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Open House on June 14 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at FNB in Pandora 

Pandora __ Larry Hoffman, EVP, Chief Financial Officer at First National Bank is retiring effective June 30, 2024. Larry began his career with First National Bank at the Pandora office in 2011.

Hoffman has 44 total years of accounting  experience, which includes 13 years of public accounting as a Senior Accountant for  Fruth & Company, CPAs and 18 years in higher education as Controller/Assistant Treasurer at Rhodes State College. Larry and his wife, Marcy, reside in Bluffton and have  3 children, Ellie, Nolan, and Ethan.

Larry has served on many community boards  including Bluffton Soccer Club, Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Bluffton School Board and St. Mary’s Church and plans to continue his involvement in community service organizations in retirement.  

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With approval from the Village council, Vine St. has become a weekend recreation space with amenities provided by local business and property owners. The street will be closed from 7:00 a.m. on Saturday to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Convertible seating, mini golf, giant Jenga, and sidewalk chalk are available for all.

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Ebenezer Mennonite Church, 8905 Columbus Grove Road, Bluffton, will host a Food Truck Night on June 19 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. on the church lawn and in the shelter house.

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Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 7:00 p.m., third floor Town Hall, 154 N. Main

The agenda for the June monthly meeting of the Bluffton Ohio Historical Society includes the following: Bluffton Festival of Wheels (Friday, June 14, 2024), Bluffton Forever website, possible grants and future Facebook 101 training.

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Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 301 North Main Street, Jenera, has added a Tuesday night service on selected Tuesdays during the summer. 

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Above) Bill Walton as a Portland Trailblazer in 1976-77; the team came back from a 2-0 finals deficit to beat the favored Philadelphia 76ers.

A Bill Walton retrospective on CelticsBlog.com

By Professor Parquet / Cort Reynolds

Bill Walton was the quintessential southern California baby boomer turned flower child.

No one or five articles can adequately describe the multi-layered personality of Big Bill. He was the rare great athlete who transcended his sport.

Armed with boundless energy and enthusiasm, he was a fierce Vietnam War protestor, a political champion of minorities and underdogs, even though he suffered from a severe stuttering problem. Walton was a serious bicyclist and a renowned music lover, especially of his favorite band, the Grateful Dead.

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 Local Voices Bluffton. is hosted by Sam Sprunger of Lounge Media Group and Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce Director Jim Enneking. Visit the PODCAST page for a full list of episodes.

In the June 6 editor of Local Voices Bluffton, Sam Sprunger and Jim Enneking have a conversation with Jessica Meyer, co-owner of Sanctuary Housing, currently under development at 104 E. Elm St.

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Browsing BlufftonForever.com for stories connected to the theme of Bluffton's Festival of Wheels--which is headed our way on Friday, June 14--this horse and wagon wheels image made us say "Whoa!"

By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

Barns, wooden fences and empty lots were all that occupied the neighborhood of Jackson and Grove streets in 1888, when this picture was taken.

Handling the powerful rig in the photo were Peter Diller (left) and Albert E. Lugibill, in the fancy striped coat on the right. The horses are a pair of Percherons owned by Bucher Brothers, taken around for stud services.

From a note on the back of the photo, written in 1959, we learn the following: The house in the left background is now occupied by Mrs. Addie Graber. Looking east, the photo was taken from the corner now occupied by the Paul Clark residence.

Read the whole story at 135 years ago, this was the Jackson-Grove intersection of Bluffton

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The Village of Bluffton council will host two public meetings regarding a proposed funding increase and Nov. 5 ballot issue for Safety Services. The meetings will be held on Monday, June 10 at 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Bluffton EMS building, 118 Washington St. 

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See Heritage Center construction--the conversion of a Swiss Settlement barn--in progress

June 8 from 1:00-4:00 p.m., at the Schumacher Homestead, 8350 Bixel Rd.

On "Second Saturdays" from June-August, the Schumacher Homestead will be open for special activities and tours of the the air-conditioned farmhouse, as well as the summer kitchen, garden, workshop and barn. Cost: $5 for adults.

On June 8 from 1:00-4:00 p.m., Van Risser will demonstrate and share examples of hearth cooking. During the early years Swiss Settlement cooks used a back fire and pulled hot coals forward under a cast iron pot.

During that time period, cooks needed to control their fire and plan what kind of heat was needed for different tasks—roasting, boiling, frying, stewing, heating water for washing, etc. A steady supply of firewood was essential and was probably logged, cut up, and carried into the house by the men and boys.

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