Before the Village of Bluffton had a water system or pump equipment, fighting fires required bucket brigades, a chain of individuals who passed buckets of water from hand to hand. The Bluffton Ohio Historical Society is inviting small groups to participate in a bucket brigade competition as part of its August 10 Bluffton History Day celebrating local volunteer firefighters.
The Swiss Community Historical Society of Bluffton and Pandora will hold its final Second Saturday event of the summer on August 10, when visitors are especially invited to tour the garden. Open hours at the Schumacher homestead, 8350 Bixel Road, are from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
This year marks the second season that the garden has been ably cared for by committee members Becki Ahmed, Joyce Suter and Nancy Yeager, assisted by their husbands and a few friends. There will be docents available to point out and discuss the plants used by the early settlers, including the labeled herbs and broom corn.
There will also be guided tours of the (air-conditioned) mid-19th century house, with many period artifacts, some original to the house.
The Saturday, July 27 edition of Bluffton Discovery Days includes pop-up shops, family activities, and the chance to win Bluffton Bucks. Head into town for the following attractions:
TedFest is hosted by the Arthur-Lugibihl Community Center Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 to continue improvements for the gymnasium and community room used by the public for social and sporting events. The ALCC operates on a volunteer basis.
Last year, the first Bluffton History Day told the story of when John Dillinger’s gang robbed the Citizens National Bank in 1933 and the Bluffton residents who experienced it.
By Paula Pyzik Scott
On Saturday, August 10, the Bluffton Ohio Historical Society will celebrate the Bluffton Fire Department with a Bluffton History Day program that recreates an 1898 photograph of volunteer firefighters shooting water over Main St. as a test of the new Village water system.
