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HARTINGTON – Cedar Security Bank has brought some money home to the Hartington Baseball Association.
The financial institution was notified in December that it was the recipient of a $500 cash gift from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Topeka, Kan.
Cedar Security Bank had received the cash gift through the FHLB #500forGood program.
“We were very excited when we received notification,” said Laurie Leise, the manager of Cedar Security Bank’s Hartington branch.
The #500forGood program began in 2018 by providing eight $500 cash gifts to member banks.
Five years later, the program has grown and 52 recipients were selected out of more than 120 submissions.
In October 2023, FHLB member banks were given the opportunity to apply for $500 to help with their community projects.
Leise submitted requests for two Hartington projects, and one of them was selected for the #500forGood program.
That project, an undertaking of the community’s baseball association, involved removing the bleachers at Hartington’s main American Legion baseball diamond – located at Felber Park – to allow for better, more shaded seating.
“This project benefits the community in hosting events, including the upcoming American Legion (Class C) Junior State Baseball Tournament to be held in Hartington in July,” Leise said. “Events such as these are a boost to the area, bringing people – and their dollars – to the community.”
Leise and Cedar Security Bank vice president Dennis Sturek presented the $500 check in early March to baseball association members Don Whitmire and Cale Haberer, along with players Hudson Whitmire and Grady and Maddox Haberer.
Don Whitmire noted the baseball stadium’s “outdated” bleachers located along the third base-line and behind home plate have been removed.
“All the old bleachers were years and years old,” Whitmire said, noting people would rarely sit on them during hot summer games. “It wasn’t really nice to sit on.”
In place of the bleachers along the thirdbase line will be a grassy knoll.
“A cement wall, essentially, has been put in and created one level where people can go and put in their own chairs, and then it’s a grassy knoll for people to lay out blankets if they want,” Whitmire said.
He noted part of the new seating area behind home plate will be the grassy knoll.
“We’re working on putting in some new ballpark seating right behind home plate,” Whitmire said. “We have freshly poured concrete that we did last year. They’ll install some bench seating up there.”
He described the work that still needs to be done on the project.
“All the dirt work’s in place,” Whitmire said. “Once the weather gets to a little bit of a better point, then they’ll lay the sod (on the grassy knoll).”
He noted there is an old grandstand located down the baseball stadium’s first-base line.
“Last year, we did work there,” Whitmire said. “We put in a new cement pad and brought in actual bleacher seating down the first-base line. One of the things we’re doing there is, we’re actually bringing in trees to add shading.”
Nebraska’s 2024 American Legion Class C Junior State Baseball Tournament is scheduled to be held July 20-24 in Hartington.
From what he has found out, Whitmire noted this is likely the first time the Cedar County seat community has hosted a State baseball tournament of any sort.
“We have hosted District tournaments – quite a few actually in recent years – but, according to everybody I’ve spoken with, this is the first time we’ve actually hosted the State tournament,” Whitmire said.
He explained he runs the American Legion side of the baseball association, along with Cale Haberer.
“There’s a group of five of us,” Whitmire said, noting the number of main volunteers who operate the overall organization. “We have all kinds of other people who help out now. That was a struggle, because for many years, it was me and one other guy. We’ve expanded that.”
The baseball association has several ongoing projects.
“We also have batting cages being installed,” Whitmire said. “There’s one old one. We’re installing new ones down the left-field line to complement the old one.”
He noted the baseball association appreciates the $500 cash gift Cedar Security Bank donated, along with any other contributions it receives.
“It’s tremendous,” Whitmire said. “Every dollar helps, but there’s been a lot of efforts and a lot of people working together. State baseball’s going to be a huge thing for our town.”
Kellyn Dump | Cedar County News
