The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

Since we're writers, we, at SAM love lists. Trust us, we keep and use them every single day.

But, how does one determine which articles should be at the top of the yearly list? In the past, we've based it by reader count from our website. This year, we're still relying on reader count, featuring the top-read article by month. We wrote nearly 2,000 articles in 2023 and, while some of our favorites don't appear on the list, we're sure these are a newsworthy representation of the Summerland region.

Share your favorite SAM articles with us by emailing [email protected].

JANUARY

Oakland, Nebraska, native Zach Rosenboom was selected to fill the Summerland School junior/senior high principal's position for the 2023-24 school year.

Rosenboom made the move to SPS after serving as the social studies teacher at Tekamah-Herman Public School since 2014. He also served as activities director for the Tigers.

FEBRUARY

Foodies searching for the ultimate comfort food will find plenty of options available from Woodshed Vittles.

Located on a ranch near Chambers, owner Deeann Carson Wood bakes, cans and cooks a variety of foodstuffs available at area establishments, including the sidebar in Clearwater and the Farmers Store in Page.

MARCH

Two Summerland seventh-grade students discovered construction of a vehicle takes patience and a lot of testing.

Luke Kester and Zander Tabbert competed in mousetrap vehicle - distance competition at the SkillsUSA middle school competition.

Kester finished third in the event.

APRIL

A South Dakota man who was found sleeping in a rural Orchard living room in March appeared in front of the Honorable Donna Taylor at the Antelope County courthouse in Neligh the first week in April.

Douglas H. Jenkins, 36, of Brookings, waived his right to counsel and pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal trespassing, a Class 1 misdemeanor committed March 29.

Jenkins told the judge he had been driving for more than 20 hours and thought the farmhouse was abandoned.

"I know I must have," he said. "I deeply apologize, it wasn't my intent to enter anyone's property."

Antelope County Attorney Joe Smith recited a lengthy criminal history, including burglary and theft convictions, with the most recent in 2012, as well as a pending protection order violation in South Dakota.

MAY

Class members taking part in Summerland Public Schools commencement exercises, held May 6, included Emily Ahlers, Joe Ahlers, Dylan Barlow, Lena Bolling, Hadley Cheatum, Levi Cronk, Emma Funk, Landon Hobbs, Emma Hoffman, Colby Hupp, Madison Kester, Faith King, Harper Klabenes, Adrian Mejia-Moncada, Olga Mendoza-Garcia, Kellen Mlnarik, Austin Muff, Wyatt Napier, Adrienne Parker, Jaykwon Petite, Ashley Pischel, Matthew Potter, Kendrick Schroeder, Danielle Schrunk, Karolina Soto Cerda, Alex Thiele, Trevor Thomson and Brynna Umphress.

JUNE

Two contestants competed for the Miss Clearwater Rodeo title, June 23, at the 56th edition of Clearwater's Big Rodeo.

Queen contest chairman Devon Baum said contestants were judged in several areas, including personality, appearance and horsemanship.

Felycia Kerkman, of Atkinson, was crowned queen.

JULY

Another year, another milestone.

The volume number on Page One's flag of the July 20 edition noted a flip of the calendar, marking the beginning of what will culminate in the fifth year of publishing the "Summerland Advocate-Messenger."

Our commitment to the Summerland area is stronger than ever. Whether you're a long-time subscriber or a new reader, we're glad your here. Thank you for making an investment in local, quality journalism.

AUGUST

Neligh pharmacist Danelle Charf has pleaded guilty to one count after reaching a plea agreement with the US Attorney's office on July 20.

Charf withdrew her not guilty pleas to counts I-V of an indictment filed in May 2022, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a single count in an information filed July 20 by Assistant US Attorney Kelli Ceraolo - knowingly and willfully making a false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with delivery and payment for health-care benefits involving Medicare on Oct. 7, 2020.

SEPTEMBER

Wayne State freshman and Summerland High School graduate, Faith King, is experiencing many firsts at college. Her most impressive is being the first student to be a criminal justice major while a part of the Career Scholars Cooperative Education Program, Rural Law Opportunities Program and Honors Program.

OCTOBER

Bobcat football fans had only one chance to watch Summerland take on the Hi-Line Bulls, Thursday, in the first round of the 2023 NSAA Class D1 State Football Playoffs and that opportunity was in person. The game was not available via live stream, due to connectivity issues.

Summerland advanced to postseason play after a lopsided 42-16 win over North Central, Oct. 13.

NOVEMBER

A spur-of-the-moment idea led to the creation of a new Clearwater business.

Rolling' Transportation, LLC, co-owner Hailey Schlecht said the original plans were to purchase a trolley, but she and husband, Adam, decided it would only offer seasonal use.

DECEMBER

Adyson Mlnarik has attended basketball games since before she entered kindergarten.

On Dec. 8, the Summerland senior joined an elite group as she drove the lane for a layup against Niobrara/Verdigre. The bucket netted Mlnarik 1,000 points for her career.

With the exception of a December contest against Boyd County, where she scored 19 points, Mlnarik has finished games with 32, 22, 43 and 30 points. On Dec. 5, against Riverside, Mlnarik rewrote the Bobcat record books, setting the single-game scoring record with 43 points.