New Leaf Garden Center owner Laurie Laird is ready to stop working 50-60 hours per week: “It’s time to stop and smell the roses,” she told the Bluffton Icon and Ada Icon. Laird has been the sole owner of the garden center at 0395 State Route 235 since 1991. This year, she sold the Ada location to a business yet to be announced. At the 927 E Columbus St., Kenton location, new owners will begin operating the shop in 2022.
The Bluffton University women's soccer team tied a bow on its 2021 fall campaign with a 1-0 shutout of Manchester University on a cloudy Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. Bluffton wrapped up its second season of 2021 with a 5-11 mark overall and 2-7 record in Heartland Conference action. Sparty fell to 2-13 and 1-8 in league play.
This week the Bluffton University men's soccer needed to take down Manchester University and get a little help from either Earlham or Franklin. Bluffton did its part with a 1-0 shutout of the Spartans and The Grizzlies came through with a win over Transylvania, sending the Beavers to their first Heartland Conference tournament berth in school history Bluffton moved back over .500 at 8-7 and 4-5 in the Heartland Conference, while Manchester saw its season come to an end with a 6-10-1 mark overall and 3-6 in the HCAC.
The Bluffton University volleyball team walked away with a five-set win over rival Defiance College on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. The Beavers moved to 10-17 overall and 2-6 in the Heartland Conference, while Defiance fell to 4-15 and 1-7 in the HCAC.
The Bluffton boys soccer team scored four goals in the first seven minutes and cruised to a 7-0 victory over local rival Cory-Rawson in Div. III district semifinal play Wednesday evening, October 27, at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin.
Nolan Hoffman and Jude Spallinger scored three goals apiece to pace the blowout.
With the win, the top-seeded Pirates improved their record to 14-3-2 and advanced to the district finals Saturday, October 30 at 11 a.m. in Tiffin.
On Thursday, November 4, Bluffton University will host the DECA District 3 fall conference. Over 200 high school students from more than 10 area high schools will be participating in the event.
With the possibility to advance to state and national competition, on November 4 students will sharpen their analytical and presentation skills in areas including public relations, branding, job interviewing, and case analysis.
To help these students, we are looking for judges in the following areas:
Team Case Study (judges are needed from 9:30 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m.).
Bluffton University will host a fall choral concert featuring University Chorale and Camerata Singers at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31 in Yoder Recital Hall.
An entertaining afternoon will be provided with selections ranging from baroque to contemporary choral music. Composers include Tomas Luis de Victoria, Benjamin Britten, Morten Lauridsen and Stephen Paulus among others. Dr. Bo Young Kang, director of choral activities at Bluffton University, will conduct.
The concert is free and open to the public. A free-will offering will be taken for music scholarships.
Marlena Ballinger, owner of The Dough Hook Meat Market, 117 N Main St, Bluffton, was recently nominated to sit on the board of the National Hereford Women (NHW).
The National Hereford Women is an organization within the American Hereford Association (AHA). On Friday, October 22 Ballinger travelled to Kansas City to the annual AHA conference to accept her nomination and begin serving her four-year term as a director on its board.
Allison Diller scored two second half goals and the Bluffton girls soccer team blanked visiting Riverdale 2-0 in a tight Div. III district semifinal match Tuesday night, October 26, at Bluffton.
The Pirate girls improved to 14-3-1 with the victory.
Third-seeded Bluffton advances to take on top-seeded Liberty-Benton in the district finals at Bluffton Saturday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m.
L-B (12-4-2) beat fourth seed Ashland Crestview 5-1 Tuesday night in the other district semi.
