A new community hall in Phillips is a giant step closer to reality this week after a $150,000 donation from its corporate neighbor, Syngenta Seeds.

Company officials joined village leaders and residents on the construction site Thursday, where they celebrated a shared vision for local growth.

"We are very excited to contribute to the Phillips Memorial Hall construction," said Bill Hunter, Syngenta’s plant manager. "In addition to expanding our production facility here, we want to do as much as we can to build the surrounding area for our employees and their families. The new community center does that."

The tiny village of Stockham was bustling this weekend, a throwback to an earlier era when area folks would come to town to sell grain, shop at the grocery store and watch free movies on the side of a downtown building.