brighter with the Clay County Museum’s annual “Christmas at the Museum” event, Sunday, Dec. 3, in Clay Center. This shows the view as you enter the museum. The museum will also be hosting a “Tour of Trees” this Sunday from 1:30 to 4

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) is offering free nitrate sample kits and lab analyses to private drinking water well owners across the state. These kits are only available for a limited time until Jan. 31, 2024.

Well owners who participate will receive their sample results, and NDEE will use the data from this sampling effort in a statewide nitrate study that the agency is currently conducting. The study will include nitrate sampling data from public water systems and from private drinking water well owners who agree to participate. Well owners’ identifying information will not be used in the study.

Activities for the 2023 Sutton Parade of Lights holiday festival are starting to take shape for the upcoming event, set to take place Monday, Dec. 4.

Activities are slated to get underway at 4:30 p.m. with open house events set to be hosted by Judy Barnes’ State Farm Insurance, Cornerstone Bank’s downtown location, Brown’s Grocery Store, CPI, Astra Bank, The Flat River Bar, Sutton Pharmacy, Sutton Library, and the Sutton American Legion. Additionally, Quality Healthcare, Therapeutic Massage and Salon, and Farm Bureau Insurance will host open house events at the Sutton Community Center.

Throughout the evening, the Parade of Lights event, hosted by the Sutton Area Chamber of Commerce, will also feature the following activities at the Community Center:

• Draft horse sleigh rides, sponsored by A+ Contracting;

• Santa’s Workshop photos will be taken by Grace Schmer photography;

Several holiday events will kickoff the Christmas season this coming weekend, and early next week.

Events that have been shared with the Clay County News are as follows: SATURDAY, DEC. 2:

• Sutton Christian School’s annual Christmas Cookie bake sale, at the Sutton American Legion, starting at 9 a.m.;

• The Harvard Community Club will host its Christmas celebration beginning at 4 p.m. in downtown Harvard. Santa arrives at 4 p.m., with the holiday lights being turned on at 5 p.m.

• An event called “Cupcakes and Tiaras, a Princess Event,” will also be this Saturday at the Sutton Community Center, beginning at 2 p.m. Mrs. Nebraska, and “Anna and Olaf” will be paying a visit to the event.

SUNDAY, DEC. 3:

• “Christmas at the Museum,” at the Clay County Museum in Clay Center is slated for this Sunday, running from 1:30 to 4 p.m.