Community Builders is a group that supports local communities and businesses by sharing ideas and resources. Partners are Central Community College, Cornhusker Public Power District, and Loup Power District. Tours are open to the public. Tour information is posted on social media and in local newspapers.
“We have very loyal citizens here who want to see success.”
That’s how Laura Mejstrik describes the Village of Howells. She is co-director of Little Angels Daycare and spoke to the Community Builders tour group about the town’s efforts to start a new daycare center.
It was a sentiment repeated over and over from Howells residents who showcased the village for the tour on March 21.
“We’re extremely fortunate with the residents we have in this town,” said Village Board Chairman Jerome Baumert.
MAPLE CREEK SEEDS
Rachel Sindelar grew up near Clarkson and then earned degrees in agribusiness and agricultural economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Then she began working in sales and product management for Golden Harvest Seeds before moving to rural Howells after her marriage. In 2007, she started her own seed dealership on her family farm.
In 2015, she bought land in town and built a new warehouse and office.
“Combined with my work experience, I have over 20 years of seed sales experience,” Sindelar said.
The new space allowed Sindelar to expand her business to include insecticide/fungicide seed treatment. She has a partnership with Central Valley Ag to offer fertilizer and custom treatments.
Sindelar said Maple Creek Seeds is also partnering with Taranis, a company that uses drone scouting flights and artificial intelligence to give farmers insights on their fields. This data includes disease detection, stand counts, weed detection, insect damage and disease detection. Farmers can access this data from a mobile phone application.
The business works with farmers throughout the area, including Howells, Schuyler, Scribner, and Creston. Sindelar has one employee, Brian Prusa, who has a degree in Agronomy.
In addition to sales, the business also offers farm consulting and recommendations.
Learn more at maplecreekseeds.com.
HOWELLS BALLROOM
The Howells volunteer fire department built a ballroom in 1934 using donations from local business leaders. Before long, it was hosting frequent dances and drawing nationally renown bands including Lawrence Welk.
In 1963, fire department members decided that the ballroom was outdated. The new ballroom opened in April of 1964 and remains in use today.
Manager Rhonda Bartling explained to tour members that today, the Howells Ballroom Foundation operates the facility. That foundation has a five-member board of directors. Howells Ballroom, Inc., was formed to acquire a liquor license.
The ballroom hosts festivals, celebrations and weddings. The cost to rent the facility is $300 per day, or $1,000 for a wedding or other weekend event from Friday through Sunday. There is capacity for about 700 seated guests.
The foundation has completed several updates in the last few years. The coat room is now a bar area with a large, walk-in cooler. The bathrooms were gutted and completely remodeled, the front entrance was improved, and much of the booth seating was removed. They also added additional handicapped parking spaces as well as a drive-up drop off so handicapped visitors don’t have to walk so far to enter the building.
HOWELLS HISTORICAL MUSEUM
Howells Historical Society board members Kathy Heard and Scott Polacek welcomed the tour to the Howells Historical Museum.
The First Congregational Church was built in 1887 and remodeled in 1952. By 1972, the church had few remaining members and worship services ended. The church sat empty for a couple of years and began to deteriorate. Community members wanted to save the building and decided to start a new museum there in 1977.
In 1988, the board purchased a downtown building that would offer more space and handicap accessibility. The extra space soon filled up and became crowded.
Then, a few years ago, donations and grants facilitated the purchase of another building down the block to serve as an annex for the museum. That building was restored and renovated in what Polacek calls a “crowning achievement.”
“We’re really proud of it,” he said.
Heard noted that community members have been generous in donating items over the years.
“The more people see what we’ve gathered and how we showcase it, the more we tend to receive from the community,” she said. “We’re getting more all the time.”
Howells Historical Society on Facebook .
Eighty8 Bar & Grill
When 2007 Howells graduate Brad Hegemann heard that Baumert Furniture was selling its building, he know he couldn’t pass on the opportunity.
“I’ve worked in bars and restaurants since I graduated from high school,” he said. “I’ve always to have one.”
So, he went for it, buying the building and beginning renovation.
“We tried to keep everything as original as we could,” he said.
He exposed the freight elevator, tore off plaster to reveal the brick, and added a kitchen. He also had to some structural work to reinforce the building, erected in 1900.
He opend the Eighty8 — a reference to his birth year — to customers in November 2022.
The bar and grill is open every day but Monday. Hegemann said he tries to vary his menu and hold events, like bands, to keep things fresh and get people in the door.
“The town’s been really supportive,” he said.
LITTLE ANGELS CHILD CARE CENTER
Howells used to have five in-home daycares. Today, there is one.
But community members knew most of those providers would be retiring and began braintorming solutions several years ago.
Those conversations led to an idea to repurpose the upstairs of the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church social center, which once served as the catholic elementary school.
A group brought the idea to the parish council and it was approved.
“Then it was time to get to work,” said board member Linda Grovijohn, a retired daycare provider.
Laura Mejstrik was a new mom commuting to a job at Children’s Hospital in Omaha. That commute soon took a toll. She wanted to be home more. So, when she heard about a new daycare plan, she knew she wanted to help.
She spoke with state licensing inspectors and learned how to get the building up to code. Fundraising events around town drew interest and help.
Then, she realized that being housed in a church building meant a new daycare could partner with the church for added benefits.
““Today our business is a branch of St. Peter and Paul which is a branch of the Omaha archdioscese,” said Mejstrik, who serves as Little Angels Child Care Center co-director.
The center, which opened in 2021, features four large classrooms. An office is now a kitchen and a storage area was converted to an office.
There are 15-20 families on the wait list and Mejstrik said they are hoping to add another infant staff member to increase their capacity from 8 to 12 infants.
“That would help four more families,” she said.
Mejstrik is also exploring after-school program solutions with the public school district. That would free up spots currently held by the 15 or so students who come for care after school.
She said she was amazed by the response of the community who donated so generously.
Grovijohn said they visited St. Francis Little Saints Daycare in Humphrey early on. That was especially helpful.
“If you’re thinking about starting a daycare center, contact another center,” she said. “Most of them will be very willing to give you information.”