All Bluffton Icon News

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By Matt M. Stutz

The Pandora-Gilboa High School boy’s basketball team hosted a tough non-conference match-up on December 27 against the undefeated Patrick Henry Patriots. The Rockets started fast, jumping ahead 7-2 early in quarter number one. The Patriots settled in and led 11-10 at the end of the first quarter. From there, the Patriots never looked back and P-G fell by a final of 66-41.

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PHOTOS of the Ream display. Click the gallery to enlarge and view at your own pace.

By Bill Herr

Thousands have seen the Ream Christmas display that originated on the Ream farm in 1938 and now is displayed each year at Christmastime on the Bluffton Presbyterian Church lawn. This story is about its founder, Harry Ream.

I first met Harry on October 22, 2001, when he had just become a resident at Richland Manor Nursing Home near Beaverdam. I was a volunteer there, meeting with men who were residents for a weekly meeting.

My wife and I had traveled each year to the Ream farm to see their Christmas display. We knew that Harry made the cut outs of the figures and that his wife Dorothy was an artist and painted them.

When I heard that Harry was to become a new resident at the nursing home, I was excited to meet him. When he came to our meeting room, I extended my right hand to Harry and was stunned to see that he didn't have his right hand. He smiled and put out his left hand. We shook hands and that began a friendship I will never forget. 

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Happy Holidays! The Ada Icon and Bluffton Icon will be in holiday mode through New Year's Day on Wednesday, January 1.

Content will be updated with breaking news including sports and obituaries, but our office will be closed. Please continue to send information 24/7 to [email protected] and leave messages at 567-400-4266.

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The following meetings have been scheduled by the Village of Bluffton. The meetings will be at Bluffton Town Hall.

Parks & Recreation Committee on Friday, December 27 at noon.

Pathway Board Meeting on Thursday, January 2 at noon.

Planning Commission Meeting on Monday, January 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Cemetery Board on Thursday, January 9 at 11:00 a.m.

Council Meeting on Monday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m.

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By Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist

In December of 1977, the Bee Gees released Stayin’ Alive, which was from the movie soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever. In 1979, the Bee Gees won a Grammy Award for the Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices. This would be the first of five Grammy Awards for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. 

The Bee Gees were formed in 1959 combining the talents of brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The brothers were born in England, but their family moved to Australia where the group got their start. The Bee Gees were known for three-part tight harmonies. The brothers started in the pop genre, but morphed into disco in the early 1970s.

Of the 120 million records the Bee Gees sold globally, Stayin’ Alive may be the only one known to have saved peoples’ lives. Why is that?

Almost 500,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest each year with about 350,000 of these occurring outside of a hospital.  The American Heart Association reports the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest is doubled or tripled if immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is administered.

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By Benji Bergstrand

The Gift of Giving light display in the parking lot across from Harmon Field has been delighting children of all ages for generations. With over 10,000 lights, a rocking soundtrack by Manheim Steamroller (used with permission), and the heart-warming story of a tree hoping to be picked as a Christmas tree. This display is a can’t-miss tradition for many area families. 

The care and maintenance for a community icon of this scale takes a lot of work, and that effort has been generously donated for the last three years by the electrical apprentice program at GROB Systems in Bluffton. American Legion members had been caring for the display previous to that.  “The year prior to us taking over responsibility for the system, I spent a few hours with Fred Rodabaugh and Larry Core to see how they and the other American Legion members went about the setup,” said Electrical Training Instructor Evan Steiner, “They provided me with a circuit diagram and labeled pictures of the display showing the relative location of the trees, animals, Frosty, etc..”

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