All Bluffton Icon News

The Bluffton Fall Festival is Saturday, Sept. 28. Events take place in several locations around Bluffton. This is part of a series detailing events at specific locations. This story tells about events at the Swiss Community Historical Society homestead.

The annual Fall Festival at the Homestead will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. by the Swiss Community Historical Society of Bluffton and Pandora. The Schumacher Homestead is located at 8350 Bixel Road between Bluffton and Pandora, and the event is free and open to the public.  

If you like dolls, then you must see the September display case exhibit in the Bluffton Public Library. It's all dolls from around the world. Here's one from Japan. 

A new bowling season recently started at Southgate Lanes, Bluffton, and there's two very familiar bowlers among the many men and women who study the pins each week.

Jim Baumgartner, 83, starting bowling at Southgate Lanes, Bluffton, in 1960. The year it opened. He's still bowling there.

Bob Badertscher, who says he's a couple months younger than Jim, started bowling at Southgate Lanes the next season, in 1961. And he's still bowling there.

These two guys have forgotten more about bowling than you'll ever know about the sport. Bob Badertscher (left) and Jim Baumgartner (right)  have bowled at Southgate Lanes for 52 and 53 years respectively. Click for more of the story.

Jeanne's Kitchen, 112 Vine St., is now open at 8 a.m. serving coffee and assorted fresh homemade pastries, according to Jeanne Previte, owner.

Samantha Erter of Kenton and a graduate of Columbus Culinary at Bradford School, Columbus, is Jeanne's pastry chef. 

What started as a family adventure in 1998 turned into 15 years of an established business in downtown Bluffton. That family adventure is The Black Lab Trading Co.

Ben Sprunger bought the historic building located 121 N. Main St., that has housed many businesses over the 100-plus years. Some of these businesses include an opera house, general mercantile store, Basinger's Furniture, Jan’s and others. 

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