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Freemason members from left to right: Master Wayne Brehm, Ken Schultz, Ron Perry, James Wahl, Oscar Lundquist and J.C. Cranfill stand in front of the No. 68 Lodge on L Street which was sold on May 5. -
Pictured from left in front of the new Aurora Community Clubhouse are Dan Ziegler, clubhouse manager; Taylor Willis, Poco Creek Golf Course board president; and Dan Kaminski, golf course superintendent. The clubhouse is currently under construction and is expected to be ready for use in July. -
Gage Griffith successfully defended both of his gold medals at the state track and field championships, becoming a four-time gold medalist when all was said and done last week. Griffith leaves Aurora as its most prolific thrower in school history, holding both career-best marks. -
Carsen Staehr won his first gold medal at the state track and field championships on a tiebreaker in the triple jump, going 46-6. -
Cauy Walters finished 4-over par 76 at Beatrice to finish third in the B-3 district and qualify for the Class B state golf tournament.
Freemasons sell lodge, to meet in Central City
The Aurora Freemason Lodge No. 68 has sold its building on L Street to an individual for an unspecified amount effective May 5.
Master Wanye Brehm and five other Freemasons stated that the organization, which had laid the cornerstones of Memorial Hospital and the Edgerton Explorit Center, will sell its place of meeting that it held since 1994. The new owner of the building has not yet been identified to the public or announced plans for its use.
Members will be permanently shutting down and joining with the Central City lodge within the coming months.
“It’s just a continuation,” Freemason and farmer James Wahl explained. “There is nothing that is as constant in this world as change…We suffer and adapt to change every day.”
Golf course, clubhouse in time of transition
Change is the name of the game this spring at Poco Creek Golf Course in Aurora, where a new clubhouse and two new managers are giving the property a new look and feel.
Taylor Willis, also new in her role as board president, announced the hiring of Dan Ziegler as clubhouse manager and Dan Kaminski as golf course superintendent. Both were hired in late March and have been busy since April in their respective roles.
“We started the interview process for the clubhouse manager in January, so that was kind of a lengthy process,” Willis said of a new position created to oversee operations of the Aurora Community Clubhouse, which is now under construction. “It’s been interesting not knowing when it would be finished, what we would be working out of in the meantime and finding somebody that had a lot of flexibility to work with us.”
Aurora’s alpha dogs
Gage Griffith completes double-double gold medal effort to close out high school career
The time between Gage Griffith’s final shot put throw landing in the dirt and the measurement reading felt like an eternity.
Griffith found himself in what’s become unfamiliar territory in his senior track season -- the chaser, instead of the leader.
The Aurora senior needed a throw better than 57-2.25 to defend his Class B gold medal in the event.
Griffith’s final throw? Fifty seven feet...4-1/2 inches.
Exhale.
“Not what I wanted, but good enough,” a relieved Griffith said afterward.
It was a lot more stress than he, his family and those out to support him wanted, but Griffith successfully defended his Class B championships in the shot put and discus, completing the double-double at the state track and field championship from the top of the hill at Omaha Burke Stadium.
Carsen Staehr comes up clutch to win first gold medal in triple jump on a tiebreaker
Carsen Staehr’s attitude made a quicker 180-degree turn than his takeoff speed.
The Aurora junior’s final attempt in the triple jump was an important one, a 46-6 leap that led to a tiebreaker with Staehr ending up the gold medal winner in the May 18 event at the state track and field championships from Omaha Burke Stadium.
There were several moments of confusion, however, especially within those near the runway.
During the preliminaries, McCook’s Adam Dugger put together a jump of 46-6 taking the lead through the finals.
Staehr sat in third place entering his final jump of the finals when the Aurora junior put together the money jump -- Forty-six feet, six inches.
As Staehr dusted himself off, his shoulders sunk and a feeling of defeat set in. In his mind, and other coaches in the box, Staehr had lost by a quarter inch.
Walters punches ticket for state golf tournament
Rain and stoppages werent going to stop Cauy Walters from punching his ticket.
The Aurora senior battled the elements, the course and other competitors to a bronze medal finish at the B-3 district meet at Beatrice Country Club May 17.
Aurora coach Craig Badura was happy for his No. 1 golfer, getting an opportunity to play in the state tournament for the first time as a senior.
“It’s been a joy to see him develop over the last 18 months,” Badura said of Walters. “He’s put a tremendous amount of time into his game during the offseason and in season as well. It’s great to see Cauy be able to compete at the state tournament because I believe he’s one of the top players in Class B right now.”
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