October 2022

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By Paula Scott

The Village of Bluffton is working on a big picture project called “Bluffton Beyond Tomorrow” that includes a dialogue with Bluffton residents about their community needs and wants.

A new, in-person opportunity to weigh in on these topics has been scheduled:

Community Engagement Open House
3:30-7:30 p.m. on October 19
Bluffton Middle School Cafetorium

This is your chance to spend as little as 10 minutes engaging with topics that received the most attention in an online survey in July.

Multiple stations will be set up in the cafetorium with sticker polls, maps and the opportunity to contribute to lists of ideas and write comments.

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By Cort Reynolds

Northwest Conference champion Bluffton High School was seeded first among the 12 teams in their Div. III girls soccer sectional drawing Sunday.

As top seed, the Pirates (12-2) were voted a first round bye. 

They will host the winner between eighth seed Cory-Rawson (4-10-1) and 10th seed Ashland Crestview (2-10-1) in round two Thursday, October 20 at 5 p.m.

Toledo Edison (9-4-1) is the fourth seed and if form holds, would face Bluffton in the district semifinals Oct. 25 at 7:15 p.m. on the Steinmetz Field pitch. 

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The office of the Bluffton Icon and Ada Icon will be closed today, October 10, and will be closed for holidays including:

October 10 - Columbus Day / Indigenous People's Day

November 11 - Veterans Day

November 24-25 - Thanksgiving 

December 23-26 - Christmas

December 30-January 2 - New Year

January 16, 2023 - Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

February 20 - Presidents' Day

April 7-10 - Good Friday-Easter Monday

May 29 - Memorial Day

June 19 - Juneteenth

July 3-4 - Independence Day

September 4- Labor Day

When our editor is not out gathering news, the Icon office is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Dates in this article have been corrected since the first posting.

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The Bluffton Child Development Center has announced an Open House from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday Oct. 10.

The facility is a child care center serving children 6 weeks old until the 12th birthday.

The center has school-bus drop off from Bluffton and Cory-Rawson.

Programs are provided for 

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By Cort Reynolds

After a close and low-scoring first half, Bluffton High School lost 30-14 to visiting backyard rival Allen East in a Northwest Conference football showdown between the last two remaining league unbeatens Friday night, October 7, at Harmon Field.

The Pirates fell out of a first-place tie with Allen East atop the NWC with the Homecoming loss as the Mustangs snapped their four-game win streak. 

Bluffton is now 5-3 overall, dropping to 4-1 in the league and into a second-place tie with Columbus Grove after the loss. 

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By Cort Reynolds

The Bluffton High School boys soccer team dropped a defensive 1-0 battle at sixth-ranked power Shawnee Saturday afternoon, October 8.

The Pirates fell to 8-6-1 with their second one-goal loss to a state-ranked opponent in three days. 

WBL leader Shawnee improved to 12-1-1 with the victory. 

The only goal of the game was netted by Noah Scheid in the 37th minute, from a Luca Furillo assist.

Pirate goalkeeper Kyle Basil made seven saves in goal. The Indian keeper was credited with three saves.

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By Cort Reynolds

The Bluffton High School girls tennis team competed in the Div. II sectional tournament at UNOH in Lima Saturday, October 8.

Pirate junior Brooke Camper was seeded 17th in the 36-player singles field, and she won two matches before being eliminated one win short of district qualification. 

Singles and doubles semifinalists make it to the district tournament, and she lost in the quarterfinals.

Camper easily defeated Emma Skinner of LCC 6-1, 6-0 in her round of 32 opener.

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The Bluffton University volleyball team rolled into fall break with a convincing 3-0 sweep of visiting Franklin College on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Bluffton improved to 14-6 overall and 2-1 in the Heartland Conference, while Franklin fell to 7-11 with a 1-2 mark in the conference.

Freshman Jenna Woods (DeGraff/Riverside) hammered home seven kills after her career-best 19 two nights ago in Bluffton's 3-1 win over Manchester. Julianne Kincaid (Galion/Northmor) and Maddie White (Ashland) chipped in with six winners apiece, while sophomore Chloei Barnett (Wapakoneta) added five kills.

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By Jennifer Stull, MD
EasternWoods Family Practice 

Annual wellness visits (AWV) are an important part of an adult's healthy lifestyle. The purpose of an AWV is to develop and maintain a personalized prevention plan to help prevent disease and disability based on your current health and risk factors. Even if you do not have chronic illnesses, it is recommended to have an AWV to be proactive about your health. These visits differ from traditional office visits in which you may be seen for new or acute concerns. 

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By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

Second in a series of articles pertaining to indigenous people of Allen, Hancock, Hardin and Putnam counties. Click here to read Fred Steiner's first column in this series.

Introduction
The plight of native Americans, in many ways ethnic cleansing, expelled from our part of the state in the 1830s, is one of our most tragic stories.

The only first-hand accounts from the Bluffton News of Europeans and native Americans tell mostly tell of settlers encountering graves. The stories raise questions including:

• What did the early European settlers do with the remains discovered in their fields?

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