Old bricks from Bluffton's Main Street will be available as souvenir items during Bluffton's sesquicentennial celebration at the Boy Scout Indian Village's Trading Post.
The old Main Street was removed for the new Streetscape in 2009. Many of the bricks are embossed with "Convict Made 1927 Ohio State Brick Plant."
The bricks were laid on the street alongside the Western Ohio Railway electric interurban streetcar line, which ran on Main Street from 1906 to 1932.
Seven score and 10 years ago Allen County's Shannon, Ohio, became Bluffton, Ohio. Friday, June 24, the celebration we've waited 150 years for begins.
After over three years in the planning stage, Bev Amstutz, chair of the Bluffton cultural affairs committee, breathes a sigh of relief, seeing the events she spearheaded come to realization.
Mayor Fred Rodabaugh appointed Amstutz as chair of the sesquicentennial planning committee for good reason. Her father, the late Eugene Benroth, was known as "Mr. Bluffton" in his time.
On the eve of Bluffton's 150th anniversary celebration a relatively newcomer to town celebrates his first birthday today. J. Denny Beaver, the Bluffton University sports mascot, is one year old today (June 23, 2011).
Class members of Bluffton High School's class of 1941 gathered for a reunion at Mennonite Memorial Home this month. Those attending, standing from left, Ken Oberly and Doris Garmatter Hamman. Seated from left, Marjorie Stratton Marquart, Faery Bronson Mesler and Treva Harris Crawford.
Bluffton University senior nose tackle Justin Crosier (Columbus/Hamilton Township) was recently named pre-season Second Team All-American by the Consensus Draft Services for the 2011 season. Crosier was First Team All-Heartland Conference in 2010 as well as a Second Team All-North Region selection by D3football.com following his junior campaign.
You graduated from BHS in 2004, then headed off to University of Cincinnati. Why UC? What was your major? Where did you do your co-ops?
I ended up at UC because 1) They had a very strong graphic design program that emphasized theory over tools. 2) Their cooperative education program. 3) It's a liberal arts school-I knew I liked art and design, but I have other interests too! 4) My brother David had moved there a couple years prior which helped alleviate some of the intimidation of moving away from home-it's always nice to know there is family nearby.
From left: Austen "Feared Bear" Herron, Jack "Big Foot" Burrell, Misha "River Trout" Groman and Christian "Red Hawk" Groman.
For the past eight months, the Bluffton Boy Scouts have been actively preparing for the Sesquicentennial Indian Village and Trading Post at the Buckeye.
Under the direction of Assistant Scoutmaster and American Indian historian Gary "Book Reader" Wetherill, 20 scouts have been making authentic costumes, typical of the Indian tribes of this area of the late 1700's to early / mid-1800s.
Okay, I'll admit the first 2/3 of my vacation wasn't intended to be educational although I did learn a few things while relaxing on Tybee.
Helpful things...or at least helpful for the next time I'm near a beach.
I now know that that the sting of a jellyfish does not always cause an adverse reaction on humans, and, by watching a few very young experts, I learned how to pick them up and fling them to the beach.
BFR is offering a Red Cross Babysitter Training Class on Friday, July 15, according to Carole Enneking, BFR director.
Youth ages 11 to 15 are welcome to participate in a one-day training clinic. It will cover topics of working with small children, safety concerns and basic first aid.
Kelly Honse, Red Cross instructor, will lead the clinic planned for 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at BFR. Cost for the training is $43 ($38 BFR member) and includes the clinic, snack, training notebook and CD-Rom and emergency kit. Contact BFR 419-358-4150 to register by July 11.
