No “Doking” Around!
“There are a lot of fun things that go on in Norfolk,” Jessi said.
So many, in fact, she and her husband have trouble pinning down one thing to call their favorite.
There’s the United Way. Kiwanis. Dueling Pianos. Oktoberfest. The Downtown Christmas Celebration. Great American Comedy Festival. Summer concerts. Music in the Park. Big Bang Boom. Sand volleyball at Divots.
“We’ve loved so many things that we’ve done here,” she said.
The couple moved to Northeast Nebraska after receiving their degrees at Chadron State College, where they met.
The son of small business owners, Brandon grew up in Ainsworth, where he honed his interests in sports and the outdoors. In college, he double majored in business administration and environmental studies with minors in management and wildlife management. Jessi grew up in Gering, where she ran in cross country and was involved in music. At Chadron State, she received a degree in business and marketing.
The couple knew they wanted to settle on the eastern end of the state, but they didn’t have a particular destination in mind. In 2007, they took jobs in Northeast Nebraska. Brandon was hired as an ag lender at a bank in Wausa, and Jessi began working at Wells Fargo in Norfolk.
“She was driving every day to Wausa, which is another beautiful community,” Brandon said. But the commute became somewhat of a challenge.
Before long, Brandon took a job in Norfolk, where the couple now lives.
The Dokes work under the Farm Bureau umbrella. Brandon opened his own insurance agency through the company in downtown Norfolk in 2014. Jessi is an ag marketing specialist for Farm Bureau. Her job covers eight states, which requires a lot of traveling.
“With today’s tech – iPads and FaceTime – it’s not too bad,” Brandon said of his wife’s travels for work. “We make it work and, as busy as I am, I don’t feel bad about working late.”
The couple also uses a fair amount of strategy when planning their schedules, too. If they didn’t, there’s no way they’d be able to fit in everything they want to do.
The Dokes are always on the go. The couple hasn’t missed a Thursday night of sand volleyball at Divots since moving to Norfolk. They also are heavily involved in a variety of civic organizations and volunteer at a number of community events – entirely too many to name.
The Dokes said an eagerness to get involved in so many community events and organizations helped them feel at home in Norfolk. Brandon recommends anyone who comes to a new area get involved to help ease the transition into the community.
Brandon said there are so many people in Northeast Nebraska who are excited to help newcomers feel like they belong, but the first step has to be taken by the new residents.
“When we got involved, people were so welcoming,” Brandon said. “I feel any time you’re a young couple, young family or just new to the community, especially in our area of Northeast Nebraska, so many people want to help, want to get you plugged in, but you have to do a little bit to help them. You have to reach out to a few people. You can’t just buy a new house, stay at home, go to the local grocery store and call it a life and then just say, ‘Well, we never made any friends.”
“It is uncomfortable at first , showing up to events and not knowing anybody,” Jessi added. “But my advice to somebody that moves to town and doesn’t know a lot of people is jump in a committee or community event or organization. There are so many different ones. If you just push past that comfort zone, all of a sudden, you’ll wake up and you’ll know people.” The couple said even their family members have commented on Norfolk’s welcoming feeling. Some have even mentioned it would be nice to move to the community.
“I wouldn’t be shocked to see if some of them moved closer to us,” Brandon said. “It makes us feel good.”
